Editing Nippur (section)

== Archaeology ==
[[File:Nippur fr.PNG|thumb|Map of the site in French]]
[[File:Nippur, Temple of Bel excavation.jpg|thumb|Nippur, Temple of Bel excavation, 1896.]]
[[File:John Henry Haynes. The Nippur temple excavation. 1893.jpg|thumb|Nippur excavations, 1893.]]
[[File:Cuneiform tablet in the name of Shar-Kali-Sharri.jpg|thumb|Cuneiform tablet from Nippur, in the name of [[Shar-Kali-Sharri]], 2300–2100 BC.]]
[[File:Babylonian cuneiform tablet with a map from Nippur 1550-1450 BCE.jpg|thumb|Babylonian cuneiform tablet with a map from Nippur, [[Kassite period]], 1550–1450 BC]]
Nippur was situated on both sides of the ancient bed of the [[Shatt en-Nil|Shatt-en-Nil]] canal, one of the earliest courses of the [[Euphrates]], between the present bed of that river and the [[Tigris]], almost 160&thinsp;km southeast of [[Baghdad]]. The canal bed divides the site into an East Mound and West Mound. It is represented by the great complex of ruin mounds known to the Arabs as ''Nuffar'', written by the earlier explorers ''Niffer'', divided into two main parts by the dry bed of the old [[Shatt en-Nil|Shatt-en-Nil]] (Arakhat). The highest point of these ruins, a conical hill rising about 30&thinsp;m above the level of the surrounding plain, northeast of the canal bed, is called by the Arabs ''Bint el-Amiror'' "prince's daughter". The site reached a maximum extent of 130 hectares, this occurring in the Ur III period and again in the Kassite period.

Nippur was first excavated, briefly, by Sir [[Austen Henry Layard]] in 1851.<ref>[https://archive.org/download/discoveriesamong00laya/discoveriesamong00laya.pdf] Austen H. Layard, Harper, "Discoveries among the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon; with Travels in Armenia, Kurdistan, and the Desert: Being the Result of a Second Expedition Undertaken for the Trustees of the British Museum", New York : Putnam, 1856 (also in reprint by Kessinger Publishing, 2007, {{ISBN|0-548-16028-7}})</ref> Full-scale digging was begun by an expedition from the [[University of Pennsylvania]]. The work involved four seasons of excavation between 1889 and 1900 and was led by [[John Punnett Peters]], [[John Henry Haynes]], and [[Hermann Volrath Hilprecht]].<ref name="Peters1" >[https://archive.org/download/nippurorexplorat00pete/nippurorexplorat00pete.pdf ''Nippur, or Explorations and Adventures on the Euphrates; the narrative of the University of Pennsylvania expedition to Babylonia in the years 1888-1921''], Volume 1, John Punnett Peters, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1897</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/download/nippurexploratio02pete/nippurexploratio02pete.pdf ''Nippur, or Explorations and Adventures on the Euphrates; the narrative of the University of Pennsylvania expedition to Babylonia in the years 1888-1921''] -, Volume 2, John Punnett Peters, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1897</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/download/cu31924019176217/cu31924019176217.pdf ''Explorations in Bible Lands during the 19th Century''], H.V. Hilprecht, 1903</ref><ref>[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/chi.15359238] Fisher, Clarence Stanley, Excavations at Nippur: plans, details, and photographs of the buildings, with numerous objects found in them during the excavations of 1889, 1890, 1893-1896, 1899-1900: v. 1: Topography and city walls, Philadelphia: Department of Archaeology of University of Pennsylvania, 1905</ref><ref>Fisher, Clarence Stanley, Excavations at Nippur: plans, details, and photographs of the buildings, with numerous objects found in them during the excavations of 1889, 1890, 1893-1896, 1899-1900: v. 2: The Fortress, Philadelphia: Department of Archaeology of the University of Pennsylvania, 1907</ref> Thousands of tablets were found at a smaller mound dubbed "tablet hill", about 7.5 meters in average height and 52 square meters in area, southeast of the temple mound.<ref>[https://archive.org/download/jstor-592887/592887.pdf] John P. Peters, The Nippur Library, Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 26, pp.&nbsp;145–164, 1905</ref> A [[true arch]], one of the world's earliest examples, was also found.<ref>John P. Peters, University of Pennsylvania Excavations at Nippur. II. The Nippur Arch, The American Journal of Archaeology and of the History of the Fine Arts, vol. 10, no. 3, pp.&nbsp;352–368, (Jul. - Sep., 1895)</ref><ref>[https://tpsalomonreinach.mom.fr/Reinach/MOM_TP_071787/MOM_TP_071787_0019/PDF/MOM_TP_071787_0019.pdf] Fisher, C. S., "The Archaic Arch at Nippur", Transactions of the
Department of Archaeology, University of Pennsylvania, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 1-9, 1905</ref> In the Parthian layer a box containing fragments of votive axes made of glass from the Kassite period were found. Several late Kassite rulers are represented including [[Kurigalzu II]].<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9953453/Glass_axes_of_the_Kassite_Period_from_Nippur] Clayden, T., "Glass Axes of the Kassite Period from Nippur.", Zeitschrift für Orient-Archäologie, vol. 4, pp. 92–135, 2011</ref>

Nippur was excavated for 19 seasons between 1948 and 1990 by a team from the [[Oriental Institute, Chicago|Oriental Institute]] of Chicago, joined at times by the [[University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology]] and the [[American Schools of Oriental Research]].<ref name=":1">[https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/oip78.pdf ''Nippur I, Temple of Enlil, Scribal Quarter, and Soundings: Excavations of the Joint Expedition to Nippur of the University Museum of Philadelphia and the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago''], Donald E. McCown and Richard C. Haines, Oriental Institute Publication 78, 1967</ref><ref>[https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/as17.pdf ''Cuneiform Texts from Nippur: The Eighth and Ninth Seasons''], Giorgio Buccellati and Robert D. Biggs, Oriental Institute Assyriological Studies 17, 1969</ref><ref>[https://findit.library.yale.edu/images_layout/view?parentoid=15763264&increment=141] Knudstad, J. E., "A Preliminary Report on the 1966–1967 Excavations at Nippur.", Sumer, vol. 24, no. 1-2, pp. 95-106, 1968</ref><ref>[https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/oic22.pdf]McGuire Gibson et al., "Excavations at Nippur: Eleventh Season", Oriental Institute Communication 22, Chicago: The Oriental Institute, 1976 {{ISBN|978-0-22-662339-9}}</ref><ref>[https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/oic23.pdf]McGuire Gibson et al., "Excavations at Nippur: Twelfth Season", Oriental Institute Communication 23, Chicago: The Oriental Institute, 1978 {{ISBN|978-0-91-898622-1}}</ref><ref>[https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/ar/71-80/76-77/76-77_Nippur.pdf] Gibson, M. (1976). The Nippur Expedition. The Oriental Institute, 77, 22-28.</ref><ref>[https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/ar/81-90/81-82/81-82_Nippur.pdf] Gibson, M. (1982). Nippur under Assyrian Domination: 15th Season of Excavation, 1981-82. The Oriental Institute 1981–1982 Annual Report, 40-48</ref><ref>[https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/oip97.pdf ''Nippur, Volume 2. The North Temple and Sounding E: Excavations of the Joint Expedition to Nippur of the American Schools of Oriental Research and the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago''], D. E. et al., Oriental Institute Publication 97, 1978, {{ISBN|0-918986-04-4}}</ref><ref>[https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/oip111.pdf]R. L. Zettler, "Nippur, Volume 3: Kassite Buildings in Area WC-1",Oriental Institute Publication 111, Chicago: The Oriental Institute, 1993 {{ISBN|0-918986-91-5}}</ref><ref>[https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/oip114.pdf ''Nippur, Volume 4: The Early Neo-Babylonian Governor's Archive from Nippur''], S. W. Cole, Oriental Institute Publication 114, 1996, {{ISBN|1-885923-03-1}}</ref><ref>[https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/oip129.pdf]Augusta McMahon, "Nippur V: The Area WF Sounding: The Early Dynastic to Akkadian Transition", Oriental Institute Publication 129, Chicago: The Oriental Institute, 2006 {{ISBN|1-885923-38-4}}</ref><ref>McGuire Gibson, James A. Armstrong and Augusta McMahon, "The City Walls of Nippur and an Islamic Site beyond: Oriental Institute Excavations, 17th Season, 1987", Iraq, vol. 60, pp. 11-44, 1998</ref><ref>{{citation |last1=Gibson |first1=McGuire |last2=McMahon |first2=A. |year=1995 |title= Investigation of the Early Dynastic-Akkadian Transition: Report of the 18th and 19th Seasons of Excavation in Area WF, Nippur |journal=Iraq |volume=57 |pages=1–39 |doi=10.2307/4200399 |jstor=4200399 }}</ref> Part of the effort involved removing large archaeological dumps from the University of Pennsylvania excavations. In the process Early Dynastic bowls, cuneiform tablets, and brick stamps were found.<ref>[https://findit.library.yale.edu/images_layout/view?parentoid=15763260&increment=148] Knudstad, J. E., "A Report on the 1964–1965 Excavations at Nippur.", Sumer, vol. 22, no 1-2, pp. 111–114, 1966</ref> At the temples of Inanna and at Ekur foundation deposits were found with statues of Shulgi and Ur-Nammu.<ref>[https://findit.library.yale.edu/images_layout/view?parentoid=15763238&increment=30] Haines, R. C., "The Latest Report on the Progress of the Excavations at Nippur", Sumer, vol. 11, iss. 2, pp. 107–109, 1955</ref> A temple of [[Inanna]], begun in the Early Dynastic period was completely excavated. Subsequent superimposed new iterations of the temple extended all the way up to Parthian times.  Finds included a tablet dated to the 4th year of the Kassite king [[Shagarakti-Shuriash]], one dated to the 44th year of Ur III king [[Shulgi]], and an Indus Valley stamp seal. In 1977 they briefly excavated at the nearby site of Umm al-Hafriyat which was in the process of being heavily looted.<ref>[https://oi.uchicago.edu/research/projects/nippur-regional-project] McGuire Gibson, Nippur Regional Project: UMM AL-HAFRIYAT, The Oriental Institute Annual Report 1977/78</ref><ref>Mariani, Eleonora, "Early Bronze IV Pottery Assemblages from Umm AlHafriyat Southern Mesopotamia", Athar alrafedain 8.1, 2023</ref><ref>Biggs, R.D., "An Old Akkadian Literary Text from Umm al-Hafriyat", Festschrift Sjöberg ed. H. Behrens et al, Philadelphia: University Museum, pp. 33-36, 1989</ref> Sargonic period tablets found there suggest the ancient name of that site was as Maškan-Ili-Akkade.<ref>Steinkeller, Piotr, "The Divine Rulers of Akkade and Ur: Toward a Definition of the Deification of Kings in Babylonia", History, Texts and Art in Early Babylonia: Three Essays, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, pp. 107-157, 2017</ref><ref>Markina, Ekaterina, "A Note on Sargonic mun. šà/mūšaqum", The Third Millennium, Brill, pp. 452-458, 2020</ref> The excavation is now in the process of being published.<ref>[https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/Publications/Annual-Reports/2022-2023/AR2022-23_Individual_Research.pdf] McGuire Gibson, "Individual Rewsearch", Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures 2022–2023 Annual Report, 2023</ref>

Preliminary efforts to restart work at Nippur began in 2018 under McGuire Gibson.<ref>[https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/Publications/Annual-Reports/2017-2018/14%20-%20Nippur.pdf], McGuire Gibson, Nippur Project, Oriental Institute 2017-2018 Annual Report</ref> Excavation work at Nippur began in April 2019 under [[Abbas Alizadeh]]. Initial focus at Nippur was on a major Parthian period building and a small Late Sassanian house. Permission has also been granted to dig at Dlehim and Drehem. Excavation began in November 2022 for the 21st season which lasted two months. Work began at nearby [[Drehem]] but ceased after authorities decided that a police station must first be established there to prevent looting. Work then returned to the Parthian building.<ref>[https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/N_and_N/nn251.pdf] Abbas Alizadeh, "Nippur in the Age of COVID-19", Oriental Institute of Chicago - News and Notes - Winter/Spring 2022, pp. 20-21</ref><ref name=":Alizadeh">{{Cite book|last=Alizadeh|first=Abbas|url=https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/Publications/Annual-Reports/2019-2020/AR2019-20_Nippur.pdf|title=The Oriental Institute 2019-20 Annual Report|year=2020|isbn=978-1-61491-055-8|pages=95–99|chapter=Nippur Expedition}}</ref>

=== Ziggurat ===
Extensive excavation details have been recorded for the Ziggurat of Ur-Gur. Overall, the [[ziggurat]] site is 25 meters in height, has a rectangular base of 39 meters by 58 meters, consisting three stages of dry brick, and faced with kiln-fired bricks laid in bitumen.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=UNESCO World Heritage |title=Nippur |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6173/ |access-date=2022-04-13 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en}}</ref> The northern corner of the ziggurat points to 12 degrees east of the magnetic north.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Peters |first=John P. |date=1895 |title=Some Recent Results of the University of Pennsylvania Excavations at Nippur, Especially of the Temple Hill |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/496511 |journal=The American Journal of Archaeology and of the History of the Fine Arts |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=13–46 |doi=10.2307/496511 |jstor=496511 |s2cid=166129775 |issn=1540-5079}}</ref> Construction structure and materials are homogeneous, of small unbaked bricks, laid in different ways: first layer of bricks is on the edge sides with the flat sides out, second layer on the edge sides with the ends out, third layer on the flat sides with the edges out.<ref name=":0" />

The ziggurat contains a water conduit system. From the upper surface of the ziggurat, there is a conduit for water drainage in the middle of three façades.<ref name=":0" /> Built by baked bricks 1 metre in breadth and 3 meters in depth, around the conduit base is a plaster of bitumen, sloping outward with gutters to carry off water.<ref name=":0" />

Pavements extend from the ziggurat in a cruciform shape with square-like large bricks, in which pieces of pottery are used to fasten the clay together.<ref name=":0" /> They extend 2.4 meters below the ziggurat foundation and 12 meters away, connected to the lowest stage of the ziggurat, which protects the ziggurat foundation from rain.<ref name=":0" />

=== Temple of Enlil ===
The Temple of Enlil situated northeast of the ziggurat was excavated. Topography of the Temple of Enlil was yielded. By stratigraphic excavation, the chronological sequence of the temple could be constructed. The temple dated to Ur III period was constructed by Urnammu, restored and rebuilt by kings ruled Nippur for centuries.<ref name=":1" />

As the Temple of Enlil was rebuilt after Ur III, the architectural information provided was based on remains from the Ur III period. The rectangular temple measured about 45×21 m with one entrance on the northeast wall and one entrance on the southwest wall. Floors were paved with baked-brick square bricks with size of 37&nbsp;cm. 2 substructures built beneath the paved floor with 1.3 m elevation.<ref name=":1" /> Walls that the thickness varied from 3.35 to 3.95 m were constructed with straw-tempered unbaked bricks and mud mortar.<ref name=":1" /> There was no indication for windows walls above floor level were not preserved but windows were required for additional lighting in the Temple of Enlil.<ref name=":1" /> The possible height of the walls was 13.2 m as it was three times of the substructure which is 4.40 m. Although no remains of the roof left, purlins and reeds were covered first and then rammed earth mixed with straw was layered.<ref name=":1" />

From the floor plan of the Temple of Enlil in Ur III period, 2 cellae each connected with 2 minor chambers with wider doorways (2.40 m, 1.45 m for normal doorway) and 2 subsidiary chambers were presented.<ref name=":1" /> The burning evidence in the cella (room 13) and the minor chambers (room 16,17) adjacent to the other cella (room 18), the inscription of the Temple of Enlil around Ur III period; both indicated the purpose of the Temple of Enlil was to feed gods on the adjacent ziggurat, as 'kitchen temple', so food preparation could be taken place. Other than that, the Temple of Enlil shown no place of a dais for enthroned deities. Thus, the Temple of Enlil was not for worshiping. Yet, religious ritual related to divine repast perhaps libation, could serve as the purpose of Temple of Enlil during Ur III period.<ref name=":1" />

===Temple of Gula===
In 1990 Oriental Institute excavators identified a building in area WA as the Temple of [[Gula (goddess)|Gula]], a goddess of healing and consort of Ninurta. The earliest identified construction of the temple was in the Isin-Larsa period, with major rebuilds in the Kassite, Neo-Assyrian, and Neo-Babylonian periods.<ref name="Gibson1990">[https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/ar/81-90/89-90/89-90_Nippur.pdf] McGuire Gibson, "Nippur, 1990: The Temple of Gula and a Glimpse of Things to Come", Oriental Institute Annual Report 1989-90, Chicago: Oriental Inst. Press, 1990</ref> It is thought that the missing temple of Ninurta is nearby.<ref>[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110798432/pdf#page=755] Schneider, Bernhard, "Nippur: City of Enlil and Ninurta", Naming and Mapping the Gods in the Ancient Mediterranean, pp. 745-762, 2022, {{ISBN|978-3-11-079649-0}}</ref>

===Murashu archive===
Almost directly opposite the temple, a large palace was excavated, apparently of the Seleucid period, and in this neighborhood and further southward on these mounds large numbers of inscribed tablets of various periods, including temple archives of the Kassite and commercial archives of the [[Achaemenid Empire]], were excavated. The latter, the "books and papers" of the house of [[Murashu family|Murashu]], commercial agents of the government, throw light on the condition of the city and the administration of the country in the Achaemenid period. The tablets date between 454 BC and 404 BC with the majority between 440 BC and 414 BC.<ref>[https://archive.org/download/serababylonianex09univuoft/serababylonianex09univuoft.pdf] Hilprecht, H.V, "Business Documents of Murashu and Sons of Nippur Dated to the Reign of Artaxerxes I", The Babylonian expedition of the University of Pennsylvania. Series A, Cuneiform texts, Volume 9, H Vollrat Hilprecht, ed., 1893</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/download/cu31924026432488/cu31924026432488.pdf][[Albert T. Clay]], "Business Documents of Murashu and Sons of Nippur Dated to the Reign of Darius II", The Babylonian expedition of the University of Pennsylvania. Series A, Cuneiform texts, Volume 10, H Vollrat Hilprecht, ed., 1893</ref><ref name="DG Brinton">{{Cite journal|jstor=658414|author=DG Brinton|title=Review of ''Business Documents of Murashu Sons, of Nippur'' by HV Hilprecht |journal=[[American Anthropologist]] |volume=11 |number=7 |date=July 1898}}</ref> The archive is reflective of a diverse populace as one-third of contracts depict non-Babylonian names. Enduring for at least three successive generations, the house of Murashu capitalized on the enterprise of renting substantial plots of farmland having been awarded to occupying Persian governors, nobility, soldiery, probably at discounted rates, whose owners were most likely satisfied with a moderate return. The business would then subdivide these into smaller plots for cultivation by indigenous farmers and recent foreign settlers for a lucrative fee. The house of Murashu leased land, subdivided it, then subleased or rented out the smaller parcels, thereby simply acting as an intermediary. It thereby profited both from the collected rents and percentage of amassed credit reflective of that year's future crop harvests after supplying needed farming implements, means of irrigation, and paying taxes. In 423/422 BC, the house of Murashu took in "about 20,000 kg or 20,000 shekels of silver".<ref>Muhammad A. Dandamaev, ''Slavery In Babylonia'', 1984, 2009, Northern Illinois University Press, DeKalb, Illinois. pp. 62–63.</ref> "The activities of the house of Murashu had a ruinous effect upon the economy of the country and thus led to the bankruptcy of the landowners. Although the house of Murashu loaned money to the landowners initially, after a few decades it began more and more to take the landowners' place, and the land began to concentrate in its hands."<ref>Stolper, Matthew W., "Fifth Century Nippur: Texts of the Murašûs and from Their Surroundings", Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 53, pp. 83–132, 2001</ref>

=== Site TA ===
[[File:3-D reconstruction of Site TA by Akitalwt.png|thumb|3-D reconstruction of Site TA by Akitalwt]]
Site TA is a 20 m × 40 m area located in Tablet Hill in Nippur.<ref name=":2">[https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/saoc44.pdf] E. C. Stone, Nippur Neighborhoods, Oriental Institute, Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization, vol. 44, 1987, {{ISBN|0-918986-50-8}}</ref> It is built in between 1948 and 1952 and was partially abandoned due to economic crisis in 1739 B.C. and fully vacated in 1720 B.C. It served as a small community with residential buildings and some minor public infrastructures at that time. TA is full of small size, irregular buildings which create a community as a whole. Houses found in TA is generally one-storey which is a common feature at that period of time. Only three of the houses have a stair to the upper level but it is not considered a two-storey but rooftop level.

There are total of 1.591 tablets found in site TA.<ref name=":2" /> Regarding the texts type found in tablets are divided into two main categories, private documents and educational material, TA is viewed as a residential area. Most of the houses in TA are residential housing while only one of the houses (House F) are viewed as scribal school, this conclusion is made due to the significant amount of 1,407 tablets are found in House F. Moreover, organic materials were found in some of the houses, therefore, there might be animal husbandry. Moreover, due to the contents of tablets, it is believed that TA is owned by small private owner.
[[File:3-D reconstruction of Site TA (2) by Akitalwt.png|thumb|3-D reconstruction of Site TA by Akitalwt]]

=== Inanna Temple ===
Inanna (Inanna of Duranki) temple is a historical hallmark of Mesopotamia. Though the temple was a religious element in the dynasty of Ur, there were a lot of political and social issues associated with the temple. The excavations that led to the discovery of the remains of the temple of Nippur were conducted by Donald McCown in 1952. The temple was then excavated between 1954 and 1958, reaching the Early Dynastic II period level. In 1960-1961 the Early Dynastic I (with a large building on same plan) and then Jemdat Nasr and Uruk Period (private houses) levels were reached. Finds included a macehead of Naram-Sin, ruler of the Akkadian Empire, indicating he had rebuilt the temple.<ref>[https://findit.library.yale.edu/images_layout/view?parentoid=15763250&increment=72] Haines, R. C., "A Report of the Excavations at Nippur during 1960-1961". Sumer, vol. 17, no. 1-2, pp. 67-70 + (6 plates), 1961</ref> During the excavation, the team inadvertently experienced difficulty progressing with their work.<ref>Sallaberger, W. (2019). The Cupbearer and the Cult-Priest in the Temple: External and Internal Cultic Practitioners in Early Bronze Age Mesopotamia. ''Journal of ancient near eastern religions'', ''19''(1-2), 90-111.</ref> The excavators reached a surface that appeared like a baked brick pavement. Notably, this incident drew a lot of interest in the team, and with further progress, they reached what seemed to be a room. Further into their excavation, they discovered a room with inscriptions, suggesting that the building was a temple built by Sulgi, the second king of the third dynasty of Ur.<ref>Michalowski, P. (2021). The correspondence of the kings of Ur. In ''The Correspondence of the Kings of Ur''. Penn State University Press.</ref> However, the architectural plan of the temple is further demonstrated by the layers of the building.   During the excavation, it was noted that the building had twenty-three-level layers. The excavators revealed that each of the twenty-three layers serves a different purpose. For instance, levels VIII-VII were associated with sculptures and idols used in the temple's religious activities.<ref>Verderame, L. (2018). Slavery in third-millennium Mesopotamia: an overview of sources and studies. ''Journal of global slavery'', ''3''(1-2), 13-40.</ref> On the temple's exterior, the excavators found that it was characterised by niches that supported the religious activities at the temple. The niches had special tablets inscipted with literature regarding the teachings at the temple. The Inanna temple had significant political influence in the Ur dynasty. It was built, supported by Sulgi and many subsequent kings, using it as a pedestal to manage the leadership of the dynasty.<ref>Barnard, B. E. (2020). Domesticated Partners: A New Analysis of a Sumerian Vessel. ''Metropolitan Museum Journal'', ''55''(1), 91-99.</ref> The temple had specific administrative units that were answerable to the reigning king of the dynasty.<ref>Garfinkle, S. J. (2022). The Kingdom of Ur. ''The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East: Volume II: Volume II: From the End of the Third Millennium BC to the Fall of Babylon'', 121.</ref> This could be attributed to the fact that the leading goddess of the temple, Inanna, was associated with power. Kings believed that the Inanna goddess has the power to influence political issues, which explained the temple's importance and long-lasting popularity throughout the dynasties.