Excerpt from Babylonian Boundary-Stones and Memorial-Tablets in the British Museum The present work contains thirty-seven texts from Babylonian Boundary-stones (kudurreti) and Memorial-tablets (nare), with translations, notes, and introduction; of these, twenty-five are published for the first time. They include the two earliest examples of this class of text now known, and four of the latest. The period covered by these texts extends from B.C. 1450 to B.C. 550, i.e., the whole period of Babylonian history during which Boundary-stones were employed for the protection of private property. In the series of texts here given, the following are of special interest, as they illustrate periods of history of which hitherto no contemporary records are known: 1. Text of the time of Kurigalzu, cut upon an ancient Boundary-stone, from which the original text had been erased; about B.C. 1400. 2. Text of the reign of Marduk-shapik-zer-mati, of the Fourth Dynasty of Babylon, about B.C. 1090. 3. Two texts drawn up in the reign of the usurper Adad-aplu-iddina, about B.C. 1080. 4. Text dated in the reign of Simmash-Shipak, about B.C. 1050, being the first known document of the Fifth Dynasty of Babylon. 5. Text of Itti-Marduk-balatu, a king hitherto unknown; his place will probably fall early in the Eighth Dynasty of Babylon, about B.C. 950. Other texts supply new and valuable records of the reigns of Enlil-nadin-aplu, about B.C. 1100, and Nabu-aplu-iddina, about B.C. 860. A very important difficulty in connection with early Kassite chronology is cleared up by another text, which proves that the Kassite monarch Kadashman-Kharbe, the father of Kurigalzu I, is not to be identified with Kadashman-Enlil, the correspondent of Amenophis III, as has been generally supposed. We now know that Kadashman-Kharbe and Kadashman-Enlil were two different kings, though both belonged to the Third Dynasty of Babylon. Yet another text, here published for the first time, settles definitively the values of the signs expressing the unit and its fractions and multiples in the Old Babylonian system of land-measurement. Finally, this series of texts throws a very considerable amount of light upon the Babylonian laws and customs which regulated land tenure and agricultural life. Of equal interest are the numerous symbols of the gods, which were engraved upon the Boundary-stones to protect them, as they are among the oldest examples of astral iconography we possess, and they have a very important bearing upon the age of Babylonian astronomy and the origin of the Zodiac. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."

Originally published: Locust Valley, N.Y.: J. J. Augustin, 1975.

The remains of ancient societies often require decades to unearth, but much longer to interpret and understand. The methods of archaeology have progressed dramatically in recent years. Archaeologists have continuously refined their tools, methods, and techniques. Today archaeology is characterized by pottery identification, classification, and cataloging; disciplined excavation of "squares"; use of sophisticated electronics, such as GPS, infrared, and computer-aided design; and the integration of multiple methodologies, such as epigraphy, art history, physical anthropology, paleobotany, and climatology. The interpretation of ancient Near Eastern history and cultures has also progressed. An increasing number of documents has been unearthed. The vast document collections from Tel el-Amarna, Nippur, Mari, Nuzi, Ebla, Ugarit, and the Dead Sea caves are just some of the more spectacular examples. These provide an enormous amount of detail about royal administrations, business transactions, land tenure systems, taxes, political propaganda, mythologies, marriage practices, and much more. And things that sometimes seem unique about one culture at first look often fit into larger patterns of relationship when the surrounding cultures are better understood. The Ancient Near East: Classic Studies (ANECS) reprints classic works that have brought the results of archaeology, textual, and historical investigations to audiences of scholars, students, and the general public. While the discussions continue and the results of earlier investigations are continuously re-examined, these classic works remain of interest and importance. K. C. HANSON Series Editor