Apišal

Apišal (A-pi₄-sal₄^ki) is an ancient Near Eastern city known from the 2nd half of the 3rd millennium BC in the Akkadian Empire period and especially the Ur III Empire period. In Ur III times it was one of four districts of the Umma province along with Da-Umma, Gu’edena, and Mušbiana. It is currently unlocated though it is known to be in the northeastern area of Umma on the Tigris river though it was originally thought to be near Mari due to conflating it with Abarsal. There are no historical mentions of Apišal after the end of the 3rd millennium BC though it does appear in literary and omen texts into the 1st millennium BC. The site of Tell Muhalliqiya has been proposed as its location.

In the Ur III period institutions called "mar-sa" handled harbor administration and its related activities including boat building and repairing and storage of raw material. There was a "mar-sa" at Apišal. It is also known that there was a "weir of Apišal" which supports the notion Apišal was on a river or major canal.

Apišal is mentioned in a number of Mesopotamian omen (extispicy) texts. An example:

"If the liver has two Fingers and there is a Weapon on the right of the gall-bladder and it points to the left (and) [in front of it] there are seven splits (and) there is a hole var. there are holes on the left of the gall-bladder, it is an omen of Narām-Sîn [who by] this [om]en marched against Apišal and made a [brea]ch, captured Rēš-Adad, the king of Apišal, and the chief minister of Apišal"

In that period rulers, towns, and religious institutions had "banners" complete with silver, or silver and gold at the highest level. Apišal is known to have had its own banner. Besides being known as a source for "good beer" it is known to have been a significant supplier of wool and of fish, the later being sometimes shipped "upstream" to Nippur, as well as a having a granary.

The city is also featured in the later fragmentary Sumerian literary composition Narām-Sîn and the Lord of Apišal (BM 139965).