Article

Thirteen bones and a skeleton: the location of Inanna-mansum's grave and material manifestations of the cult of the dead in Old Babylonian Sippar

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Abstract

The chief lamentation priest Inanna-mansum died thirteen years before his house was destroyed by fire. His eldest son Ur-Utu inherited it and it was upon him to bury his father. It is plausible that his bones were still in situ when the house was excavated. One male skeleton was found in a vaulted grave in Inanna-mansum's archive room. However, he was believed to have died in his forties, while Inanna-mansum grew considerably older. H. Gasche therefore rejected the identification in 1989. Thanks to developing insights in the field of archaeological anthropology, and with a better understanding of the context, the identification can now be ascertained. Identifying the skeleton is the key to unlock a whole tradition. It has been suggested that kispum ceremonies for the dead kin took place near the family grave. Inanna-mansum's tomb may therefore have been the focal point of the ancestor cult. By connecting the skeleton, the archive, the grave and its material context, it becomes possible to interpret features and objects in this room as material manifestations of kispum and household memory. The archive adds an extra dimension as it exposes the contrast between the aspirations of kispum and the realities of a dysfunctional family.

How to Cite:

Janssen, C., (2022) “Thirteen bones and a skeleton: the location of Inanna-mansum's grave and material manifestations of the cult of the dead in Old Babylonian Sippar”, Akkadica 143(1), 59–100.

Rights: © The author