Upon discovery of a date formula that read "year that king Ishme-Bali built the great wall of Nerebtum", that designation gained some support, although the temple dedicated to Inanna suggested Kiti as another possible toponym.

[1] A number of bricks of Ipiq-Adad II were found in the Kitium temple inscribed with: "To Inanna Kititum did Ipiq-Adad, the mighty king, the king who enlarged Eshnunna, shepherd of the dark headed (people), beloved of Tispak, son of Ibal-pi-el, grant Neribtum"[2]One ruler of Nērebtum, Ikūn-pî-Sîn, is known.

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.

A number of cylinder seals dating from the Early Dynastic to the Larsa period were also found there, assumed to be relic donations to the temple.

[10] The location of Kiti, the cult site of Inanna of Kititum, is as yet unknown, though it has been suggested that it was an earlier name for Tell Ishchali.

She was worshiped in the Diyala region including at the capital city of Eshnunna where this oracular inscription was found: "O king Ibalpiel, thus says Kititum:/The secrets of the gods are placed before me./Because you constantly pronounce my name with your mouth, I keep disclosing the secrets of the gods for you./On the advice of the gods and by the command of Anu, the country is given you to rule./You will ransom the upper and lower country,/you will amass the riches of the upper and lower country./Your commerce will not diminish, there will be a perm[anent] food of peace [for] any country that your hand keeps hold of./I, Kititum, will strengthen the foundations of your throne,/I have established the protective spirit for you.May your [e]ar be attentive to me!

[12] In the 1920s, items from illegal excavations at Ishchali began appearing on the open market, including many clay tablets.

To pre-empt this activity, the Iraq expedition of the Oriental Institute of Chicago conducted two seasons of excavations there between 1934 and 1936.

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.