 | Enunmah | TTB | ES | That its foundation goes back behind the Third Dynasty of Ur is certain, for fragments of walls
and pavements in pIano-convex brick (PI. 30a) prove the fact, but of the character of that original structure nothing can be said. Ur-Nammu was responsible for the temple in its existing form; he built it in mud brick, or at any rate made much use of that material, and his work was added to and probably completed by his son Dungi. Bur-Sin
replaced with burnt brick the mud-brick walls of his grandfather and Gimil-Sin added further details. The temple was
completely overthrown by the Elamites on the occasion of the downfall of Ibi-Sin and under the Isin Dynasty was rebuilt by Gimil-ilishu, who faithfully followed the lines of the Third Dynasty ground-plan. Ishme-Dagan, Nur-Adad,
and Sin-idinnam all in turn undertook repairs of its structure and Kudur-Mabug seems to have done some more radical restoration, but his building was destroyed by the Babylonians in the time of Samsu-iluna. It was probably
restored after a fashion not much later, but the first actual record of its re-establishment is that of Kuri-Galzu; the
Kassite ruler still kept to the original plan, but added a few new features. His building was repaired, without any
noticeable alterations, by Marduk-nadin-ahhe in the 11th century B.C. Nebuchadnezzar was the first to tamper seriously with the ancient ground-plan; his reconstruction involved a complete change of character corresponding to
a change of ritual in the temple services, and in the temple as he left it the old E-nun-mah is barely recognisable. Nabonidus repaired but does not seem to have modified his predecessor's work. Finally we find, above the Nabonidus
level, remains of a further reconstruction which we can attribute only to Cyrus of Persia., The building was an almost exact square measuring some 57.00 m. in either direction; its angles were, as usual,
orientated to the cardinal points of the compass. It was surrounded by a wall 2.70 m. thick strengthened by double
buttresses, of which there were five on each side, and the area thus enclosed was raised to form a platform about 2.00 m. above the level of the ground outside; this wall is fairly well preserved on the NE (v. Pis. 28b., 29b), has
suffered a good deal, and is partly masked by subsequent additions in the SE (PI. 29a), could be traced only by its
foundations on the SW, where the building has been remodelled, and on the NW it has been completely eradicated by a drain of Nebuchadnezzar. There is a doorway in the SE wall which, however, would seem to have led only into
two small chambers having no communication with the rest of the building. In view of the denudation of the walls,
which here do not rise above floor level, it is not possible to assert definitely that such communication never
existed, but the facts that the wall between rooms 17 and 18 is whereas in almost every other case the doorways can be distinguished even at this level (rooms 8, 9, and 10 are the sole exceptions), and that no hinge-box or doorsocket stone was found here, make the theory of a door hazardous. Probably the real entrance to the building
was in the NW front. | (none) |
