231 OLD BABYLONIAN INSCRIPTIONS 



Naram-Sin 1 (Part I, pp. 16-19). It was apparently laid by Sargon and relaid by bis 

 son, Naram-Sin, who utilized part of his father's bricks, and it must therefore be rec- 

 ognized as the true level of the Sargon dynasty in the lower strata of the temple at 

 Nuffar. No bricks of either of the two kings have been found below it, nor in fact 

 any other inscribed objects that can be referred to thenio 2 But another, even more 

 powerful witness of Naram-Sin' s activity in Nippur 3 has arisen from some ruins in 

 the neighborhood of Ekur. 



On the plan of Nuffar published in Part I, PI. XV, a ridge of low insignificant- 

 looking mounds to the N.-W. of the temple' is marked VI L They represent a portion 

 of JfTiviit-MarduTc, the outer wall of the city. 5 Its upper part, as stated above, was 

 constructed by Ur-Gur. During the summer of 1895 Mr. Haynes excavated the 

 lower part of this rampart. He selected a piece of 10 m. in length and soon after- 

 wards reported the following surprising results. The foundation of the wall was placed 

 on solid clay c. § m. below the water level or c. 5 m. below the plain of the desert. It 

 was "built of worked clay mixed with cut straw and laid up en masse with roughly 

 sloping or battered sides " to a total height of c. 5.5 m. Upon the top of this large 

 base, which is c. 13.75 m. wide, a wall of the same enormous width, made of sun-dried 



'More recently (Altorientalisclie Forschungen III, p. 238) Winckler refers to Shargani-shar-ali as the possible his- 

 torical basis of "the mythical Sargon of Agade." I trust the day is not very far when he will regard Sargon as histori- 

 cal and identical with Shargani-shar-ali, as I do. 



2 The brick stamp of Sargon, mentioned below, p. 243, as having been unearthed underneath the wall of Ur-Gtur's 

 archive, indicates that this underground archive or cellar existed at Sargon's time at that very spot and was rebuilt 

 by Ur-Gur. 



8 Inscribed burned bricks of Naram-Sin were also found in mound X, on the W. bank of the Shatt en-Nil at a very 

 low level. All the stamped bricks of Narani-Sin "show evident traces of red coloring on their under or inscribed 

 face" (Haynes, Report of Nov. 24, 1894). 



1 Originally these mounds continued a little farther N. W. than they can be traced on the map, until suddenly 

 they turned to the W., reaching the Shatt en-Nil apparently not far from II. A large open space, " 414 m. long by 

 276 m. wide and covering more than 26 acres of ground," was enclosed by this wall, by the mounds called VIH and 

 by the temple complex (III). As far as the present evidence goes, this court was never occupied by any brick build- 

 ings. Its real purpose can therefore only be surmised. According to Haynes (Report of August 3, 1895) it served as 

 a caravanserai for the accommodation and safety of pilgrims and their animals. Such a view is possible, but it seems 

 to me more probable to regard this enclosed place as a court where the numerous cattle, sheep, etc., received by the 

 temple administration as regular income and for special sacrifices, were kept and sheltered. Perhaps it served both 

 purposes. Besides in the time of war the inhabitants of Nippur readily found a safe refuge behind its walls. On the 

 N. E. side of this court, "at the foot of the enclosing wall, a bubbling spring was discovered. On either side of the 

 spring are still seen the brick platforms and curbs where the water pots rested." From the size of the bricks, which 

 "appear to be the half bricks of Naram-Sin," the spring existed at the time of this great builder. " After the court 

 had become filled to a depth of about 1 m , a diagonal wall of burned bricks, 5£ m. long, six courses high, placed on 

 a raised base of clay, was built before the spring to divert the course of drifting sand and debris from the court." 



5 Cf. II R. 50, 29 a, b. The inner fortification (duru) was called Imgur-Marduk {ibidem, 28 a, b). Cf. Delilzsch, 

 Wo lag das Paradies ? p. 221. Both names seem to be of comparatively late date and cannot be applied to NaramSin's 

 fortifications. According to II B. 50, 30f, a, b, two other names existed for the outer wall (s7iaUj.il). 



