Talks by Nicholas Kraus
Scribal Education in Sargonic Mesopotamia
Delivered at the Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale 64, Innsbruck, Austria.
“The Art of Writing in Sargonic Mesopotamia: Technology and Technique” – Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Roundtable, Yale University
“Signs of Authority: Calligraphy and Control in Sargonic Mesopotamia” – Yale Interdisciplinary Workshop for the Study of Antiquity, Yale University
"Maybe 'Shub-ad' isn't so bad: Another look at Pu-Abi's name" NELC Roundtable, Yale University
"Explaining Monsters, Men, and Other Horrors: A Late Babylonian Commentary on Shumma Izbu" (Delivered at the 2014 NELC Roundtable at Yale University)
Articles by Nicholas Kraus
AfO 55, 2022
A lesser known Sargonic archive, dubbed the Lugal-ra archive, has been relatively neglected in Sa... more A lesser known Sargonic archive, dubbed the Lugal-ra archive, has been relatively neglected in Sargonic studies to date. Presented here is a detailed overview of the tablets belonging to this archive, including its linguistic extent, palaeography, and a complete index of the tablets, prosopography, topographic horizon, professions, and divine names. The archive dates to the reign of Šarkališarri and belongs to an institution or large estate located somewhere in southern Sumer, most likely in the territory of Lagaš. While the Lugal-ra archive is relatively unremarkable in comparison to other Sargonic archives, it offers a partial glimpse into life in an Akkadian settlement in Sumer during the period of Sargonic hegemony.
Current Research in Early Mesopotamian Studies. Workshop Organized at the 65th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Paris 2019. Dubsar 21, 2021
The aim of this brief article is to provide some quantitative data on newly published written sou... more The aim of this brief article is to provide some quantitative data on newly published written sources kept in major museums and private collections, as well as to offer an overview of the current state of research on the history and culture of third millennium Mesopotamia before the rise of the Ur III dynasty.
Neo-Sumerian Letter-Orders from Umma in the Iraq Museum
AKKADICA 142, 2021
AOAT 460, 2020
In W. Sommerfeld (ed.), Dealing with Antiquity: Past, Present, and Future. RAI 63, Marburg. AOAT ... more In W. Sommerfeld (ed.), Dealing with Antiquity: Past, Present, and Future. RAI 63, Marburg. AOAT 460. Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, 263-274.
Iraq, 2019
At some point early on during his reign, Sar-kali-sarrē, made a journey to Sumer. The occasion wa... more At some point early on during his reign, Sar-kali-sarrē, made a journey to Sumer. The occasion was so momentous that an entire year was named in commemoration of the excursion. This paper investigates the evidence for that royal visitation, with special attention given to the administrative documents that record the king's sojourn at Girsu. The investigation also considers the rationale for the king's decision to make an expedition to Sumer and asserts that Sar-kali-sarrē may have undertaken the journey in order to begin his building works at the Ekur in Nippur. In addition, the paper identifies some of the highest officials of the Akkadian court who traveled with the king. These individuals are significant because they are usually conspicuous in administrative documents, and as such their presence can establish prosopographic synchronisms between Sargonic archives.
By the end of the reign of Šar-kali-šarrī, the hegemony that Akkad held over southern Mesopotamia... more By the end of the reign of Šar-kali-šarrī, the hegemony that Akkad held over southern Mesopotamia was weakening. The governors of Sumer began to assert their independence and break free from Akkad’s control, and the Gutium presence posed a significant threat to Akkad’s power. The present article includes a copy, edition, and commentary of an unpublished Sargonic letter, specifically concerned with the political machinations occurring during this period of upheaval in the Late Akkadian period. Of particular interest are references to the governors of Umma and Adab, the ensi-ship of Gutium, and military action at Uruk. Additionally, the events detailed in this new letter closely parallel another letter from Girsu, suggesting that the two letters are synchronous correspondence. The new letter furthers our understanding of the intrigue amongst the political elite and the events leading to the end of Akkadian supremacy in Sumer.
Journal of Ancient Near Eastern History, 2020
Tuṭṭanabšum, daughter of Naram-Suen, was one of the most powerful women of the Akkadian dynasty. ... more Tuṭṭanabšum, daughter of Naram-Suen, was one of the most powerful women of the Akkadian dynasty. The princess was installed as the high priestess of Enlil at Nippur; she held one of the highest cultic positions for the head of the Sumerian pantheon, in a city whose temple served as the religious capital of Sumer. Now, an administrative tablet from the Iraq Museum shows that Tuṭṭanabšum, like her father, was also elevated to the realm of the divine. Never before has there been evidence that a member of the Akkadian royal family other than the king was given divine status. The tablet demonstrates that the divinity adopted by Naram-Suen after his victory in the Great Rebellion applied not only to the king, but to other members of the royal family. Tuṭṭanabšum, therefore, was not only a member of the royal house and one of the highest cultic officials in the empire, but was also elevated to the divine realm.
Organized workshops by Nicholas Kraus
Abstract of a workshop presented at the 65th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale Paris (July ... more Abstract of a workshop presented at the 65th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale Paris (July 8th–12th, 2019)
Books by Nicholas Kraus
dubsar 21, 2021
The papers collected in this volume originate from the workshop “Current Research in Early Mesopo... more The papers collected in this volume originate from the workshop “Current Research in Early Mesopotamian Studies” held in Paris on July 9th, 2019 at the occasion of the 65th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale. The present volume brings together ten articles concerned with diverse aspects of the Early Mesopotamian documentation – i.e. texts dating to the Archaic, Early Dynastic (I–II, IIIa, IIIb), Sargonic, and Gutian periods, and extending geographically to include Ebla and its royal archives.
Papers by Nicholas Kraus
Journal of Ancient Near Eastern History, 2020
Tuṭṭanabšum, daughter of Naram-Suen, was one of the most powerful women of the Akkadian dynasty. ... more Tuṭṭanabšum, daughter of Naram-Suen, was one of the most powerful women of the Akkadian dynasty. The princess was installed as the high priestess of Enlil at Nippur; she held one of the highest cultic positions for the head of the Sumerian pantheon, in a city whose temple served as the religious capital of Sumer. Now, an administrative tablet from the Iraq Museum shows that Tuṭṭanabšum, like her father, was also elevated to the realm of the divine. Never before has there been evidence that a member of the Akkadian royal family other than the king was given divine status. The tablet demonstrates that the divinity adopted by Naram-Suen after his victory in the Great Rebellion applied not only to the king, but to other members of the royal family. Tuṭṭanabšum, therefore, was not only a member of the royal house and one of the highest cultic officials in the empire, but was also elevated to the divine realm.
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Talks by Nicholas Kraus
Articles by Nicholas Kraus
Organized workshops by Nicholas Kraus
Books by Nicholas Kraus
Papers by Nicholas Kraus