This dossier focuses on sesame cultivation diachronically during the Old Babylonian period through a short synthesis of the places where sesame production is attested. Firstly, we indicate where sesame was cultivated. Secondly, some chronological and historical perspectives of sesame cultivation are explained by period (Early Old Babylonian Period, Middle Old Babylonian Period and Late Babylonian Period) and region (Babylonia, Northern Mesopotamia/Middle Euphrates). For more details on sesame cultivation in Mari and Babylonia in the Old Babylonian period, see respectively A.1.1.14 and A.1.1.15.
1. Places where Sesame was Cultivated
In the Old Babylonian period, the hitherto known places where they cultivated sesame: Damrum[geogr=Damrum], Dēr[geogr=Dēr], Dilbat[geogr=Dilbat], Dūr-Abīešuḫ[geogr=Dūr-Abīešuḫ], Dūr-Yaḫdūn-Lîm[geogr=Dūr-Yaḫdūn-Lîm], Kiš[geogr=Kiš], Kisurra[geogr=Kisurra], Kunnum[geogr=Kunnum], Lagaba[geogr=Lagaba], Larsa[geogr=Larsa] and villages in the Larsa region, Mari[geogr=Mari], Qaṭṭarā[geogr=Qaṭṭarā], Qaṭṭunān[geogr=Qaṭṭunān], Sippar[geogr=Sippar], Susa[geogr=Susa], Ṣupur-Šubula[geogr=Ṣupur-Šubula], Šaduppûm[geogr=Šaduppûm], Yaḫrurum[geogr=Yaḫrurum] and Ur[geogr=Ur].
2. Elements for a Chronology and a Geography of Sesame Cultivation
While sesame seeds were imported at different times in the Ur III period (cf. A.1.1.01), we have no evidence of such importations in the Old Babylonian period. Indeed, at that time, sesame cultivation was sufficiently well established in Mesopotamia; thus, imports were no longer necessary.
2.1. Early Old Babylonian Period in Southern Babylonia (Isin-Larsa)
During the Early Old Babylonian Period (2003-1822), southern Babylonia was a region where sesame cultivation was well attested, especially in Larsa. The first attestation of sesame oil appears in Isin documentation during the transition from the Ur III to the Old Babylonian period, during the reign of Išbi-Erra (see A.1.1.17). But the earliest attestation of sesame seeds appears later in a loan contract from Ur (YBC 05447) and an administrative text recording a sesame entry in the Archives of the Oil Office from Larsa (YOS 14 171), both dated from 1922 BCE during the reign of Gungunum. At that time, several sesame entries in administrative offices are also attested in Larsa according to administrative texts (YOS 14 174, YOS 14 175) as well as sesame loans (YOS 14 177) and sesame expenditures for merchants (YOS 14 349). It is also attested in the reign of his successor, Abīsarē (YOS 14 185).
During the reigns of kings Itūr-Šamaš, Mannabaltiel and Ibni-šadûm (end of the 20th–beginning of the 19th centuries), sesame was cultivated in Kisurra (Santag 09 093, Santag 09 150, Santag 09 158, Santag 09 182), in the South of Nippur. A letter from Umma (AbB 13 055), dating from the reign of King Sumu-abum of Babylon, mentions that one should „bring sesame seeds“ (še.giš.i₃ šu-ri-ba-a).
During the reign of King Sumuel of Larsa, sesame deliveries and accounts are recorded in Larsa documentation (ASJL 33 039, YOS 14 243, YOS 14 259, YOS 14 281), in Lagaš documentation (YNER 04 080), as well as in Ur documentation (TCVP 03 02, TCVP 03 10, YOS 14 258); there are also mentions of sesame cultivation in the vicinity of Larsa (YOS 14 249). Larsa documentation from the reign of Nūr-Adad (AOAT 025 43, Freedman 1975 215, YOS 05 153, YOS 14 022, YOS 14 223, YOS 14 226, YOS 14 229, YOS 15 087) record sesame incomes. Sesame is also attested during the reigns of Sîn-iddinam in Larsa (CUSAS 15 096) and Sîn-iqīšam in Ur (YBC 04809, YOS 05 109, YOS 14 307). During the reign of Warad-Sîn, sesame deliveries are also attested in Larsa (CUSAS 15 219) and Ur (YOS 05 088, YOS 05 093, YOS 05 114, UET 5 587).
Several undated letters refer to sesame cultivation in the outskirts of Larsa (villages of Ningal-dūrī, Imbukum and …azaḫa; CUSAS 36 134, CUSAS 36 137).
2.2. Middle Old Babylonian Period in the Middle Euphrates Region and Northern Mesopotamia
In Upper Mesopotamia, during the reign of King Samsī-Addu, sesame cultivation is attested at Qaṭṭunān on the Ḫābūr, according to the Mari documentation (ARM 13 142). A network existed from Qattunān to Ekallātum, under the control of Samsī-Addu’s son, Išme-Dagan, via Kaḫat (ARM 01 021; cf. also A.1.1.15) in order to supply the capital Šubat-Enlil[geogr=Šeḫnā/Šubat-Enlil]. Sesame is also attested in Tuttul[geogr=Tuttul] on the middle Euphrates (KTT 177, KTT 306).
During the reign of King Zimrī-Lîm in Mari, sesame cultivation is documented at Dēr (ARM 21 135, ARM 21 137), Dūr-Yaḫdūn-Lîm (ARM 33 226) and Qaṭṭunān (ARM 27 003), as well as in the countryside around Mari (ARM 08 097, ARM 21 136, ARM 22 276, ARM 26/1 265).
At Qaṭṭarā, located southeast of Djebel Sinjar, letters confirmed the evidence of actual sesame cultivation (OBTR 280, OBTR 022, OBTR 023; see A.1.1.19).
2.3. Middle Old Babylonian Period in Babylonia
During the reign of King Rīm-Sîn I, the region of Larsa was the main area cultivating sesame (YOS 05 186, YOS 05 204). There are mentions of sesame in Uruk documentation (AUWE 23 71, AUWE 23 91), but it is difficult to conclude that sesame could be grown there because AUWE 23 71 is a school exercise and AUWE 23 91 is too fragmentary.
After the conquest of the South by Ḫammurāpi and the unification of Babylonia in 1763, the region of Larsa was a place of food production for the kingdom, including dates, sesame, and barley, intended to supply the capital. During the reign of Ḫammurāpi, sesame cultivation in Larsa is well documented by Šamaš-ḫāzir’s Archives (Fiette 2018a). It is also attested in Sippar by two documents (AOAT 440 196 2.2.1, AOAT 440 191 2.1; cf. De Graef 2018).
During the reign of King Ibāl-pî-El II of Ešnunna, texts from Šaduppûm document sesame grown on the palace fields (IM 51234, IM 51310, IM 52562, Sumer 14 14).
At the time of King Samsuilūna, sesame was cultivated in particular in Damrum (AbB 09 127), Kunnum (AbB 14 034) and Yaḫrurum (CUSAS 15 071, AbB 14 034, AbB 14 078).
2.4. Late Old Babylonian Period in Babylonia
Due to the loss of the southern territories in the revolts during the reign of Samsuilūna, sesame cultivation is logically notably reduced in Central and Northern Babylonia.
Thus, as early as the reign of Abīešuḫ, sesame fields are documented in the outskirts of Babylon and Ṣupur-Šubula. During the reign of Ammīditāna, sesame was obviously cultivated in Dūr-Abīešuḫ (CUSAS 29 189, CUSAS 29 170, CUSAS 29 172, CUSAS 29 180). During the reign of Ammīṣaduqa, sesame was also cultivated in Dilbat (YOS 13 163) and Dūr-Abīešuḫ (CUSAS 08 49). During the reign of Samsuditāna, the situation also seems to be the same (CUSAS 08 58, CUSAS 08 59).