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Dērītum

May 12, 2024

Dērītum or Dīrītum[1] was a Mesopotamian goddess associated with Dēr in the kingdom of Mari. While she was originally a hypostasis of Ishtar, she eventually developed into a fully separate deity, and achieved a degree of prominence in the local pantheon during the reign of Zimri-Lim in the 18th century BCE. She is attested in various administrative texts, as well as in personal letters. A celebration focused on her was one of the main festivals in the kingdom of Mari, and participants included both members of the royal family and foreign dignitaries.

Dērītum
Tutelary goddess of Dēr
Major cult centerDēr, Mari

Name edit

The name Dērītum (Dīrītum) can be translated as "one of Dēr" (Dīr).[2][3] It is assumed that she was a local manifestation of Ishtar,[4] and a single text (ARM 24 263) outright mentions "Ishtar-Dērītum".[5] However, similar to well attested Annunitum, who also initially functioned as epithet, she eventually came to be viewed as a separate deity.[3]

Georges Dossin originally proposed that Dērītum's point of origin was the eastern city of Der,[2] but today it is agreed that it was instead Dēr, a settlement located in the immediate proximity of Mari, well attested as one of the religious centers of the kingdom centered on the latter city.[6] Stephanie Dalley suggests that it was around fifteen kilometers further downstream from the capital.[7] Identification with modern Abu Kamal has been suggested.[8] A shrine dedicated to Dērītum was located there.[4] The city also served as a fort.[9]

Worship edit

Dērītum was worshiped in Mari, Dēr and Zurubbān.[1] A shrine dedicated to her existed in the first of these settlements, but it is not certain if it was located in its "sacred compound" or if it was a part of the royal palace.[10]

Alfonso Archi notes that in one of the early offering lists from Mari, "Ishtar-Dērītum" appears in the very beginning, after Ishtar herself and before Annunitum and Dagan, and concludes this group served as the major deities of the city.[11] It has been suggested that during the reign of Zimri-Lim, Dērītum, at the time already understood as a fully separate goddess, came to surpass Ishtar in the local pantheon.[3] In an offering list from the beginning of this period, formerly known as the "Pantheon List", she is a recipient of seven sheep, more than any other deities, including the other lead figures of the local pantheon such as Dagan or Itūr-Mēr.[12] Sacrifices of the same animals to her are also mentioned in a number of texts from the archive of Asqudum,[13] a collection of administrative texts.[14] It is also known that Zimri-Lim in the fifth year of his reign offered a golden throne to her.[15] In Zurubbān, she received gold and silver on one occasion.[1]

A celebration of Dērītum was one of the major Mariote religious festivals.[16] It took place annually[4] in the eleventh month of the local calendar, Kiṣkiṣṣum.[17] It served as a display of royal devotion to the local deities.[18] It involved a procession during which the reigning monarch, the queen mother, further members of the royal family and foreign guests moved alongside the statue of the goddess from Mari to her cult center, where she was celebrated in a ceremony known as siḫirtum by singers and dancers, and received offerings of oil alongside a number of other deities, including Addu, Shamash, Sîn, Baḫ and Tuziba, before eventually returning to the palace.[19] It lasted for seven days,[20] and in addition to Dēr and Mari, the celebrations might have also taken place in Zurubbān (near Terqa), though this is not certain.[16] Known foreign participants at the time of Zimri Lim include Kabiya, the king of Kaḫat, and Yumraṣ-El.[21]

It is known that the statue of Dērītum had to undertake a rummukum ("bathing") ceremony, presumably a purification ritual involving oil.[22] It is not known if it was performed routinely or if it constituted a festival as well.[23]

In Mariote texts, Dērītum is attested in both feminine[24] and masculine theophoric names.[25] According to Ichiro Nakata, it is additionally possible that the theophoric element Dīri was an abbreviated spelling of her name.[26] Some examples are also known from outside Mari: a single one, Dērītum-ummī, has been identified in the corpus of texts from Chagar Bazar,[27] while the inscription on a seal from Alalakh (Tell Atchana) mentions that the father of its owner was named Iddin-Dērītum.[28]

Miscellaneous attestations edit

In a letter to her husband Zimri-Lim, queen Shibtu mentions that according to an oracle of Dērītum relayed by a certain Qišti-Dērītum his position is secure, and that the attacks of his foreign enemies will not be successful.[29] She is also mentioned in a letter from the high-ranking official Sammêtar, who informs the king that he will be absent from a celebration focused on this goddess because advice he received from a physician treating his sickness.[30]

One of the prophecies issued by the clergy of Dagan from Terqa mentions Dērītum and expressed concern that the goddess might remain idle regardless of the actions of Mari's rival Eshnunna, which has been interpreted as a negative reaction to the possibility that some of the inhabitants of her city wanted to form a pact with the latter kingdom despite the hostilities.[31]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Hoskisson 1996, p. 265.
  2. ^ a b Oliva 1994, p. 16.
  3. ^ a b c Hoskisson 1996, p. 261.
  4. ^ a b c Pappi 2012, p. 582.
  5. ^ Hoskisson 1996, pp. 261–262.
  6. ^ Pappi 2012, pp. 581–582.
  7. ^ Dalley 2002, p. 16.
  8. ^ Feliu 2003, p. 194.
  9. ^ Feliu 2003, p. 122.
  10. ^ Pappi 2012, p. 581.
  11. ^ Archi 2015, p. 630.
  12. ^ Nakata 2011, p. 130.
  13. ^ Feliu 2003, p. 79.
  14. ^ Feliu 2003, p. 92.
  15. ^ Feliu 2003, p. 109.
  16. ^ a b Cohen 1993, p. 293.
  17. ^ Pappi 2012, p. 583.
  18. ^ Pappi 2012, p. 587.
  19. ^ Pappi 2012, pp. 583–584.
  20. ^ Pappi 2012, p. 584.
  21. ^ Pappi 2012, p. 586.
  22. ^ Feliu 2003, p. 104.
  23. ^ Cohen 1993, p. 290.
  24. ^ Nakata 1995, p. 247.
  25. ^ Nakata 1995, p. 253.
  26. ^ Nakata 1995, p. 239.
  27. ^ Feliu 2003, p. 201.
  28. ^ Frayne 1990, pp. 746–747.
  29. ^ Sasson 2015, p. 282.
  30. ^ Sibbing-Plantholt 2022, p. 230.
  31. ^ Feliu 2003, pp. 120–122.

Bibliography edit

  • Archi, Alfonso (2015). Ebla and Its Archives. De Gruyter. doi:10.1515/9781614517887. ISBN 978-1-61451-716-0.
  • Cohen, Mark E. (1993). The cultic calendars of the ancient Near East. Bethesda, Md.: CDL Press. ISBN 1-883053-00-5. OCLC 27431674.
  • Dalley, Stephanie (2002). Mari and Karana: Two Old Babylonian Cities. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press. doi:10.31826/9781463207731. ISBN 978-1-4632-0773-1.
  • Feliu, Lluís (2003). The god Dagan in Bronze Age Syria. Leiden Boston, MA: Brill. ISBN 90-04-13158-2. OCLC 52107444. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  • Frayne, Douglas (1990). Old Babylonian Period (2003–1595 B.C.). The Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia. University of Toronto Press. doi:10.3138/9781442678033. ISBN 978-1-4426-7803-3.
  • Hoskisson, Paul Y. (1996). "The Scission and Ascendancy of a Goddess: Dīrītum at Mari". In Coleson, Joseph E.; Matthews, Victor H. (eds.). Go to the Land I Will Show You: Studies in Honor of Dwight W. Young. Eisenbrauns. ISBN 978-0-931464-91-1. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
  • Nakata, Ichiro (1995). "A Study of Women's Theophoric Personal Names in Old Babylonian Texts from Mari". Orient. 30 and 31. The Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan: 234–253. doi:10.5356/orient1960.30and31.234. ISSN 1884-1392.
  • Nakata, Ichiro (2011). "The God Itūr-Mēr in the Middle Euphrates Region During the Old Babylonian Period". Revue d'Assyriologie et d'archéologie orientale. 105. Presses Universitaires de France: 129–136. doi:10.3917/assy.105.0129. ISSN 0373-6032. JSTOR 42580244. S2CID 194094468.
  • Oliva, Juan (1994). "Seeking an Identity for Diritum" (PDF). Nouvelles Assyriologiques Brèves et Utilitaires (N.A.B.U.) (1). ISSN 0989-5671.
  • Pappi, Cinzia (2012). "Religion and Politics at the Divine Table: The Cultic Travels of Zimrī-Līm". Organization, Representation, and Symbols of Power in the Ancient Near East. Penn State University Press. pp. 579–590. doi:10.1515/9781575066752-048. ISBN 9781575066752.
  • Sasson, Jack M. (2015). From the Mari archives: an anthology of old Babylonian letters. Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns. ISBN 978-1-57506-830-5. OCLC 907931488.
  • Sibbing-Plantholt, Irene (2022). The Image of Mesopotamian Divine Healers. Healing Goddesses and the Legitimization of Professional Asûs in the Mesopotamian Medical Marketplace. Boston: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-51241-2. OCLC 1312171937.

May 12, 2024
dērītum, dīrītum, mesopotamian, goddess, associated, with, dēr, kingdom, mari, while, originally, hypostasis, ishtar, eventually, developed, into, fully, separate, deity, achieved, degree, prominence, local, pantheon, during, reign, zimri, 18th, century, attes. Deritum or Diritum 1 was a Mesopotamian goddess associated with Der in the kingdom of Mari While she was originally a hypostasis of Ishtar she eventually developed into a fully separate deity and achieved a degree of prominence in the local pantheon during the reign of Zimri Lim in the 18th century BCE She is attested in various administrative texts as well as in personal letters A celebration focused on her was one of the main festivals in the kingdom of Mari and participants included both members of the royal family and foreign dignitaries DeritumTutelary goddess of DerMajor cult centerDer Mari Contents 1 Name 2 Worship 3 Miscellaneous attestations 4 References 4 1 BibliographyName editThe name Deritum Diritum can be translated as one of Der Dir 2 3 It is assumed that she was a local manifestation of Ishtar 4 and a single text ARM 24 263 outright mentions Ishtar Deritum 5 However similar to well attested Annunitum who also initially functioned as epithet she eventually came to be viewed as a separate deity 3 Georges Dossin originally proposed that Deritum s point of origin was the eastern city of Der 2 but today it is agreed that it was instead Der a settlement located in the immediate proximity of Mari well attested as one of the religious centers of the kingdom centered on the latter city 6 Stephanie Dalley suggests that it was around fifteen kilometers further downstream from the capital 7 Identification with modern Abu Kamal has been suggested 8 A shrine dedicated to Deritum was located there 4 The city also served as a fort 9 Worship editDeritum was worshiped in Mari Der and Zurubban 1 A shrine dedicated to her existed in the first of these settlements but it is not certain if it was located in its sacred compound or if it was a part of the royal palace 10 Alfonso Archi notes that in one of the early offering lists from Mari Ishtar Deritum appears in the very beginning after Ishtar herself and before Annunitum and Dagan and concludes this group served as the major deities of the city 11 It has been suggested that during the reign of Zimri Lim Deritum at the time already understood as a fully separate goddess came to surpass Ishtar in the local pantheon 3 In an offering list from the beginning of this period formerly known as the Pantheon List she is a recipient of seven sheep more than any other deities including the other lead figures of the local pantheon such as Dagan or Itur Mer 12 Sacrifices of the same animals to her are also mentioned in a number of texts from the archive of Asqudum 13 a collection of administrative texts 14 It is also known that Zimri Lim in the fifth year of his reign offered a golden throne to her 15 In Zurubban she received gold and silver on one occasion 1 A celebration of Deritum was one of the major Mariote religious festivals 16 It took place annually 4 in the eleventh month of the local calendar Kiṣkiṣṣum 17 It served as a display of royal devotion to the local deities 18 It involved a procession during which the reigning monarch the queen mother further members of the royal family and foreign guests moved alongside the statue of the goddess from Mari to her cult center where she was celebrated in a ceremony known as siḫirtum by singers and dancers and received offerings of oil alongside a number of other deities including Addu Shamash Sin Baḫ and Tuziba before eventually returning to the palace 19 It lasted for seven days 20 and in addition to Der and Mari the celebrations might have also taken place in Zurubban near Terqa though this is not certain 16 Known foreign participants at the time of Zimri Lim include Kabiya the king of Kaḫat and Yumraṣ El 21 It is known that the statue of Deritum had to undertake a rummukum bathing ceremony presumably a purification ritual involving oil 22 It is not known if it was performed routinely or if it constituted a festival as well 23 In Mariote texts Deritum is attested in both feminine 24 and masculine theophoric names 25 According to Ichiro Nakata it is additionally possible that the theophoric element Diri was an abbreviated spelling of her name 26 Some examples are also known from outside Mari a single one Deritum ummi has been identified in the corpus of texts from Chagar Bazar 27 while the inscription on a seal from Alalakh Tell Atchana mentions that the father of its owner was named Iddin Deritum 28 Miscellaneous attestations editIn a letter to her husband Zimri Lim queen Shibtu mentions that according to an oracle of Deritum relayed by a certain Qisti Deritum his position is secure and that the attacks of his foreign enemies will not be successful 29 She is also mentioned in a letter from the high ranking official Sammetar who informs the king that he will be absent from a celebration focused on this goddess because advice he received from a physician treating his sickness 30 One of the prophecies issued by the clergy of Dagan from Terqa mentions Deritum and expressed concern that the goddess might remain idle regardless of the actions of Mari s rival Eshnunna which has been interpreted as a negative reaction to the possibility that some of the inhabitants of her city wanted to form a pact with the latter kingdom despite the hostilities 31 References edit a b c Hoskisson 1996 p 265 a b Oliva 1994 p 16 a b c Hoskisson 1996 p 261 a b c Pappi 2012 p 582 Hoskisson 1996 pp 261 262 Pappi 2012 pp 581 582 Dalley 2002 p 16 Feliu 2003 p 194 Feliu 2003 p 122 Pappi 2012 p 581 Archi 2015 p 630 Nakata 2011 p 130 Feliu 2003 p 79 Feliu 2003 p 92 Feliu 2003 p 109 a b Cohen 1993 p 293 Pappi 2012 p 583 Pappi 2012 p 587 Pappi 2012 pp 583 584 Pappi 2012 p 584 Pappi 2012 p 586 Feliu 2003 p 104 Cohen 1993 p 290 Nakata 1995 p 247 Nakata 1995 p 253 Nakata 1995 p 239 Feliu 2003 p 201 Frayne 1990 pp 746 747 Sasson 2015 p 282 Sibbing Plantholt 2022 p 230 Feliu 2003 pp 120 122 Bibliography edit Archi Alfonso 2015 Ebla and Its Archives De Gruyter doi 10 1515 9781614517887 ISBN 978 1 61451 716 0 Cohen Mark E 1993 The cultic calendars of the ancient Near East Bethesda Md CDL Press ISBN 1 883053 00 5 OCLC 27431674 Dalley Stephanie 2002 Mari and Karana Two Old Babylonian Cities Piscataway NJ Gorgias Press doi 10 31826 9781463207731 ISBN 978 1 4632 0773 1 Feliu Lluis 2003 The god Dagan in Bronze Age Syria Leiden Boston MA Brill ISBN 90 04 13158 2 OCLC 52107444 Retrieved 2022 10 22 Frayne Douglas 1990 Old Babylonian Period 2003 1595 B C The Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia University of Toronto Press doi 10 3138 9781442678033 ISBN 978 1 4426 7803 3 Hoskisson Paul Y 1996 The Scission and Ascendancy of a Goddess Diritum at Mari In Coleson Joseph E Matthews Victor H eds Go to the Land I Will Show You Studies in Honor of Dwight W Young Eisenbrauns ISBN 978 0 931464 91 1 Retrieved 2022 10 23 Nakata Ichiro 1995 A Study of Women s Theophoric Personal Names in Old Babylonian Texts from Mari Orient 30 and 31 The Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan 234 253 doi 10 5356 orient1960 30and31 234 ISSN 1884 1392 Nakata Ichiro 2011 The God Itur Mer in the Middle Euphrates Region During the Old Babylonian Period Revue d Assyriologie et d archeologie orientale 105 Presses Universitaires de France 129 136 doi 10 3917 assy 105 0129 ISSN 0373 6032 JSTOR 42580244 S2CID 194094468 Oliva Juan 1994 Seeking an Identity for Diritum PDF Nouvelles Assyriologiques Breves et Utilitaires N A B U 1 ISSN 0989 5671 Pappi Cinzia 2012 Religion and Politics at the Divine Table The Cultic Travels of Zimri Lim Organization Representation and Symbols of Power in the Ancient Near East Penn State University Press pp 579 590 doi 10 1515 9781575066752 048 ISBN 9781575066752 Sasson Jack M 2015 From the Mari archives an anthology of old Babylonian letters Winona Lake Indiana Eisenbrauns ISBN 978 1 57506 830 5 OCLC 907931488 Sibbing Plantholt Irene 2022 The Image of Mesopotamian Divine Healers Healing Goddesses and the Legitimization of Professional Asus in the Mesopotamian Medical Marketplace Boston Brill ISBN 978 90 04 51241 2 OCLC 1312171937 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Deritum amp oldid 1150627451, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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