It is notable in Joshua 13:15-21, where the cities given to Reuben are enumerated, that, though the slopes of Pisgah are mentioned, Zoar is not mentioned.In Genesis 14, where the battle between Amraphel and his allies with Sodom and the other cities of the plain is described, the south end of the Dead Sea comes in logical order in the progress of their campaign, and special mention is made of the slime or bitumen pits which occurred in the valley, and evidently played an important part in the outcome of the battle.At the south end of the Dead Sea there is an extensive circle or plain which is better supplied with water for irrigation than is the region about Jericho, and which, on the supposition of slight geological changes, may have been extremely fertile in ancient times; while there are many indications of such fertility in the ruins that have been described by travelers about the mouth of the Kerak and other localities nearby. The System Employed, with an Example1. The Kingdom of Nimrod and the Land of Shinar - Bible History (13) The Land of the Sea:The Land of the Sea (that bordering on the Persian Gulf), in which, seemingly, the Chaldeans afterward settled, seems to have played an important part in the early history of Shinar. Growing up to help me remember it was "never eat shredded wheat," for you it may have been, "never eat soggy waffles.". The Assyrians came up with the Elamites at Der, but Te-umman feared to join issue there, and retreating, took up a strong position near his capital, Susa, with his front protected by the river Ulai. Shinar and Its Climate11. (8) Erech:South of Fara lay Unuga, Semitic Uruk, the Biblical ERECH (which see), now Warka. Surface Configuration 3. In the triumphal procession at Nineveh which took place on the Assyrian army's return, the head of Te-umman and his son Tamritu figured, the former hanging from the neck of Dunanu, king of Gambulu, and the latter from the neck of Samgunu, Dunanu's brother. Belonging to Babylon, also, was the renowned city Borsippa, now Birs, or the Birs Nimroud, the traditional site of the Tower of Babel.See BABEL, TOWER OF. Since they employ the same ideogram for mountain and land, their homeland is thought to have been in the NE (Caucasus) and that they were the originators of the artificial mountain-like temple-towers (see [http://biblegateway/wiki/Ziggurat, Ziggurrat ZIGGURRAT]). The shrine dedicated to Ishtar is apparently now represented by the ruin known as Buwariyya or "reed-mats," and so called on account of the layers of matting at intervals of 4 or 5 ft. Meanwhile a contemporary, Gudea of Lagash, marched to Syria and Anatolia and brought back building materials to embellish his own city. But the heart of ancient Mesopotamia was in the northwest where the Euphrates made a huge bend at the northern portion of the Tigris as shown in the map above. (11) Ur:To the Southeast of Warka and Senqara lies the site of the ancient UR OF THE CHALDEES (which see) now Mugheir. Save 15% for life on BibleGateway+ with code SPRINGSTUDY15. Ancient Jerusalem - Interactive Study of Jerusalem with Map. This will not only give an idea of the poetical form of the Sumerian legend of the Creation by Merodach and Aruru, but also show how short and concise, as a language, was the speech of Shinar, before Semitic supremacy.T. This was the first organized system of idolatry recorded after the flood. OpenBible.info No undisputed equivalent of the Heb. Genesis 13: 3 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. In Egyp. Isaiah 21:2 A grievous vision is declared to me. Next year (689 B.C.) du'-ra (dura'): The name of the plain on which Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, set up the great golden image which all his subjects were ordered to worship ( Daniel 3:1 ). In the battle which ensued between the two pretenders, Tammaritu was defeated, and fled to the seacoast with a part of the Elamite royal family. or Taki (?) Mountain Ranges:The Pusht-e-Kuh mountains are a series of very high parallel ranges described as "a veritable wall" between Mesopotamia and the elevated depression of the Kerkha. The Name and Its Etymology: The city over which Arioch (Eri-Aku) and other Babylonian kings ruled ( Genesis 14:1 ). and art. Also, during a famine in Elam, certain Elamite tribes migrated into Assyria to escape the scarcity, and were kindly treated by Assur-bani-apli, who had succeeded his father on the Assyrian throne. On the arrival of the Assyrian avenging host in Baby1onia, Nergal-usezib fled to Elam, but was captured near Niffer. The Syriac Sen'ar:All these comparisons tend to show that the Babylonian equivalent of Shinar is not any of the above, and as yet has not, in fact, been found. These are mostly of the Parthian period, but they imply that the place was regarded as a necropolis, possibly owing to the sanctity attached to the site.LITERATURE.Schrader, KAT; Loftus, Chaldoea and Susiana, 162; Fried. Isaiah 11:11 It will happen in that day that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. overlordship to an end. The winter birds of passage are the pelican, stork, crane, cormorant, sea gull, many species of wild duck, the wild goose, bustard, woodcock, snipe, pigeon, turtledove, and numerous brilliantly colored waders. The Assyro-Babylonians called the tract Elamtu, expressed ideographically by the Sumerian characters for Nimma or Numma, which seems to have been its name in that language. The death of Sennacherib and the troubles attending the accession of Esarhaddon encouraged Nabuzer-napisti-Itsir, son of Merodach-baladan, again to raise the standard of revolt. Genesis 14:8 The king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar) went out; and they set the battle in array against them in the valley of Siddim; Genesis 14:9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings against the five. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. He was evidently one of the great rulers of the land. The Karun, with which a number of small streams unite, rises in the Bakhtiari mountains. Merodach-baladan, a pretender to the throne of Babylon, made common cause with Humbanigas, who fought with the Assyrian army at Der. During the reign of the little-known Kharacenian king, Aspasine, they made incursions into Babylonia, one of the opponents of this king's generals being Pittit, "the enemy, the Elamite"-a phrase of old standing, apparently. Fauna:The fauna is said at present to be less numerous than formerly. The Bible records in Genesis 11 that all mankind came to the Land of Shinar and make a name for themselves under the leadership of Nimrod, so they built a tower at Babel, a tower that would reach to heaven. ATS Bible Dictionary Dura The plain in Babylon where Nebuchadnezzar set up his golden image. Oppert placed it to the Southeast of Babylon, near a small river and mounds bearing the name of Douair or Duair, where, also, was what seemed to be the base of . (11) Sennacherib against Chaldea and Elam.As Sargon had his attention fully occupied elsewhere, he made no attempt to follow up his success, and it seems not to have been until the reign of Sennacherib that any serious invasion of the country on the part of the Assyrians was made. This is supported by the fact that Jebel Usdum, the salt mountain at the southwest corner of the Dead Sea, still bears the name of Sodom, Usdum being simply another form of the word. Between November 1 and 15 the rains begin, with Southeast and South winds, and the mountains are covered with snow. Harosheth-hagoiim ( Judg 4:2, 13) may be a specific locality . Everything points, therefore, to the Sumerians having been in Babylonia before the Semitic inhabitants.9. The texts detail the range of its gods, rituals and religious practices as well as its incipient sciences (medicine, astronomy, mathematics and technology). History (1) The Earliest Period (2) Sargon of Agade and His Successors (3) The Suzerainty of the Kings of Ur (4) Elam Becomes Predominant 2280 Years B.C. Calneh - Wikipedia The Belad-Rud, between the Ab-e-Diz and the Kerkha, rises in the mountains of Luristan, and varies greatly as to its volume, being sometimes a mere brook, and at others a large river. In the lit. The Semites of Babylonia were to all appearance thick-set and muscular, but the Sumerians, notwithstanding the stumpy figures which their statues and bas-reliefs show, seem to have been slim-in any case, their warriors, in the better basreliefs, as well as the figures of the god Nin-Girsu (formerly known as "the god with the firestick"), and the engraved cylinders, have this type. Possible Babylonian Form of the Name: Though sometimes identified with the Babylonian Sumer, the connection of Shinar with that name is doubtful. Its kings and viceroys were among the most renowned, though apparently unknown outside their own domains. Calneh ( ) was a city founded by Nimrod, mentioned twice in the Hebrew Bible ( Genesis 10:10 & Amos 6:1 ). Amar-Suen, who died of infection from a foot ailment, was buried in the Royal Cemetery at Ur with his fathers. This is the great temple-tower (ziq-qurat) of the place, called E-gipar-imina, "the house of 7 enclosures." If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. The isobands you see on the map (gray areas with dark borders) attempt to give you confidence where a region is. In the primitive days of Mesopotamia, as also in Palestine, wild animals were so numerous that they became a menace to life and property (Exodus 23:29 Leviticus 26:22); therefore the king as benefactor and protector of his people hunted these wild beasts. Genesis 10:10 - Bible Hub The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. It is this collection of spoils which has contributed to make the success of the French excavations at Susa what it is. God came down and gave them new languages which forced them to scatter throughout the whole earth. In Jerusalem for Hanukkah. Eventually, some of them disobeyed God and decided to stay in one place and build a tall tower to try and reach the skies. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Fauna 8. In 14:3 it is identified with the Salt Sea, and in 14:10 it is said to have been full of slime pits ("bitumen").According to the traditional view, the Vale of Siddim was at the southern end of the Dead Sea. The exact location is unknown. The wind then turns South and Southwest, bringing with it a heat rising sometimes to 140 degree F., destroying all the verdure of the country. But in recent years a number of eminent authorities have maintained that it was at the northern end of the Dead Sea, in the vicinity of Jericho. Tammaritu, nephew of Umman-igas, after the defeat of the Elamite forces in Chaldea, revolted against him, and having defeated him, cut off his head, and took the crown. The History of Rome - Brief Overview Of Roman History from Her Dawn to the First Punic War. Shinar and Its Climate:Whether the country was in the same seemingly uncared-for state in ancient times as at present is unknown; but one cannot help admiring the courage of the original immigrants into such a district, for example, as that of Lagas. In Isaiah 21:2 it is apparently the later Cyrus who is referred to when Elam, with Media, is called upon "to go up" to the siege of Babylon. The latter is prob. History:(1) The Earliest Period.Beginning with the semi-mythical period, we have the story of the fight of the Babylonian hero Gilgames with the Elamite tyrant Humbaba, who was defeated by the hero and his helper Enki-du, and beheaded. Mountain Ranges 4. The northern part of ancient Babylonia was called Akkad. Oranges and lemons, which are at present cultivated there, are late importations. Jeremiah 25:25 and all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes; Jeremiah 49:34 The word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying. Start for FREE. sid'-im, (`emeq ha-siddim; Septuagint he pharangx (or koilas) he haluke): The place mentioned in Genesis 14:3-8 as being the scene of encounter between Chedorlaomer and his allies with the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim and Zoar. In the past, many have argued with me about the true location of the land of Shinar. ANET 1950), 27-59, 159. Professor R.S. Wheat and barley, sown in October and November, are harvested in April. In the fourth millennium b.c. An Elamite contemporary of Nabonassar of Babylon was Humbanigas, 742 B.C. The System Employed, with an Example:E nu-DU URU nu-DIM, A house was not built, a city was not constructed;URU nu-DIM ADAM nu-mun-GAR, A city was not constructed, a community he had not founded;ABZU nu-DU GURUDUGA nu-DIM, The abyss was not built, Eridu was not constructed;E AZAGA DINGIRene KI-DURA-bi nu-DIM, The holy house of the gods, its seat was not constructed;Su-NIGIN KURKURAgi AABBAama, The whole of the lands was sea.The nominal and verbal roots of the above extract from the bilingual account of the Creation are in capitals, and the pronominal prefixes and suffixes, with a couple of lengthenings which determine the pronunciations of the nouns, in small letters.