CCP 3.1.u7 - Enūma Anu Enlil (?)

Catalogue information
British Museum
BM 30336
76-11-17,56
Babylon(Babylon)
CDLI: 
P461117
Publication
Editions: 
Commentary
DivinationAstrological. Enūma Anu Enlil

Broken

Base text: 
Enūma Anu Enlil (?)
Tablet information
Babylonian
Fragment, lower half
Columns: 
2
Lines: 
i 9, ii 10, iii 11, iv 10
Neo/Late Babylonian, specifics unknown
Bibliography

Frahm, 2011E. Frahm, Babylonian and Assyrian Text Commentaries. Origins of Interpretation. Ugarit-Verlag, 2011.: 78, 163

Pearce, 1982L. E. Pearce, Cuneiform Cryptography: Numerical Substitutions for Syllabic and Logographic Signs. PhD thesis, 1982.
[Edition, discussion]
: 69-80

Pearce, 1998L. E. Pearce, Babylonian Commentaries and Intellectual Innovation, in Intellectual Life of the Ancient Near East. Papers Presented at the 43rd Rencontre assyriologique internationale, J. Prosecký, Ed. Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Oriental Institute, 1998, pp. 331-338.
[Partial transliteration, discussion]
: 331-338

Seminara, 2001S. Seminara, La versione accadica del Lugal-e. La tecnica babilonese della traduzione dal sumerico e le sue "regole". Dipartimento di Studi Orientali, 2001.
[Use of similar "analitical" techniques in translation]
: 459

Record
Pearce, 09/1982 (Transliteration)
Pearce, 09/1982 (Translation)
Jiménez, 09/2016 (Revision, translation)
Jiménez, 09/2016 (ATF Transliteration)
Pearce, 10/2016 (Revision)
Jiménez, 10/2016 (Lemmatization)
Jiménez, 10/2016 (Introduction)
Frazer, 10/2016 (Correction [Introduction])
By Laurie E. Pearce | Make a correction or suggestion
How to cite
Pearce, L.E., 2016, “Commentary on Enūma Anu Enlil (?) (CCP 3.1.u7),” Cuneiform Commentaries Project (E. Frahm, E. Jiménez, M. Frazer, and K. Wagensonner), 2013–2024; accessed March 28, 2024, at https://ccp.yale.edu/P461117. DOI: 10079/ns1rnnn
© Cuneiform Commentaries Project (Citation Guidelines)
Introduction

This fragment preserves the lower part of a four-column tablet with an unusual commentary text. The base text, which is hitherto unrecovered, is an astrological treatise containing cryptographically written omens. Many of the omens of the base text appear to have been written numerically, i.e., the logograms typical of divinatory texts were replaced by numbers.1 The commentary provides the key for the interpretation of these omens (ostensibly only the apodoses). Thus, in lines ii 10′ – iii 1, the omen written “3.20 27 10” is said to mean “the king of Amurru will die,” and this interpretation is justified by means of a series of equations: “3.20 means ‘king,’ 27 means ‘Amurru,’ 10 means ‘death’.” In l. ii 8′ – 9′, the rare writing 3.3-lá.giš is said to mean malāḫīšina, “their sailors,” and the explanation is justified by means of the equations 3.3 = malāḫu, “sailor,” and lá.giš = šina, “their.” The fourth column of the tablet, however, seems to be concerned with the movement of planets and zodiacal constellations.

 

As summarized in Pearce 1998,2 the basic hermeneutical operations performed in this tablet are:

1. Citation of well-attested lexical equivalences, e.g. iii 3, peš = rapāšu and idim = nagbi.
2. Semantic association, e.g. ii 2′, gaz = ḫepû and naqāru. Whereas the equation gaz = ḫepû is well attested elsewhere, the equation gaz = naqāru is unique to this commentary. It probably originates from the fact that both ḫepû and naqāru are elsewhere equated with the same Sumerian word, gul.3
3. Explanation of numerically written words and phrases, such as the ones discussed above.

 

No colophon is preserved, but the form of certain signs (in particular the form of lagab without a top horizontal in ll. i 6′, iv 1, and iv 3) is “suggestive of a date of writing somewhere in the twilight of cuneiform.”4 The fact that this commentary, which might be as late as the second or first century BCE, is one of the most complex yet found is testimony to the sophistication of Mesopotamian hermeneutics at the very end of cuneiform culture.

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BM 030336 (unpublished unassigned ?) [commentaries]

Obverse
Column i
o i 1'o i 1'

[...] x

[...] ...

o i 2'2'

[...] x : x :

[...] ...

o i 3'3'

[...] x pa-a-šú :

[...] ... “his mouth”

o i 4'4'

[...] x x [x] x : ABSIN? SI :

[...] ... Virgo will ...

o i 5'5'

[...] x a-ḫa-a-a : DUMU KASKAL DU ḪÚL ?

[...] my arms “a man, the son of a man, will go on a journey happiness of the man.

o i 6'6'

[...] GU₄ : é-sag-gíl : 1

[...](-)gu means “Esagil.”

o i 7'7'

[...] KI : BAR/ŠÚ : ḪUL : 2

[...] ... bar/šú (means) “evil,”

o i 8'8'

[...] : SIG NIM GÁL :

[...] ... there will be decreasing or increasing.

o i 9'9'

[...]-nu : i-ger-ri ṭi :

[...] ... if it start a fight, it will diminish.

Column ii
o ii 1'o ii 1'

[x] x : KÚR : 3.20 LUGAL : x x [x x x x x x x x x]

[...] means “enemy.” “3.20” means “king” ... [...]

o ii 2'2'

GAZ ḫe-pu-ú : na-qa-ri : 4.10 : su-x-[x x x x x]

gaz (means) “to break,” (i.e.,) “to demolish.” “4,10” means ... [...]

o ii 3'3'

AGAR₅(IM%IM) : ra-a-du : kal-kal- : ṣu-ma-mit : x [x x x x]

agar means “downpour.” “Hunger” means “thirst” ... [...]

o ii 4'4'

20 2 : LUGAL URIki : 13 20 10 : KÚR-šú : KI . : x [x x x]

“20 2” means “king of Akkad.” “13 20 10” means “his enemy.” ki sá.sá means ... [...]

o ii 5'5'

NÍG.ZI KÚR NU GÁL-MEŠšú : šá gišBAN ina ÉRIN.SIG₅-MU DU-MEŠ : šá gišBAN [x (x x x x)]3

“There will be no attacks of the enemy.” “Those of the bow (i.e., archers) will march in the middle of the army” means “those of the bow ... [...]

o ii 6'6'

2 : dan-nu : KUR.KUR AL.KINár : KUR.KUR ú-ma-ʾ-ár : EN.EL?

“2” means “strong.” kurkur alkin means “he will control the lands.” en.el

o ii 7'7'

a-la-lu-ú : KÚR 10 20 20 KUR : LUGAL LUGAL KURád : 11 11 RA : 4

“drain.” The enemy will die. “20 20 kur means “one king will conquer another king.” “11 11 ra means

o ii 8'8'

i-da-ak : SUD-MEŠ giš-MEŠ 3.3-.GIŠ 10 .LAḪ₄-MEŠ-ši-na5

“one man will kill another man.” “Sinking of ships, 3.3-lá.giš will die (10) (means) “their sailors,”

o ii 9'9'

3.3 : .LAḪ₄ : .GIŠ : ši-na : ina KUR.RE ka-ma/ba-šú GÁLši

(since) “3.3” means “sailor” and lá.giš means “their (fem.).” “There will be ka-ma/ba-šú-disease in the lands”

o ii 10'10'

GIG : ka-ma/ba-šú : mur-ṣu : 3.20 27 10 : LUGAL MAR BA.UG₆

gig means ka-ma/ba-šú, (i.e.,) “disease.” “3,20 27 10” means “the king of Amurru will die,”

Reverse
Column iii
r iii 1r iii 1

3.20 LUGAL : 27 : MAR : 10 : mu-tu : SI-šú RU : šá-ru-ur-šú GE₆ma

(since) “3,20” (means) “king,” 27 means “Amurru,” (and) 10 means “death.” si-šú šub means “its brilliance is black.”

r iii 22

URINin : saq-lu/qi : MEŠ : ma-a-du : É PEŠ.PEŠ : É-MU? i-rap-piš

urin means saqqu. meš means “much.” é peš.peš means “my house will expand,”

r iii 33

PEŠ : ra-pa-šú : .GÌR : bu- : PEŠ : ra-pa-šú : IDIM : nag-bi6

(since) peš means “to expand.” lá.gìr means “livestock.” peš means “to expand.” idim means “depth.”

r iii 44

MEŠ : ma-a-du : ina dUTU.È.A : U₄ma ina MÁŠ GUB-ma : ana GAG.SI?.[]

meš means “much.” “At sunrise” means “when (the sun) stands in Capricorn” ...

r iii 55

ŠID ma-diš ka-la-mu tu-ṭa-ab : ta-al-x x [x x x x]

šid means “greatly.” You will improve everything ... [...]

r iii 66

ŠUBut KI.LAM : .GÌR : bu- : ú-x [x x x x x]

Fall of the market.” lá.gìr means “livestock.” ... [...]

r iii 77

zu-ḫur-re-e ÙZ GÁLši [x x x x x x x]7

”There will be a reduction of the population” [... means]

r iii 88

ina la É-MU : ni-sa-a- [...]

“In a house that is not mine.” “Grie[f” means ...]

r iii 99

10 : nak-ri : x [x x x x x x x x x x]

“10” means “enemy.” ... [...]

r iii 1010

.GÌR : bu- [...]

lá.gìr means “livestock.” [...]

r iii 1111

35 x [x x x x x x x x x x x x x x]

35 ... [...]

Column iv
r iv 1r iv 1

[...] x : DINGIR GUR₄-ma : 17 DINGIR KUR <<:>> GUR₄

[...] ... the god (i.e., Mars?) is exceptionally bright 17 the god (i.e., Mars?) rises (and) is exceptionally bright.

r iv 22

[...] : ÍD ḪÁD.A : GU₄.UD ina múlGÍR.TAB <<:>> TUR-ma

[...] “the river will dry up” Mercury decreases in Scorpio.

r iv 33

[...] GÁL : GENNA ina ḪUN IGI-ma GUR₄

[...] “there will be [...] Saturn appears in Aries and is exceptionally bright.

r iv 44

[...] AN.GE₆ GARan : dil-bat ina MÁŠ TUR : <<DIŠ>> 8

[...] “there will be an eclipse” Venus decreases in Capricorn.

r iv 55

[...] GU₄.UD KI-šú GUB-ma

[...] Mercury stands with it.

r iv 66

[...] AN.GE₆ GARan : múlBABBAR ina KÚŠU TUR

[...] “there will be an eclipse” Jupiter decreases in Cancer.

r iv 77

[... KI]-šú GUB-ma

[...] stands [with] it.

r iv 88

[...] x 28 20 KANA₅(KA!×MI)-ma

[...] 28, the sun gets dark and

r iv 99

[...] x 30 KANA₅(KA×MI) IGI-ma

[...] the moon appears in darkness,

r iv 1010

[...] x MAR u x

[...] ...

1The LAGAB sign is written without the top horizontal, which is “suggestive of a date of writing somewhere in the twilight of cuneiform” (George & Frame Iraq 67 (2005) p. 266) [EJ].

2The sign read as BAR can also be ŠÚ.

3The small gloss above ina ÉRIN is apparently SIG₅. The apodosis is common in extispicy texts: šá GEŠTU-MIN ina ŠÀ ÉRIN-MU DU-MEŠ, “a spy will infiltrate my army” (e.g. Koch Babylonian Liver Omens [2000] pp. 188 l. 7, 241 l. 77, 317 l. 11 [šá EME]) [EJ].

4The equation EN.EL? = alallû is not atteted elsewhere [EJ], but EL = alālu is known from elsewhere: see Civil AOAT 25 (Fs Kramer, 1976) p. 90 and Livingstone ZA 70 (1981) p. 56 [LEP].

5The number 10 after 3.3-.GIŠ might be a mistake for a colon.

6It is uncertain whether GÌR : bu-lim belongs to the previous explanation or to a new entry.

7The sign E is erased after su-ḫur-re-e. Compare the prognosis su/zu/ṣu-ḫur-re-(e) UN-MEŠ GÁL/GAR in ACh Sîn 25 l. 8 and 65, in Borger Fs Böhl (1973) p. 42 ad l. 20 and Rochberg AfO Beih 22 (1988) p. 125 D ii 4 and 126 D ii 11 [LEP]. ÙZ must therefore be a writing for nišū, elsewhere unattested, but compare ùz.LU = nammaštu (see George & Taniguchi Iraq 95 [2010] p. 95).

8There is an erasure after TUR.

Photos by Uri Gabbay

Courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum