Shaduppum

Shaduppum (modern Tell Harmal) was an administrative center in the kingdom of Eshnunna, located in the Diyala River basin near Baghdad, Iraq. Its name means 'the accountant's office' in Akkadian, reflecting its bureaucratic function. Excavated by Iraqi archaeologist Taha Baqir from 1945 to 1963, the site yielded nearly 3,000 cuneiform clay tablets including fragments of the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Laws of Eshnunna predating Hammurabi's Code, and mathematical tablets containing geometric problems resembling Euclidean geometry. The fortified site featured seven temples, including one dedicated to Nisaba, goddess of writing, guarded by terracotta lions dating to 2004-1595 BC.