Little is known about the organisation of the Šamaš temple in Old Babylonian Sippar, the Ebabbar. This is due to the fact that the vast majority of attestations of the temple officials of the Ebabbar are to be found in the witness lists of contracts. In these lists they occur together, as a group. The present article analyzes the formative stages of this group, shedding light on institutional hierarchy, succession into temple offices, and the sealing practice of the time
