Sumerian·Book

Position in chronology

SAA 08 274. Full Moon on 14th Day (RMA 146) [lunar]

~670 BCE·Neo-Assyrian·P240139

Translation · reference

High confidence
(1) If on the 14th day the moon and sun are seen together: reliable speech; the land will become happy; the gods will remember Akkad favorably; there will be joy among people. (5) If the moon and sun are in balance: the land will become stable; reliable speech will be placed in the mouth of people; the king of the world will make the throne last long. (8) If the moon and sun are in opposition: the king of the land will widen his understanding. (r 1) [If] Mercury dis[appears] in the west: when it appears, it will rain; when it disappears, it will rain. (r 3) Mars carried radiance. The red planet (means) plenty for the people; the red planet (means): plagues will be raging. (r 6) The red planet is Mars. (r 7) From Nergal-eṭir.

Source: Hunger, H. 1992. Astrological Reports to Assyrian Kings. SAA 8. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/saa08/P240139/

Why it matters

Transliteration

1 UD 14-KÁM 30 ù 20 KI a-ḫa-meš IGI-MEŠ / KA GI.NA ŠÀ KUR DÙG.GA / DINGIR-MEŠ KUR—URI.KI ana SIG₅-tim / i-ḫa-as-sa-su ḫu-ud ŠÀ UN-MEŠ GAR-an / 1 30 ù 20 šit-qu-lu KUR GI.NA / at-mu-ú ki-i-nu ina pi-i UN-MEŠ GAR-an / LUGAL kiš-šat GIŠ.GU.ZA ú-lab-bar / 1 30 ù 20 šu-ta-tu-ú / LUGAL KUR uz-na ú-rap-pa-áš / [1] MUL.UDU.IDIM.GUD.UD ina dUTU.ŠÚ.A ⸢TÙM⸣ / ⸢IGI.LAL?⸣-ma A.AN ŠUR-nun TÙM-ma A.AN ŠUR-nun /…

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 P240139.

Attribution

Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P240139). source
Translation excerpted from Hunger, H. 1992. Astrological Reports to Assyrian Kings. SAA 8. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/saa08/P240139/.

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