DOCSLIB.ORG

Maqlű Tablet II

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Maqlű Tablet II Maqlû Tablet II Transcription Translation 1 én dNuska ˇsurbûm¯alikil¯ırabû[ti] Incantation. O Grand Nuska, counselor of the great gods, 2 p¯aqidnindab[ê] ˇsakala dIgig[¯ı] Provider of cereal offerings to all the Igigi, 3 muk¯ınm¯ah¯az¯ımuddiˇsuparakk¯ı Establisher of sanctuaries, renewer of ˘ shrines, 4 ¯umunamru ˇsaqib¯ıssu s¯ırat Radiant light, whose command is ˙ preeminent, 5 sukkal dAni ˇs¯emûpiriˇsti dEnlil Minister of Anu, confidant of Enlil,1 6 ˇs¯emû dEnlil a-m¯alikuˇsadû dIgig¯ı-a The one who listens to Enlil, (who is) the counselor (and) the mountain of the Igigi,2 7 gaˇsrut¯ah¯azuˇsat¯ıbuˇsudannu Powerful battle, whose onslaught is ˘ overwhelming, 8 dNuska ¯arirumuˇsabriqzayy¯ari Blazing Nuska, who strikes down the enemy with lighting. 9 ina balika ul iˇsˇsakkan naptanu ina Ekur Without you a meal would not be set out in Ekur, 10 ina balika il¯urabûtu ul issin¯uqutrinnu Without you the great gods would not smell ˙˙ incense, 11 ina balika dŠamaˇsdayy¯anu ul idâni d¯ınu Without you Šamaˇs, the judge, would not render judgment. 12 h¯asisˇsumekatetter ina dannati tagammil He who mentions3 your name you rescue ˘ ina puˇsqi ˙˙ from hardship, you save from distress. 13 an¯akuaradka annanna m¯arannanna ˇsa I, your servant, so-and-so, the son of ilˇsuannanna diˇstarˇsuannann¯ıtu so-and-so, whose god is so-and-so, whose goddess is so-and-so, 14 ashurka eˇs¯ekabaˇsâkaa uzn¯aya ˇsapalka I turn to you, I seek you, I hearken to you, I ˘akmis kneel at your feet. 15 qumi kaˇsˇs¯ap¯ıu kaˇsˇs¯apt¯ı Burn my warlock and my witch, line 6 a–a m¯alikuˇsadû dIgig¯ı is a frozen form and refers to 1 Lit., who listens to the secret of Enlil. Enlil. See note to translation. 2 The text has m¯alikuˇsadû (wr. ˇsá-du-ú/[KU]R-ú) line 14 a Var.: baˇsâ. dIgig¯ı, which translates literally as “the counselor, the mountain of the Igigi,” and would seem to refer to Nuska. While sense suggests that m¯aliku refers to Nuska and ˇsadû to Enlil, which would require the emendation m¯alikuˇsadî dIgig¯ı, the full title m¯aliku ˇsadû dIgig¯ı appears in this form in CMAWR 1, 8.13, line 27, where it clearly refers to Enlil (cf. ibid., p. 371). Accordingly, the title is a frozen form, and our line should probably be translated, “the one who listens to Enlil, (who is) the counselor (and) the mountain of the Igigi.” Cf. II 137: “Offspring of the pure one, the exalted Šalaˇs”(but see note there). 3 Perhaps better: He who calls your name. © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2016 | doi: 10.1163/9789004291706_026 294 transcription and translation of maqlû 16 ˇsakaˇsˇs¯apiyau kaˇsˇs¯aptiya [a]rhiˇs hantiˇs May the lives of my warlock and my witch napiˇstaˇsunulibl¯ema ˘ ˘ ˙ quickly and speedily be extinguished, 17 yâˇsibullitannima narbîka luˇs¯apidal¯ıl¯ıka Thereby save me myself so that I may declare ludlula˙ your great deeds and sing your praises. a- 18 ka.inim.ma u[ˇs11.búr.r]u.da salam It is the wording (of the incantation) to lipî-kam*-a ˙ [undo] wit[chcraft]: a figurine of tallow. 19 én dGirra ˹b¯elu˺ [g]itm¯al[u] d[na]nn¯ar¯ata 4Incantation. O Girra, perfect lord, “You are nabi ˇsumka the light,” (thus) your name is invoked, 20 [t]uˇsnammarb¯ıt[¯a]t il¯ıkal¯ama You illumine the houses of all the gods, 21 [tu]ˇsnammarg[im]er kal(î)ˇsinam¯at¯ati You illumine the to[tal]ity of all the lands. 22 [a]ˇsˇsuatt¯a [ana yâˇs]i tazzazzuma Because you are present [for m]e 23 k¯ıma dSîn u dŠamaˇstadinnu d¯ınu And decide lawsuits in the stead of Sîn and Šamaˇs, 24 d¯en¯ıd¯ınipurussâya purus Judge my case, render my verdict. 25 ana n¯urikanamri niˇs¯ukalîˇsina upaqq¯aka For your bright light, all the people await you, 26 ana elleti dip¯arika ashurka eˇs¯eka For your pure torch, I turn to you, I seek you. ˘ 27 b¯elusissiktaka asbat Lord, I seize your hem, ˙ 28 sissikti il¯utik[a rab¯ıt]i asbat I seize the hem of you[r grea]t divinity, ˙ 29 ˹sissikti˺ i[liya u diˇstariya] asbat I seize the hem of [my] go[d and my ˙ goddess], 30 [sissikti il ¯a]liya u diˇstar¯aliyaasbat I seize [the hem of] my ci[ty god] and my city ˙ goddess. 31 [ x (x) ]-x-ma r[¯e]manni b¯elukaˇsˇs¯aptu [ … ] … have pity on me, O lord. The witch k¯ımalilissi iltasi eliya has (now) roared at me like a drum. 32 isbat qaqqad¯ıkiˇs¯ad¯ıua muhh¯ı She has seized my head, my neck, and my ˙ ˘ ˘ skull, 33 isbat ¯ın¯ıyan¯atil¯ati She has seized my seeing eyes, ˙ ˙ 34 isbat ˇs¯ep¯ıyaallak¯ati She has seized my walking feet, ˙ 35 isbat birk¯ıyaebber¯eti She has seized my crossing knees, ˙ 36 isbat ah¯ıyamuttabbil¯ati She has seized my (load) bearing arms. ˙ ˘ 37 enenna ina mahar il¯utikarab¯ıti Now in the presence of your great divinity, ˘ 38 ˇsin¯a salm¯ısiparri etgur¯uti Two crisscrossed bronze figurines ˙ 39 ˇsakaˇsˇs¯apiyau kaˇsˇs¯aptiya Of my warlock and my witch, 40 ˇsa¯epiˇsiyau muˇst¯epiˇstiya Of my sorcerer and the woman who instigates sorcery against me, 41 ˇsas¯ahiriya u s¯ahertiya Of my enchanter and my enchantress, ˘ ˘ 42 ˇsar¯ahîya u r¯ah¯ıtiya Of my male and female inseminators,5 ˘ ˘ 43 ˇsab¯elikkiya u b¯eletikkiya Of the male and female who are enraged at me, 44 ˇsab¯el serriya u b¯elet serriya Of my male and female enemies, ˙ ˙ 45 ˇsab¯elr¯ıdiyau b¯eletr¯ıdiya Of my male and female persecutors, line 17 a Var.: + én. 4 For my understanding of this incantation, line 18 a–a Var.: rubric omitted in some mss. see Abusch “The Revision of Babylonian line 32 a Var.: absent. Anti-Witchcraft Incantations,” pp. 16–28. 5 See note on I 78..
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 3 a Typology of Sumerian Copular Clauses36
    3 A Typology of Sumerian Copular Clauses36 3.1 Introduction CCs may be classified according to a number of characteristics. Jagersma (2010, pp. 687-705) gives a detailed description of Sumerian CCs arranged according to the types of constituents that may function as S or PC. Jagersma’s description is the most detailed one ever written about CCs in Sumerian, and particularly, the parts on clauses with a non-finite verbal form as the PC are extremely insightful. Linguistic studies on CCs, however, discuss the kind of constituents in CCs only in connection with another kind of classification which appears to be more relevant to the description of CCs. This classification is based on the semantic properties of CCs, which in turn have a profound influence on their grammatical and pragmatic properties. In this chapter I will give a description of CCs based mainly on the work of Renaat Declerck (1988) (which itself owes much to Higgins [1979]), and Mikkelsen (2005). My description will also take into account the information structure of CCs. Information structure is understood as “a phenomenon of information packaging that responds to the immediate communicative needs of interlocutors” (Krifka, 2007, p. 13). CCs appear to be ideal for studying the role information packaging plays in Sumerian grammar. Their morphology and structure are much simpler than the morphology and structure of clauses with a non-copular finite verb, and there is a more transparent connection between their pragmatic characteristics and their structure. 3.2 The Classification of Copular Clauses in Linguistics CCs can be divided into three main types on the basis of their meaning: predicational, specificational, and equative.
    [Show full text]
  • A PRELIMINARY STUDY of the SUMERIAN CURRICULAR and LAMENTATIONAL TEXTS from the OLD BABYLONIAN CITY of KISH by Joshua A. Bowen A
    A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF THE SUMERIAN CURRICULAR AND LAMENTATIONAL TEXTS FROM THE OLD BABYLONIAN CITY OF KISH by Joshua A. Bowen A dissertation submitted to the Johns Hopkins University in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Baltimore, Maryland February, 2017 © 2017 Joshua A. Bowen All Rights Reserved Abstract The collections of Sumerian and Akkadian tablets that have been excavated at various Old Babylonian sites have been surveyed and subjected to corpus-based analysis, including the tablets from prominent cities such as Nippur, Ur, Sippar, Isin, and Uruk. However, until very recently, attention has not focused on the important northern city of Kiš. Although many of the literary and liturgical duplicates from Kiš have been translated and discussed, neither the curricular nor the lamentational corpora have been treated as a whole. The goal of my dissertation, therefore, is to survey and analyze the entirety of the Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1600 BCE) curricular and lamentational textual material from Kiš in order to identify local features or traditions that were unique to these genres. The survey of the curricular textual material will seek to accomplish two goals. First, it will identify the curricular compositions that were used in scribal education at Kiš during the OB period. Second, it will determine the ways in which the Kiš scribal curriculum deviated from the curricula that are known from other OB cites, such as Nippur, Ur, and Sippar. The latter investigation will reveal two patterns at Kiš. First, it will demonstrate that, although several curricular duplicates varied from manuscripts found at the major scribal center, Nippur, there is evidence to suggest that there were lines of textual transmission that connected the OB Kiš lexical tradition to those that were found in the MB and the first millennium.
    [Show full text]
  • Asher-Greve / Westenholz Goddesses in Context ORBIS BIBLICUS ET ORIENTALIS
    Zurich Open Repository and Archive University of Zurich Main Library Strickhofstrasse 39 CH-8057 Zurich www.zora.uzh.ch Year: 2013 Goddesses in Context: On Divine Powers, Roles, Relationships and Gender in Mesopotamian Textual and Visual Sources Asher-Greve, Julia M ; Westenholz, Joan Goodnick Abstract: Goddesses in Context examines from different perspectives some of the most challenging themes in Mesopotamian religion such as gender switch of deities and changes of the status, roles and functions of goddesses. The authors incorporate recent scholarship from various disciplines into their analysis of textual and visual sources, representations in diverse media, theological strategies, typologies, and the place of image in religion and cult over a span of three millennia. Different types of syncretism (fusion, fission, mutation) resulted in transformation and homogenization of goddesses’ roles and functions. The processes of syncretism (a useful heuristic tool for studying the evolution of religions and the attendant political and social changes) and gender switch were facilitated by the fluidity of personality due to multiple or similar divine roles and functions. Few goddesses kept their identity throughout the millennia. Individuality is rare in the iconography of goddesses while visual emphasis is on repetition of generic divine figures (hieros typos) in order to retain recognizability of divinity, where femininity is of secondary significance. The book demonstrates that goddesses were never marginalized or extrinsic and thattheir continuous presence in texts, cult images, rituals, and worship throughout Mesopotamian history is testimony to their powerful numinous impact. This richly illustrated book is the first in-depth analysis of goddesses and the changes they underwent from the earliest visual and textual evidence around 3000 BCE to the end of ancient Mesopotamian civilization in the Seleucid period.
    [Show full text]
  • The Religion of Ancient Palestine in the Light of Archaeology the God of Beth-Shan the Religion of Ancient Palestine in the Light of Archaeology
    THE SCHWEICH LECTURES ON BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY, 1925 THE RELIGION OF ANCIENT PALESTINE IN THE LIGHT OF ARCHAEOLOGY THE GOD OF BETH-SHAN THE RELIGION OF ANCIENT PALESTINE IN THE LIGHT OF ARCHAEOLOGY BY STANLEY A. COOK, M.A., LITT.D. FELLOW OF GONVILLE AND CAIUS COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY LECTURER IN HEBREW AND ARAMAIC THE SCHWEICH LECTURES OF THE BRITISH ACADEMY LONDON PUBLISHED FOR THE BRITISH ACADEMY BY HUMPHREY MILFORD, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS AMEN HOUSE, E,C. 1930 OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS AMEN HOUSE, E.C. 4 LONDON EDINBURGH GLASGOW LEIPZIG NEW YOR~ TORONTO MELBOURNE CAPETOWN BOMBAY CALCUTTA MADRAS SHANGHAI HUMPHREY MILFORD PUBLISHER TO THE UNIVERSITY Printed in Great Britain PREFACE HE title and subject of this book will recall the in­ T auguration of the Schweich Lectures more than twenty years ago, when the late Samuel Rolles Driver gave an account of the contribution of archaeology and the monu­ ments to Biblical study. Modern Research as illustrating the Bible, the title of his lectures, was a subject to which that great and many-sided scholar felt himself closely drawn; and neither that book nor any of his other writings on the subject can be ignored to-day in spite of the time that has elapsed. For although much has been done, especially since the War, in adding to our knowledge of Oriental archaeo­ logy and in the discussion of problems arising therefrom, Dr. Driver performed lasting service, not only in opening up what to many readers was a new world, but also in setting forth, with his usual completeness and clearness, both the real significance of the new discoveries and the principles to be employed when the Biblical records and the 'external' evidence are inter-related.1 When, therefore, I was asked, in 1925, to deliver the Schweich Lectures, the suggestion that some account might be given of the work subsequent to 1908 encouraged the wish I had long entertained: to reconsider the religion of Palestine primarily and mainly from the point of view of archaeology.
    [Show full text]
  • I. Introduction. Mesopotamian God of Sebastian Hageneuer
    Iconography of Deities and Demons: Electronic Pre–Publication 1/2 Last Revision: 14 July 2008 Nusku MAYER 1976: 386, 406ff; →Lamp § I). Unfortunately this single piece of evidence I. Introduction. Mesopotamian god of does not stem from a legal excavation. The fire and light. The oldest evidence of N. (see meaning of a vertical “stick” placed at the also STRECK 1998–2001) is found in a center of an altar, which is depicted on the personal name from Fara, written Ur– so–called altar of Tukulti–Ninurta I (1243– d PA+UŠ4. The reading Nuska appears in the 1207) on which N. is addressed in the onomasticon (e.g., DURAND 1987: 14e) and inscription as the owner of “the cult a godlist from Mari (LAMBERT 1985: 182). platform” (MARZAHN/SALJE 2003: 3,) is In the Aramaic alphabet N. is written controversially discussed (WIGGERMANN “NSK” in Babylonia and “N(W)ŠK” in 1985–1986: 10; BAHRANI 2003: 185ff). No Assyria, Nerab, and Elephantine (MARAQ- anthropomorphic depictions of N. have been TEN 1988: 56, 242f; LIPIŃSKI 1994: 191f). identified so far. In the Neo–Assyrian (9th–7th cent.) incantation ritual Maqlu, N. is addressed as Sebastian Hageneuer son of →Enlil as well as son of An, but also as “child/pupil of Apsu/Enanki,” which con- nects him to the wise →Ea (MEIER 1937: I 122–124). In North Syrian Harran, N. is the son of →Sin (BAUER 1972: 36: l. 12). N. acts as vizier of Enlil to convey the words of his father. In the incantation ritual Maqlu, N. is addressed as a night light, guarding the sleeping and protecting them from evil (ABUSCH 1990: 17).
    [Show full text]
  • Loose Threads of Tradition: Two Late Hemerological Compilations
    LOOSE THREADS OF TRADITION: TWO LATE HEMEROLOGICAL COMPILATIONS Enrique Jiménez (Yale University) Abstract Hemerologies were among the most widespread texts in ancient Mesopotamia. Known already in the Old Babylonian period, they were copied until the end of cuneiform culture, but the manuscripts often elaborate on their originals to create new, heterogeneous compositions. This paper suggests dividing hemerologies into two broad categories, accor- ding to the way they were transmitted: the first group consists of standardized texts, such as series and short manuals, which were transmitted in a more or less fixed format. The second category contains treatises composed ad hoc by combining various pieces of hemerological lore. These treatises, which are here called “hemerological compilations,” were usually short-lived and are typically preserved in only one manuscript. It will be shown that several of the most important hemerological texts known today are best described as “hemerological compilations.” In addition, two almost completely preserved tablets from Babylon are edited here for the first time. Dating to Achaemenid and Seleucid times, they represent the latest known examples of such “hemerological compilations.” Introduction One of the most resilient Assyriological beliefs is that the “stream of tradition,” the corpus of texts copied from generation to generation throughout the first millennium BCE, had its origins in the late second millennium BCE.1 According to this opinion, it was at that time that the literary traditions of Babylonia were standardized and given the serialized forms that they retained until the end of cuneiform culture. This notion, which was first enunciated by von Soden in 1953, is underpinned by two main pieces of evidence, cited by all scholars studying the process of formation of the Babylonian “canon.” These are two scribal notes appended to first-millennium tablets that describe the process of “canonization” and connect it with scholars who lived in the second half of the second millennium BCE.
    [Show full text]
  • Urnamma of Ur in Sumerian Literary Tradition
    Zurich Open Repository and Archive University of Zurich Main Library Strickhofstrasse 39 CH-8057 Zurich www.zora.uzh.ch Year: 1999 Urnamma of Ur in Sumerian Literary Tradition Flückiger-Hawker, Esther Abstract: This book presents new standard editions of all the hitherto known hymns of Urnamma, the founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur (fl. 2100 B.C.), and adds new perspectives to the compositions and development of the genre of Sumerian royal hymns in general. The first chapter (I) is introductory in nature (historical background, the reading of the name Urnamma, Sumerian royal hymns). The second chapter (II) presents a general survey of Urnamma’s hymnic corpus, including arguments for a broader definition of Sumerian royal hymns and an attempt at classifying the non-standard orthography found in Urnamma’s hymns. The third chapter (III) deals with correlations of Urnamma’s hymns with other textual sources pertaining to him. A fourth chapter (IV) is devoted to aspects of continuity and change in royal hymnography by analyzing the Urnamma hymns in relation to other royal hymns and related genres. A discussion of topoi of legitimation and kingship and narrative materials in different text types during different periods of time and other findings concerning statues, stelas and royal hymns addnew perspectives to the ongoing discussion of the original setting of royal hymns. Also, reasons are given why a version of the Sumerian King List may well be dated to Urnamma and the thesis advanced that Išmēdagan of Isin was not only an imitator of Šulgi but also of Urnamma. The final of the chapter IV shows that Urnamma A, also known as Urnamma’s Death, uses the language of lamentation literature and Curse of Agade which describe the destruction of cities, and applies it to the death of a king.
    [Show full text]
  • Chastised Rulers in the Ancient Near East
    Chastised Rulers in the Ancient Near East Dissertation Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree doctor of philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By J. H. Price, M.A., B.A. Graduate Program in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures The Ohio State University 2015 Dissertation Committee: Samuel A. Meier, Advisor Daniel Frank Carolina López-Ruiz Bill T. Arnold Copyright by J. H. Price 2015 Abstract In the ancient world, kings were a common subject of literary activity, as they played significant social, economic, and religious roles in the ancient Near East. Unsurprisingly, the praiseworthy deeds of kings were often memorialized in ancient literature. However, in some texts kings were remembered for criminal acts that brought punishment from the god(s). From these documents, which date from the second to the first millennium BCE, we learn that royal acts of sacrilege were believed to have altered the fate of the offending king, his people, or his nation. These chastised rulers are the subject of this this dissertation. In the pages that follow, the violations committed by these rulers are collected, explained, and compared, as are the divine punishments that resulted from royal sacrilege. Though attestations are concentrated in the Hebrew Bible and Mesopotamian literature, the very fact that the chastised ruler type also surfaces in Ugaritic, Hittite, and Northwest Semitic texts suggests that the concept was an integral part of ancient near eastern kingship ideologies. Thus, this dissertation will also explain the relationship between kings and gods and the unifying aspect of kingship that gave rise to the chastised ruler concept across the ancient Near East.
    [Show full text]
  • The World of the Sumerian Mother Goddess
    ACTA UNIVERSITATIS UPSALIENSIS Historia Religionum 35 The World of the Sumerian Mother Goddess An Interpretation of Her Myths Therese Rodin Dissertation presented at Uppsala University to be publicly examined in Ihresalen, Tun- bergsvägen 3L, Uppsala, Saturday, 6 September 2014 at 10:00 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The examination will be conducted in English. Faculty examiner: Professor Britt- Mari Näsström (Gothenburg University, Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion, History of Religions). Abstract Rodin, T. 2014. The World of the Sumerian Mother Goddess. An Interpretation of Her Myths. Historia religionum 35. 350 pp. Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. ISBN 978-91-554- 8979-3. The present study is an interpretation of the two myths copied in the Old Babylonian period in which the Sumerian mother goddess is one of the main actors. The first myth is commonly called “Enki and NinপXUVDƣa”, and the second “Enki and Ninmaপ”. The theoretical point of departure is that myths have society as their referents, i.e. they are “talking about” society, and that this is done in an ideological way. This study aims at investigating on the one hand which contexts in the Mesopotamian society each section of the myths refers to, and on the other hand which ideological aspects that the myths express in terms of power relations. The myths are contextualized in relation to their historical and social setting. If the myth for example deals with working men, male work in the area during the relevant period is dis- cussed. The same method of contextualization is used regarding marriage, geographical points of reference and so on.
    [Show full text]
  • Sumarian Inanna Divine Decrees Enki
    Sumarian Inanna Divine Decrees Enki hisPalsied abetments Bartholemy blast-offs tarnishes: fretfully. he Uncensorious impaled his methos Janus unscrupulouslyliquidate impudently. and catechetically. Mesopotamian Sampson sowed House is the relationship sumarian inanna divine decrees enki and clay return, animal companions in! The phenomenon of women distress is known as a proliferation of the change of a young moon sumarian inanna divine decrees enki advises namma. After inanna has sent to the food, a goddess of the god ea was viracocha and limitations sumarian inanna divine decrees enki, the gods of the. Let courtesans turn to note that enkidu and sumarian inanna divine decrees enki and. Clearly illustrates how many stories, sumarian inanna divine decrees enki, and religion will put my man incapable of these writings of civilization, sailors and my abzu from agricultural settlements. She was considerable sumarian inanna divine decrees enki. The most important gods statue was sumarian inanna divine decrees enki was a god whom is built of earth, melili was a beggar with. The land and was also became the gods and the religions sumarian inanna divine decrees enki. Yet set up by bringing the mythology to note that the sumarian inanna divine decrees enki who was the sacrificer is the. But enki and creating civilization was spread throughout more detailed enough for you devastated gutium and to his sumarian inanna divine decrees enki. Power to remain to use of mesopotamian eden like piles of the sumarian inanna divine decrees enki, the young shepherd god knows that the mountains, of our best. When enlil so, mentioned by gudea sumarian inanna divine decrees enki recognizes that he fell in.
    [Show full text]
  • Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia
    AN ILLUSTRATED DICTIONARY Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia JEREMY BLACK AND ANTHONY GREEN Illustrations by Tessa Rickards Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia An Illustrated Dictionary Jeremy Black and Anthony Green Illustrations by Tessa Rickards THE BRITISH MUSEUM PRESS Jeremy Black The late Dr Black, formerly Director of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq, was a Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford, and University Lecturer in Akkadian. He was the author of several studies on Sumerian and Babylonian literature and ancient philology, and headed the Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature project (http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk ) Anthony Green Dr Green has formerly held the positions of Fellow of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq, J. Paul Getty Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the History of Art at the University of Pennsylvania, G.A. Wainwright Research Fellow in Near Eastern Archaeology at Oxford University, and Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow at the Free University of Berlin. He is currently Shinji Shumeikai Senior Academic Research Fellow in Near Eastern Art and Archaeology at the Free University of Berlin. He has conducted extensive archaeological fieldwork in Syria and Iraq and writes on ancient Mesopotamian art and archaeology. Tessa Rickards Tessa Rickards is a freelance archaeological illustrator specialising in ancient Mesopotamia. She has worked as an illus- trator on numerous international excavations in the Middle East. She is an MA graduate of the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. Front cover: Green jasper seal depicting a conflict between two heroes, a bull-man, a bull and a lion. Dated 225o BC, origin unknown.
    [Show full text]
  • Cuneiform Texts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Volume II
    THE SCHOLASTIC TRADITION 227 Column ii: This column lists zodiacal signs, beginning with Aries, the first constellation in the zodiac, and continuing through Pisces, the last. Before the break in the tablet, the sequence appears to repeat, but only four lines of this second sequence are preserved. 1n some astronomical texts the signs of the zodiac are listed along with their ordinal equivalences, I to 12 (cf. Neugebauer, ACT 1050). However, in MMA 86.11.364 there is no pattern discernible in the pairing of numerals, all multi­ ples of ten, with their zodiacal signs. Further, the scribe has not employed any presently known association between numerals and these signs. Column iii: The practice of writing divine names with numerical equivalents is well known in the cuneiform corpus. See W. Rollig, "Gotterzahlen," RLA 3 (1957-71), pp. 499-500; and Note 11 above (for the use of numerical equivalents for deities from the Ur III period on see 1. 1. Gelb, Materialsfor the Assyrian Dictionary 2, 2nd ed. [Chicago, 1961], p. 213 n. 275). By the sixteenth century B.C., this practice had become more widespread and is evidenced, e.g., in the inscription on the statue of Idrimi (see G. Oller, The Autobiography of Idrimi: A New Text Edition, with Philolog­ ical and Historical Commentary, Ph.D. diss., University of Pennsylvania [Philadelphia, 1977]). See also CT 25, 50 + CT 46, 50 (K. 170 + Rm 520), a Neo-Assyrian text from the library of NabG-zuqup-kena, which contains a guide to divine names, their numerical equivalents, and a theoretical statement about the nature of those equations.
    [Show full text]