Garments of the Gods: Studies on the Textile Industry and the Pantheon of Sippar according to the Texts from the Ebabbar Archive

Abstract

This book is based on a large collection of published and unpublished tablets concerning the textile economy in the cultic sphere of the Ebabbar temple at Sippar during the Neo-Babylonian period. First, the question of the organization of the textile industry is dealt with. Further parts of the book discuss the shape, weight, colour and functions of particular items of garments belonging to gods and goddesses. The conclusions reached are compared with the regulations from the time of Nabu-apal-iddina. Finally, the "garment texts” and animal offering lists provide the basis for a discussion of the pantheon of Neo-Babylonian Sippar and the king’s involvement in cultic matters, especially at the time of Nebuchadnezzar II.