Among the main references for the topography of Nippur is this compilation known to scholars as the Nippur Compendium after George 1992, although it is not purely a topographical work. In fact, not only does the text list the names, temples, and gods of the city with the primary aim of explaining and praising them - a feature which closely relates it to Tintir — but also in contrast with its most famous Babylonian counterpart — it contains a considerable amount of theological (rather than topographical) material.
The ancient title of the compilation is possibly transmitted by a scribal note on a tablet of excerpts which bears the expression Nibrunibitadua, "Nippur Built of Itself," a Sumerian interpretation which attempts to give an etymological explanation of the toponym Nibru (Nippur). The same breakdown of ceremonial names into Sumerian roots and homophones is followed in many of the Akkadian interpretations included in the text, which thus belongs to the scholarly tradition of lexical and explanatory works together with the other compilations in this corpus, such as the Explanation of Temple Names in Babylon, the Götteradressbuch of Ashur, and the previously mentioned Tintir.
As reconstructed from the existing sources (see below), the text can be divided into different sections. The first (§ 1: i 1) is known only from the incipit bearing the ancient title of the composition (see above), but on the basis of the following section (§ 2: i a–i 1'), which provides an explanation of Duranki, one can infer that the first section originally contained an analogous paragraph with information about the most famous toponym Nibru. The third section (§ 3: i 2'–10' b) lists the different names for Nippur, repeating among them names already offered in §§ 1–2, whereas § 4 ( i 11'–15') contains some epithets of the city. Each of these sections, as well as the two following, are presented in a two sub-column arrangement. As usual, the ceremonial names are listed on the left and are explained by the (sometimes highly speculative) Akkadian interpretations on the right.
Section 5 (i 16'–34') focuses on the meanings of the Ekur, the great temple of the city god of Nippur, Enlil, and it is followed (after a lacuna) by a section (§ 6: ii ca–16') dealing with other cult centers in that city. If ll. 10' and 16' stand for toponyms instead of temple names, as George 1992 proposes, this temple list closely follows Tintir 4, enumerating the sanctuaries of the city according to the districts to which they belonged. The seventh section (§ 7: ii 17'–26') is a catalogue of several gods presented as "mayors" of various cities, many of them close to Nippur. § 8 (ii 27'–32') enumerates the small shrines of the city, according to their location rather than by their ceremonial names, and § 9 (ii 33'–34') contains a brief bilingual couplet about Enlil the meaning of which remains obscure. The remaining text in col. ii is not preserved and after a fairly extensive lacuna the text resumes in col. iii with five sections on non- topographical subjects. These include, respectively: a bird list (§ 10: iii 1'), a theological commentary on the four winds (§ 11: iii 2'–5'), an analogous commentary on the days of the month (§ 12: iii 6'a–11'b), a list of the months themselves, the Akītu festivals of various gods (§ 13: iii 12'–34'), and a list of the several aspects of Lātarāk, the Asakku-Demon son of Anu who was conquered by Ninurta (§ 13b: iii 40–51). The last two readable sections are found in the remaining three columns of the text. § 14 (iv 2–v 24) presents a divine directory of Nippur, which registers the gods of the city according to their sacred buildings, in the same style found in the Götteradressbuch of Ashur. Finally § 15 (vi 1–25) is a list of offerings presented in the main temple of Nippur, the Ekur.
The Nippur Compendium is known to us from at least five different sources, all Neo- or Late-Babylonian (except one in Assyrian script), from Babylon, Uruk, Borsippa, and Nineveh. On the basis of the two main manuscripts, both found on the lower halves of large tablets which were originally inscribed with the entire work, we can conjecture that half of the compilation is still missing.
Further Reading
Giulia Lentini
Giulia Lentini, 'Nippur Compendium', Babylonian Topographical Texts online (BTTo), BTTo, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2022 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/btto/nippur/nippurcompendium/]