Juggling tabletsPraying for the king and writing for priests: the lu2-šud3-de2-lugal-la of Sippar

In Sippar, the title lu 2 -ud 3 -de 3 -lugal-la is known from the seals of four individuals belonging to three generations of a single family.Drawing on 150 attestations spanning 106 years, the article reconstructs their prosopography, traces the chronological distribution of their appearances, and contextualises their seal legends against the Nippur and Dr-Abieuh material, which differs in both formulation and institutional embedding.Particular attention is paid to the archive of the Chief Dirge Singers of Annuntum, where Sn-iddinam, title holder of the latest generation, is overwhelmingly attested.His recurrent appearance as drafter and final witness, indicates that a principal practical function of the Sipparian title holders, especially in the latest generation, was the drafting of legal and administrative documents.Mapping cooccurrences, offices, and transaction contexts, the study situates the family within elite networks linking Sippar-Yahrrum and Sippar-Amnnum and argues that the title operated largely as an honorary designation.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Akkadica
Published
2025-12-31
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21825/akkadica.100534
Primary Topic
Ancient Near East History
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Juggling tabletsPraying for the king and writing for priests: the lu2-šud3-de2-lugal-la of Sippar

Katrien De Graef
Akkadica
Ancient Near East History
article

Juggling tabletsPraying for the king and writing for priests: the lu2-šud3-de2-lugal-la of Sippar

Katrien De Graef
article en

Abstract

In Sippar, the title lu 2 -ud 3 -de 3 -lugal-la is known from the seals of four individuals belonging to three generations of a single family.Drawing on 150 attestations spanning 106 years, the article reconstructs their prosopography, traces the chronological distribution of their appearances, and contextualises their seal legends against the Nippur and Dr-Abieuh material, which differs in both formulation and institutional embedding.Particular attention is paid to the archive of the Chief Dirge Singers of Annuntum, where Sn-iddinam, title holder of the latest generation, is overwhelmingly attested.His recurrent appearance as drafter and final witness, indicates that a principal practical function of the Sipparian title holders, especially in the latest generation, was the drafting of legal and administrative documents.Mapping cooccurrences, offices, and transaction contexts, the study situates the family within elite networks linking Sippar-Yahrrum and Sippar-Amnnum and argues that the title operated largely as an honorary designation.

AkkadicaVol. 146(2)
Openalex Percentile: Top 13%
Ancient Near East History
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