Sumerian·Book

Position in chronology

SAA 08 339. Comet and Evening Last of Jupiter (RMA 181B) [planetary]

~670 BCE·Neo-Assyrian·P336489

Translation · reference

High confidence
(1) [If] a comet [becomes visible in the path of the stars of] Anu: [fall of Elam. Its] people [......] will be confused [......] city with city [......] brother will kill brother [......] the king of Elam [......] his days are near (to their end). (r 3) If the sun rises in a cloudbank: 3,20 will become furious and raise weapons. [3,20 means "king."] (r 5) [Ju]piter remained ste[ady in] the sky for a month of da[ys]. May [the king of a]ll lands be everla[sting]! (r 8) [From Ašaredu].

Source: Hunger, H. 1992. Astrological Reports to Assyrian Kings. SAA 8. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/saa08/P336489/

Why it matters

Transliteration

[1] ṣal-lum-mu-[u ina KASKAL šu-ut] / [o] da-num [IGI ŠUB-tim NIM.MA.KI] / UN-MEŠ ⸢x⸣+[x x x x x] / SÙḪ-MEŠ [x x x x x] / URU KI ⸢URU⸣ [x x x x] / ŠEŠ ŠEŠ ⸢GAZ⸣ [x x x x] / LUGAL NIM.MA.⸢KI⸣ [x x x] / UD-MEŠ-šú qer-⸢bu⸣ / 1 20 ina ni-du KUR-ḫa 3.20 ŠÚR-[ma] / GIŠ.TUKUL ÍL-ši [3.20 LUGAL] / [MUL].SAG.ME.GAR ITI UD-[MEŠ] / [i-na] ⸢AN-e⸣ ik-tu-[un-ma] / [LUGAL] ⸢KUR⸣.KUR lu da-[ri] / [ša ma-šá-ri-du]

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 P336489.

Attribution

Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P336489). 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/P336489/.

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