Attested by a Neo-Assyrian tablet found at Assur, both this composition and the Esagil Tablet are categorized as metrological texts, which record the dimensions of temples.
The subjects of this source are the main temples of Babylon and Borsippa, respectively the Esagil of the god Marduk and the Ezida of the god Nabû.
The sanctuary of Marduk is dealt with in the first three sections on the tablet's obverse side. § 1 (ll. 1–14) records the measurements of the different rooms and courtyards of the temple in the section that runs from south to north, whereas § 2 (ll. 15–26) follows the same scheme but for the east to west section. § 3 (ll. 27–36) is more specifically concerned with the measurements of the rooms in the most important wing of the building, i.e. the west sector where the cella of the god was located.
On the tablet's reverse, § 4 (ll. 37–61) is mostly broken, but it is clear that it lists the measurements of some rooms and courtyards which were probably inside the precinct of the Ezida of Nabû, whose overall dimensions are the subject of the last section of the text, § 5 (ll. 62–71).
The discrepancy between the layout described in the text and excavation data indicates that the Esagil dealt with in this composition was an older temple that differed in minor details from the one that is known to us from archeological excavations, which was constructed by Esarhaddon after its destruction by his father Sennacherib, and further repaired by Ashurbanipal and Nebuchadnezzar II. According to George 1992, this factor, together with the use of the Neo-Babylonian metrological system, suggests a composition date in the second half of the eight century.
Further Reading
Giulia Lentini
Giulia Lentini, 'Measurements of Esagil and Ezida', Babylonian Topographical Texts online (BTTo), BTTo, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2022 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/btto/Babylon/Metrologicaltexts/MeasurementsofEsagilandEzida/]