Tell Ishchali
| Nerebtum/Kiti (?) | |
 Shown within Iraq
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| Location | Diyala Province, Iraq |
|---|---|
| Region | Mesopotamia |
| Coordinates | 33°18′11″N 44°35′03.3″E / 33.30306°N 44.584250°ECoordinates: 33°18′11″N 44°35′03.3″E / 33.30306°N 44.584250°E |
| Type | tell |
| Area | 23 ha (57 acres) |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1934–1935 |
| Archaeologists | T. Jacobsen, H. Hill |
Tell Ishchali is an archaeological site in Diyala Province (Iraq). It is thought to be ancient Nerebtum or Kiti and was part of the city-state of Eshnunna. It was occupied during the Old Babylonian period.
At first, the site of Ishchali was thought to be Khafajah. Upon discovery there of a date formula that read "year that king Ishme-Bali built the great wall of Nerebtum", that designation became popular. Currently, scholarly opinion is split between Nerebtum and Kiti as the result of many tablets from the temple of Inanna of Kiti being analyzed. The name of Sadlas has also been proposed.
Items from illegal excavations at Ishchali began appearing on the open market in the 1920s, including many clay tablets. To pre-empt this activity, the Iraq expedition of the Oriental Institute of Chicago conducted two seasons of excavations there in 1934 and 1935. The expedition was led by Henri Frankfort and the work at Ishchali was handled by Thorkild Jacobsen and Harold Hill, all of the Oriental Institute.
The site lies about 3 miles (4.8 km) south and 7 miles (11 km) east of the modern city of Baghdad and 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Eshnunna on the Diyala River, a tributary of the Tigris. The main tell at Ishchali measures roughly 600 by 300 metres (1,970 ft × 980 ft). There are also small mounds to the north and south of it. The entire site covers around 23 hectares (57 acres).
Surface finds indicate that Ishchali may have been occupied as far back as the Akkadian period, but all excavated epigraphic evidence dates to the Old Babylonian period. While some tablets mention early local rulers, for most of the known history of Ishchali kings from Eshnunna held sway there, including Ipiq-Adad and Ibal-pi-El.
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