Nuzi was an ancient city southwest of Kirkuk in modern Iraq, located near the Tigris river. It was founded by the Hurrians around 1500 BC before being absorbed into the Assyrian Empire. Excavations in the 1920s unearthed Nuzi and, crucially, its archives of thousands of clay tablets inscribed with Akkadiancuneiform script. These provided invaluable insights into the legal, commercial and military activities of the city. They also shed light on the culture of the ancient Near East, including early versions of the stories of the Biblical characters Laban and Jacob.
Never a major urban center, Nuzi was a provincial agricultural town in the small Hurrian kingdom of Arrapha, whose capital is today buried under the Iraqi city of Kirkuk.
To the west was Assyria, whose revolt against the Hurrian kingdom of Mittani probably led to Nuzi's destruction in the 14th century (Stratum II of the site), and ultimately contributed to Mittani's collapse.
At the center of Nuzi was a palace, a finely appointed building from which the mayor oversaw the town's administration.
Studies in the Civilization and Culture of Nuzi and the Hurrians, vol.
According to the ancient Mari and Nuzi documents, the patriarch of pagan families would bequeath the household gods to the firstborn or favored son as a sign that he...
In some of the Nuzi sale-documents we find that if such a person violates the agreement, he is liable to a severe punishment...
Feeds |
Contact