Eula (temple of Gula as Ninkarrak at Sippar)

Eula is a minor temple at Sippar dedicated to the healing goddess Ninkarrak (Gula). The Neo-Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar II (r. 604–562 BC) records that it had laid in ruins for a very long time before he had it build anew.

Names and Spellings

The Sumerian ceremonial name of this temple at Sippar means "House of Rejoicing."

Written Forms: e₂-ul-la.

Known Builders

Neo-Babylonian (ca. 625–539 BC)

Nebuchadnezzar II (r. 604–562 BC)

Building History

Several Akkadian inscriptions of Nebuchadnezzar II, the son and immediate successor of Nabopolassar (r. 625–605 BC), record that this Neo-Babylonian king had Eula rebuilt anew because it had been in ruins for such a long time that its ground plan could only be recognized after his workmen carefully examined its site and discovered an inscribed clay dog figurine buried near its foundations. Texts written on two- and three-column clay cylinders from Sippar, record some of the details. One text records the following:

BM 091100a two-column clay cylinder with an Akkadian inscription of the Neo-Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II recording his rebuilding of the Eula temple at Sippar. Photo credit: Frauke Weiershäuser.

At that time, (with regard to) Eula, the temple of the goddess Ninkarrak, which is inside Sippar, which from distant days, far-off years, (that) temple had not been kept in good repair so that its plans were in ruins, its ground plans were no (longer) recognisable (and) covered with earth. It was no longer mentioned among the (other) sanctuaries of the gods, (its) sattukku-offering(s) were cut off (and) ceased to be talked about, (and) its nindabû-offerings stopped (completely). Because I myself took hold of the hem of the god Marduk, my lord, the god Marduk, (my) lord, loves me. He entrusted to me (the task of) renewing sanctuaries (and) restoring (their) destroyed parts. During my legitimate reign, the merciful god Marduk became reconciled with that temple (Eula) and the god Šamaš, the exalted judge, decreed (its) renewal. They (Marduk and Šamaš) commanded me, the shepherd who reveres them, to (re)built (it). (As) I examined (and) checked its original foundation(s), the mention of the name of the goddess Ninkarrak, who dwells in Eula, (which) was written on (a figurine of) a dog, was discovered and (thus) I laid its (new) foundation(s) on top of the (original) foundation(s). For the goddess Ninkarrak, the lady who loves me, the one who safeguards my life (and) preserves the well-being of my descendants, I built anew Eula, her temple that its inside Sippar. I lavishly provided (once again) her sattukku-offering(s) and (re)confirmed her nindabû-offering(s).

Presumably, after relaying the foundations on their original positions, Nebuchadnezzar's workmen built the temple's brick superstructure anew, roofed it, and decorated its interior. Those building stages are not recorded in presently-known inscriptions.

Archaeological Remains

Eula has not yet been identified in the archaeological record. Nebuchadnezzar II's inscriptions give the impression that the temple was an independent, freestanding structure, rather than a (complex of) rooms in Ebabbar. Because the temple has not yet been discover, this cannot yet be confirmed with any degree of certainty.

Further Reading

George, A.R. 1993. House Most High: The Temples of Ancient Mesopotamia (Mesopotamian Civilizations 5), Winona Lake, p. 155 no. 1167.

Banner image: satellite image of Sipper (left); plan of Ebabbar and Ekunankuga (center); and photo from the excavations of the library at Sippar in March 1989 (right). Plan adapted from L. De Meyer Tell ed-Dēr 3: Sounding at Abū Ḥabbah (Sippar), plan B. Excavation photograph by Jean-Luc Manaud/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.

Jamie Novotny & Joshua Meynell

Jamie Novotny & Joshua Meynell, 'Eula (temple of Gula as Ninkarrak at Sippar)', Babylonian Temples and Monumental Architecture online (BTMAo), The BTMAo Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, [http://oracc.org/btmao/Sippar/Eula/]