Khafajah


Khafajah or Khafaje is an archaeological site in Diyala Province. It was part of the city-state of Eshnunna. The site lies east of Baghdad and southwest of Eshnunna.

History of archaeological research

Khafajah was excavated for 7 seasons in the early 1930s primarily by an Oriental Institute of Chicago team led by Henri Frankfort with Thorkild Jacobsen and Pinhas Delougaz. For two seasons, the site was worked by a joint team of the American Schools of Oriental Research and the University of Pennsylvania.

Khafajah and its environment

Khafajah lies on the Diyala River, a tributary of the Tigris. The site consists of four mounds, labeled A through D. The main one, Mound A, extends back as far as the Uruk period and contained an oval temple, a temple of the god Sin, not surely and a temple of Nintu. The Dur-Samsuiluna fort was found on mounds B and C. Mound D contained private homes and a temple for the god Sin where the archive tablets where found in two heaps.

Occupation history

Khafajah was occupied during the Early Dynastic Period, through the Sargonid Period, then came under the control of Eshnunna after the fall of the Ur III Empire. Later, after Eshnunna was captured by Babylon, a fort was built at the site by Samsu-iluna of the First Babylonian dynasty and named Dur-Samsuiluna.
RulerProposed reignNotes
Abdi-Erahcirca 1820 BCRuler of Eshnunna, Contemporary of Sumu-abum of Babylon
Adi-madarRuler of Eshnunna
Sumina-arim
Iku-pi-Sin
Isme-bali
TattanumContemporary of Belakum of Eshnunna
Hammi-dusurcirca 1800 BCContemporary of Sumu-la-El of Babylon
WarassaRuler of Eshnunna

Material culture

The history of Khafajah is known in somewhat more detail for a period of several decades as a result of the discovery of 112 clay tablets in a temple of Sin. The tablets constitute part of an official archive and include mostly loan and legal documents. The Oriental Institute of Chicago holds 57 of the tablets with the remainder being in the Iraq Museum. Some Early Dynastic Sumerian statues from Khafajah are on the Oriental Institute's list of Lost Treasures from Iraq ; however, they have been housed at the Sulaymaniyah Museum since 1961.

Gallery

The Iraq Museum's Sumerian Gallery displays several Sumerian statues from the Temple of Sin and the Temple of Nintu, including part of a hoard found at the Nintu Temple.