Qattara/Karana (?) | |
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  Tell al-Rimah Shown within Iraq | |
| Location | Nineveh Province, Iraq |
|---|---|
| Region | Mesopotamia |
| Coordinates | 36°15′25.51″N42°26′57.61″E / 36.2570861°N 42.4493361°E /36.2570861; 42.4493361 |
| Type | tell |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1964–1971 |
| Archaeologists | D. Oates, Theresa Howard Carter |
Tell al-Rimah (also Tell ar-Rimah) is an archaeological settlement mound, inNineveh Province, Iraq, roughly 80 kilometres (50 mi) west ofMosul and ancientNineveh in theSinjar region. It lies 15 kilometers south of the site ofTal Afar.
It has been proposed that its ancient name in the 2nd millennium BC was Karana or Qattara or Razama. Karana and Qattara were very close together and thought to be part of a small kingdom.[1] It has also been suggested that the site's name in the 1st Millennium BC was Zamaḫâ. It is near the circular walled similar archaeological sites of Tell Hadheil, a large Early Dynastic site with Old Babylonian and Neo-Assyrian occupation, and Tell Huweish. Tell Hamira, known earlier as Tell Abu Hamira, is 16 kilometers to the east and has also been suggested as the site of Karana.
Currently, archaeology leans toward Qattara as the ancient name of Tell Al-Rimah.[2]
The site covers an area roughly 25 ha, surrounded by a polygonal city wall. The interior holds a number of low mounds and a large central mound 30 meters high and 100 meters in diameter.[3]
The region was originally surveyed bySeton Lloyd in 1938, who also investigated the nearby site ofTell Taya.[4] The site of Tell al-Rimah was excavated from 1964 to 1971 by aBritish School of Archaeology in Iraq team led byDavid Oates, joined by thePenn Museum andTheresa Howard Carter in the first three years.[5][6][7][8][9][10] A large temple and palace from the early second millennium BC were excavated, as well as a Neo-Assyrian building. Tell al-Rimah also is known for having a third millennium example of brick vaulting.[11] It has been suggested that the city-goddess of Karana wasGeshtinanna in Old Babylonian times.[12]
Although only a small portion of the palace was excavated due to it depth, a number ofOld Babylonian tablets contemporary withZimri-Lim ofMari and 40 tablets from the time ofShalmaneser I were found as well as other objects. Most of the Older texts were from the time of the Karana ruler,Aqba-aḫum with a few dating to the time of an earlier rulerHatnu-rapi. The tablets are mostly administrative documents involving loans of grain or tin.[13][14][15] The tablets also showed a thriving wine industry.[16] A god,Saggar, known fromMari is also attested in the texts.[17]
Among the finds were over 40 Middle Assyrian periodfaience rosettes with "transverse perforations on the reverse sides and a knob disc attached to their obverse sides".[18]
It appears that the site was occupied in the third millennium BC.[citation needed]
It reached its greatest size and prominence during the second millennium BC. The second millennium activity was primarily strong during theOld Babylonian (contemporary withZimri-Lim of Mari,Hammurabi of Babylon andIshme-Dagan of Ekallatum who was the son ofShamshi-Adad I) andMitanni periods. In a letter found at Mari:
Speak to Yasmah-Addu, thus says Ishme-Dagan your brother. I wrote to you before to say that I had gone to Karana to help Samu-Addu. The ruler of Eshnunna, together with all his troops, his courtiers and his friends, has assembled and is staying in Upe and he kept writing to the ruler of Babylon (Hammurabi) to meet him in Mankisum, but the ruler of Babylon did not agree.[19]
In the Middle Bronze period the site experienced widespread destruction and was abandoned before being re-occupied in the Late Bronze period. In theMitanni period that followed the Old Babylonian occupation Karana is frequently mentioned in tablets found at the trading city ofNuzi and two Nuzi type tablets were found at Karana. The city was no longer fortified at that time but appears to have been quite prosperous. Another period of abandonment then occurred, followed by re-occupation on a much smaller scale in Neo-Assyrian times.[20]
A notable find was a large archive of letters ofIltani, daughter of Samu-Addu, king of Karana from the Old Babylonian period. The archive covers about a four year period and amounts to about 200 tablets.[21][22] It is known she had at least two sons, one named Yasitna-abum and a sister inAssur.[23]Another sister, Amat-Shamash, who was a priestess inSippar who once sent her a gift of shrimp.
The slaves whom my father gave me have grown old; now, I have sent half a mina of silver to the king; allow me my claim and get him to send me slaves who have been captured recently, and who are trustworthy. In recollection of you, I have sent to you five minas of first-rate wool and one container of shrimps[24]
Her husband was Aqba-aḫum of Qaṭṭara who in a text found at Mari wrote to her saying "The ice (house) of Qaṭṭara should be unsealed, so that the goddess, you, andBelassunu could drink from it as needed. But the ice must remain under guard.".[25] Another Mari text involving Iltani reveals that there was a version of the goddess Istar at Qatara.
1 goat, offering of Iltani to Išḫara of Aritanaya; 1 goat offering of Iltani to Ištar of Ninet (Nineveh); 1 spring lamb, offering of Iltani to Ištar of Qaṭṭara, when she dedicated (a votive) statue of Yadruk-Addu; 1 lamb, offering of Iltani to Sin [8.x*.Ṣabrum].[26]
An Old Babylonian period seal was found saying "i-lí-sa-ma-[ás] dumu iq-qa-at utu/iskur ir pí-it-ha-na," i.e, "Ill-Samas, son of Iqqāt-Šamas Addu, servant of Pithana" which has given rise to the suggestion that this referred toPithana who was ruler of the Anatolian city ofKuššara, although that reading of the ruler's name is not certain.[27][28]
Samu-Addu held power in the last years of Shamshi-Adad of Ekallatum and may have been a vassal. With the death of Shamshi-Adad Mari, under Zimri-Lim expanded in the region and Hatnu-rapi, an ally of Zimri-Lim, took power. Hatnu-rapi was present at the sack ofShubat-Enil, the royal city of Shamshi-Adad. In a letter found at Karana:
Speak to Hatnu-rapi, thus says Bunu-Ishtar your brother. When you have read this letter, you, Sharriya and the other kings who are on your side get together and muster 4,000 men between you. And I from here shall muster 2,000 men. The former plus the latter, 6,000 good men, let us muster between us, and let us send them quickly to the help of Zimri-Lim; indeed, let us act to save Zimri-Lim. This is not a matter for neglect; let us apply ourselves to this, that we may the sooner send these troops to Zimri-Lim. May my brother not neglect this message of mine![29]
Ashkur-Addu then deposed Hatnu-rapi, who fled to Mari. A clay sealing read "Bini-sakin, foremost son of the king, servant of Askur-Addu". A messenger text found at Karana "They have brought in four tablets of the governor of Susa in Elam.... I opened those tablets... but there was no news in them" showed the wide regional interconnections at this time. Aqba-hammu then deposed Ashkur-Addu and became a vassal of Hammurabi.
The site was lightly occupation in the later Iron AgeNeo-Assyrian period.
The most notable artifact found was the stele ofAdad-nirari III (811 to 783 BC), known as theTell al-Rimah stela, which may mention an early king ofNorthern Israel stating "He received the tribute of Ia'asu the Samaritan, of the Tyrian (ruler) and of the Sidonian (ruler)" and contains the firstcuneiform mention ofSamaria by that name. On the side of the stele was an inscription of Nergal-ereš, who names himself "governor of Raṣappa".[30][31][32] It has been suggested, based on the stele, that Tell al-Rimah has called Zamaḫâ at that time.[33] A larger version of this stele was found atDūr-Katlimmu.[34]
Razama (ra-za-ma-aki) was an ancient Near East city which achieved prominence in theOld Babylonian period and was capital of the land of Yussan/Yassan. It is currently unlocated. A complication is that there were two cities of this name in that period.[35] It is known that atone point the chief archivist at Razama, appointed byShamshi-Adad I,was a Sîn-iddinam.[36] There is an unpublished treaty between Mutlya of Apum and Hazip-Tessup of Razamä.[37] The city wasbriefly controlled byIshme-Dagan I, ruler of Isin, after attacking it withthe assistance of Eshnunna, before it was recaptured by Zimri-Lim.[38]
A text found atTell Leilan (Subat-Enlil) mentions a Hurrian prince of the Razama, Hazip-Tessup.[39] A tablet found atMe-Turan carried a yearname of Silli-Sin, a ruler of Eshnunna who was a contemporary of Hammurabi, "Year Razama was smitten by weapons".[40]
Razama is mentioned in several texts found at the site ofMari. Inthe 10th regnal year of Mari rulerZimri-Lim (c. 18th century BC) an armyled by Atamrum, king of Allahad and later ofAndarig to attack Razama whichwas ruled by Šarriya/Šarraya (Sharrum-kima-kalima), a vassal of Zimri-Lim. The army consisted of troops fromEshnunna and Elam.[41][42][43] There was a long, and unsuccessful siege of the city. The defenders practiced a strategy of active defense "When troops arrived at Razama, when they arrived, the troops of the city came out and killed 700 Elamites and 600 Eshnunakeans". They also droppedbitumen on the attacker's siege towers and burned them.[44] After a siege ramp was constructed it was attacked:
... Citizens made a tunnel in the city. They made two holes in the wall, right and left toward the front of the ramp. At night they entered [that] tunnel, and in the early morning, the troops of the city [came] out and killed half of the troops (of Atamrum). They made them drop the bronze lances and their shields and brought them inside the city[45][46]
In a text found at Mari, Razama it states "500 Turukkeans made a raid below Ekallatum and Aššur and reached Razama" which would place the city south of those cities.Ekallatumis unlocated but is known to be in the vicinity of Assur.[47] In another Mari text a journey ofruler Zimri-Lim has him taking the path "... Rassum, Tadum, Ilan-sura, Razama-of-Yussan, and Husla". In a messenger text from Mari a route is recorded of "[The route of the messen]gers [of the Ya]minites [between Ešnunna] and Karana, [he made it known to me] [thus: (from Ešnunna) to Dur]-Sin; [from Dur]-Sin toArrapha; [from Ar]rapha [to Ka]wa[lhum]; [from K]awalh[um] to Razama of theYamutbal; from Razama of the Yamutbal to Karana; from Karana to Allahad. To the river bank: this is their route".[48] A reconstruction of Old Babylonian period trading routes included one "ASSUR – Sadduatum – Razama sa Bura – Abidiban – Qattara – Razama sa Uhakim – Kaluzanum – Adubazum – Daraqum – Apum ...".[49][50]
Tell al-Hawa has been suggested as the location. Tell al-Rimah has been proposed based on a tablet found in the palace area, Site C:
Sarrum-kima-kalima, son of Aniskibal, builder of the palace in Razama, his capital city[51][52]
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