Editing Sippar (section)

==History==
While pottery finds indicate that the site of Sippar was in use as early as the [[Uruk period]], substantial occupation occurred only in the [[Early Dynastic Period (Mesopotamia)|Early Dynastic]] and [[Akkadian Empire]] periods of the 3rd millennium BC, the [[First Babylonian dynasty|Old Babylonian]] and [[Kassite dynasty|Kassite]] periods of the 2nd millennium BC, and the [[Neo-Babylonian]] times of the 1st millennium BC. Lesser levels of use continued into the time of the [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid]], [[Seleucid Empire|Seleucid]] and [[Parthian Empire]]s.<ref>MacGinnis, John, Jon McGinnis, and Cornelia Wunsch, "The arrows of the sun: armed forces in Sippar in the first millennium BC". Islet-Verlag, 2012 {{ISBN|9783980846653}}</ref><ref>Clayden, Tim, "Dūr-Kurigalzu: New Perspectives", Volume 2 Karduniaš. Babylonia under the Kassites 2, edited by Alexa Bartelmus and Katja Sternitzke, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, pp. 437-478, 2017</ref>

===Early Bronze Age===
Despite the fact that thousands of cuneiform [[clay tablet]]s have been recovered at the site, relatively little is known about the history of Sippar. In the [[Sumerian king list]] a king of Sippar, [[En-men-dur-ana]], is listed as one of the early pre-dynastic rulers of the region but has not yet turned up in the epigraphic records.

====Akkadian period====
Sippar was the cult site of the sun god (Sumerian [[Utu]], Akkadian [[Shamash]]), along with his consort [[Aya (goddess)|Aya]], and the home of his temple [[É (temple)|E]]-babbara ([[É (temple)|𒂍]]𒌓𒌓𒊏, means "white house") where the [[Manishtushu#Cruciform Monument of Manishtushu|Cruciform Monument of Manishtushu]] was found.<ref>MacGinnis, John, "The Šatammu of Sippar", Die Welt des Orients, pp. 21-26, 1995</ref> [[Mamu (deity)|Mamu]], the daughter of Shamash, also had a temple in Sippar as did the goddesses Nin-Isina, Ninḫegal, [[Ninkarrak#Sippar|Ninkarrak]], and Tašmētum.<ref>[https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/135436/1/Asher-Greve_Westenholz_2013_Goddesses_in_Context.pdf]Asher-Greve, Julia M., and Joan Goodnick Westenholz, "Goddesses in context: on divine powers, roles, relationships and gender in Mesopotamian textual and visual sources", Vol. 259. Academic Press/Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2013</ref>

In the later part of the 3rd millennium BC, a large coalition of city-states led by Iphur-Kis of [[Kish (Sumer)]] and Amar-Girid of [[Uruk]], joined by Enlil-nizu of [[Nippur]], and including the city-states of "[[Kutha]], TiWA, Sippar, [[Kazallu]], Kiritab, [Api]ak   and GN" as well as "Amorite  [hi]ghlanders" revolted against Akkadian Empire ruler [[Naram-Sin of Akkad]]. The rebellion was joined by the city of [[Borsippa]], among others. The revolt was crushed.<ref>Steve Tinney, A New Look at Naram-Sin and the "Great Rebellion",  Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 47, pp. 1-14, 1995</ref>

===Middle Bronze Age===
Sippar was the production center of wool. It also produced some of the finest [[Akkadian language|Old Babylonian]] cylinder seals.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Collon|first=Dominique|title=First impressions : cylinder seals in the ancient Near East|date=2005|publisher=British Museum Press|isbn=0-7141-1136-8|edition=[Rev. ed.]|location=London|oclc=63186269}}</ref>

====Middle Bronze I====
In Middle Bronze IB (c. 1900-1820 BC), the city-state of Babylon started to expand. Sippar eventually came within the Babylonian realm. [[Sumu-la-El]] of [[Babylon]] (r. 1878-1843 BC) conducted several military campaigns gaining control over Sippar. In his 29th year of reign, Sumulael reported building the city wall of Sippar. [[Sabium]] (r. 1842-1829 BC) did some religious activity dedicated to Utu/Shamash, Marduk in one of his year-names. [[Apil-Sin]] (r. 1828-1812 BC) did some activity in Sippar in his Year 14.

Based on Shamash Temple records Sippar ruler Immerum is known to have been roughly contemporary with the rule of Sumu-la-El. He is suggested to have been ruling Sipper when Babylon took control based on a text sealed with oaths to both Immerum and Sumu-la-El.<ref>Tanret, M., "I.B. The First Sangas", in The Seal of the Sanga, Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2010</ref><ref>Tanret, M.,"I.C. Before The Second Sanga", in The Seal of the Sanga, Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2010</ref> In another text detailing gifts for dignitaries [[Sumu-abum]], first ruler of the First Babylonian Empire received the largest gift with Immerum and Sumu-la-El (2nd ruler of that empire) receiving smaller gifts.<ref>Wasserman, N., & Bloch, Y., "The Kingdom of Babylon", in The Amorites, Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2023</ref> Four year names of Immerum are known including "The year (in which) the temple of Inanna Immerum built".<ref>"PBS 08/2, 195 Artifact Entry", (2005) 2023. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). February 1, 2023. https://cdli.earth/P257793</ref>

====Middle Bronze II (c. 1820-1587 BC)====
[[File:Clay tablet and its sealed clay envelope. Legal document, listing of land and their distribution to several sons. From Sippar, Iraq. Old-Babylonian period. Reign of Sin-Muballit, 1812-1793 BCE. Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin, Germany.jpg|thumb|Clay tablet and its sealed clay envelope. Legal document, listing of land and their distribution to several sons. From Sippar, Iraq. Old-Babylonian period. Reign of Sin-Muballit, 1812-1793 BCE. Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin]]
[[Sin-Muballit]] (r. 1811-1793 BC) controlled the city and a sealed clay envelope is known.

[[File:Hammurabi's Babylonia 1.svg|thumb|Hammurabi's Babylonia 1]]
Some years later [[Hammurabi]] of Babylon (r. 1792-1750 BC) reported laying the foundations of the city wall of Sippar in his 23rd year and worked on the wall again in his 43rd year. His successor in Babylon, [[Samsu-iluna]] (r. 1749-1712 BC) worked on Sippar's wall in his 1st year. The city walls, being typically made of mud bricks, required much attention. The [[Code of Hammurabi]] stele was probably erected at Sippar. [[Shamash]] was the god of justice, and he is depicted handing authority to the king in the image at the top of the stele.

The city flourished under Babylonian rule until the Sack of Babylon by Mursili I of Hatti around 1587 BC.

===Late Bronze Age===
====Kassite period====
The city then came under the control of the [[Kassite dynasty]].

====Elamite period====
In the final years of that dynasty the Elamite ruler [[Shutruk-Nakhunte]] (c. 1184 to 1155 BC) captured Sippar. Shutruk-Nakhunte carried back statues from the Shamash temple to Susa adding his own inscription to a stele of the Akkadian Empire ruler [[Naram-Sin of Akkad|Naram-Sin]]:
{{blockquote|text="I am Shutruk-Nahhunte, son of Hallutush-Inshushinak, beloved servant of the god [[Inshushinak]], king of Anshan and Susa, who has enlarged the kingdom, who takes care of the lands of Elam, the lord of the land of Elam. When the god Inshushinak gave me the order, I defeated Sippar. I took the stele of Naram-Sin and carried it off, bringing it to the land of Elam. For Inshushinak, my god, I set it as an offering."<ref name="MM">{{cite book |last1=Mieroop |first1=Marc Van De |title=A History of the Ancient Near East, ca. 3000-323 BC |date=2015 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=9781118718230 |page=199 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zTLOCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA199 |language=en}}</ref>}}

===Iron Age===
====Neo-Babylonian period====
In the succeeding [[Late Bronze Age collapse]] period, it was taken by the Neo-Babylonian ruler [[Nebuchadnezzar I]] about 1120 BC. In the reign of Neo-Babylonian ruler [[Adad-apla-iddina]] (c. 1064–1043 BC) the Shamash cult center along with all the other temples in Sippar were destroyed by Suteans and cult symbol of Shamash was lost.<ref>A. Goetze, "An Inscription of Simbar-šīḫu", Journal of Cuneiform Studies, 19 (4), pp. 121–135, 1965</ref><ref>Brinkman, J. A., "A Note on the Shamash Cult at Sippar in the Eleventh Century B.C.", Revue d’Assyriologie et d’archéologie Orientale, vol. 70, no. 2, pp. 183–84, 1976</ref>

====Neo-Assyrian period====
In the early 1st millennium BC, Sippar came under Neo-Assyrian control.<ref>Da-Riva, Rocío, "Sippar in the Reign of Sîn-šum-līšir (626 BC)", Altorientalische Forschungen 28.1, pp. 40-64, 2001</ref> After the final defeat of the Neo-Assyrians by the Neo-Babylonians at the [[Battle of Carchemish]] in 605 BC text report that a number of Egyptian and Assyrian prisoners were brought to Sippar as chattel.<ref>Bongenaar, Arminius CVM, and Ben JJ Haring, "Egyptians in neo-Babylonian Sippar", Journal of cuneiform studies 46.1, pp. 59-72, 1994</ref><ref>Mac-Ginnis, John, "Assyrians after the Fall: Evidence from the Ebabbar of Sippar", At the Dawn of History: Ancient Near Eastern Studies in Honour of J. N. Postgate, edited by Yağmur Heffron, Adam Stone and Martin Worthington, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 781-796 2017</ref> Records of Neo-Babylonian ruler [[Nebuchadnezzar II]] (605-562 BC) and [[Nabonidos]] (556-539 BC) record that they repaired the Shamash temple E-babbara.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/jstor-527830/page/n20/mode/1up]Jastrow, Morris, "Nebopolassar and the Temple to the Sun-God at Sippar", The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures, vol. 15, pp. 65-86, 1899</ref>

====Achaemenid period====
After the [[Battle of Opis]] in September 539 BC Sippar surrendered to the [[Achaemenid Empire]], followed soon after by the fall of the Neo-Babylonian empire.<ref>Kuhrt, A., "The Persian Empire: A Corpus of Sources of the Achaemenid Period", Routledge, 2007</ref>

===Speculation===
[[Ziusudra|Xisuthros]], the "Chaldean Noah" in Sumerian mythology, is said by [[Berossus]] to have buried the records of the [[antediluvian]] world here—possibly because the name of Sippar was supposed to be connected with ''sipru'', "a writing".<ref>[https://archive.org/details/jstor-527500]Ward, William Hayes, "Sippara", Hebraica, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 79–86, 1886</ref> And according to [[Abydenus]], [[Nebuchadnezzar II]] excavated a great reservoir in the neighbourhood.<ref>Dalley, Stephanie, "Nineveh, Babylon and the Hanging Gardens: Cuneiform and Classical Sources Reconciled", Iraq, vol. 56, pp. 45–58, 1994</ref>

[[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] (''[[Natural History (Pliny)|Natural History]]'' 6.30.123) mentions a sect of Chaldeans called the ''Hippareni''. It is often assumed that this name refers to Sippar (especially because the other two schools mentioned seem to be named after cities as well: the ''Orcheni'' after [[Uruk]], and the ''Borsippeni'' after [[Borsippa]]), but this is not universally accepted.<ref>Barnett, R. D., "Xenophon and the Wall of Media", The Journal of Hellenic Studies, vol. 83, pp. 1–26, 1963</ref>

Sippar has been suggested as the location of the Biblical [[Sepharvaim]] in the [[Old Testament]], which alludes to the two parts of the city in its [[Dual (grammatical number)|dual]] form.<ref>G. R. Driver, "Geographical Problems", Eretz Israel, vol. 5, pp. 18-20, 1958</ref>