Sumerian·Book

Position in chronology

SAA 08 113. Mercury Sighted in Scorpius (Kislev) (Nv.4) [planetary]

~670 BCE·Neo-Assyrian·P336305

Translation · reference

High confidence
(1) If the moon becomes visible on the 1st day: reliable speech; the land will become hap[py]. (3) If the day reaches its normal length: a reign of long days. (5) If the moon at its appearance we[ars] a crown: the king will reach the highest rank. (7) Mercury became visible in the east. (8) If Scorpius is black: therein will be reconciliation and peace in the land. (r 1) [If a planet] becomes visible within a month: rain and flood. (r 2) [If a] fog rolls [in Kislev (IX): severity of] cold spells. (r 4) [Cold spells (mean)] cold. (r 5) [If] there is continually fog [in the land: the dynasty of the land] will rule [the world]. (r 7) From Bulluṭu.

Source: Hunger, H. 1992. Astrological Reports to Assyrian Kings. SAA 8. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/saa08/P336305/

Why it matters

Transliteration

1 30 UD 01-KAM IGI.LAL KA ⸢GI.NA⸣ / ŠÀ KUR DÙG.[GA] / 1 UD-mu ana ŠID-MEŠ-šú GÍD.DA / BALA UD-ME GÍD.⸢DA⸣ / 1 30 ina IGI.LAL-šú AGA a-[pir] / LUGAL SAG.KAL-tú DU-ak / dGUD.UD ina dUTU.È it-ta-mar / 1 MUL.GÍR.TAB GI₆ ina ŠÀ-šú / ⸢taš-mu⸣-u SILIM-mu ina KUR GÁL-ši / [1 MUL.UDU].⸢IDIM⸣ ina ITI IGI.LAL A.AN u A.KAL / [1 ina ITI.GAN IM].DUGUD iq-tur / [da-na-an e]-⸢ri⸣-ia-a-ti / [e-ri-ia-a-ti] ku-uṣ-ṣu / [1 ina KUR IM].⸢DUGUD⸣ sa-dir / [BALA KUR kiš-šú]-tú i-bé-li / ⸢ša⸣ m[bu]-ul-lu-ṭi

Scholarly note

Astrological report from a court scholar to an Assyrian king, edited by Hermann Hunger (SAA 8, 1992). Celestial and meteorological observation correlated with omens. ORACC text P336305.

Attribution

Image: Adapted from Hermann Hunger, Astrological Reports to Assyrian Kings (State Archives of Assyria, 8), 1992. Lemmatised by Mikko Luukko, 2016-17, as part of the research programme of the Alexander von Humboldt Chair in the Ancient History of the Near and Middle East at LMU Munich (Karen Radner, Humboldt Professorship 2015). The annotated edition is released under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license 3.0. Please cite this page as http://oracc.org/saao/P336305/..
Translation excerpted from Hunger, H. 1992. Astrological Reports to Assyrian Kings. SAA 8. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/saa08/P336305/.

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