Building in Assyria : a Philological Perspective.

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Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Table of Contents -- Body -- ABBREVIATIONS -- PREFACE -- INTRODUCTION -- 1 The setting -- 2 The questions -- 3 The sources -- a. Royal inscriptions -- b. State archives -- c. Omens -- 4 The methodology -- 5 Previous studies -- 1 PLANNING -- 1.1 The motivations -- kapādu, libbu, uznu, kabattu -- 1.1.1 Relationship with the divine -- 1.1.2 Finding inspiration and ratification for building projects -- 1.2 Creative process: design and measure -- 1.2.1 Concepts -- iṣratu -- šiṭru -- gišḫurru -- mišiḫtu -- šikittu -- 1.2.2 Models -- 1.2.3 Specifications

Itti šiṭir burūmê -- kīma simātīšu labirāti -- eli ša ūmē pāni/eli ša maḫri -- pān [D/PN] maḫir -- ultu ūmē panû -- 1.2.4 Numbers and precision -- 1.3 Technical process -- 1.3.1 Graphics -- līṭu -- 1.3.2 Design and function -- 1.3.3 Measurements -- 1.4 Administrative process -- 1.4.1 Adapting administrative requirements to time constraints -- 1.4.2 Managing human and material resources on the construction site -- tikpu/tikbu/tibku, pilku -- 1.5 Planning as moral act -- 1.6 Planning experts -- 1.7 Omen series -- 2 SITE SELECTION AND FOUNDATION -- 2.1 Site selection (general)

2.1.1 Selecting new sites: building from scratch -- qaqqaru, erṣetu, eperu -- šubtu/mūšabu, maškanu -- 2.1.2 Selecting ancient sites: building on ancient foundations -- ašru -- 2.2 Foundation process (general) -- 2.2.1 The foundations -- uššu (URU₄), išdu, temennu (TEMEN), duruššu -- uššu vs. temennu -- dannatu, asurrû, pīlu -- 2.2.2 Foundation rituals -- libittu maḫrītu -- sikkatu -- temennu, narû, ṭuppu, musarû/muššaru, šiṭir šumi/šumu šaṭru -- 2.2.3 Divine agency -- 3 MATERIALS -- 3.1 Bricks -- 3.1.1 Types of bricks, terminology and use

Libittu (SIG₄), agurru (SIG₄.AL.UR₃.RA), ebirtu (SIG₄.AL.UR₃.RA) -- 3.1.2 Stages of manufacture and distribution -- tikpu/tikbu/tibku, pilku -- 3.2 Stone -- 3.2.1 Types of stone, terminology and use -- pīlu/pūlu, aban šadê, gišnugallu, parūtu, gaṣṣu, pendû, alallu/elallu, engisû, girimḫilibû, ḫaltu, ašpu, turminû, turminabandû, adbaru, kašuru, sāndu, uqnû, ḫulalu, mušgarru, pappardilû, papparminû, ṣalamtu -- askuppu(tu) [(NA₄.)I.DIB], mēl'āni, ebirtu ša adbari, pūlu -- 3.2.2 Provenances -- 3.2.3 Acquisition -- 3.2.4 Value and symbolism -- 3.3 Wood -- 3.3.1 Types of wood, terminology and use

Erēnu, šurmēnu, burāšu, daprānu, taškarinnu, ašūḫu, musukkannu, liāru, sindu, buṭnu, meḫru, elammaku, šaššugu, ḫaluppu -- eṣṣē (GIŠ.MEŠ), gušūru (GIŠ.UR₃), GIŠ.ŠU₂.A, šipšatu -- 3.3.2 Provenances -- 3.3.3 Acquisition -- 3.3.4 Value and symbolism -- 3.4 Metal -- 3.4.1 Types of metal, terminology and use -- kaspu (KU₃.BABBAR), ḫurāṣu (KU₃.GI), erû (URUDU), annaku, abāru, parzillu (AN.BAR), ešmaru, GU.AN.NA, KI.SAG, pašallu -- 3.4.2 Provenances -- 3.4.3 Value and symbolism -- 3.5 Straw -- tibnu (ŠE.IN.NU) -- 3.6 Reeds -- apparu (GI.AMBAR) -- 3.7 Bitumen and plaster

ittû (ESIR), kupru/kupīru (ESIR.ḪAD₂.A), qīru, sīru

Includes bibliographical references and index.

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Johanna Tudeau offers with this book a sketch of the practice and ideology of building in Assyria based on textual evidence. The study focuses on the Assyrian royal inscriptions and state archives, two of the most comprehensive textual corpora available on the topic. The temporal and spatial framework is necessarily broad, from the rise to the fall of Assyria, from one end of the empire to the other. This stands in contrast with a targeted terminological approach: architectural keywords structure the chapters and these follow the stages of the building process. The findings come together in a chapter devoted to the modern significance of ancient realities, where grounds for the investigation and interpretation of space are proposed to serve philologists and archaeologists alike, hopefully facilitating the exchange between disciplines.

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