Historical study of the Habur area in the second millennium BC in the light of the cuneiform documents from Tell Taban

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22320137
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Asian history
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: YAMADA Shigeo 筑波大学, 人文社会系, 教授 (30323223)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): SHIBATA Daisuke 筑波大学, 人文社会系, 准教授 (40553293)
• Project Period (FY): 2010-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: アッシリア学 / 楔形文字 / 粘土板文書 / テル・タバン / 西アジア

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The aim of the project is to study the c. 480 cuneiform documents that were discovered at Tell Taban by the excavations of Kokushikan University since 2005,and to clarify the history and culture of the ancient city of Tabatum/Tabetu (mod. Tell Taban) and its surroundings during the second Millennium BC. We made conservation and restoration work on the fragments of the documents, and studied them. The study revealed: (1) The city was set under the influence of the monarchic power of the Middle Euphrates region (at or around Terqa) in the late 18th century BC, and then, since the 15-14th centuries BC onward, the local kings, "kings of the land of Mari,” ruled the city of Tabatum/Tabetu; (2) The city maintained its local culture in a certain degree through the ages, while responding to the political circumstances, which changed with the rise and decline of the dominant powers in the surroundings.

Free Research Field

アッシリア学