Catalogue information

John Rylands Library, University of Manchester

JRL 1053

Aššur›(Aššur, House of the Exorcist)

CDLI:

P430865

Publication

Copy:

Iraq 62 48

Lambert Folio 45 [copy]

Editions:

Geller, 2016M. J. Geller, Healing Magic and Evil Demons. Healing Magic and Evil Demons. De Gruyter, 2016.: 393

Commentary

Magic›Udughul, Marduk’s address›Marduk’s address

mašʾaltu

Base text:

Marduk’s Address, Muššuʾu, and Udughul

Commentary no:

Tablet information

Assyrian

Complete tablet

Columns:

Lines:

17 lines

Size:

3,0 × 6,2 × 1,7 cm

7th cent (Assurbanipal libraries and other Assyrian cities)

Colophon

Kiṣir-Nabû

Bibliography

al-Rawi, 2000F. N. H. al-Rawi, “Cuneiform Inscriptions in the Collections of the John Rylands Library, University of Manchester”, Iraq, vol. 62, pp. 21-63, 2000.: 48

Frahm, 2011E. Frahm, Babylonian and Assyrian Text Commentaries. Origins of Interpretation. Ugarit-Verlag, 2011.: 32, 123-26, 269

Gabbay, 2016U. Gabbay, The Exegetical Terminology of Akkadian Commentaries. Brill, 2016.: 53 (2, 12, 13), 29–30 (11–15)

Geller, 2016bM. J. Geller, “Appeasing the Ghost of W. G. Lambert”, N.A.B.U. Nouvelles Assyriologiques Brèves et Utilitaires, vol. 2016/80, 2016.
[On the colophon]

Lambert, 1999aW. G. Lambert, “Marduk's Address to the Demons”, in Mesopotamian Magic. Textual, Historical, and Interpretative Perspectives, T. Abusch and van der Toorn, K. , Eds. Styx, 1999, pp. 291-296.
[In addition to the published Assur commentary, there is also a small oblong tablet from the very same scribe commenting on two lines from this text, part of a quite different K commentary, and a section from a Late Babylonian commentary expounding every line, but entirely differently from the other commentaries.]: 291

Record

Frahm & Jiménez & Frazer, 06/2016 (Collations)

Frahm & Jiménez & Frazer, 06/2016 (Translation)

Frahm & Jiménez & Frazer, 06/2016 (Introduction)

May, 07/2016 (Correction [introduction])

Jiménez, 08/2016 (Commentary markup)

By Eckart Frahm & Enrique Jiménez & Mary Frazer |

How to cite

Frahm, E. & Jiménez, E. & Frazer, M., 2016, “Commentary on Marduk’s Address, Muššuʾu, and Udughul (CCP 2.2.1.A.b),” Cuneiform Commentaries Project (E. Frahm, E. Jiménez, M. Frazer, and K. Wagensonner), 2013–2024; accessed December 9, 2024, at https://ccp.yale.edu/P430865. DOI: 10079/bcc2g3s

BibTex XML RIS

Introduction

This small landscape-oriented tablet from Assur contains commentarial notes on two lines of the incantation Marduk’s Address to the Demons, a line of an incantation so far attested only in Muššu’u, and a line of Udugḫul III. This tablet contains the first known commentary on an incantation from Muššuʾu. The explanatory lines on Udugḫul III are identical with those of LKA 82 ll. 2-7 (CCP 2.2.2),1 whose format is very similar to the present tablet, and which may stem from the calamus of the same scholar.

According to the colophon, the tablet is a “questioning” (maš’altu) of Kiṣir-Nabû, who can be identified with the well-attested Kiṣir-Nabû who lived in Aššur in the late seventh century BCE (son of Šamaš-ibni, son of Nabû-bēssunu, son of Baba-šumu-ibni). As a stand-alone designation of a commentary, the term maš’altu is unusual, but see, for instance a catalog tablet from Aššur, which refers to maš-al-a-te šá sa.gig.2

The present edition has benefited from the use of an unpublished copy by W. G. Lambert, and from discussion with Mark Geller. It has been collated with the help of the CDLI photo.

1. As already noted by E. Frahm, Babylonian and Assyrian Text Commentaries. Origins of Interpretation. Ugarit-Verlag, 2011. P. 125
2. For this and further possible attestations, see E. Frahm, Babylonian and Assyrian Text Commentaries. Origins of Interpretation. Ugarit-Verlag, 2011. Pp. 56. See also maš-al-ti ša šumma ittātu lemnētu ana bīt amēli ittanammarū in BM 38271 (CCP 2.3) and maš-ʾ-al-ti ša enūma anu enlil in BM 75228 (CCP 3.1.58.D.a)

Edition

ccpo

Iraq 62, 048 JRL 1053[via ccpo]


Obverse
x9	obverse
11	ana-ku ^dasar-lú-ḫi šá ina ra-ma-ni-šú DÙ^u ⸢ana⸣-[ku]	(1) “I am Asalluḫi, he who was created by himself I am” (= Marduk’s Address l. 47). (To be interpreted) as follows: he is called Anšar (on account of) the month Ulūlu (VI).
22	ma-a ina UGU ú-lu-lu an-šár qa-⸢bi⸣1
33	ana-ku ^dasar-lú-ḫi šá a-⸢šar⸣ šil-la-te^! la i-qab-bu-u ⸢ana⸣-[ku]2	(3) “I am Asalluḫi, he who is not mentioned at the place of blasphemy (šillatu) I am” (= Marduk’s Address l. 45). On account of the tablet (kamme) that Marduk has created, the scholar does not pierce it (lā isallit) nor puncture it. (To be interpreted) as follows: Marduk is the binder (kāmû) of his parents and brothers.
44	ina ŠÀ kam-me šá ^dMES DÙ-šú UM.ME.A la ⸢i⸣-sal-lit3
55	la i-⸢tak⸣-kip ma-a ^dAMAR.UTU ka-mu-u AD-MEŠ-šú ŠEŠ-MEŠ-⸢šú⸣4
66	ina lìb-bi ÉN dup-pir lem-nu	(6) From: “Incantation: Be released, evil!” (= Marduk’s Address).

77	⸢ki⸣-bi gur₄-⸢gur₄^⸣ ki-⸢bi^ ì^*⸣-gal-gal	(7) (Sumerian) kibi gurgur kibi igalgal, (Akkadian) “with it (sc. ‘death’) they are fat, with it they are big” (= Muššuʾu VI 5). It is said ... bound.
88	it^-ti^-šú^* i-⸢kab^-bi-ru^⸣ KI-šú i-ra-bu-u
	lower edge
99	x x x (x) ⸢x x x rak-su⸣ qa-⸢bi⸣5
1010	ina lìb-bi ÉN úš ḫul-ŋál	(10) From: “Incantation: Evil Death!” (= Muššuʾu VI).

	reverse
1111	a-na É ina e-re-bi-ia ^dUTU ina IGI-ia ^d30 ina ⸢EGIR⸣-ia6	(11) “When I enter the house, Šamaš is in front of me and Sîn is behind me” (Udugḫul III 142 und 144). (To be interpreted) as follows: When my face is directed towards the rising sun, the following (applies): Šamaš is in front of me, Sîn is behind me.
1212	ma-a šum-ma ina ^{d^!}UTU^!.⸢È^!⸣ pa-ni-ia šak^!-nu7
1313	ma-a ^dUTU ina IGI-ia ^d30 ina ár-ki-ia
1414	^d⸢IŠKUR⸣ ina im-ni-ia ^dMAŠ ina GÙB-ia	(14) “Nergal is to my right, Ninurta is to my left” (Udugḫul III 146 und 148). In my mouth ...
1515	ina KA-ia ḫa-⸢riš⸣
1616	ina ŠÀ ÉN pu-ṭur ⸢lem⸣-[nu]	(16) From: “Incantation: Be released, evil!” (= Marduk’s Address).

1717	⸢maš-al⸣-ti ^mki-ṣir-^dPA	(17) “Questioning” of Kiṣir-Nabû.

1For some discussion on this explanation, see Frahm GMTR 5 pp. 355-359.

2On the interpretation of this difficult line, see Frahm GMTR 5 pp. 94.

3The reading UM.ME.A stems from Mark Geller.

4The explanation is triggered by the phonetic similarity between salātu and šillatu. Both salātu and takāpu have a approximate meaning “to pierce”; they both are equated in lexical lists with Sumerian dar (see CAD S 94b and T 68b). A second explanation is then appended, motivated by the similarity between kamme and kāmû.

5M.J. Geller suggests reading the beginning as ina a-ki-tu₄.

6The explanation contained in lines 11-16 of the present text appears also in LKA 82 o 3-7 (CCP 2.2.2).

7The reading šak-nu at the end stems from Mark Geller.