Tish-atal (Hurrian ; ) was endan (a king or high priest)The title 'endan' was used as the equivalent of 'king', but may also have had the meaning of 'high-priest' (Wilhelm, pp. 121-122) of Urkesh during the Third Dynasty of Ur. He was one of the earliest known Hurrian rulers, but the archaeological record is fragmentary for this period, and no precise date can be ascribed to his reign.Wilhelm, p. 118
Name In older literature the name Tishari is sometimes used, but it has now been established that the correct rendering is Tish-atal.Wilhelm, p. 120
Two other rulers with a similar name are known from around the same period, Tish-atal of Nineveh and Dishatal, king of Karaḫar. These are thought to be distinct persons, so the name was probably common in the area where the Hurrians lived.Salvini, p. 107
Inscription A cuneiform inscription about a temple of Nergal is the only source for Tish-atal. The text is found on two bronze lion statuettes, but there is a better preserved copy on a stone tablet, now in the Louvre Museum, along with one of the lions. This famous inscription is the earliest known writing in the Hurrian language.De Voogt, Alexander J., Finkel, Irving L., The Idea of Writing: Play and Complexity, BRILL 2010, p. 117Salvini, p. 106 The following translation is given by Mirjo Salvini:Salvini, p. 107
Tish-atal, endan of Urkesh, has built a temple for Nergal. May the god Lubadagknown as Nupatik or Nubadig in later sources (Taracha, p. 119) protect it. He who destroys this temple, may Lubadag destroy. May the god [...] not hear his prayers. May the lady of Nagar,Nagar may be Tell Brak, in northeastern Syria. (Wilhelm, p. 140) ShimagaThe Hurrian sun-god (Wilhelm, p. 140) and the storm god curse ten thousand times he who destroys it.
Notes and references
Bibliography Urkesh and the Hurrians: Studies in Honor of Lloyd Cotsen, ed. G. Bucaletti and M. Kelly-Bucaletti, Undena Publications, Malibu 1998, : Salvini, Mirjo (1998). The Earliest Evidences of the Hurrians Before the Formation of the Reign of Mittanni Taracha, Piotr (2009.). Religions of Second Millennium Anatolia Wilhelm, Gernot (1998). Die inschrift des Tišatal von Urkeš