Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Kār-Tukultī-Ninurta als Agrarprovinz

2009; De Gruyter; Volume: 36; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1524/aofo.2009.0002

2196-6761

Helmut Freydank,

Linguistics and language evolution

Several cuneiform texts and fragments dealing with agriculture as managed within the framework of Assyrian state economy have been found at Tutūl al-῾ Aqir, ancient Kār-Tukultī-Ninurta, the temporary residence under king Tukultī-Ninurta I towards the end of the 13th century BC. These documents are transcribed, translated and commented on in this article. The idea of founding a new capital has been attributed to the king's wilful character by scholars in the past. The documents shed light on a large-scale cultivation and irrigation project on the left bank of the Tigris meant to provide food for the builders and inhabitants of nearby Kār-Tukultī-Ninurta. However, after about two decades the project seems to have failed due to bad harvests. Finally, political opposition led to the king's murder and the abandonment of the new residence. It should be kept in mind that the failure may be linked to the generally abnormal climatic conditions around 1200 BC.