Historical place profile
Isin
Isin (modern Ishan al-Bahriyat), a city located 107 km southeast of Babylon and 27 km south of Nippur, was an important cult center of the healing goddess Gula (who was also called Ninisinna, the “Lady of Isin”). Its principal religious structure was called Egalmah, which was rebuilt during the long reign of the Neo-Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar II (r. 604–562 BC). The Sumerian ceremonial names of a few other temples in this city are known. Although Isin was founded as late as the Early Dynastic Period, possibly already in the Ubaid period, and its main cult remained active until at least the end of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (625–539 BC), the city held brief authority over southern Mesopotamia only twice in its long history. The First Dynasty of Isin, under its fifteen kings, was the dominant power from the collapse of the Ur III state until Isin’s chief rival Larsa became the most dominate city-state (ca. 2017–1924 BC) The Second Dynasty of Isin, under its eleven kings, held authority over Babylonia from ca. 1157 BC to 1026 BC, when it was supplanted by the Second Dynasty of the Sealand.
Record details
- Research ID
- catholon:place:pleiades:912868
- Catalogue ID
- pleiades:912868
- Place type
- archaeological-site, settlement
- Coordinates
- 31.885315, 45.269273
- Precision
- precise
- Locator semantics
- representative_point_not_boundary
Historical description
Isin (modern Ishan al-Bahriyat), a city located 107 km southeast of Babylon and 27 km south of Nippur, was an important cult center of the healing goddess Gula (who was also called Ninisinna, the “Lady of Isin”). Its principal religious structure was called Egalmah, which was rebuilt during the long reign of the Neo-Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar II (r. 604–562 BC). The Sumerian ceremonial names of a few other temples in this city are known. Although Isin was founded as late as the Early Dynastic Period, possibly already in the Ubaid period, and its main cult remained active until at least the end of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (625–539 BC), the city held brief authority over southern Mesopotamia only twice in its long history. The First Dynasty of Isin, under its fifteen kings, was the dominant power from the collapse of the Ur III state until Isin’s chief rival Larsa became the most dominate city-state (ca. 2017–1924 BC) The Second Dynasty of Isin, under its eleven kings, held authority over Babylonia from ca. 1157 BC to 1026 BC, when it was supplanted by the Second Dynasty of the Sealand.
Geographic evidence
The coordinates are a representative_point_not_boundary. They identify a research anchor and do not by themselves assert an ancient administrative boundary or the full extent of the settlement.
Provenance: Barrington Atlas: BAtlas 93 B2 Isin
Source and reuse
This profile derives from the Pleiades current GIS record, licensed CC BY 3.0. Pleiades place record The profile preserves the source name, point, type, description, precision and provenance without silently adding a boundary reconstruction.
Research path
Compare this place with the chronological map at the relevant year, nearby political units, routes, institutions and the period portals. Where the source record is silent about jurisdiction, population or ecclesiastical rank, this profile makes no such claim.
Phase II — chronological and spatial research layer
Historical problem
Isin (modern Ishan al-Bahriyat), a city located 107 km southeast of Babylon and 27 km south of Nippur, was an important cult center of the healing goddess Gula (who was also called Ninisinna, the “Lady of Isin”). Its principal religious structure was called Egalmah, which was rebuilt during the long reign of the Neo-Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar II (r. 604–562 BC). The Sumerian ceremonial names of a few other temples in this city are known. Although Isin was founded as late as the Early Dynastic Period, possibly already in the Ubaid period, and its main cult remained active until at least the end of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (625–539 BC), the city held brief authority over southern Mesopotamia only twice in its long history. The First Dynasty of Isin, under its fifteen kings, was the dominant power from the collapse of the Ur III state until Isin’s chief rival Larsa became the most…
Spatial reading
The record classifies this location as archaeological-site, settlement with precise point precision. The coordinate is a research anchor, not a timeless urban, political or ecclesiastical boundary.
Source path
Geographic provenance: Barrington Atlas: BAtlas 93 B2 Isin. The place should be compared with the active time slice, routes, neighbouring polities, institutions and dated textual witnesses.
Questions for further dossier work
- Which occupation phases are directly attested at this coordinate?
- Which ancient or medieval names refer to the same site, and which remain disputed?
- Which political and ecclesiastical jurisdictions changed over time?
- Which routes, ports or regional centres explain the place’s historical importance?