Document Type : Research Paper

Author

• shahrokh razmjou

Abstract

Abstract: In his attempt to revive ancient Mesopotamian traditions, Nabonidus, the last king of the Neo-Babylonian period, searched the old texts, excavated some buried sites and found detailed instructions about the cult of the entu, the high priestesses of temples. He then re‑established the long‑forgotten tradition of theogamy of ancient Mesopotamia. By referring to a lunar eclipse, he selected his daughter as the wife of Sin, the Moon God and named her En-nigaldi-nanna. She resided next to the ziggurat of Ur in the old residence of the entu, which was reconstructed by her father, and she started to govern the temple and its economic activities. By this act, Nabonidus created a familial bond with the Moon God. This enabled him to pursue several political and economic objectives, the most important of which was strengthening the status of Sin against Marduk, the supreme god of Babylon. His deeds, however, angered the priests of Babylon and eventually weakened his status by the time of Cyrus the Great’s arrival. After her father lost the throne of Babylon, En-nigaldi-nanna’s life and status as the high priestess of the temple of Sin at Ur and the wife of the Moon God remained unchanged. She conducted excavations in ancient sites of southern Mesopotamia and started to collect artifacts. She continued such activities into the reign of Darius the Great. Yet, it has remained comparatively underappreciated that her designation as high priestess of the sanctuary for life was orchestrated by Nabonidus as a means of reinforcing his political authority. In the face of this unavoidable appointment, En-nigaldi-Nanna had no alternative but to submit. This reflects the underlying realities of power in ancient Mesopotamian societies.

Keywords

• Theogamy,'
• En-nigaldi-nanna,'
• Nabonidus,'
• Babylon,'
• Sin,'
• Ur,'
• '
• entu.'

Main Subjects

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