From the late Early Dynastic period (ED III, ca. 2500/2400 BC) until 614 BC, there was a temple in the city of Assur dedicated to Ištar, a goddess who was revered in that important northern-Mesopotamian city in a few different forms. Several building phases (designated “Temples H–A,” from earliest to latest) were excavated by W. Andrae between 1905 and 1914. Periodically the location and orientation of the Ištar temple changed, especially during the reigns of the Middle Assyrian kings Tukultī-Ninurta I (1243–1207 BC) and Aššur-rēša-iši I (1132–1115 BC). The earliest and latest textual records for the existence of the temple date respectively to the time of Ititi, a local ruler of Assur during the Old Akkadian Period, and the reign of Sîn-šarra-iškun (626–612 BC), the penultimate king of Assyria.
Creators:
Zachary Rosalinsky
Contributors:
Gabriel Mckee;
Jamie Novotny;
Tom Elliott
Modifications: reworked to include all phases and extensive bibliography and details; modified OSM location of the Ištar temple of Tukultī-Ninurta I at Assur (Baseline created, Edited. Polygon coordinates changed slightly, based on an edit in OSM. The polygon, as generated by the original creator matched more closely the general outline of the Ištar temple of Tukultī-Ninurta I at Assur (Middle Assyrian Period), rather than that of the Archaic Temples H–D, it was too far west and south. Adjusted the time period to match the shift. If the creator had intended the outline to be for the Archaic temples (Temples H–D), then reject and delete the proposed changes here and adjust the coordinates in this resources and in OSM to better match those temples.); created OSM location of the Ištar Temples H–D at Assur; created OSM location of the Ištar temple of Aššur-rēša-iši I; created name "Temple H"; created name "Ištar temple of Tukultī-Ninurta I"; created name "Temple G"; created name "Temple GF"; created name "Temple E"; created name "Temple D"; created name "Ištar Temple of Aššur-rēša-iši I"; created name "Eme-Inanna"; created name "Eme"; created name "bīt Ištar Aššurīti"; modified connection "Ashur/‘Lamban’?/‘Liba(nai)’?" (Baseline created); created connection "Ashur/‘Lamban’?/‘Liba(nai)’?"
Actors:
Jamie Novotny;
Tom Elliott