religion 141
half of the 14th century B.c.) the moon-god of harran is mentioned
(§ 19, line 54) together with several other Mittani deities.61
the oldest 1st-millennium mention of the sin temple of harran is a
reference that it was built by shalmaneser iii (858–824 B.c.). in assyrian
sources the temple of the moon-god of harran is known as É.ḪÚl.ḪÚl,
akkadian šubat ḫidāti, both of which translate as “house Which gives Joy.”62
this mention indicates that harran already belonged to the assyrian
empire at that time. the moon-god of harran also appears in the curses
of the treaty between ashur-nirari V (753–746 B.c.) and Matiʾel of Bit
agusi (saa ii, no. 2, iV: 4).63 the 7th century marked a time of economic
prosperity for harran. this is reflected in the renovations made by King
ashurbanipal (669–627 B.c.), one of the few textually recorded details of
the temple’s construction history.64
after the fall of the city of ashur (629 B.c.), harran temporarily super-
seded it as the capital city.65 the last neo-assyrian king, ashur-uballit ii,
was crowned in harran in 611 B.c. and was able to remain in power there
for only a short while: in 610 B.c. the city was overrun by the Medes and
laid to waste. as a result the cult services in the sin temple were disrupted.66
soon after his ascension to the throne, King nabonidus (555–539 B.c.)
applied himself to the restoration of the sin temple.67
Four stelae of King nabonidus, excavated at the site of the destroyed
mosque in altınbaşak in 1956, as well as other inscriptions found in 1985
and 1989, show that the temple of the moon-god sin must have been in
this area.68
a brief description of the temple is found in the verse account of nabo-
nidus: “he built its brickwork, formed its layout, its foundation he firmly
established, raised its spires, let its façade gleam with plaster and asphalt,
an impetuous wild bull he plac[e]d before it just like (in) esangil.”69 the
plaster and asphalt elements mentioned are the orthostats made of lime-
stone and basalt used as facing for the temple’s façade.
61 cth 51; cf. the translation in Wilhelm 2005: 113–121.
62 cf. postgate 1972–1975: 124 and Dion 1997: 49.
63 text in parpola – Watanabe 1988: 8–13.
64 cf. gadd 1958: 72.
65 cf. lipiński 1994: 184 and theuer 2000: 327.
66 cf. lipiński 1994: 190f and theuer 2000: 328.
67 cf. gadd 1958: 74f; Beaulieu 1989: 104–115; Dandamayev 1998–2001: 9f.
68 cf. gadd 1958: 35–44; postgate 1972–1975: 122f; green 1992: 99; lipiński 1994: 171f.
69 Following schaudig 2001: 574. cf. also nabonidus’s É.ḪÚl.ḪÚl cylinder in schaudig
2001: 436–438 and, on the placement of the wild bull, 419 note 540.