If a City Is Set on a Height: The Akkadian Omen Series Šumma Alu ina Mele Šakin, vol.3; Tablets 41-63 (2017, Eisenbrauns) PDF

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IF A CITY IS SET ON A HEIGHT The Akkadian Omen Series Šumma Alu ina Mele Šakin Volume 3: Tablets 41–63 For Erle Sally M. Freedman Published for The University of Pennsylvania Museum by Eisenbrauns Winona Lake, Indiana 2017 © Copyright 2017 Sally M. Freedman All rights reserved. Printed in the Unite...

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IF

A

CITY IS SET ON A HEIGHT

The Akkadian Omen Series Šumma Alu ina Mele Šakin Volume 3: Tablets 41–63

For Erle

Sally M. Freedman

Published for The University of Pennsylvania Museum by EISENBRAUNS Winona Lake, Indiana 2017

© Copyright 2017 Sally M. Freedman All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. www.eisenbrauns.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introductory Remarks Tablet 41 .................................................................................................................... 3 Tablet 42 .................................................................................................................... 10 Tablet 43 .................................................................................................................... 16 Tablet 44 .................................................................................................................... 32 Tablet 45 .................................................................................................................... 41 Tablet 46 .................................................................................................................... 50 Tablet 47 .................................................................................................................... 59 Tablet 48 .................................................................................................................... 65 Tablet 49 .................................................................................................................... 71 Tablets 50-51............................................................................................................. 90 Tablet 52 .................................................................................................................... 92 Tablet 53 .................................................................................................................... 94 Tablet 54 .................................................................................................................... 95 Tablet 55 .................................................................................................................... 98 Tablet 56 .................................................................................................................... 107 Tablet 57 .................................................................................................................... 107 Tablet 58 .................................................................................................................... 111 Tablet 59 .................................................................................................................... 124 Tablet 60 .................................................................................................................... 133 Tablet 61 .................................................................................................................... 141 Tablet 62 .................................................................................................................... 156 Tablet 63 .................................................................................................................... 156 Transliterations of Individual Texts ..................................................................... 163 Index of Texts .......................................................................................................... 271 Bibliography ........................................................................................................... 276

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Introductory Remarks This volume is a continuation of the omen series Šumma Alu, including Tablets 42-63 out of an original total of more than 107 Tablets. Editions of previous Tablets were published by University of Pennsylvania Museum in vols. 1 (Tablets 1-21) (1998) and 2 (Tablets 22-41) (2006). Editorial principles In antiquity there were several versions of Šumma Alu, with different sequences of Tablets, different numbering systems, and sometimes different content (for instance, one version of the series may use a single Tablet for omens that occur on two separately-numbered Tablets in another version). No version of the series is preserved in its entirely, and extant texts may represent mutually inconsistent versions. The working reconstruction I use is based as much as possible on the most complete of the ancient catalogs, the Assur Catalog (see Šumma Alu, Vol. 1, pp. 322‒323). Texts are assigned to Tablets according to what fits best with the Assur Catalog scheme, even when the only extant text comes from a differently numbered version. Sources. The texts are assigned sigla based on the alpha-numeric order of their museum numbers. If no publication information is given, the text has not been published before, to my knowledge. Various scholars, notably the late E. Leichty and W. G. Lambert, made hand copies of unpublished texts available to me, and photos of unpublished texts were purchased by the University of Pennsylvania. Now images of almost all the original texts are online, either on the British Museum website or in the database CDLI (Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative). Transliterations of the individual texts are given here, rather than a Score. Reconstruction. The reconstruction of each Tablet is based on the text that comes first in the list of sigla under Sources, whether or not this is the most complete or fully written text. Translation. Where possible, I try to be consistent in using the same English word to translate a given Akkadian word, in order to give a flavor of the semantic range of the Akkadian. Where this would result in an impossibly stilted translation, however, I vary the English. Notes. Notes are at a minimum. I do not include philological discussion, and dictionaries are cited only when entries are problematic or the Akkadian equivalence of a logogram is uncommon. For logograms I use the CAD’s readings as given in the main entry for the relevant word, even though these are often not the most current readings of the Sumerian signs. Textual variants are indicated only where semantically significant. Abbreviations of publications follow CAD. Acknowledgements I express once again my gratitude to the many scholars who have helped me over the years, most especially Erle Leichty, who initiated the Šumma Alu project at the University of Pennsylvania and was unfailingly supportive for decades; also Nicla DeZorzi, whose work on Šumma Izbu and friendly collaboration helped motivate me to return to work on the Alu animal omens; Henry Stadhouders, who read drafts of several chapters; and Mark Geller, who always has an encouraging word.

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Tablet 41

TABLET 41 Tablet 41 includes omens associated with sheep. Since no connected text is preserved that can be clearly identiied as Šumma Alu, this Tablet has been pieced together from several fragments, in which there appears to be some duplication of omens cited in different orders. The sequence reconstructed here is very tentative. The ordering of Tablets 39, 40 and 41 is also uncertain. Although my reconstruction of the series generally follows the Assur Catalog, here it follows the Nineveh Catalog, where the incipit referring to a wood-beetle follows the incipit about a spider and precedes the incipit about sheep, in a logical progression that completes the topic of insects before moving on to quadrupeds; see Nineveh Cat. 11. 1 DIŠ AŠ.AŠ ti-nu-r[i a-pa-ti], 12. 1 DIŠ bu-ul-ṭi-it-t[u ina E2 DINGIR GAL2], 13. 1 DIŠ UDU ina SAG.KI-šu2 SI.MEŠ-[šu2 E3.MEŠ-ni]. However, in the Assur Catalog and the fragmentary catalog BM 68437 (AfO 48/49 235), the wood-beetle incipit occurs after the sheep incipit; see Assur Cat. iii 8-9 (DIŠ UDU ina SAG.KI-šu2 SI.MEŠ-šu2 E3.MEŠ-ni / DIŠ buul-ṭi-it-tu ina E2 DINGIR GAL2) and BM 68437 i 4′-5′ ([....K]I-šu2 SI.MEŠ-šu2 E3.MEŠ / [...-ṭ]i-tu4 ina E2 NA GAL2 (var. NA for DINGIR). This order is also relected in Text B (BM 38763) below.

Sources Standard Texts A = K.11063—1‒10 This fragment preserves a top edge. B = BM 38763—5‒10; 51′‒52′, catchline, colophon

Excerpt Texts (omens are quoted in the order in which they appear on the except text) Ex(1) = K.4079a (CT 28 38)—30′‒39′, 41′‒44′; 45′‒50′ Ex(2) = Rm.83 (CT 41 11)—12′‒38′ Ex(3) = Sm.919 (CT 41 9, obv. and rev. wrongly indicated) ii—1, 7‒8, 11′, 18′‒20′; iii—34′, 39′‒40′ This is a fragment of a two-column text. Col. i has traces of only three lines ([…] x / […] DUG3.GA / […] DUG3.GA), which probably belong to the preceding Tablet, as do col. ii 1‒2 ([…] pa x […] / […] man […]). Ex(4) = BM 35215—36′‒49′

Related Texts K.11611 This text contains only fragmentary beginnings of lines. It is apparently some sort of excerpt text, but the very short segments are unusual. It might be a catalog. The sequence of animals in lines 1‒16 follows the sequence of animals in Alu Tablets 41‒47: sheep, ox, donkey, wild ox, fox and dog. All these animals appear in the Tablet incipits except for the fox, which comes at the end the wild ox Tablet (Tablet 44). (In the reconstruction of the standard series used here, the cat omens occurred before the dog omens, but this was not the case in all traditions of ordering the series; see Tablet 45, Introduction.) Line 17 may include the broken beginning of SAL.UR, “bitch,” like Tablet 48. Alternatively, it may be the beginning of a sequence “female” (SAL), “male” (NITA), “person” (NA) in lines 17‒19.

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Tablet 41

1. DIŠ UDU […] 2. DIŠ UDU […] 3. DIŠ UDU […] 4. DIŠ GU4 […] 5. DIŠ GU4 […] 6. DIŠ GU4 […] 7. DIŠ GU4 […] 8. DIŠ ANŠE […] 9. DIŠ ANŠE […] 10. DIŠ AM […]

11. DIŠ AM […] 12. DIŠ K[A5.A …] 13. DIŠ K[A5.A …] 14. DIŠ UR.GI7 […] 15. DIŠ UR.GI7 […] 16. DIŠ UR.GI7 […] 17. DIŠ SAL […] 18. DIŠ NITA […] 19. DIŠ NA […]

Šumma Izbu Tablet 18 Izbu T.18: 1-6 // 33′‒38′; 7, 9‒14 // 1, 3‒8; 15‒20 // 26′‒31′ Alu T.41 probably included other omens that also occur in Izbu T.18, but not enough is preserved to make restorations. Though Šumma Izbu Tablets 18 through 24 focus on anomalous animal births, they also include omens taken from the appearance and behavior of animals, and Alu includes omens taken from births, so it can be dificult to sort out whether a given fragment belongs to Alu or Izbu. However, when the beginning of a protasis is preserved, the spelling of šumma offers a clue. Extensive experience with Alu texts has led me to conclude that they do not use BE for šumma (although šum4 (BE)-ma sometimes occurs in omens quoted from other sources or to indicate variant omens). See S. Moren AfO 27 (1980) 53 and De Zorzi Teratomantica 41. There are two types of sheep omens that I believe do not belong to the Alu series but are more closely associated with extispicy. These include the omens taken from the behavior of the sacriicial lamb on the way to sacriice (e.g., K.4125 [CT 41 12]) and the omens that describe the condition of entrails based on a sheep’s outward appearance (in CT 41 p. 4 Gadd says these “may seem to be associated with š. alu,” but I have found no evidence of this). BM 47938 (CT 39 26‒27) On its obverse this text contains omens taken from sexual activity of various animals with other kinds of animals, including dogs (omens 1‒9), pigs (omens 10‒15), sheep (omens 16‒19), cattle (omens 20‒23), horses (omens 24‒25) and donkeys (omens 26‒27); on the reverse are two rituals, a segment of omens taken from owls and a colophon that identiies the text as Alu Tablet 72, copied from a ired tablet from the Ezida (see Hunger Kolophone no. 427). This is Tablet 80 in the current reconstruction (see vol. 1, p. 340). For the sheep omens, see note to omens 18′‒21′. W22554/0 (SBTU 3 no. 97) This text contains omens identiied as taken from the 70th‒73rd excerpts of Alu Aḫu omens (see lines 22 and 37, which identify the foregoing as 70 and 71 nis-ḫi DIŠ URU ina SUKUD GAR-in BAR.MEŠ NU AL.TIL, respectively, and lines 39 and 41, which use a short form, 72 and 73 nis-ḫi). These omens describe animals—cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, donkeys, horses, dogs—eating a person’s clothes (lines 1‒21), hair (lines 23‒r.2) and shoe (r.3‒r.14). The catchline of this text (r.15. DIŠ [a-b]u u3. DUMU ki-it-mu-lu) appears to be the same as the incipit to Alu Tablet 105; see K.1994 (CT 39 46) r.7. DIŠ a-bu u DUMU ki-it-mu-lu NAM.ERIM2 E2 A.AB.BA ṣab-ta-at (vol. 1, p. 343).

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Tablet 41

Although not all the omens cited in this text occur in the extant portions of the standard Tablets, the donkey and horse omens appear verbatim in Tablet 43 (see notes to T.43:20‒24) and the sheep and goat omens appear to correspond to T.41:12′‒16′ and 44′ff. (see notes). Perhaps all the omens in this text originally appeared in the relevant animal tablets of the standard series. For other tablets found at Uruk that include Alu Ahu Excerpts and commentaries, see Tablets 44, 45, 46 and 49.

Commentary K.2919+ (CT 41 28) (Labat Commentaires no.3) This poorly preserved text has four sections (lines 1‒13, 14‒26, 27‒r.18 and r.18‒32), with a tally line at the end of each section mentioning Alu, but the Tablet numbers are broken away except for r.32, which identiies the last section as citations from Alu Tablet 42. However, this numbering is not consistent with the current reconstruction of the series, since the third section seems to refer to donkey omens, and the donkey omens are on Tablet 43 of the current reconstruction. Thus, this commentary may correspond to Tablets 41‒44. If so, the following lines would refer to the sheep omens, but no speciic correlations can be made. 1. [ŠU].NIR ṣal-mu divine emblem (=) statue 2. [ŠU].NIR kak-ku divine emblem (=) weapon 3. […]-im NA […] man 4. [AN.ZA].KAR3kar di-im-ti [te]ar (=) tear 5. [NU.BAN.DA UR]U ha-za-an-nu URU mayor of a cit]y (=) mayor of a city 6. [URU4-i]š in-nir-riš [it is see]ded 7. [IZ.Z]I i-ga-ru3 [wal]l (=) wall 8. [GIŠ SAG.D]U e-su-u (part of a loom (=) (part of a loom) 9. […] x ša-kin nu-u2-ru E3 mim-ma ul u2-kal-lam : ul mur-ru-uq […] is put (=) light will go out; something will be covered / not clear 10. […] ṣi-ṣi-i-tu4 […] (=) (part of a loom) 11. […] mim-ma ma-la ina E2 LU2 ba-šu-u2 […] something, as much as there is in the house 12. […] kib-si […] footprint 13. [ṣa-a-ṭ]u4 ša2 DUB.39.KAM2] DIŠ URU ina SUKUD-e GAR-in [Citations from Tablet 39(!)] If a City Is Set on a Height For discussion of all the Alu commentaries, see Frahm Commentaries 191‒202.

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Tablet 41

Reconstruction 1. DIŠ UDU ina SAG.KI-šu2 SI.MEŠ-šu2 E[3.MEŠ-ni TUR3 BI BIR-aḫ] 2. [DIŠ UDU] SI.MEŠ-šu2 GIM SI MAŠ.D[A3 …] 3. [DIŠ UDU] SI.MEŠ-šu2 ana SAG.KI-šu2 i-te-[en-mi-da TUR3 BI u2-ta-tar] 4. [DIŠ UDU] SI.MEŠ-šu2 ana EGIR-šu2 i-[te-en-mi-da TUR3 BI BIR-aḫ] 5. [DIŠ UDU] SI.MEŠ-šu2 GIM DAR3 [EN-šu2 mim-ma NU ḪAR-tu2 ŠU-su KUR2-ad] 6. [DIŠ UDU] SI.MEŠ-šu2 GIM GU4 [mi-li-e GAB KALAG-an LU2] 7. [DIŠ UDU] SI.MEŠ-šu2 ana IGI-šu2 ḫaṣ-ṣa TUR3 [BI BIR-aḫ (var.: DAGAL-iš] 8. [DIŠ UDU] SI.MEŠ-šu2 ana EGIR-šu2 ḫaṣ-ṣa TUR3 [BI BIR-aḫ] 9. [DIŠ UDU … L]U2 IGI-ma IGI.MEŠ-šu2 ana ZAG GAR.[MEŠ…] 10. [DIŠ UDU … LU2] IGI-ma IGI.MEŠ-šu2 ana GUB3 GAR.[MEŠ …] 11′. DIŠ UDU ana IGI NA ir-qu-ud ŠA3 […] (gap) 12′. [DIŠ UDU …] LU2 KU2 […] 13′. [DIŠ UDU …] LU2 KU2 x […] 14′. [DIŠ UDU …] LU2 KU2 BIR-[…] 15′. [DIŠ UDU …] LU2 KU2 GIG […] 16′. [DIŠ UDU …]-šu2 KU2 ŠUB-ti […] 17′. [DIŠ UDU …] ina UBUR-šu2 GA DU te ni i(?) x […] 18′. DIŠ UDU ana UR.GI7 TE-ḫi ba-ma-at KUR [KUR2 DIB-bat] 19′. DIŠ UDU ana UR.GI7 u2-ḫa-ni-iṣ NAM.RA [ana LU2] 20′. DIŠ UDU ana ŠAḪ TE-ḫi BIR-aḫ [E2 NA] 21′. [DIŠ] UDU ana ŠAḪ u2-ḫa-ni-iṣ ŠUB-e [E2 NA GAL2-ši] 22′. [DIŠ] UDU BABBAR SAL.AŠ2.GAR3 ir-kab la mit-gur-tu4 ina KUR 23′. DIŠ UDU.NITA2.MEŠ U5.U5 ŠA BI DUG3.[GA] 24′. DIŠ UDU.NITA2.MEŠ ir-ta-na-qu-ud ŠA3 URU BI DUG3.G[A] 25′. [DIŠ] UDU.NITA2.MEŠ SIG2.ḪI.A i-lam-ma-mu SU.KU2 bu-l[i3]

1. If a sheep’s horns gr[ow] out of its forehead, [that animal pen will be dispersed.] 2. [If a sheep]’s horns are like the horns of a gaz[elle …] 3. [If a sheep]’s horns are jo[ined] toward its forehead, [that pen will increase.] 4. [If a sheep]’s horns are jo[ined] toward its back, [that pen will be dispersed.] 5. [If a sheep]’s horns are like a mountain goat, [its owner will acquire something that does not belong to him.] 6. [If a sheep]’s horns are like an ox [—pride; superiority of the man.] 7. [If a sheep]’s horns are broken in front, [that] pen [will be dispersed (var. expand).] 8. [If a sheep]’s horns are broken behind, [that] pen [will be dispersed.] 9. [If a sheep] sees a man’s […] and its eyes are put on the right[…] 10. [If a sheep] sees […] and its eyes are put on the left […] 11′. If a sheep dances in front of a man, inside […] (gap) 12′. [If a sheep] eats a man’s […] 13′. [If a sheep] eats a man’s […] 14′. [If a sheep] eats a man’s […]—dispersal of […] 15′. [If a sheep] eats a man’s […] a sick man […] 16′. [If a sheep] eats his […]—decease of […] 17′. [If] milk lows in a sheep’s udder, … […] 18′. If a sheep approaches a dog (sexually), [an enemy will seize] the plain of the land. 19′. If a sheep rubs against a dog (sexually)—booty [for the man.] 20′. If a sheep approaches a pig (sexually)—dispersal of [the man’s house.] 21′. [If] a sheep rubs against a pig (sexually), [there will be] abandonment of [the man’s house.] 22′. [If] a white sheep mounts a she-goat— disagreement in the land. 23′. If sheep mount each other—it will be happy. 24′. If sheep are persistently dancing—that city will be happy. 25′. [If] sheep chew their wool—famine for cat[tle.]

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Tablet 41

26′. [If] sheep murmur in their pen, that pen will be dispersed. 27′. If sheep butt each other in their pen, that pen will be dispersed. 28′. [If] sheep are persistently restless in their pen, that pen will be dispersed. 29′. If sheep in their fold are agitated, [there will be] no defeat for himself. 30′. If sheep ditto (in their fold) ditto (are agitated) and run around, that pen will be dispersed. 31′. If sheep eat each other’s feces, the sheep and goats will experience famine. 32′. If one slaughters a sheep and its cut-off head stares at his …, a god’s desire […] 33′. If a ewe eats her lamb, an enemy [will consume] the property of your land. 34′. If a ewe cries, the mistress of the house […] 35′. If a ewe brays, an enemy will take over that pen; decease of [cattle.] 36′. If a ewe is persistenly agitated, that pen [will be dispersed.] 37′. If a ewe in a pen murmurs like a man, the children of the house [will be taken as] boo[ty, and their mother will mourn for them.] 38′. If a ewe is murmuring in a man’s house, someone else will take the man’s house; the mist[ress of the house will mourn.] 39′. If milk lows in the udder of an unmated ewe, violent death […] 40′. If a ewe lies down in a man’s house, Ištar of the sea(?) in the man’s house […] 41′. If a ewe discharges either her feces or her urine in a man’s bed, Ištar [will …] a Lilu demon in the man’s [house(?).] 42′. If ewes butt each other and … , Ištar will change and … […] 43′. If milk lows in the udder of an unmated shegoat, … […] ditto, ditto […] 44′. [If] a ewe eats a man’s clothes […] 45′. If a goat eats a man’s clothes—[shortage / there will be an injury of a man in the house.] 46′. If a goat eats a man’s cloak—[intention of evil / there will be sorrow for the man.] 47′. If a goat eats a man’s sash, [the man’s wife will experience illness.]

26′. [DIŠ] UDU.NITA2.MEŠ ina TUR3-šu-nu i-da-mu-mu TUR3 BI BIR-aḫ 27′. DIŠ UDU.NITA2.MEŠ ina TUR3-šu-nu it-tak-ki-pu TUR3 BI BIR-aḫ 28′. [DIŠ] UDU.NITA2.MEŠ ina TUR3-šu-nu ig-da-na-lu-tu4 TUR3 BI BIR 29′. DIŠ UDU.NITA2.MEŠ ina ru-ub-ṣi-šu-nu it-ta-ar-ra ŠUB.ŠUB SU-šu2 NU [GAL2-ši] 30′. DIŠ UDU.NITA2.MEŠ KIMIN KIMIN u il-ta-na-su-mu TUR3 BI BIR-a[ḫ] 31′. DIŠ UDU.NITA2.MEŠ ŠEŠ A.GAR.GAR ŠEŠ KU2.MEŠ MAŠ2.ANŠE SU.KU2 IGI-ma[r] 32′. DIŠ UDU iṭ-bu-uḫ-ma qa2-qa2-su KUD-su GAN-šu2 u2-bal-la-aṣ / i-riš-ti DINGIR x […] 33′. DIŠ U8 SILA4-sa3 KU2 NIG2.ŠU KUR-ka KUR2 K[U2] 34′. DIŠ U8 i-bak-ki DAM E2 […] 35′. DIŠ U8 i-na-ag-gu-ug TUR3 BI KUR2 KUR-su ŠUB-ti [bu-li5] 36′. DIŠ U8 i-ta-na-ar-ra-ar TUR3 BI B[IR-aḫ] 37′. DIŠ U8 ...