Nuzi (Nuzi Tablets)
- LAST REVIEWED: 27 November 2023
- LAST MODIFIED: 28 February 2017
- DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780195393361-0014
- LAST REVIEWED: 27 November 2023
- LAST MODIFIED: 28 February 2017
- DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780195393361-0014
Introduction
More than 6,500 cuneiform texts and fragments have been discovered in northeastern Iraq in the vicinity of modern Kirkuk (ancient Arrapha) and from the excavations at Yorghan Tepe (ancient Nuzi) and Tell al-Fakhar. Excavations at the modest Mitanni-period town of Nuzi have exposed various types of settlements, including the main urban, administrative, and religious centers. Portions of suburbs that were more than three hundred meters north of the walled town were also excavated, which revealed a number of socially and economically diverse houses. Cuneiform archives (both public and private) came from all of these areas, providing a rich context for understanding a relatively modest-sized ancient Near Eastern town in the second millennium BCE. The population of the town of Nuzi (including suburbs) has been estimated to be about 1,500–2,000 people, according to Maidman 1995 (cited under General Overviews). Nuzi was a city in the kingdom of Arrapha, vassal to the larger kingdom of Mitanni, a confederation of Hurrian states in Upper Mesopotamia. Although the city of Nuzi did not have a king, a mayor is mentioned who answered to the king of Arrapha. Documents describe the fact the Nuzi had relations (both economic and military) with other kingdoms, such as Kassite Babylonia and Assyria. Nuzi was probably destroyed by the Assyrians (c. 1350 BCE), a fact that is implied textually and attested archaeologically by massive destruction levels.
General Overviews
General overviews of the city and culture of Nuzi are understandably few, but noteworthy. Speiser 1953 is one of the earliest attempts at placing the Hurrians in the context of world history. Maidman 1995 provides the best overall study of the site itself, as well as its political, legal, economic, religious, and social structures. Morrison 1992 is equally useful and provides a critique of the value of Nuzi to biblical studies. Maidman 2010 is more detailed and is written for a general audience. The writer carefully selected nearly one hundred Nuzi texts that help in the reconstruction of the political and social history of the region. A brief article, Stein 1997 concentrates on the archaeological features of Yorghan Tepe. Other studies provide information concerning Nuzi in a larger cultural and historical environment. Wilhelm 1989 and Freu 2003 both survey the history of the Mitanni kingdom and feature much information from the Nuzi texts. A succinct survey of the history of Nuzi studies can be found in Wilhelm 1999.
Freu, Jacques. Histoire du Mitanni. Paris: L’Harmattan, 2003.
Historical work on the kingdom of Mitanni and Nuzi in French. Unfortunately, it is of limited value.
Maidman, Maynard P. “Nuzi: Portrait of an Ancient Mesopotamian Provincial Town.” In Civilizations of the Ancient Near East. Vol. 2. Edited by Jack M. Sasson, 931–947. New York: Scribner’s, 1995.
Perhaps the best brief introduction to the site of Nuzi, covering political history, the site itself, economy, social classes, women, and law.
Maidman, Maynard P. Nuzi Texts and Their Uses as Historical Evidence. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2010.
The best overall survey of the site in the Society of Biblical Literature’s Writings from the Ancient World series. Maidman surveys the history and culture of Nuzi by selecting five significant themes; war between Arrapha and Assyria, mayoral corruption at Nuzi, the ilku (perhaps a tax obligation), a study of the Tehip-tilla family history, and a long-standing land dispute.
Morrison, M. A. “Nuzi.” In The Anchor Bible Dictionary. Vol. 4. Edited by David N. Freedman, 1156–1162. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
Solid overview discussing Nuzi archives, history, archaeology, ethnicity, socioeconomic structure, religion, law, and possible connections with the Bible.
Speiser, E. A. “The Hurrian Participation in the Civilization of Mesopotamia, Syria, and Palestine.” Journal of World History 1 (1953): 244–269.
There is a very brief section on Nuzi and its Hurrian population in this general article on the Hurrians.
Stein, D. “Nuzi.” In The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East. Vol. 4, META–SEPP. Edited by E. Meyers, 171–175. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
Best succinct survey of the archaeology, ceramics, seal impressions, art, and architecture of Nuzi.
Wilhelm, Gernot. The Hurrians. Westminster, UK: Aris & Phillips, 1989.
Most important overview of the Hurrians and their political history. Provides an excellent context in which to study Nuzi’s importance.
Wilhelm, Gernot. “Recent Trends in Nuzi and Hurrian Studies.” SCCNH 19 (1999): 3–11.
Thoughtful reflection on the state of Nuzi/Hurrian studies by a leading figure in Hurrian studies.
Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on this page. Please subscribe or login.
How to Subscribe
Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here.
Article
- Archaeology and Material Culture of Nabataea and the Nabat...
- Aaron
- Acts of Peter
- Acts of the Apostles
- Adam and Eve
- Aelia Capitolina
- Afterlife and Immortality
- Agriculture
- Alexander the Great
- Alexandria
- Altered States of Consciousness in the Bible
- Amos
- Ancient Christianity, Churches in
- Ancient Israel, Schools in
- Ancient Medicine
- Ancient Mesopotamia, Schools in
- Ancient Near Eastern Law
- Angels
- Anti-Semitism and the New Testament
- Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
- Apocryphal Acts
- Apostolic Fathers
- Aram
- Archaeology and Material Culture of Ammon and the Ammonite...
- Archaeology and Material Culture of Aram and the Arameans
- Archaeology and Material Culture of Judah and the Judeans ...
- Archaeology and Material Culture of Moab and the Moabites
- Archaeology and Material Culture of Phoenicia and the Phoe...
- Archaeology and Material Culture of the Kingdom of Israel ...
- Archaeology, Greco-Roman
- Art, Early Christian
- Asceticism
- Astrology and Astronomy
- Athaliah
- Atonement
- Augustus
- Babylon
- Baptism
- Barnabas, Epistle of
- Benefaction/Patronage
- Bible and Film
- Bible and Visual Art
- Bible, Exile, and Migration, The
- Biblical Criticism
- Biblical Studies, Cognitive Science Approaches in
- Caesarea Maritima
- Canaanites
- Canon, Biblical
- Ceramics
- Cherubim
- Child Metaphors in the New Testament
- Children in the Hebrew Bible
- Children in the New Testament World
- Christian Apocrypha
- Christology
- Chronicles, First and Second
- Cities of Refuge
- Clement, First
- Clement of Alexandria
- Clement, Second
- Clothing
- Colossians
- Conversation Analysis
- Conversion
- Corinthians, Second
- Cosmology, Near East
- Covenant
- Covenant, Ark of the
- Crucifixion
- Cyrus
- Daniel
- Daniel, Additions to
- David
- Death and Burial
- Deborah
- Demons
- Deuteronomistic History
- Deuteronomy
- Diaspora in the New Testament
- Didache
- Digital Humanities and the Bible
- Divination and Omens
- Domestic Architecture, Ancient Israel
- Early Christianity
- Early Christianity and Slavery
- Ecclesiastes/Qohelet
- Economics and Biblical Studies
- Edom
- Education, Greco-Roman
- Education in the Hebrew Bible
- Egyptian Book of the Dead
- Election in the Bible
- Elijah
- Elisha
- Enoch
- Ephesians
- Epistles, Catholic
- Epistolography (Ancient Letters)
- Eschatology of the New Testament
- Esther and Additions to Esther
- Ethics
- Evil Eye
- Exodus, Book of
- Exorcism
- Ezekiel
- Ezra-Nehemiah
- Faith in the New Testament
- Feminist Scholarship on the Old Testament
- Flora and Fauna of the Hebrew Bible
- Food and Food Production
- Friendship, Kinship and Enmity
- Funerary Rites and Practices, Greco-Roman
- Galatians
- Galilee
- Genesis, Book of
- Gentiles
- Gilgamesh
- Gnosticism
- God, Ancient Israel
- God, Greco-Roman
- God, Son of
- Gospels
- Gospels, Apocryphal
- Great, Herod the
- Greco-Roman Meals
- Greco-Roman World, Associations in the
- Greek Language
- Hagar
- Heaven
- Hebrew Bible, Biblical Law in the
- Hebrew Language
- Hebrews
- Hell
- Hellenistic and Roman Egypt
- Hermas, Shepherd of
- Historiography, Greco-Roman
- History of Ancient Israelite Religion
- Hittites
- Holy Spirit
- Honor and Shame
- Hosea, Book of
- Idol/Idolatry (HB/OT)
- Idol/Idolatry (New Testament)
- Imperial Cult and Early Christianity
- Infancy Gospel of Thomas
- Interpretation and Hermeneutics
- Intertextuality in the New Testament
- Isaiah
- Israel, History of
- James
- Jeremiah
- Jeroboam
- Jerusalem
- Jesus of Nazareth
- Jewish Christianity
- Jewish Festivals
- Jezebel
- Job
- Joel, Book of
- John, Gospel of
- John the Baptist
- Joshua
- Jubilees, Book of
- Judaism, Hellenistic
- Judaism, Rabbinic
- Judaism, Second Temple
- Judas, Gospel of
- Jude, Epistle of
- Judges, Book of
- Judith, Book of
- Kings, First and Second
- Kingship
- Lamentations
- Latino/a/e and Latin American Biblical Interpretation
- Letters, Johannine
- Letters, Pauline
- Levi/Levittes
- Levirate Obligation in the Hebrew Bible
- Levitical Cities
- Leviticus
- LGBTIQ Hermeneutics
- Literacy, New Testament
- Literature, Apocalyptic
- Lord's Prayer
- Luke, Gospel of
- Maccabean Revolt
- Maccabees, First–Fourth
- Man, Son of
- Manasseh, King of Judah
- Manasseh, Tribe/Territory
- Mari
- Mark, Gospel of
- Martyrdom
- Mary
- Matthew, Gospel of
- Medieval Biblical Interpretation (Jewish)
- Mesopotamian Mythology and Genesis 1-11
- Messianism
- Metaphor in the New Testament
- Midian
- Midrash and Aggadah
- Minoritized Criticism of the New Testament
- Miracle Stories
- Modern Bible Translations
- Moses
- Music
- Mysticism in Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity
- Myth in the Hebrew Bible
- Nahum, Book of
- Names of God in the Hebrew Bible
- New Testament and Early Christianity, Women, Gender, and S...
- New Testament, Feminist Scholarship on the
- New Testament, Men and Masculinity in the
- New Testament, Rhetoric of the
- New Testament, Social Sciences and the
- New Testament Studies, Emerging Approaches in
- New Testament, Textual Criticism of the
- New Testament Views of Torah
- Numbers, Book of
- Nuzi (Nuzi Tablets)
- Old Testament, Biblical Theology in the
- Old Testament, Social Sciences and the
- Orality and Literacy
- Otherness in the Hebrew Bible
- Pain and Suffering in the Hebrew Bible
- Parables
- Paraenesis
- Passion Narratives
- Pastorals
- Paul
- Pauline Chronology
- Paul's Opponents
- Pentateuch
- Performance Criticism
- Period, The "Persian"
- Peter
- Philemon
- Philippians
- Philistines
- Philo of Alexandria
- Piety/Godliness in Early Christianity and the Roman World
- Poetry, Hebrew
- Pontius Pilate
- Priestly/Holiness Codes
- Priest/Priesthood
- Prophets
- Proverbs
- Psalms
- Pseudepigraphy, Early Christian
- Pseudo-Clementines
- Q
- Qumran/Dead Sea Scrolls
- Race, Ethnicity and the Gospels
- Revelation (Apocalypse)
- Romans
- Ruth
- Sacrifice
- Samaria/Samaritans
- Samuel, First and Second
- Satan
- Scriptures
- Second Baruch
- Sects, Jewish
- Septuagint
- Sermon on the Mount
- Sexual Violence and the Hebrew Bible
- Sin (Hebrew Bible/Old Testament)
- Sirach
- Slavery
- Sojourner
- Solomon
- Solomon, Wisdom of
- Song of Songs
- Succession Narrative
- Synagogue
- Synoptic Problem
- Tales, Court
- Talmud
- Targum
- Temples and Sanctuaries
- Temples, Near Eastern
- Ten Commandments
- The Bible and the American Civil War
- The Bible and the Qur’an
- The Bible in China
- The English Bible: History and Translations
- the Hebrew Bible, Ancient Egypt and
- The New Testament and Creation Care
- Thessalonians
- Thomas, Gospel of
- Tobit
- Trauma and the Bible, Hermeneutics of
- Twelve Prophets, Book of the
- Ugarit
- Virtues and Vices: New Testament Ethical Exhortation in I...
- War, New Testament
- Wisdom
- Wisdom—Greek and Latin
- Women, Gender, and Sexuality in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testa...
- Worship in the New Testament and Earliest Christianity
- Worship, Old Testament
- Zadok
- Zechariah
- Zoology (Animals in the New Testament)