On the word timmu in Ashurbanipal’s account of the sacking of Thebes by his army

Abstract

The Akkadian (but originally Sumerian) word timmu features prominently in the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal’s (668–631) account of his army’s sacking of the south-Egyptian city of Thebes. Two tall, heavy, and adorned timmu are said to have been seized from a temple gate in Thebes and transported to Assyria. The question is whether timmu in this context should be translated according to its basic meaning of “column” or if the translation “obelisk” (not mentioned in standard Akkadian dictionaries) is a viable alternative. This article argues that “obelisk” is a fully plausible translation, and discusses what the use of the word timmu for obelisk could tell about Assyrian perceptions of Egyptian culture.