Commentary on Šumma immeru, Izbu aḫû (CCP no. 3.6.3.E) Cuneiform Commentaries Project (2016), at http://ccp.yale.edu/P348493

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CCP 3.6.3.E - Šumma immeru, Izbu aḫû Catalogue information National Museum of Iraq W 22307/12 Uruk › Uruk, Ue XVIII/1 Schnittgraben, südl. Hä. CDLI: P348493

By Yoram Cohen |

Introduction This tablet is a commentary concerned with explicating words and phrases belonging to the šumma immeru (‘If a sheep’) omen series and possibly also to non-canonical or extraneous omens of the šumma izbu (‘If a foetus’) omen series. The colophon states that the tablet was written by Anu-ik ṣur, a member of the Šangû-Ninurta family, who lived circa 400 BCE. Publication The šumma immeru omens observe the behavior of the sacrificial animal, a male Copy: SpTU 1 72 lamb or young sheep, before and at the time of its slaughter and immediately following Photo:  its killing. The protases of the omens observe the sheep’s general behavior as well as the Uruk Foto Nr. 13013, 13016 appearance of its particular body parts, upon which the results are drawn in the apodoses. Editions:  There are a few recensions of the series, but the commentary edited here obviously Cohen, forthcoming comments on its latest and final version, sometime designated as the ‘standard’ or Besnier, 2009 (GKAB) ‘canonical’ recension. This recension is known to us from a few Neo-Assyrian and Late Hunger, 1976 : 74-76 no. 72 Babylonian manuscripts. The šumma izbu omens observe the appearances and characteristics of a still-born Commentary foetus of (usually) sheep. The standard recension of the series contains twenty-four Divination › Teratological tablets. Omens relating, but not belonging, to the series were also collected on individual omens › Izbu cola LB tablets (of which scarce evidence exists). Uruk A large portion of the commentary can be seen to explicate lines preserved in a Neoṣâtu 6a Assyrian manuscript of the šumma immeru standard recension (K 2180+). However, since Base text:  both the opening lines of the commentary and a large chunk of the beginning of the NeoŠumma immeru, Izbu aḫû Assyrian manuscript are broken, a correspondence between the commentary and the baseCommentary no: E text can be observed for only sixteen lines (obv. 15–rev. 7). Thus, it is not clear whether Tablet information the very broken obv. ll. 1–14 indeed comment on the šumma immeru omen series or on Babylonian another composition. Likewise, although in a good condition, rev. ll. 8–20 cannot find a Complete tablet (only upper clear correspondence with the standard šumma immeru recension because of gaps in the right corner missing) reconstruction of the base-text. Since, according to the colophon, the commentary Columns: 1 includes explanations on šumma izbu non-canonical omens, these lines perhaps comment Lines: obv 23, rev 23 on compositions or collections other than šumma immeru. Size:  6,7 × 9,0 × 2,2 cm The commentary is concerned with the philological explanation of difficult words and Achaemenid (5th cent - 331 signs in the base text. The main source of the explanations is the lexical tradition, but the BCE) (Uruk, Anu-ikṣur / commentator also makes occasional use of some creative philology. Thus, in l. 21 the Nippur / Babylon) rare verb iṣarrar, ‘it drops’ is given its infinitive ṣarāru ‘to flow, drip.’ However, note the Colophon

oddly written infinitive form ṣar-a-ra, instead of the customary ṣa-ra-ru. This infinitive form is then said to mean alāku, ‘to go’, an explanation that is based on the common

E

Anu-ikṣur d. Šangû-Ninurta [junior āšipu] Bibliography Cavigneaux, 1996: 149 Clancier, 2009 : 52, 54-56,71 de Zorzi, 2014: 12-13 Frahm, 2011 : 53, 95, 20910, 291, 319 Hunger, 1976 : 74-76 no. 72 Lambert, 1978b: 111b Rutz, 2014 Stol, 2014: 188 Record Besnier, 01/2009 (ATF Transliteration) Besnier, 01/2009 (Lemmatization) Cohen, 02/2016 (Translation) Cohen, 02/2016 (Introduction) Jiménez, 02/2016 (Collation) Jiménez, 02/2016 (Introduction [second part]) Jiménez, 02/2016 (Revision) Frazer, 02/2016 (Introduction [correction])

lexical equation between the Sumerian verb a-rá and the Akkadian alāku: by spelling out the verb as ṣar-a-ra, the commentator provides the rationale behind his equation. Lines r 5-7 comment on the omen “(If) its (sc. the sheep’s) neck ( GÚ) is in the place where its tail should be, the prince’s country will revolt against him.” The first commentarial explanation provides a clarification for an ambiguous description: in the protasis “(If) its (sc. the sheep’s) neck ( GÚ) is in the place of its tail,” the logogram GÚ, which usually means “neck,” is said to also mean “head.” The commentary then explains that GÚ can also mean “country,” thus providing a link between protasis and apodosis and demonstrating the internal consistency of the omen. Lines r 10-11 contain a curious notarikon analysis of the rare word

ÁB.ZÀ.MÍ

(in

Akkadian apsammikku), which is some sort of concave-sided tetragon in the exta. According to the commentary, it means “the sound hole” (lit., “the ear”), because “the sound hole” is the “window” (AB) of a “lyre” (ZÀ.MÍ).   Photographs of the tablet were kindly made available by H. Hunger for the Cuneiform Commentaries Project . A few new readings were obtained after collation using these photos by E. Jiménez: the new readings are marked with an asterisk in the edition below. Edition Powered by Oracc

o NaN 

(start of obverse missing)

o 1' [x x x] MU x NI [...]

(o 1') [...] ... [...]

2' [x x] x A MU x [...]

(o 2') [...] ... [...]

3' [x x] x RU MU x [...]

(o 3') [...] ... [...]

4' ša₂ ana

(o 4') ... tiger ... [...]

la-ra? -an-du ŠU x [...]

5' ša₂ ar-ri-šu? [x x x x x] x x [...]

(o 5') ... [...] ... [...]

6' ma-qit dan- niš [...]

(o 6') ... collapsed ... strongly [...]

7'

AR TE IK

x [x x x x] A? ḪA

[x] x [x x x] x x x [...]

(o 7') ... [...]

8' [x x] UD ḪUR [x x x x] x x [...]

(o 8') [...] ... [...]

9'

(o 9') ... [...]

BI SI*

x x [x x x x x] x [...]

10' gišTUKUL el-[lu x x x x] : x [...]

(o 10')

11' ša₂-niš kak-ku NU [x x x x x] : ḪUL₂ : [ḫi-du-tu₂] 12'

MUL₄.BI

: ZALAG₂.GA : ₂ : e-le*- e -ṣu

‘a pure weapon ... [...]. Alternatively, ‘a weapon’ not [...]. ḪÚL means [‘happiness’]. MUL₄.BI means ‘bright’(ZALAG); ḫadû means ‘to be joyful’. (Also) ‘to be bright’.

ḫa*-du*-u *

13' na-ma-ru₃ : a-a-um- ma i- red -di

UŠdi

:

(o 13') ‘Somebody will ÚS-di’ means

‘somebody will persecute’.

14' a-a-um-ma : ša₂-nam- ma i-tap-pa-lu 15' ša₂ ma-a-diš iš-ta-su-u₂ : : ni- ip-ḫi 16' ni-ip-ḫi : LUL* sur₂-ra-a-tu 17'

NU GI.NA

(o 14') ‘They will reply someone else’

means ‘they will call out loudly’. NE

.GAR

‘false omen’ means LUL; ‘falsehood’ means ‘lies’. NU GI.NA means ‘lying’; NU GI.NA means ‘not fitting’.

: tas-ri-ir-ru :

: sa-ra-a-ar : NU GI.NA

18' la šat-ti : A.GAR.GAR-šu i-ṣar-ra-ar 1 19' ša₂ piq-qa-an-ni-šu₂ i-za-ar-ru-u₂ 20' ša₂ 1en-nu-u₂ in-da-naq-qu-tu-u-nu 21' ša₂-niš i-ṣar-ra-ar : ṣar-a-ra : a-la-ku 2

22'

ḪAR

.BAD : a-mu-tu : NA.NE : qut-rin- nu

2

eyes]’ means ‘it positions (its eyes)’.

: muš-šir₃

(r 3)

‘To shake’ means ‘to tremble’. Ú.NINDÁ means ‘red flower’.

(r 4)

₂

GABA!(DUḪ).RAḪ.ḪA : ra-pa-aš GABA

5 u₂-da-ap-par : i-re-e-qu : KI KUN-su GAR GU₂-su GAR GU₂

7

GU₂

: re-eš

‘to stand still’. DÙ means ‘to fix’. BAR UDU GAZ KÚR means ‘Release the sheep! Kill the enemy!’.

3 na-ra-ṭu : sa-la-ḫu : u₂NINDA : ₂ il-lu-ru

NUN KUR-su BAL-su

(r 1) DÙ means ‘to be erect’ or it means

(r 2)

UDU.NITA ₂ duk lu₂KUR₂

6

‘liver’.

(o 23') ‘It (the sheep) pointedly stares [its

: re-tu-u : u₂-zu-uz-zu : DU₃ : za-qa-pa

4 ul-lu-ṣu : ḫa-du-u₂ :

dung-pellets’ means ‘it (the sheep) scatters its dung-pellets’. It means ‘they (the dung-pellets) repeatedly fall one by one’. Alternatively, ‘it (the sheep) drops’; ‘to drop’ (written ṣara-ra), means ‘to go’. [ḪA]R.BAD means NA.NE means ‘censer’.

DU₃

BAR UDU GAZ KUR₂

(o 18') ‘It (the sheep) drops (iṣarrar) its

(o 22')

23' [IGI-MIN-šu₂] u₂-zaq-qa-pi : ša₂ u₂-ša₂-az-za-az- za r 1

(o 15') [N]E.GAR means ‘false omen,’

: GU₂ : ki-ša₂-da :

: ma-a-ta : ME.NI : KA₂ E₂.GAL

8 ne-pel-ku-u₂ : ra-pa-šu₂ : NA GIM ṣer-ret pa-ri-is

9 ša₂ ku-up-pu-tu : nim-šu-šu : SA-ME-šu₂ : KAL

‘To be cheerful’ means ‘to be happy’. GABA!.RAḪ.ḪA means ‘the beating on the chest’.

(r 5) ‘He will go away’ means ‘he will

depart’. ‘where its (the sheep’s) tail is placed, it will place its neck, the prince’s country will revolt against him’. GÚ means ‘neck’; GÚ also means ‘head’. GÚ means ‘country’. (r 7) ME.NI means ‘palace-gate’. (r 8) ‘To be wide’ means ‘to expand’.

‘The ‘Presence’ (NA) (looks) like ‘an oarlock.’ It (refers to the ‘Presence’) that is (like) a circle. (r 9)

(The word) nimšūšu means ‘its sinews’(SA.ME-šú). KAL (means)

means ‘to be stiff’.

10 da-na-an : AB₂.ZA₃.MI₂ : ḫa-si-si : aš₂-šu₂ U

11 ap-ta ša₂ sa-am-mu-u₂ : DAR : ša₂-ta-qa 12 ki-im-da-šu₂ : nap-ḫar-šu₂ : KIN : nap-ḫa-ru₃

3

14 šit-ru-du : da- na -an : lib₃-bu-u₂ i-ziz-ma la

ta-na-aḫ-ḫi-is

16 la ta-na-kud : na-ka-du : pa-la-ḫu 17

ŠA₃.MUD

: ŠA₃ GU₄.UD : ŠA₃ GU₄.UD.GU₄.UD : gi-lit-ti

18 ni-qit-ti : na-ka-du : DI : šu-lum : AB₂ 19 le-e-tu₄ : ša-da-da : a-la-ku : [x x] x 20 na-a-šu : da-a-lu : A : [ša₂-ḫa-at]

21

22

iš -

u šu-ut KA ša₂ [x x x x x]

NIG₂.ZI.GAL₂.EDIN.NA BE UDU.

BAR-ME

ear’, because U (i.e., the Sumerian equivalent of ḫasīsu, see e.g. Aa II/4 13 = MSL 14 p. 480) is the ‘opening’ (aptu, whose logogram is AB) of the lyre (simmû, whose logogram is ZÀ.MI). (r 11) DAR means ‘to be split’.

(r 12) ‘Its hock’ (kimṭašu for kimṣašu!)

(when understood as kimtašu) means ‘all of its (frame),’ (since) KIN means ‘all’. U means ‘a hole’. U means ‘a fissure’.

13 u : ši-li : U : pil-ši : ši-it-rid-ma

15 la ta-na-ḫis : ša₂-niš

(r 10) (The word) ÁB.ZÀ.MÍ means ‘the

NITA ₂

ša₂ BE iz- bu

ša₂ KA

UM.ME.A mal- su -[tu m60-ik-ṣur]

23 lu₂MAŠ.MAŠ BAN .DA DUMU ₃ lu₂SANGA-d[nin-urta]

(r 13) (The word) šitrid (stems from) ‘to

be firm’ (šitrudu); this means ‘to be strong’. As in ‘stand and do not retreat!’. ‘Do not retreat’ has an additional interpretation, ‘do not fear’ (lā tanakkud). ‘To fear’ (nakādu) means ‘to be afraid’. ‘Fear’(ŠÀ.MUD) equals ŠÀ.GU₄.UD equals ŠÀ.GU₄.UD.GU₄.UD means ‘fear’. ‘Anxiety’ (nikitti) stems from ‘to fear’ (nakādu). (r 18) DI means ‘well-being’. ÁB means

‘cow’. ‘To move away’ means ‘to go’. This means ... ‘To quake’ means to ‘move about (unnaturally)’. A means ‘it will be w[ashed out]’.

(r 21) Lemmata and oral explanations

relating to šumma immeru [...]. (r 22) Extraneous (omens) of šumma izbu

according to the oral (explanations) of the expert; (according to) the lect[ure of Anu-ikṣur], junior exorcist, descendent of Šangû-[Ninurta].

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