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[German version] This item can be found on the following maps: Limes (Νικηφόριον/ Nikēphórion). Town at the point where the Baliḥ flows into the Euphrates. As a settlement, it succeeded Tuttul (Tall Bīa) and preceded the Arabic ar-Raqqa. Its founder is variously said to have been Seleucus I (App. Syr. 298), Alexander the Great (Plin. HN 6,119; Isidorus of Charax, Mansiones parthicae 1 GGM 1, 248) and, in Syrian sources, Seleucus II. In the middle of the 3rd cent. AD it was renamed Callinicum (or, in Greek, Καλλίνικος/ Kallínikos). It was also briefly called Constantina and Leontop…

[German version] (Sumerian Idigna, Assyrian/Babylonian Idiqlat, Greek Τίγρης/ Tígrēs (Hdt. 1,189; 1,193; 2,150; 5,52; 6,20), Latin Tigris (Plin. HN 6,129 f. et passim), Arabic Diǧla, Turkish Dicle), at about 1850 km the second longest river of the Near East. The Euphrates [2] and the T. enclose the 'land between two rivers' called Mesopotamia. In Antiquity unclear ideas on the sources of the T. circulated. Assyrian inscriptions at the source cave of the Sebene locate its origin there. Plin. HN 6,127 f., who cites the etymology from Iranian tigri-, 'arrow', mentions a partly su…

[German version] (Μάσκας; Máskas). Xen. An. 1,5,4 locates the River M. south of the confluence of the Chabora ( Ḫabur) and the Euphrates and describes it as encircling the city of Corsote in the desert. It may well have been only a canal. Etymologically, it is perhaps connected with the Akkadian mašqû, ‘watering hole/place’. There was a Neo-Assyrian town called Mašqite in the north of Anatolia. Kessler, Karlheinz (Emskirchen) Bibliography R. D. Barnett, Xenophon and the Wall of Media, in: JHS 73, 1963, 4f. F. H. Weissbach, s.v. M., RE 14, 2069f.

[German version] Founder of a Babylonian family enterprise, often characterised as a firm. M.'s activities began under Darius [1] I. Evidence is provided by more than 830 cuneiform tablets from an archive in Nippur, which are dated between 454 and 404 BC. Most of them concern the enterprises of Ellil-šum-iddin und Rīmūt-Inurta, son and grandson of M. The family was involved in agriculture in the region of Nippur, e.g., in tenancy and subletting of land plots, leasing, tax collection, short-term mo…

[German version] This item can be found on the following maps: Xenophon (Κορσωτή, Korsōtḗ). Xen. An. 1,5,4 mentions C. as a large city situated in the desert south of the confluence of the Chaboras ( Habur) and the Euphrates. He describes it as being surrounded by the river  Mascas, probably more of a canal. Attempts to locate it near Bāġūẓ or Hirbat ad-Dīnīya are dubious. Kessler, Karlheinz (Emskirchen) Bibliography R. D. Barnett, Xenophon and the Wall of Media, in: JHS 73, 1963, 3-5.

[German version] In Neo-Assyrian sources from the 9th cent. BC onwards, I. is a centre of viticulture, the mountainous area between  Ḥarran,  Amida (modern Diyarbakır) and Mardin in north-eastern Mesopotamia. In Babylonian the toponym is also still used later. Darius I defeated (Old Persian Izalā, Elamite Izzila) the Armenians in I. (TUAT 1, 433 § 29,53). In AD 359, the mons Izala (Amm. Marc. 18,6,12; 19,9,4) was the scene of Roman battles against the Persians. In Syrian and Byzantine texts (Bar Hebraeus; Theophylaktes Simocatta: Ἰζάλας/ Izáles) I. can also include the Mardin…

[German version] (Κοσσαῖοι; Kossaîoi). A mountain people of the Zagros that was divided into tribes, approximately in the area of modern  Luristan, cf. Latin Cossiaei (Plin. HN 6,134); Cossaei (Curt. 4,12,10). Kossaía as the name of a region is found in Diod. Sic. 17,111,5. The relationship to the Kíssioi and the Kissía region (Hdt. 5,49; 5,52; Diod. Sic.11,7,2) remains uncertain. The C. were probably identical to the Cassites ( Kaššu) whose clans infiltrated  Mesopotamia after the 17th cent. BC. Subsequently, a durable Cassitic dynasty, which retained certain Ca…

[German version] (Νήραβος/ Nḗrabos). Town in Syria (Nicolaus of Damascus FGrH 2,341 Fr. 17), modern Nairab south of Aleppo, Arama ic nrb, Neo-Assyrian Nirabu/ Nērebu, part of the province of Arpad. During archaeological investigations two steles with Aramaic funereal inscriptions of priests of the moon god Šahr (moon deity) were uncovered, as well as Babylonian cuneiform texts ( c. 560-500 BC) which attest to the business of a local family that lived temporarily (in exile) in a town in Babylonia that was also called N. Not to be confused with this N. …

[German version] [1] City in eastern Assyria This item can be found on the following maps: Sassanids | Syria | Xenophon | Zenobia | Commerce | Limes | Pompeius City in eastern Assyria on the road leading to the Iranian highlands; settled since the end of the 3rd millennium BC (Urbilum), Assyrian Arbail(u), Greek Ἄρβηλα ( Árbēla) and the Ἀρβηλῖτις ( Arbēlîtis) region (Ptol. 6,1, 2; Plin. HN 6, 41), today Erbīl. A. was the centre of a cult of Ištar and the seat of the governor in both Middle and New Assyria. The temple in A. was particularly favoured under …

[German version] (Τόπαζος; Tópazos). Island, of which Pliny gives a detailed account, allegedly the place of origin of the name of the precious stone topaz. According to Plin.  HN 37,24;108 it was 300 stadia from the Arabian coast in the Red Sea, and  in the language of the Trogodytae T. means 'seek', since the fog-enshrouded island often had to be looked for by seafarers. It appears as an Indian island in Steph. Byz. s.v. Τοπάζιος. Kessler, Karlheinz (Emskirchen)

[German version] (Μάρδη/ Márdē, Μάρδις/ Márdis, Lat. Maride). Fortress on the southern edge of the Izala mountain range (Ṭūr Abdīn), modern Mardin. Apart from a dubious identification with the ancient Oriental settlement of Mardaman, there are no indications that M. was of major significance prior to late antiquity. In Amm. Marc. 19,9,4, M. is one of the castella praesidiaria against the Persians. Under Iustinianus (AD 527-565) M. was refortified (Procop. Aed. 2,4,14) and according to Byzantine, Syrian and Armenian sources, it continued to be an impor…

[German version] This item can be found on the following maps: Christianity | Coloniae | Mesopotamia Settlement 40 km south-east of Edessa, old Oriental Ḫarrān(u), Greek Κάρραι; Kárrai, Latin Carrhae, Aramaic Ḥrn, modern Harran, important commercial centre and important cult centre of the moon god  Sin; documented since the 3rd millennium BC, Assyrian provincial capital and, from 611-610 BC, residence of the last Neo-Assyrian king; new temple construction under  Nabonid (finds of steles). In the biblical tradition, H. wa…

[German version] This item can be found on the following maps: Sassanids | Syria | Xenophon | Zenobia | Commerce | India, trade with | Asia Minor | Limes | Pompeius | Rome (Νίσιβις/ Nísibis, Byz. Νισίβιν/ Nisíbin). Town in Mesopotamia, also Nesibis, Assyrian Naṣībīna, Arabian Naṣībīn, present-day Nusaibīn, probably ‘the pillars’ in Aramaic folk etymology. N. was situated in a strategically important position on the Ǧaġǧaġa river (Mygdonius), at the foot of the mountains of Mardin (Mons Izala, Ṭūr Abdīn). In Assyrian sources N. is mentioned f…

[German version] (Νυμφαῖος/ Nymphaîos). Nowadays called Kahta Cayi, it is a tributary of the Euphrates in Commagene. The ancient name is known only through the citing of the name of the town, Arsameia on the N., on an inscription of Antiochus [2] I of Commagene found at Arsameia (now Eski Kâhta) [2]. Kessler, Karlheinz (Emskirchen) Bibliography F.K. Dörner, Arsameia am Nymphaios (IstForsch 23), 1963, 40.

[English version] Aramäische Fluß- bzw. Kanalbezeichnung im zentralen Babylonien, die akkad. nār šarri, griech. Naarsárēs (Νααρσάρης, Ptol. 5,19,2; 6) und lat. Marses (Amm. 23,6,25) entspricht und in griech. ( basíleios potamós u.ä., s. Strab. 16,1,27; Ptol. 5,17,5; Zos. 3,19,3) und lat. Übersetzung ( regium flumen u.ä., s. Plin. nat. 5,21,90; Amm. 24,2,7) als “Königsfluß” wiedergegeben wird. Altoriental. Quellen kennen mehrere Kanäle dieses Namens. Bei den ant. Autoren sind oft Verwechslungen der verschiedenen Bezeichnungen zu konstatier…

[English version] (Κεντρίτης, Xen. an. 4,3,1; Diod. 14,27,7); nach der Wegbeschreibung bei Xenophon identisch mit dem östl. Tigrisnebenfluß Bohtan Su (Provinz Siirt), byz. Zirmas, arab. Zarm. Der K. bildete danach die Grenze zw. dem Gebiet der Karduchoi und Armenien bzw. der armen. Satrapie des Tiribazos. Die Griechen überschritten im Winter 401/400 v.Chr. den K. bei einer Talweitung mit Siedlungen auf Flußterrassen, evtl. ca. 15 km nördl. des Zusammenflusses mit dem Tigris, nahe der Mündung des Zorova Su. Kessler, Karlheinz (Emskirchen) Bibliography F.H. Weissbach, s.v. K.,…

[English version] (Μάρδη, Μάρδις, lat. Maride). Festung am Südrand des Izala-Gebirges (Ṭūr Abdīn), h. Mardin. Abgesehen von einer zweifelhaften Gleichsetzung mit der altoriental. Siedlung Mardaman existieren keine Hinweise auf eine größere Bedeutung von M. vor der Spätant. Bei Amm. 19,9,4 ist M. eins der castella praesidiaria gegen die Perser. Unter Iustinianus (527-565 n.Chr.) wurde M. erneut befestigt (Prok. aed. 2,4,14) und war nach byz., syr. und und armen. Quellen weiterhin ein wichtiger Stützpunkt gegen die Perser. Syrien Kessler, Karlheinz (Emskirchen) Bibliography L…

[English version] (Νυμφαῖος). Nebenfluß des Euphrat in der Kommagene, h. Kahtaçai. Die ant. Bezeichnung ist nur durch die Nennung des Stadtnamens Arsameia am N., h. Eski Kâhta, aus einer bei Arsameia [2] gefundenen Inschrift des Antiochos [2] I. von Kommagene bekannt. Kessler, Karlheinz (Emskirchen) Bibliography F.K. Dörner, Arsameia am N. (IstForsch 23), 1963, 40.

[English version] Begründer eines babylonischen Familienunternehmens, oft charakterisiert als Geschäftshaus. Die Aktivitäten des M. beginnen unter Dareios [1] I. Als Quellen liegen mehr als 830 Keilschrifttafeln eines Archivs aus Nippur vor, datiert zwischen 454 und 404 v.Chr. Die Mehrzahl betrifft die Unternehmungen von Ellil-šum-iddin und Rīmūt-Inurta, Sohn und Enkel des M. Die Familie war auf dem landwirtschaftl. Sektor in der Region Nippur aktiv, so im Bereich von Miete und Untervermietung von…

[English version] Dieser Ort ist auf folgenden Karten verzeichnet: Limes (Νικηφόριον). Stadt an der Mündung des Baliḥ in den Euphrat, Nachfolgesiedlung des altoriental. Tuttul (Tall Bīa) und Vorläufer des arab. ar-Raqqa. Als Gründer werden Seleukos I. (App. Syr. 298), Alexander d.Gr. (Plin. nat. 6,119; Isidoros von Charax, Mansiones parthicae 1 GGM 1, 248) und in syr. Quellen auch Seleukos II. genannt. Ab der Mitte des 3. Jh.n.Chr. in Kallinikos (Καλλίνικος, lat. Callinicum), kurze Zeit auch in Constantina und Leontopolis umbenannt, wurde die bed. Handelsstadt …