Temple of Nabonidus
The Temple of Nabronidus is a vast mausoleum, now buried under the red soil of Kish.
Initially, the excavation proceeded from the top downwards, but an internal chamber was found that remained nearly intact. After some shoring materials were used to stabilize the roof, at least temporarily, an examination of the room in situ was conducted. Inside were found the bones of six individuals who had been laid on slabs alongside urns that had held wine and grain. A number of small pieces of copper jewelry were found mixed amoung the bones. All of these items were able to be retrieved intact from the chamber.
In addition to the main artifacts, various trinkets and shards of pottery can be found scattered within. Once the bodies and primary pieces had been removed, the entrance was sealed off again awaiting the removal of the upper strata, as the creaking timbers of the supports and falling dust and stones made it clear that the entire mass might collapse at any moment.
The Venus Tablet
Along with a couple of dozen small unfired tablets, which largely remain undecyphered, there was one large fired tablet in the chamber. It was broken where a piece of the ceiling had fallen upon it, but upon being brought out of the chamber, Peter Jackson was able to immediately identify it as a "Venus Tablet". This was confirmed by Langdon.
Several versions of the Venus Tablet, most of which have at least a few transcription errors. It records the rising and setting of the planet Venus over a period of some twenty-one years during the reign of King Ammisaduqa, who was the fourth ruler after King Hammurabi (making him the tenth Babylonian monarch). This information was used as an index into the Enuma Anu Enlil, a compilation of omens and portents. Venus is associated with the goddess Inanna/Ishtar (the Sumerian and Babylonian names), who in many ways was the basis for the later Greek goddess Athena.
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