CCP 3.1.27.B - Enūma Anu Enlil 27(28) B

Catalogue information
British Museum
K.3763
NinevehNineveh (Kuyunjik)
CDLI: 
P395223
Publication
Copy: 
3R 59 15 [colophon]
ACh Šamaš 16
Editions: 

van Soldt, 1995W. H. van Soldt, Solar omens of Enūma Anu Enlil: Tablets 23(24)-29(30). Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten, 1995.: 85, 89-90

Commentary
DivinationAstrological. Enūma Anu Enlil

mukallimtu 2a

Base text: 
Enūma Anu Enlil 27(28)
Commentary no: 
B
Tablet information
Assyrian
Fragment
Columns: 
1 (or >)?
Lines: 
35 (but lines 2-13 are completely lost)
Size: 
6,03 × 5,08 × 1,58 cm
7th cent (Assurbanipal libraries and other Assyrian cities)
Colophon
Asb Typ a or k
Bibliography

Frahm, 2011E. Frahm, Babylonian and Assyrian Text Commentaries. Origins of Interpretation. Ugarit-Verlag, 2011.: 43, 133, 146

Gehlken, 2000E. Gehlken, Sonnenaufgang in Sippar: Tafel 27 der Serie Enūma Anu Enlil, in Studi sul Vicino Oriente Antico dedicati alla memoria di Luigi Cagni, S. Graziani, Ed. Istituto Orientali di Napoli, 2000, pp. 345-353.: 346

Reiner, 1998aE. Reiner, Celestial Omen Tablets and Fragments in the British Museum, in tikip santakki mala bašmu.. Festschrift für Rykle Borger zu seinem 65. Geburtstag am 24. Mai 1994, S. M. Maul, Ed. Styx, 1998, pp. 215-302.
[EAE 28]
: 230

Streck, 1916M. Streck, Assurbanipal und die letzten assyrischen Könige bis zum Untergange Niniveh's. Hinrichs, 1916.
[Colophon Typ a]
: lxxiv

van Soldt, 1995W. H. van Soldt, Solar omens of Enūma Anu Enlil: Tablets 23(24)-29(30). Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten, 1995.
[Edition]
: 85, 89-90

Weidner, 1968E. F. Weidner, Die astrologische Serie Enûma Anu Enlil, Archiv für Orientforschung, vol. 22, pp. 65-75, 1968.: 67

Record
Frazer, 10/2017 (Transliteration)
Frazer, 10/2017 (Translation)
Frazer, 10/2017 (Introduction)
By Mary Frazer | Make a correction or suggestion
How to cite
Frazer, M., 2017, “Commentary on Enūma Anu Enlil 27(28) (CCP 3.1.27.B),” Cuneiform Commentaries Project (E. Frahm, E. Jiménez, M. Frazer, and K. Wagensonner), 2013–2024; accessed March 28, 2024, at https://ccp.yale.edu/P395223. DOI: 10079/ncjsxzq
© Cuneiform Commentaries Project (Citation Guidelines)
Introduction

In its current state of preservation, this commentary deals with twelve omens derived from the appearance of the sun and drawn from the end of the ‘Babylonian’ recension of Tablet (‘Chapter’) 27 (28) of Enūma Anu Enlil, the divination treatise on omens derived from celestial and meteorological phenomena.1 Tablet 27 (28) is a particularly poorly attested Tablet of this treatise; its preserved omens are for the most part derived from phenomena that occur at sunrise (in the first part of the Tablet) and sunset (in the second part of the Tablet).2

The commentary is written in Neo-Assyrian script and in indentation-format, as is typical of commentaries designated “mukallimtu” from Nineveh (see here). The manuscipt is written in Neo-Assyrian script and has a landscape orientation. After the first line, most of the text on the obverse is lost. On the reverse, the commentary is separated by a single ruling from a) the catchline of Tablet 28 (29), b) a rubric that seems to conform to mukallimtu type 2a (following the categorization by Frahm 2011), and c) the colophon, which states that the manuscript belongs to the palace of Ashurbanipal (probably colophon ‘Assurbanipal Typ a,’ following H. Hunger’s 1968 designation).

As van Soldt notes, ll. 21-30 of the commentary consistently explain the setting of the sun in the base text as meaning a solar eclipse.

Edition

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ccpo

ACh Shamash 16

Obverse
x23obverse
11

* 20 KUR-ma UD.DA?-su dan-[nat]

“If the sun rises and its light is str[ong”]

lines 2 to 13 are broken
1414

* 20 [...]

“If the sun […”]

1515

    a-na x x [...]

means “To …”

1616

* 20 ina GAL-šú 2-šúši-tin-šú a-dir 3-šúšá-lul-taš-šú ZÁLAGir LUGAL KUR ZÁḪ

“If two thirds of the sun are dark when it sets and one third is is clear, the king will destroy the country.”

1717

* 20 ina GAL-šú i-zu-za-šú DARA₄-MEŠ GÁL [...]

“If the sun is half dark when it sets […”]

1818

    BAR : za-a-zu : BAR : meš-lu mi [...]

“BAR” means “to divide”, “BAR” means “half” []

reverse
1919

* 20 ina TÙR MUL-MEŠ ŠÚ.ŠÚ LUGAL [...]

“If the sun sets in a halo of stars, a king […”]

2020

    20 ina GAL-šú TÙR NÍGIN-ma dGU₄.UD u [...]

means “The sun is surrounded by a halo when it sets and Mercury and […”]

2121

* 20 ŠÚ-ma a-šam-šá-a-tu₄ NIGIN-MEŠda [...]

“If the sun sets and dust storms whirl [()]

2222

    AN.GE₆ dUTU GAR-ma a-šam-šá-[tu₄ NIGIN-MEŠda]

means “A solar eclipse will occur and dust stor[ms will whirl.”]

2323

* 20 ŠÚ-ma ina GIŠGAL-šú d30 GUB KUR [...]1

“If the sun sets and the moon stands at its , the country […”]

2424

    ina AN.GE₆ dUTU d[30 ...]

means “During a solar eclipse, the [moon …”]

2525

* 20 ŠÚ-ma ina GIŠGAL-šú mulMAR.GÍD.DA GUB [...]

“If the sun sets and the Wagon stands at its , […”]

2626

    ina AN.GE₆ dUTU d[...]

means “During a solar eclipse, […”]

2727

* 20 ŠÚ-ma ina GIŠGAL-šú dda-pi-nu GUB [...]

“If the sun sets and Jupiter stands at its […”]

2828

    ina AN.GE₆ dUTU d[da-pi-nu ...]

means “During a solar eclipse, [Jupiter …”]

2929

* 20 ŠÚ-ma ina GIŠGAL-šú dḫa-ba-ṣi-ra-[nu GUB (...)]

“If the sun sets and Centaur[us stands] at its …”

3030

    ina itiDU₆ dUTU AN.GE₆ GAR-ma? [...]

means “In Month VII, the sun will have a eclipse […”]

3131

* 20 ŠÚ-ma ina GIŠGAL-šú dkab-ta GUB IM.GI [...]

“If the sun sets and Kabta stands at its , a rebel […”]

3232

* 20 ŠÚ-ma ina GIŠGAL-šú mulGÍR.TAB GUB x [...]

“If the sun sets and Scorpio stands at its […”]


3333

* ina itiBÁRA KUR 20 MÚD x [...]

“If during Month I, the rising of the sun (appears as though) sprinkled with blood.”

3434

šu-ut KA ša KA UM.ME.A šá [ŠÀ ...]

Oral explanations following the sayings of a scholar, (referring to entries) fr[om ]

3535

É.GAL mAN.ŠÁR--A MAN [ŠÚ MAN kur-šurki]

(Property of] the palace of Ashurbanipal, king [of the universe, king of Assyria.]

1On the meaning of GIŠGAL in this context, see the brief discussion by van Soldt (2005: 90 n. 1).

Photos by Enrique Jiménez & Mary Frazer

Courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum