- Museum number
- 90827
- Description
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White limestone boundary stone of Meli-Shipak, recording a decision with regard to the ownership of an estate based on previous decisions in the reigns of Adad-shum-iddina and Adad-nadin-akhi. The boundary-stone consists of a massive block of limestone, which has been trimmed and rubbed down to take inscriptions and symbols carved in low relief. It is let slightly into the stone plinth on which it is now mounted. The head of the stone, which is roughly triangular in shape, is carved with symbols upon three of its sides. Inscription in five columns of cuneiform text. Each face carries several symbols; Face A: (1) Solar disc, (2) Crescent, (3) Eight-pointed star, (4) Serpent, and (5) Scorpion. Faces B and C: Upper register, (6) Ram-headed crook,4 (7) Fox, and (8) Turtle (on Face C); Middle register, (9) Winged dragon, and (10) Scorpion-man; Lower register, (11) Horned headdress upon a shrine, beside which is a horse or mules couchant, (12) Horned headdress upon a shrine, beside which is a winged bull, couchant, and (13) Lamp upon high pedestal. Face D: (14) Bearded god, holding mace and crook, with a horned dragon beside him, facing the emblem of forked lightning,6 and (15) Spear-head. The first two columns of the text and portions of the third and fourth are much damaged.
- Dimensions
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Height: 2 feet
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Width: 11 inches (base)
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Width: 10.50 centimetres (head)
- $Inscriptions
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- Curator's comments
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The whole of the text and the symbols were engraved at one time, in the reign of Meli-Shipak ; although the text includes earlier decisions made in the reigns of Adad-shum-iddina and Adad-nadin-akhi, these are merely recited to demonstrate the history of the estate and its succession, and to prove the last possessor's title.
The first two columns of the text and portions of the third and fourth are much damaged, but from the slight traces still remaining on the stone it has been found possible to recover many of the lines, and to trace practically the complete history of the estate as recorded on the monument.
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I.
(i) On the death of Takil-ana-ilishu the property was awarded by Adad-shum-iddina to Ur-Belit-muballitat-miti, a brother of Takil-ana-ilishu (Col. I, 11. 1-7).
(ii) Subsequently, in the reign of Adad-shum-iddina, claims were put forward (a) by Lusa-[.....] and Ninib-mush[.....], two brothers of Takil-ana-ilishu, and (b) by Kidin-Ninib, who claimed to inherit through his mother, "a daughter of Bit-Takil-ana-ilishu." Adad-shum-iddina, after calling evidence, rejected both claims, (a) because Lusa-[.....] and
Ninib-mush[.....] had not been recognized by their father, and (6) because there was no evidence for Kidin-Ninib's claim ; and he confirmed Ur-Belit-muballitat-miti in possession of the estate (Col. I, 11. 8-38).
II.
(i) Under Adad-nadin-akhi a claim was put forward for five gur of the estate by Izkurea, who, like Kidin-Ninib, claimed to inherit through his mother, described as "a daughter of Bit-Takil-ana-ilishu." But Adad-nadin-akhi, after hearing evidence,4 rejected Izkurea's claim, and confirmed Ur-Belit-muballitat-miti in possession of that portion of the estate (Col. I, 1. 39-Col. II, 1. 37).
(ii) Later in the reign of Adad-nadin-akhi, Ur-Belit-muballitat-miti brought a suit to recover possession of ten 'gur' of land, which had been sold by [.....]-Belti, a son (probably unrecognized) of Takil-ana-ilishu, to Belani. Ur-Belit-muballitat-miti successfully reclaimed the land, but agreed to pay compensation to Rimutu and Tabnutu, the two sons of Belani, probably because their father, who had purchased the land, was dead. The whole estate of Bit-Takil-ana-ilishu, consisting of thirty 'gur' of corn-land, including the ten 'gur' of land redeemed from Belani's sons, is then formally described as awarded by Adad-nadin-akhi to Ur-Belit-muballitat-miti (Col. II, 1. 38-Col. IV, 1. 10).
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
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Exhibited:
2012 Jan - Apr, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Fantastic Creatures
2011 Jun - Sep, South Korea, Ulsan Museum, Fantastic Creatures
- Condition
- The first two columns of the text and portions of the third and fourth are much damaged
- Acquisition date
- 1880
- Department
- Middle East
- BM/Big number
- 90827
- Registration number
- 1881,0324.368
- Additional IDs
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Miscellaneous number: 103 (exhibition number (Nimrud Central Saloon))
