{{Short description|Ancient Babylonian city}}
{{Infobox historic site
|name           = Borsippa
|other_name     = Birs Nimrud
|image          = 
|alt            = 
|caption        = 
|pushpin_map    = Iraq
|pushpin_alt    = 
|pushpin_relief = yes
|coordinates    = {{coord|32|23|31.19|N|44|20|30.08|E|display=inline, title}}
|location       = Babylon Governorate, Iraq
|type           = settlement
|part_of        = 
|length         = 
|width          = 
|area           = 
|height         = 
|builder        = 
|material       = 
|built          = 
|abandoned      = 
|epochs         = 
|cultures       = 
|dependency_of  = 
|occupants      = 
|events         = 
|excavations    = 1854, 1879-1881, 1902, 1980-2003
|archaeologists = Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, Hormuzd Rassam, Robert Koldewey, Helga Piesl-Trenkwalder, Wilfred Allinger-Csollich
|condition      = Ruined
|owner          = Public
|public_access  = Yes
|website        = 
|notes          = 
}}

'''Borsippa''' ([[Sumerian language|Sumerian]]: BAD.SI.(A).AB.BA<sup>KI</sup> or '''Birs Nimrud''', having been identified with [[Nimrod]]) is an archeological site in [[Babylon Governorate]], [[Iraq]], built on both sides of a lake about {{convert|17.7|km|mi|abbr=on}} southwest of [[Babylon]] on the east bank of the [[Euphrates]]. It lies 15 kilometers from the ancient site of [[Dilbat]].

It is today one of the most vividly identifiable surviving [[ziggurat]]s, identified in the later [[Arabic]] culture with the [[Tower of Babel]] due to King [[Nebuchadnezzar I|Nebuchadnezzar]] referring to it as the "Tower of Borsippa" or "tongue tower", as stated in the [[stele]] recovered on site in the 19th century. However, modern scholarship concludes that the [[Babylonia]]n builders of the ziggurat erected it as a religious edifice in honour of the local god [[Nabu]], called the "son" of Babylon's [[Marduk]], as would be appropriate for Babylon's lesser sister-city.

The tutelary god of Borsippa in the [[Third Dynasty of Ur|Ur III Empire]] in the late 3rd millennium BC was [[Tutu (Mesopotamian god)|Tutu]], who was syncretised with the god Marduk after the [[Old Babylonian Empire|Old Babylonian]] period. Tutu was mentioned in the prologue of the [[Code of Hammurabi]] as the god of Borsippa.<ref name="Lambert2013">Lambert, Wilfred G., "Notes on Enūma Eliš", Babylonian Creation Myths, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 469-492, 2013</ref> The goddesses Marat-E-zida and the god [[Mār-bīti|Mar-biti]] were also worshiped at Borsippa.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/ebin.pub_a-handbook-of-gods-and-goddesses-of-the-ancient-near-east-three-thousan/mode/2up] Frayne, Douglas R. and Stuckey, Johanna H., "M", A Handbook of Gods and Goddesses of the Ancient Near East: Three Thousand Deities of Anatolia, Syria, Israel, Sumer, Babylonia, Assyria, and Elam, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 198-218, 2021</ref>

==History==
In the late 3rd millennium BC a great revolt arose against [[Naram-Sin of Akkad|Naram-Sin]] ruler of the [[Akkadian Empire]]. One of the rebelling cities mentioned in his inscriptions was BAR.KI which some researchers have taken as Borsippa, though this has been challenged. If it was Borsippa, then Ilum-dan was governor (ENSI) of the city at that time and Dannum was the "captain" (NU.BANDA).<ref name="Frayne1993">[https://archive.org/details/sargonic-and-gutian-periods-2334-2113-bc] Douglas R. Frayne, "Akkad", The Sargonic and Gutian Periods (2334–2113), University of Toronto Press, pp. 5-218, 1993 {{ISBN|0-8020-0593-4}}</ref><ref>Nielsen, J. P., "Kin Groups In Northern Babylonia: Babylon, Borsippa, And Dilbat", Sons and Descendants. Brill, pp. 21-125, 2011</ref>

During the reign of Ur III ruler [[Ibbi-Sin]] (c. 2028–2004 BC) it is known that the governor of Borsippa (and nearby Babylon) was Puzur-Tutu. These are the closing years of the Ur III empire. A text from the ruler of [[Kazallu]] states that Puzur-Tutu changed sides at the end and supported [[Ishbi-Erra|Išbi-Erra]] (c. 2017—1986 BC) ruler of [[Isin]].<ref>Michalowski, Piotr, "The Royal Letters in Their Historical Setting 3: Ur, Isin, Kazallu, and the Final Decades of the Ur III State (Letters 21–24)", The Correspondence of the Kings of Ur: An Epistolary History of an Ancient Mesopotamian Kingdom, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 170-215, 2011</ref> An  alternative reading of that text makes Puzur-Tutu governor of Bad-Ziabba, which may or may not be Borsippa, and has Išbi-Erra returning his city to Puzur-Tutu after his victory.<ref>Reichel, Clemens, "Centre and Periphery–The Role of the ‘Palace of the Rulers’ at Tell Asmar in the History of Ešnunna (2,100–1,750 BCE)", Journal of the Canadian Society for Mesopotamian Studies 11, pp. 29-53, 2018</ref><ref>Michalowski, Piotr, "Puzur-Numušda to Ibbi-Sin 1 (PuIb1, 3.1.19, A3, RCU 21)", The Correspondence of the Kings of Ur: An Epistolary History of an Ancient Mesopotamian Kingdom, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 439-462, 2011</ref>

In the Old Babylonian period, Borsippa is known from year names of rulers of Babylon [[Sumu-la-El]] (c. 1880-1845 BC) "Year in which Sumulael entered Borsippa" and [[Apil-Sin]] (c. 1830–1813 BC) "Year Apil-Sin the king built the city wall of Borsippa".<ref>[https://cdli-gh.github.io/year-names/E_GLOSSARINDEX/R202.htm Year Names mentioning Borsippa at CDLI]</ref> Borsippa was mentioned in the prologue of the [[Code of Hammurabi]] "... beloved of Tutu, the one who makes exult Borsippa, the pious one who does not fail in his duties to the Ezida temple ...". A later inscription of [[Hammurabi]] (c. 1792–1750 BC) dedicates Ezida to Marduk, the god of Babylon, showing Tutu, the tutelary god of Borsippa, being absorbed by Marduk. Ezida later became home of [[Nabu]], son of Marduk.<ref name="Lambert2013" /><ref>[https://cdli.ucla.edu/P464358 "RIME 4.03.06.Add21 (Laws of Hammurapi) Composite Artifact Entry", (2014) 2024. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI), July 11, 2024]</ref>

In the Kassite period, [[Marduk-apla-iddina I]] (c. 1171–1159 BC), one of the last rulers of the [[Kassite dynasty]] of Babylon, rebuilt the E-Zida temple at Borsippa.<ref>Brinkman, J. A., "Babylonia under the Kassites: Some Aspects for Consideration", Volume 1 Karduniaš. Babylonia under the Kassites 1, edited by Alexa Bartelmus and Katja Sternitzke, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, pp. 1-44, 2017</ref> [[Marduk-shapik-zeri]] (c. 1077–1065 BC), a ruler of the 2nd dynasty of Babylon, restored the E-Zida temple.<ref>Frame, Grant, "Second Dynasty of ISIN". Rulers of Babylonia, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, pp. 5-69, 1995</ref>

Borsippa is mentioned in the [[Babylonian Talmud]] (''Shabbat'' 36a, ''Avodah Zarah'' 11b) and other [[rabbinic literature]]. Borsippa was dependent upon Babylon and was never the seat of a regional power. From the ninth century BC, Borsippa was on the borderland south of which lay the tribal "houses" of [[Chaldea]].

The Jewish historian, [[Josephus]], mentions the city in relation to the war between [[Cyrus the Great]] and [[Nabonidus]].<ref>Josephus, ''[[Against Apion]]'' (Book 1, section 20)</ref> The temple to Nabu at Borsippa was destroyed in 484 BC during the suppression of a revolt against the [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid emperor]], [[Xerxes I]].<ref>M. A. Dandamayev, "Ezida Temple and the Cult of Nabu in Babilonia of the First Millennium", ''Vestnik drevnej istorii'', no. 3, pp. 87-94, 2009</ref>

In the 1st millennium BC, the city had a large scribal class.<ref>Zadok, Ran, "The Scribes of Borsippa in the First Millennium BC: A Preliminary Survey", The IOS Annual Volume 22:“Telling of Olden Kings”. Brill, pp. 67-92, 2022</ref>

==Archaeology==
[[File:Ruins of the ziggurat and temple of the god Nabu at Borsippa, Babel Governorate, Iraq. 6th century BC.jpg|thumb|Ruins of the ziggurat and temple of the god Nabu at Borsippa, Babel Governorate, Iraq. 6th century BC]]
In 1854, work at Borsippa was conducted under the direction of [[Henry Creswicke Rawlinson]], with most of the actual digging done by his subordinates.<ref>[https://archive.org/download/jstor-25228697/25228697.pdf] Henry C. Rawlinson, "On the Birs Nimrud, or the Great Temple of Borsippa", The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. 18, pp. 1-34, 1861</ref> Rawlinson personally uncovered the foundation prisms from [[Nebuchadnezzar II]]'s restoration on the Nabu temple. Between 1879 and 1881 the site was excavated by [[Hormuzd Rassam]] for the [[British Museum]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/download/asshurlandofnimr00rass/asshurlandofnimr00rass.pdf |author=Hormuzd Rassam |title= Asshur and the Land of Nimrod: Being an Account of the Discoveries Made in the Ancient Ruins of Nineveh, Asshur, Sepharvaim, Calah, (etc)... |publisher=Curts & Jennings |year=1897}}</ref><ref>J. E. Reade," Rassam's Excavations at Borsippa and Kutha, 1879-82", ''Iraq'', vol. 48, pp. 105-116, 1986</ref>
He concentrated primarily on [[E-zida]], the temple of Nabu. In the 1890s looters removed about 2000 cuneiform tablets, mostly from the Ezida.<ref>Robson, Eleanor, "The Socio-Economics of Cuneiform Scholarship after the ‘End of Archives’: Views from Borsippa and Uruk", At the Dawn of History: Ancient Near Eastern Studies in Honour of J. N. Postgate, edited by Yağmur Heffron, Adam Stone and Martin Worthington, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 459-474, 2017</ref> In 1902, [[Robert Koldewey]] worked at Borsippa during his main effort at [[Babylon]] also mainly on the Nabu temple. E-DIM-AN-NA, temple of the bond of heaven, built by Nebuchadrezzar for the god [[Sin (mythology)|Sin]] in the court of E-zida was also excavated.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/ldpd_10797913_000/ldpd_10797913_000/] Robert Koldewey, "The excavations at Babylon", London: MacMillan and Co., 1914</ref><ref>Robert Koldewey, "Die Tempel von Babylon und Borsippa: nach den Ausgrabungen durch die Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft", WVDOG 15, Leipzig, 1911 ISSN 0342-118X</ref><ref>Andrae, Walter, "BORSIPPA 1902", Babylon: Die versunkene Weltstadt und ihr Ausgräber Robert Koldewey, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter,  pp. 149-152, 1952</ref>

Between 1980 and 2003, the [[Austria]]n team from the [[Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck]] led by Helga Piesl-Trenkwalder and Wilfred Allinger-Csollich excavated for sixteen seasons at the site.<ref>[https://findit.library.yale.edu/images_layout/view?parentoid=15763297&increment=100] Trenkwalder-Piesl, H., "Report about the excavations in Borsippa (second season 1981)", Sumer 41, pp. 101–105, 1981</ref><ref>Kaniuth, Kai, "Borsippa—Preliminary Report on the 18th-20th Campaigns (2001-2003).", Sumer 52.1, pp. 9-16, 2004</ref> Early work concentrated on the large ziggurat E-ur-imin-an-ki and later on the Nabu temple. Examinination determined that the ziggurat had a 60 by 60 meter core of unbaked bricks with a mantle of baked bricks (or Kassite and Neo-Babylonian origin) bringing the structure up to 78 by 78 meters. The mantle was covered by a layer of baked bricks bonded by bitumen. Reeds, ropes, and wooden beams were used to bond the layers together.<ref>"Recent Excavations in Iraq.", Iraq, vol. 61, pp. 195–202, 1999</ref> It was found that the ziggurat had been partially hollowed out in Parthian times.<ref>"Excavations in Iraq 1985-86.", Iraq, vol. 49, pp. 231–51, 1987</ref> Tablets of the [[Neo-Babylonian]] period were found.<ref>W. Allinger-Csollich, "Birs Nimrud I. Die Baukörper der Ziqqurat von Borsippa, ein Vorbericht", Baghdader Mitteilungen (BaM). Gbr. Mann, Berlin, vol. 22, pp. 383-499, 1991, ISSN 0418-9698</ref><ref>W. Allinger-Csollich, Birs Nimrud II: Tieftempel-Hochtempel: Vergleichende Studien Borsippa - Babylon, Baghdader Mitteilungen, vol. 29, pp. 95-330, 1998, ISSN 0418-9698</ref><ref>"Excavations in Iraq, 1979-80.", Iraq, vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 167–98, 1981</ref><ref>"Excavations in Iraq, 1983-84.", Iraq, vol. 47, pp. 215–39, 1985</ref>

Many legal administrative and astronomical texts on [[Cuneiform script|cuneiform]] tablets have originated at Borsippa and have turned up on the black market with the first large, around 2000, group of tablets being sold to the British Museum in 1894-1900.<ref>Waerzeggers, Caroline, "The dispersal history of the Borsippa archives", in H.D. Baker and M. Jursa (eds.), Approaching the Babylonian Economy: Proceedings of the START Project Symposium Held in Vienna, 1–3 July 2004 (Alter Orient und Altes Testament 330; Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments 2), pp. 343-363, 2004</ref> Archives began to be published in the 1980s. An inscription of [[Nebuchadnezzar II]], the "Borsippa inscription," tells how he restored the temple of Nabu, "the temple of the seven spheres," with "bricks of noble [[lapis lazuli]]." that must have been covered with a rich blue glaze. The Austrian archeologists have determined that Nebuchadnezzar's ziggurat encased the ruins of a smaller tower from the second millennium BC. When it was completed it reached a height of 70 meters, in seven terraces; even in ruin it still stands a striking 52 meters over the perfectly flat plain. An inscribed foundation stone has been recovered, which details Nebuchadnezzar's plan to have the Borsippa ziggurat built on the same design as that at Babylon, of which only the foundation survives. Nebuchadnezzar declared that Nabu's tower would reach the skies, another inscription states. The reconstruction under the patronage of Bel-Marduk is summarized on a cylinder in [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] of [[Antiochus I]] ([[Antiochus cylinder]]), an example of the region's remarkable cultural continuity.<ref>A. Kuhrt and S. Selwin-White, "Aspects of Seleucid Royal Ideology : The Cylinder of Antiochus I from Borsippa", ''Journal of Hellenic Studies'' 111 (1991:71-86)</ref><ref>Widmer, Marie, "Translating the Seleucid ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΑ: notes on the titulature of Stratonice in the Borsippa Cylinder", Greece & Rome 66.2, pp. 264-279. 2019</ref>

In 2022 a test ground penetrating radar test was conducted over a 130 meter by 90 meter section at the site.<ref>[https://ijs.uobaghdad.edu.iq/index.php/eijs/article/download/9676/5233] Kareem, Hamza A., and Najah A. Abd, "Comparing the Frequencies of 450 Mhz and 750 Mhz using GPR in Investigating Archaeological Features in (Borsippa) Site, Babylon, Iraq", Iraqi Journal of Science 65.3, pp. 1412-1422, 2024</ref><ref>[https://www.ijs.uobaghdad.edu.iq/index.php/eijs/article/view/9694/5687] Kareem, Hamza A., and Najah A. Abd, "Detection of subsurface archaeological features using the GPR method with a 250 MHz antenna in Borsippa site, Babylon, Iraq", Iraqi Journal of Science, vol. 65, no. 7, pp. 3788-3795, 2024</ref><ref>[https://www.igj-iraq.org/igj/index.php/igj/article/view/2353/1976] Berhi, Fatima Z., and Osamah S. Al-Saadi, "Electrical Resistivity Synthetic Modeling and Field Survey for Subsurface Features Investigation of the Borsippa Archaeological Site, Babylon Governorate, Middle Iraq", The Iraqi Geological Journal, vol. 57, no. 1F, pp. 33-46, 2024</ref>

Since 2023, after a 20-year break in excavations, the Austrian archaeological team led by Sandra Heinsch and Walter Kuntner has resumed investigations in the ancient city of Borsippa. In addition to examining the ziggurat and the adjacent Ezida Temple to research the multi-period temple architecture, the excavations also focus on the extensive urban area to shed light on the cityscape of ancient Borsippa.

The adjacent area of Tell Ibrahim al-Khalil holds the city's residential quarter.<ref>Potts, Daniel T., "Bengt Bengtsson Oxenstierna (1591–1643): a critical reassessment of his two journeys to the Near East", Fornvännen 116.2, pp. 114-128, 2021</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:The original ancient gypsum plaster between mud-bricks, Borsippa, Babel, Iraq.jpg|The original ancient gypsum plaster between mud-bricks, Borsippa, Babel, Iraq
File:Stamped mud-brick from the ziggurat and temple of Nabu at Borsippa, Iraq, 6th century BC.jpg|Stamped mud-brick from the ziggurat and temple of Nabu at Borsippa, Iraq, 6th century BC
File:Ruins around the ziggurat and temple of the god Nabu at Borsippa, Babel Governorate, Iraq.jpg|Ruins around the ziggurat and temple of the god Nabu at Borsippa, Babel Governorate, Iraq
File:Original tiles at the upper surface of the ziggurat and temple of Nabu at Borsippa, Iraq.jpg|Original tiles at the upper surface of the ziggurat and temple of Nabu at Borsippa, Iraq
File:The upper surface of the ruins of the ziggurat and temple of Nabu at Borsippa, Iraq.jpg|The upper surface of the ruins of the ziggurat and temple of Nabu at Borsippa, Iraq
File:Modern cement covering ancient bricks at the upper surface of the ziggurat and temple of Nabu, Borsippa, Iraq.jpg|Modern cement covering ancient bricks at the upper surface of the ziggurat and temple of Nabu, Borsippa, Iraq
File:Ruins of the lower part of the ziggurat and temple of Nabu at Borsippa, Babel Governorate, Iraq.jpg|Ruins of the lower part of the ziggurat and temple of Nabu at Borsippa, Babel Governorate, Iraq
File:Stamped mud-brick from the ziggurat and temple of Nabu, Borsippa, Iraq.jpg|Stamped mud-brick from the ziggurat and temple of Nabu, Borsippa, Iraq
File:The upper part of the Tongue Tower of the ziggurat and temple of Nabu at Borsippa, Iraq.jpg|The upper part of the Tongue Tower of the ziggurat and temple of Nabu at Borsippa, Iraq
File:The ruins of the so-called Tongue Tower of the ziggurat and temple of the god Nabu at Borsippa, Babel Governorate, Iraq. 6th century BC.jpg|The ruins of the so-called Tongue Tower of the ziggurat and temple of the god Nabu at Borsippa, Babel Governorate, Iraq, 6th century BC
File:The ruins of the so-called Tongue Tower of the ziggurat of Nabu at Borsippa, Babel Governorate, Iraq. 6th century BC.jpg|The ruins of the so-called Tongue Tower of the ziggurat of Nabu at Borsippa, Babel Governorate, Iraq, 6th century BC
File:The ruins of the so-called Tongue Tower of the ziggurat and temple of Nabu at Borsippa, Iraq.jpg|The ruins of the so-called Tongue Tower of the ziggurat and temple of Nabu at Borsippa, Iraq
File:Ruins of the ziggurat and temple of god Nabu, Borsippa, Babel Governorate, Iraq, sixth century BC.jpg|Ruins of the ziggurat and temple of god Nabu, Borsippa, Babel Governorate, Iraq, sixth century BC
File:Ruins of the ziggurat and temple of god Nabu at Borsippa, Babel Governorate, Iraq.jpg|Ruins of the ziggurat and temple of god Nabu at Borsippa, Babel Governorate, Iraq
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Commons category|Borsippa}}
*[[Cities of the Ancient Near East]]
*[[Chronology of the ancient Near East]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*G. Frame, The "First Families" of Borsippa during the Early Neo-Babylonian Period, Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 36, no. 1, pp.&nbsp;67–80, 1984
*[https://archive.org/details/dietributverzei00grotgoog] Georg Friedrich Grotefend, "Die Tributverzeichnisse des Obelisken aus Nimrud", Dieterich, 1852  
*[https://journal.fi/store/article/view/49806/14844] Harviainen, Tapani, "An Aramaic Incantation Bowl from Borsippa. Another specimen of Eastern Aramaic" koiné". Appendix: A Cryptographic bowl text or an original fake?", Studia Orientalia Electronica 51, 1981
*Jakob-Rost, Liane, "Borsippa", Forschungen Und Berichte, vol. 27, pp.&nbsp;65–88, 1989
*Francis Joannes, "Archives de Borsippa la famille Ea-Iluta-Bani : etude d'un lot d'archives familiales en Babylonie du VIIIe au Ve siecle av. J.-C", Droz, 1989
*[https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/pjkosmin/files/seeing_double_in_seleucid_babylonia.pdf] Kosmin, Paul, "Seeing Double in Seleucid Babylonia: Rereading the Borsippa Cylinder of Antiochus I", Patterns of the Past: Epitēdeumata in the Greek Tradition, pp.&nbsp;173–198, 2014
*Nielsen, John P., "Taking Refuge at Borsippa: The Archive of Lâbâši, Son of Nādinu", Archiv Für Orientforschung, vol. 53, pp.&nbsp;93–109, 2015
*[https://archive.org/download/jstor-593716/593716.pdf] John P. Peters, "The Tower of Babel at Borsippa", Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 41, pp.&nbsp;157–159, 1921
*Still, Bastian, "Annotated List of Hanšû Land in Borsippa", The Social World of the Babylonian Priest. Brill, pp.&nbsp;257–265, 2019
*Still, Bastian, "Property Sales in the Borsippa Corpus", The Social World of the Babylonian Priest. Brill, pp.&nbsp;1–4, 2019
*Still, Bastian, "Quantitative Analysis of Priestly Marriages in Borsippa", The Social World of the Babylonian Priest. Brill, pp.&nbsp;245–256, 2019
*Caroline Waerzeggers, "The Carians of Borsippa", Iraq, vol. 68, pp.&nbsp;1–22, 2006
*Caroline Waerzeggers, "The Ezida temple of Borsippa Priesthood, cult, archives", (Achaemenid History vol. 15), Leiden, 2010 {{ISBN|978-90-6258-415-4}}

==External links==
*[https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=&t=k&ll=32.391703,44.341636&spn=0.004095,0.007317&t=k Google Maps link to the Borsippa ziggurat].
*[http://www.cemml.colostate.edu/cultural/09476/iraq05-029.html Birs Nimrud - Iraq Cultural Heritage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103144555/http://www.cemml.colostate.edu/cultural/09476/iraq05-029.html |date=2013-11-03 }}.

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1854 archaeological discoveries]]
[[Category:History of Babylon Governorate]]
[[Category:Sumerian cities]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Iraq]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Iraq]]
[[Category:Tower of Babel]]