The Old and Middle Assyrian limmu officials

In Aššur, years were named after eponyms, limum. The new eponym was chosen in Aššur by lot, so it was impossible to know in advance the name of the new eponym in Kaneš, since the information had to travel to Anatolia. It is common that during the first months of the year dates in Kaneš referred to the name of the previous eponym: limum ša qāti PN, “the eponym following PN”. We find mentions of ša qāti eponyms during the first four months of the year. The eponym played an important role in the city administration within the bēt limim or bēt ālim; there he was involved in the long distance trade, collected taxes and perceived fines.

Old Assyrian eponyms are know from date formulae, mainly in loan contracts, and by eponym lists unearthed in the houses of Kaneš lower town. Over the past decade, seven tablets containing lists of Aššur eponyms have been identified and published as “Kültepe Eponym List (KEL)”; they cover the end of the 20^th, the 19^th and 18^th centuries BC. The “Mari Eponym Chronicle (MEC)”, also called “Mari Assyrian Chronicle”, known by several fragments discovered in the Mari palace and dated to the reign of Šamšī-Adad (king of Upper Mesopotamia, 18^th century BC), summarizes, after the name of each eponym, an important event of the year.

Aššur eponyms are also used in the dates of texts from Chagar Bazar (Ašnakkum), Šubat-Enlil, Amkuwa, and Hattuš(a).

The Kültepe Eponym List (KEL)

*Numbers given to eponyms according to the Revised Eponym List (REL, Barjamovic, Hertel & Larsen 2012).

Dates of reigns according to the middle chronology.

Lists dated to Kültepe Lower Town level II (ca. 1945-1835)

• KEL A = Kt 92/k 193 (list of the first 129 eponyms)
  
  • Veenhof 2003, p. 6-10 ; Veenhof 2007 ; Günbattı 2008a, p. 123-126 ; Günbattı 2008b, p. 127-130 ; Barjamovic, Hertel & Larsen 2012, p.3-5, 55-67, 91-94, 97-98

• KEL B = Kt 91/k 555 (list of the first 106 eponyms)
  
  • Veenhof 2003, p. 3-5, 10-11 ; Veenhof 2007 ; Günbattı 2008b, p. 127-130

• KEL C = ICK 2 345 (list of the first 20 eponyms)
  
  • Veenhof 2003, p. 3-5, 10-11 ; Günbattı 2008a, p. 104

• KEL D = Kt n/k 517+1571 (list of the first 104 eponyms)
  
  • Veenhof 2003, p. 3-5, 10-11 ; Veenhof 2007 ; Günbattı 2008b, p. 125-135

• KEL E = Kt 94/k 836 (list of the first 96 eponyms)
  
  • Veenhof 2007 ; Günbattı 2008a, p. 104 ; Günbattı 2008b, p. 125

• KEL F = Kt p/k 9 (list of the first 7 eponyms)
  
  • Günbattı 2008b, p. 125, n. 4, 133; Günbattı 2008a, p. 104

List dated to Kültepe Lower Town level Ib (ca. 1832-1700)

• KEL G = Kt 01/k 287
  
  • Veenhof 2007; Günbattı 2008a ; Günbattı 2008b, p. 125-126 ; Kryszat 2008, p. 211-217 ; Dercksen 2008 (Colophon) ; Lacambre 2009 ; Barjamovic, Hertel & Larsen 2012, p. 6-26, 94-102, 109-114
    

Mari Eponym Chronicle (MEC)

• Edition I
  
  • M.7481+11250 obverse (A), S. 24-1, 2 and A.1614b obverse (B), S.24-3 (D), S.24-1, 2 and A.1614b reverse (E), M.7481+11250 reverse (G), S.24-3 and A.1614a (F)
    
  • Birot 1985, copies & photos p. 238-239, 241-242 ; Charpin & Ziegler 2003, p. 72, 83-84, 86, 90, 97, 100, 112.
    

• Edition II
  
  • A.1288 (C)
    
  • Birot 1985, copies & photos p. 237, 241 ; Charpin & Ziegler 2003, p. 82 ; Durand 1990, p. 274-275
    

• Edition III
  
  • S.115-26 (B),  perhaps same edition as M. 5911 and M 8566.
    
  • Birot 1985, copies & photos p. 240, 242 ; Charpin & Ziegler 2003, p. 34, 84, 212.
    

*Editions I-III according to Veenhof in press; A-G according to Birot 1985.

Bibliography

• Barjamovic, G., Hertel, T. & Larsen, M. T., 2012: Ups and Downs at Kanesh. Chronology, History and Society in the Old Assyrian Period, Old Assyrian Archives, Studies 5, PIHANS 120, Leiden.
• Birot, M., 1985: Les chroniques assyriennes de Mari, MARI 4, p. 219-242
• Charpin, D.; Ziegler, N., 2003: Mari et le Proche-Orient à l'époque amorrite: essai d'histoire politique, Florilegium Marianum 5, Paris.
• Dercksen, J. G., 2008: The colophon of Kültepe Eponym List G, NABU 2008/54.
• Günbattı, C., 2008a: An Eponym List (KEL G) from Kültepe, in G. Kryszat (ed.), Festschrift für Karl Hecker zum 75. Geburtstag am 25. Juli 2008, AoF 35, Berlin, p. 103-132.
• Günbattı, C., 2008b: A List of Eponyms (KEL D) from Kültepe, in C. Michel (ed.), Old Assyrian Studies in Memory of Paul Garelli, Old Assyrian Archives Studies 4, PIHANS 112, Leiden, p. 125-135.
• Kryszat, G., 2004: Zur Chrolonologie der Kaufmannsarchive aus der Schicht 2 des Kārum Kaneš, Old Assyrian Archives, Studies 2, PIHANS 99, Leiden.
• Kryszat, G., 2008: Herrscher, Kult und Kulttradition in Anatolien nach den Quellen aus den altassyrischen Handelskolonien. Teil 3/2: Grundlagen für eine neue Rekonstruktion der Geschichte Anatoliens und der assyrischen Handelskolonien in spätaltassyrischer Zeit II, in G. Kryszat (ed.), Festschrift für Karl Hecker zum 75. Geburtstag am 25. Juli 2008, AoF 35, Berlin, p. 195-219.
• Lacambre, D., 2009: KEL G 79, Aššur-malik ou Ahiyaya?, NABU 2009/18.
• Larsen, M. T., 1976: The Old Assyrian City-State and its Colonies, Mesopotamia 4, Copenhague, p. 192-21.
• Michel, C., 2008: Ecrire et compter chez les marchands assyriens du début du IIe millénaire av. J.-C., in T. Tarhan, A. Tibet & E. Konyar (eds.), Muhibbe Darga Armağanı, Istanbul, p. 345-364.
• Veenhof, K. R., 1985: Limmu of the Later Old Assyrian Period and Mari Chronology, MARI 4, p. 191-218.
• Veenhof, K. R., 2003: The Old Assyrian List of Year Eponyms from Karum Kanish and its Chronological Implications, Türk Tarih Kurumu Yayınları VI/64, Ankara.
• Veenhof, K. R., 2007: The Old Assyrian List of Year Eponyms. Corrections, Additions and Chronology, NABU 2007/49.

CM  

This list is currently under development. Raw data supplied by G. Barjamovich and Th. Hertel. "EL #" refers to the place in the sequence of limmus found in the limmu-lists. This numbering is anachronistic, but useful for sorting purposes. A slight uncertainty exists following number 40. The list is searchable (filter) and sortable (click on head of column).

This list is currently under development. Corrections and additions should be sent to Jacob Dahl. The list is searchable (filter) and sortable (click on head of column).

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