T :

..:* F Le,,l,ly
.n &J""3{ilis" P' (e*rJ; ceJt; A g.,rn l, {,. l-/,n.n;rg ( Sl,,Ji",
1. --co.{_,,.r
i q, (
Pl,l*tlel7hr c,-tltt) tt' t- lSj
L
$.ltd f :l
o(". P,..tl."i iA -t ,!. knr,'ne,"FrnJ
'E

Adad,-apla-iddina,
Esagil-kTn-apli,
and the Series
SA.CIC
IRVINGL. FINKET

In 1956J.V. Kinnier-Wilsonpublisheda recentlydiscoveredpiece of a Nimrud tablet that

containedpart of a catalogueto themedicalomenseriesSA.GIG.IA brokensectionof thattablet
describesthe role played by a significantredactor,ESguzi-gin-a,but the name of the king under
whom he workedis broken(dX-apla-iddina), andhasproveda point of discussion.2Subsequently,
the samescholaridentified, joined, and published(in transliteration
only) the remainderof the
Nimrud tablet.3The new piece addedalmostall the remainingincipitsto SA.GIG,and added
similarinformationfor the physiognomicomenseriesAlamdimm0,Katadugg0,and associated
texts.
The identification of a duplicateto the Nimrud catalogue(ND 4358+4366)in BM 41237*now
establishesfor certainthat the nameof the king was Adad-apla-iddina, givesfuller information
about the editing of the series,and adds the few SA.GIG incipitsthat were previouslyeither
- broken,or altogethermissing.
\-,

THE NEW MANUSCRIPT

+ 466tr/(81-8-30,73)
BM 41237(81-4-28,785) + 47163(81-8-30,685){
represents
slightlymore
than the lower half of a single-columntablet; it measuresT.4x 11.0(at maximum) X 1.8cms., and
there seems every likelihood that when complete it contained the same material as did the

l. Seelrcq l8 (195€)130-l.ltl. SecondDynasty of Isin (f067-f046B.C.); seealso f. A.

2. I{arduk-apla-iddinawas suggested in Irag 18 (1950) Brinkman,A PoliticalHistorg of Post-Kassite Babylonit
136;W. C. Lambert proposedNabu-apla-iddina in JCS ll 1158-7228.C.,AnOr 43 (Rome,1968),p. I4l. For thereign
(1957)8; J. A. Brinkmanopted for the samein JCS 16 of Adad-apla-iddina seerecentlyC, B. F. Walker,in G. van
(1962)96 sub 24.3.3;comparedso StudiesPresentedto A. Driel et al., eds.,ZikirSumim (Leiden,1982),pp. 39&4f7.
Leo Oppenheim(Chicago,f904),p. 37.1.1.A. van Dijk 3. lraq % (1982)52-82.
later showed (VorleufigerBerichttiber die von der Not- 4. BM 46807and 47163wire joined by C. B. F. Walker
gemeinschaft der Deutschen
Wissenschaft 18[Berlin,I962], in 1977;BM 41.237 wasjoinedand the text identifiedby the
p. 5l) that the king shouldbe Adad-apla-iddina of the presentwriter
143
 L44 IRVING L. FINKEL

Nimrud tablet ND 4358+4366.The 8f-4-28 and 8l-8-30 collectionsof the British Museumboth
consistof tabletsbrought to Englandby Hormuzd Rassams; the provenances are statedin the
DepartmentRegistersto be Babylonfor 41237and46ffi7,while 47163 hasno provenance quoted.
The scriptis Bdbylonian,smallandneat,andprobablyNeo-Babylonian ratherthanlater;thesign
forms are not dissimilarfrom thosein many tabletsin a Babylonianhand from the libraries at
Nineveh. A copy of BM 41237+is given below as Fig. I.

THE EDITORIALWORKON SA.GIG

The authorship of the medical and physiognomic omens was anciently attributed to Ea,6but it
is evident that by the turn of the second millennium BC a proliferation of tablets, recensions and
variants required a firm human editorial hand; and in the remarkable passage studied below
, (already partly known from ND 4358+) we are informed that order was brought to bear on the
\- problem by one ESguzi-gin-a.
" The name of this scholar-scribe is well-known. The Akkadian equivalent to his name (written
.ds-gri-zi-gi-in-a) is given in VR 44iii447 as^C-sag-g{I-ki-in-ap-li,and he is also listed as one of the
famed of ficial urnman1,"(chief) scholars," in W 20030,7,the Seleucid Lrst of Sagesand Scholarss
in the following context:
16 lina tcr-pd'x-x ] -x LUGAL^ A-sag-giL-kd-i-ni- DUMU.Nl^tA urn- rwn' nu
L7 lina-tar-$r] .dIM-TDUMU.NITAI-MU.SUM LUGAL^d-sag-gil-ki-i-ni-ubt-ba-(sdcl)utn-rrlan-nu
18 lina t ar- gli.dAG-NIc. DU-SES LUGAL* e-sag- gil-ki-i- ni-ub- ba lU (sicI ) um- mnn-nu
Esagil-kini-ubba (Saggil-kinam-ubbib), probably the author of the Babylonian Theodicy,e is
shown to have served as umm.dnu both under Nebueha dnezzar I and Adad-apla-iddina; his
c:ueer thus spanned at least thirty-five years, although the reigns are given in reverse order.r0
Saggil-krnam-ubbib is independently known to have worked under Adad-apla-iddina, from
K.10802rev. I-2.rr On the basis of the present evidence one might hazard that Esagil-kin-apli was
Adad-apla-iddina's first appointed ummdnu, but that he died in office and was replaced by
, Saggil-kInam-ubbib, but van Dijk's remarks on W 20030,'l:L6rzmake the expectedrestoration of
\- Adad-apla-iddina's name unlikely.r3 A text that might have given evidence were it more
complete, is the TDP tablet A U4L Dated in its colophon to ITI APIN UD I7.KAM [MU n.KAM
mdX-DUMU.NIITA-SUM-na LUGALKA.ptNCln.nA.KI,14 the tablet can now be reasonablydated to the
reign of Adad-apla-iddina, and seen as an example of the Esagil-krn-apli edition.

5. See I. E. Reade in E. Leichty, Catalogueof the
BabylonianTablas in the BritishMuseum8: Tabletsfrom
Sippar,l (l,ondon,1988),pp. xxx-xxxii.
6. See/CS16 (1962)u,K.2242-4.
7. See/CS lr (1957)13.
8. Publishedby I. I. A. van Dijk, UVB 18,pp.44-52'
9. CompareW. G. Lambert,/CS U (1957)12;BabU'
IonianWisdomLiterature (Oxford, 1960),pp. 63-64.On
of K.I0802:Isee/CS 16(1962)66,andI' J.
the restoration
A. van Dijk, UVB f8, pp. 46 and51.
,:,
10. See|. A. Brinkman,AnOr 43, p. ll5 n. 841.
ll. SeeW. G. Lambert,BWL63-64;/CS16 (1962)60,
and J. A. Brinkman,AnOr 4i],p. l4l n. 852.
12. UVB 18,p. 51.
13. The transliterationsuggestsa surviving hace of the
RN ("vielleicht Raum frir drei Zeichen"),but this is not
shownin the copy (pl. 27),nor in thatlaterprinted inBagh.
Min. Beiheft2 asno. 89.
14. Collatedbv I. A. Black;seeStudiesOppenheim,p.
37 n. 219.
 ADAD-APLA-IDDINA, ESAGIL-KIN-APLI,AND THE SERIESSA,CIC 145
Esagil-kin-apli's"father" is shown by the new duplicateto be Asallu[i-mansum(not "I5taran-
Se5-mansum),15whofunctioned asapkallu(ttuN.ur),orSage,inthereignof $ammurapi.ramaru
here evidently must mean"descendant."In the Uruk list the term ap kallu ischieflyur"d fo, those
scholarsdating to pre-Flood Days,rTalthoughtherewas a NUN.MEunder Enmerkar, and the
scholar who lived under Gilgame5rEwas likewise a NUN.ME.No scholar from the reign of
$ammurapi is given in the Uruk list.
The catalogueopenswith the forty incipits to the seriesSA.GIG,and divides the tablets into
sub-seriesas is alsofound in the colophonsknown from the sourcesin Labat TDp.Eachentry is
ruled,and eachincipit is prefacedwith the numberof linesin the tablet.Bothmanuscripts
share
the same format, although where the line totals are preservedin both, there is no agreement.
After the incipits for SA.GIGcomesthe unusualpassagethat describesEsagil-krn-apli's work.
Appendedto the catalogueasit is,the passage thusqualifieseffectivelyasa colophon.The style
of the SA.GIG cataloguediffers in both manuscriptsfor the succeedingentriesin that line totals
for the individual tabletsareomitted.It might well be that originallythe catalogueto SA.GIG and
the catalogue to Alamdimmfi and related texts were separate, and were subsequently
amalgamated.This is in somemeasureborne out by the placingof what we have termed the
U colophonto SA.GIG.
The end of the Nimrud tabletND 4358+is badly broken,but thephrasenigirli elzidal,"secret
of Ezida" (A 92) fits well with its discovery in Nab0's temple Ezida at Nimrud, and it seems
probable that BM 41?.37+, if not itself from Borsippa,originatedtextually in a manuscriptfrom
Ezida in Borsippa'Thus we are dealingwith the Borsippaeditionof SA.GIGfrom the Sage
of
Borsippa;seeB 2l' below.
The piecesND 4358and 4366have now been ioined and further cleaned,and A. Black has
J.
recentlyprepared a completenew copy for inclusionin the forthcomingvolume of Late Assyrian
textsfrom the Nab0 templelibrary at Nimrud.teHis very considerablekindnessin making this
copy availableprior to publicationand collatingseveralpassages hasmeantthat a transliteration
of the tablet, revisedin the light of the Babylonianduplicate,canbe given here.20 The incipits are
thusgiven in full for the convenienceof future workerswith the series.zrOne or two difficulties
still remain, but the forty incipits in this edition of sA.GIG are now complete.
The following transliterationis basedon A : ND 4358+4366, restoredwhere necessaryafter B
: BM 4I?37+; where B haspreferablereading,however,it is adopted
in the transliteration.
Variationsand sundry observationson new readingsare given in the footnotes.Where the line
totals are preservedin A and B they are quoted in that order.

15. Correct thereforelraq 18 (lg50) 136;UVB lg, p. 51,
etc.
16. On the possible implications of this see W. G.
Lambert,/CS fr (1957)&7.
17. Seedso E. Reiner, OrNS 30 (f961) 7; j. j. A. van
Diik, UVB 18,pp.4&47.
18. If correctlyunderstood;seeUVB 18,pp. 5G51.
19. D. I. Wiseman,J. A. Black,LiteraryTertsfromthe
Nabu Temple (CTN 4), fortbcoming.
2.0.J. V. Kinnier Wilson has commented on these
incipits in the above-mentioned articles, so translations are
not given here.
2I. Labat has rather simplified the manuscript difficul-
ties in TrcitA akkadien de diagnostics et prognostics
m0dicaux (Leiden, l95I); the problem will need investi-
gation if a new edition is undertaken incorporating tbe
many new sources and commentaries, published and
unpublished. Compare, for example, E. Leichty, Af O %
(1975) 82-88.
 146 IRVINC L. FINKEL

SA.GIGTABLETSI.XL

Transliteration

Obv. A t [sec oun.uns z S]u.rNIGIN2] Ja se.ctc.uEsMU.x22

MU.MES

A2 I t. . e-nu-rnaanaftj rl(r'l'clc KA'PIRIG

DU-ku
rl0.ctct DU-ku
A3 III i. . . DISLUanaL)

L4 t'... ....']xxxGIBILNUTIL

A5 [NtctN e-nu)-mo anaE rl0.ctcl KA.PIRIG

DU-rkzl

U A6 III t. ' .] ana GIcina TE-ka

L7 IV t. . .l DISSAG.KI fie-si-ma
A8 v t. . .l DIs IGI ls-Jl KII-Jti
AI VI t. . .l DISKIR{'Jti
A I0 VII . -[' . .] DISEME'JtisA,-r411
A II VIII t. . .l DISGESTUG Li>.i;drtar-kdtl
A LZ IX t. . .] DISGIGPa-nu'di sls24
A 13 X i. . .] DIScIG r6f'srr12s
' XI t. ..1 DlSrit-ta-{ilJd l5KU-r&ir
A 14
A 15 XII t. . ' DISIGABA-sz xt1-[,fti]
A 16 XIII t. . . DIs sAlGSA'Jri[se']
A 17 XIV I. . ' DISsli-l,J I5-Jri [se,-dt]

A18 [NtctN 4nd c]I[c] inaTEka

, AI9 t.... .lx2osun.clntl.pab-[tua]

A20 XV t. . . DISu]D l.xet''t crG-maGARTAG-f[4

A 21 XVI t. . . DISu]D l.xav crc-masAG-rsur KII-Jd
A22 xvII t. . .] rplsr ina sAGGIG-Jti
rRbu-bu:-tair-taJdil
A 23 XVIII I. . .l DISGIGsu'[&r]
Atut XIX t. . .l DrSi-mirnu SED'
L25 XX t. . .l DIScIGnn-kalll
L26 XXI 100 sILIlr{'ME$rna
DISNIcIN SA.MES-JII

22. SignperhapsB[I] or N[E]. To mark tbeheading,the copy unambiguous'

'
whole line is in largeiscript ihan the remainder. 21 Contra lraq L4 (1962)55, evidentlyconfused;new
23. Signs11L"rJU BIr' copy unambiguous'
. 24. Contra lraq 24 (1962)55, evidentlyconfusedtnew 26. x = lower half of brokenvertical.
 ADAD.APLA-IDDINA,ESAGILKIN.APLI,AND THE SERIESSA.GIG L47

L27 XXII 88 DISclc ris-bdr1I2u327 crGinardel-re-e-tiil-teJn|l-

eb-bu
A 28 XXIII 103 DISrzEl ep-ru
A 29 XXIV I37 DISTGIGT GIS.HASHUR APIN-'J
A 30 XXV 85 DISIZI.GAR {d ina SAGLIJ.GIG
Kun.nu

A 31 Su.NrcrNt4 uS20 DrSuD I.KAMctc-ma sA xzEr54t15gx.s1s1tr

sab-tun

A32 XXVI 60 DISSUB-trSuB-su-rna

433 XXVIIII 60 DISNA mi-{it-ti pa-ni ma-Jid-ma
A 34 B l' XXVIII 160?1 duma-maSu.crolpt.vAana AN.TA.SUB.BAGUR-Jri
435 XXIX LM rplg al1gg4L.UR.RA rpgurl2e.g1g.1g
A36 XXX U DrScrc-rtu KA-JIBAD.BAD-rtu1

A 37 B 4' NIGIN4+2 uSzGf[. . . uS S]u[n-t]riSun-su-rna

SA.GIG
*SUKUD.GIM
AN.TA.SUB.BA

A 38 B 5' XXXI 8l DISUD.DATtB-su-nl,a

A 39 B 6' XXXII t. . .l DrSrM i,{-biS-su-ma
L 40 87' XXXIII t. . .] DISrclcr cAR-Jrisp rs4?1-'74-nus SudME.ME
A 4l B 8' XXXIV t. . .] DISrNArond MUNUS-JIi SA-Jritlrl-{il-ma
A 42 B 9' XXXV t. . .l rptSNer IcI.ME$.fdNIGIN.MES-d,3r

A43 BrO' [NtctN] 3+[. . .] uS 5t, DIS UD.DA TtLB-su-rnasuKUD.cIM

Rev. A 44 B Ll' XXXVI L47 {unto-maTU PESn-mc ucu slAc].rKlr-ff [sIGr]

A 45 B 12' XXXVI f t8/98 DrSMUNUS.pESI crc-rnd
A 46 B 13, XXXVN MT/T43 DISN,IUNUS A.JdUD 3.xeu x-JtJ33
A 47 B L4' XXXIX 152/82 DrSMUNUSba-ri"{-tii-di-ip rdr-[g]iJ-Ju3{
A 48 B 15' XL 82+tu1/I44DrSLO.ruRlr-'-l

27. Numerdpossiblyl4S(collationbyBlack).Reading ofthepatient(DISinaMUn.KAMSUg-su...),andinthe

is-bdr(?) after lraq 18 (1956) copy; I 2 3 after new copy,
quite provisional; the equivalent incipit in TDP 176:t reads
simply IDISGI]C inale-re-e-tiil-te-n$-eb-bu. . . (Tablet
"23"),
which might suggest that this [ne in fact contains
what should be two incipits.
28. x: broken Winkelhaken followed by vertical visible
as rIGII (collation by Black).
29. This tablet has remained unknowu, but now tbe
followingLateBabylonianunpublishedpieceshavebeen
identified by the writer: (i) BM 42310+; (ii) BM 48563;(iii)
BM 56805;and (iv) an unnumbered fragment. BM 3€ii]75is
a fragment of a commentary on this tablet. The sources
suggest that DUT.BI rather than KI.BI is to be read. The
format of this tablet differs noticeably from TDP generally.
The medical problems are linked in the obverse to the age
reverse to the spot where the patient is at the time of attack
(f or example, DIS AN.TA.SUB.BA ,na a-hk gir-ri SUn-su
"omen"
. . .). Each or diagnosishas a magical/medical
prescription appended, in some caseseven including the
incipits of the incantations to be used. One would scarcely
identify the text as SA.GIG were the first line not preserved.
BM 58605 has on its reverse a mysterious table of astro-
logical significance, a duplicate to wbich is Blv{ 40080.
30. EN clear; rga?l-short, but probable (collation by
Black).
31. A: NIGIN.MESdTT; B: NIGINT-[. . .].
32. A: [NIGIN] r3laJ. . . UIS 5; B: [. . .]+f US 5.
33. x like B[I or TA[8.
34. Confirmed by H. Hunger , Spdt Babglonische Terte
aus tJruk I (Berlin, 1976), no. 40.
 r48 IRVING L. FINKEL

A 49 B 16' clS.cIS.e
NIGINS*63suS42 uuNus.rrES,r[x] xrl'ab-tu1138

A 50 B t7' Jd SA.GIG
Su.NlctN40 oun.uns 300Gfx ft [. . . M]U.MES
ZAG.TIL.LA.BI.SE

EDITORIAL WORK
ESAGIL-KIN-APLI'S
.". A 5I-2 B obv. 18' da ul-tu zl-la suR.G[InIl] rbt gab-tunr] cIM GU.MESrcIL.MES3sSat
GABA.RI'l3e NU TUKU
A 53-4 B rev. 19' inaBu-e 'dIM-DUMU.NITA-MU40 LUGALTIN.TIR.KIIICIBtL.nl.sE[x].At"t{2
"
A 54-5 B n' ^D{-gti-zi-gin-a43Dvugat nassql-hi-fii-ma-an-sum4sNUN.M[E] '^'fia-alm)-
mu-ru-p{ LUGAL
A 55-6 B zLt um-mat d30dlis-siru dna-na-aBARAT.SIPA.KI-i re!'ti-i
A 57-8 B 22' ZABAR.DAB.BtC-zi-da pa-{i.{ al.zu.zv16na-d.JDUBdi-mat DINGIR.MES
sd-
ntq mit-$ur-tftiyz
A 59-60 B 23' i-{ip-puram-ku{d dnin-ztl-z{l-le
be-lettak-n6-etu-li-matnar-mi-dti
tV
A 60-r B ?A:, UM.ME.AKUR EME.KUU URI.KIin-dGESTUCIIni-Kil.ti {d 4OIu PAP.PAP'{E
l\
A 6r-2 B ?,s' ,Y[:;::ri-kiu{-ta-bit-masA.crclo rA mub-biENc}R.ME[s],
A 62 8 Zfi' [s]un.crnn DIB.MES-rna ana Nlc.zu DU-init-id rpitl-fqad]
A 63-4 B 27' [Nlc.z]u.zi.i.SE Ne.v.se.Se .sr.D,LsoJd Nlc.zu NU GUB.BISL sa-kik-kaul
DUG..IcA-mu]
A 6$-8 B 2f.' fal)am-dtm-rna-aul i-r'ntn-bi sa-kik-kan-fttr clc u ri-kis kfu-ri]sz
A 66-7 B 29' alam-dlm-mu-dbu-un-na-an-nt-e h-a-nu di-matNAM.LIJ.UTs.LIU]
A 67-8 B 30' dd 40 u rAP.PAP53 i-{i-rnuJd ES.GAR ki-lnl-Ia-anx[E]S-sz-nusa I-ma
A 69 B 3l' [a-{i-pu(?))TAR-isss ES.BAR fia:-if zl-ti UN.MES
A 70-I B 32' lsa-klik-ka u alam-dtm-rw-a ka-lil zu-ti li-bi-it lib-ri lib-bi
L7I B 33' Uii-ta-bil)-ma anaLU3AL ME-cli'{-kun

35. A:4+6; B: #6. 45. Since B has dasal-&j-[i-ma-an-sum.drKAXDl-SESl-

lv, 36. A: MUNUS.P[ES, .... ..] GIS.GIS.A; B: m a - a n - s u mi n A i s n o w s e e n a s d a s a l t - I i - b i - m a - a n - s u m
M U [ N U S ] . r P E S . r [ ( x ) ] x t s a b - t u n 1C I S . I . . . l . (confirmedbyBlack);comparep. 150below.
3 7 .A : S U . N I G I N 4 0 D U B . M E s 3 m 0 + E + 4 r : [ . . . ] ;4B6: . A : l . r B A R . D A B l ;B : Z A B A R . D A B . B AA; :
Su.NlctN 40l80GF[. . .]. HAL.NI.zu.zu,alsoin newcopy.
38. The editio princeps offered SUMUN.MES aZ.A:sa-ni-qumiltlJburl-t[iJ.
TGIL.MESI, "obscure originals"(seeW. G.Lambert,JCS 48.At ina UD lR-fttl-t,(collationby Btack);A: 20 (+),
'? ll [1957]6 and l]14), but the new copy shows a clear (worn) u x[ (3 small initial horizontals:new copy); B: 50
"twisted threads,"thus adopted
GU.MES TGIL.MEST, (sic)rr PAP.PAP; seenote62.
"crossed." riF-[tu; B: SA.CICTA.
here.Professor Kdchersuggests CIB.MES, On 49. A: SA.GIG.MES
SUR.GIBIL (= za-ra-al seelraq 18 (1956)138,/CS If 50. = ana i$zika In teggi; compare it-i-id la te-eg-gi
(1957)14,and YBC 7123rev. 5' elservhere in this volume. (/NES 33 [I974] 2007l), and it-id pit-qad h te-gi in the
39. LU before GABA.RI (seelraq L8 [1956]f3ffi9) is passagepartly quotedbelow at footnote57.
not visibleat all in the new copy; Jc remainsuncertain. SL The translationassumes that CUB bereis an unsup-
40. A: ina,DdrIMr-DUMU.NITA-SUN{.NA; B: ina,oIM- ported ideogramfor kalddu; compareCAD E 47 subifizu
DUMU.NITA.MU. A.
41. A: fKAr,DINGIR.RA.rKr. 52. A: omits SA.Clc,.continues r;t-kir lcu-[n]ri[kds]
42. A.AN now seemsclearcontral-Jd-an;the restoration rCJGI [u n-kisa-di]r-ti.
proposedin/CS 11(1957)13is thusruledout.An adverbis 53. A: .fd40 u [. . .]; B, [. . .] PAP.PAP; seefootnote62.
' probably to be restored. il. A: perhapsKA ratherthan KES;B: K[E]S.
43. L: ^C!-gi-zi-gin-a;8.ntA{-gil1-zi-gi-a. 55. A: unidentifiedtrace(x ASl) corresponding approx-
' 44. A: A.
 ADAD-APLA.IDDINA,ESAGIL-KIN.APLI.AND THE SERIESSA.CIG r49
B Obv. 18' Concerningthat which from old time had not received an [authorised]edition,
and accordingto'twisted threads'forwhich no duplicateswere available,so
B Rev. l9' In the reign of Adad-apla-iddina,King of Babylon,to work it anew . . . ,
20' Esagil-kin-apli,sonof Asallufi-mansum,the Sageof King Hammurabi,
2T' the ummatuslof Sin,Lisi and Nanai,a prominentcitizen of Borsippa,
22' the zabardabbaof Ezida,ssthe pa.3E{u of Nabusgwho holds the gods'Tablet of
Fate, and can reeoncileconflicting things,
?3' the ilippu andramku priest of Ninzilzil,oolady of loving trust, 'sister'6rof his
loved one,
2A:' the (chief) scholarof Sumer and Akkad, through the incisive intelligencethat Ea
and Asallufi/Marduk(?)82 had bestowedon him,
2l.' deliberatedwith himself, and produced the authorisededitions for SA.GIG, frorn
head to foot,63
26' and establishedthem for knowledge.Take carel Pay [attentiont]
27' Do not neglectyour knowledge!He who doesnot attain(?)knowledgemustnot
speak dloud the SA.GIG omens, t\
: 2u' nor must he pronounceout loud Alamdimm0l sA.clc (concerns)all diseases
and
all (forms of) distress;
29' Alamdimmri (concerns)externalform and appearance(and how they imply) the
fate of man
30' which Ea and Asallu[i/Marduk(?)ordainedin Heaven.(Regarding)the twin i
series,their arrangementis one.s{

58. The Uruk commentaries to TDP available in SpBTU SemiticaUpsaliensia8, p. 45 n.22.

vol. I are consistently described where preserved as being
dapiummdni/ummdni,"aecording to the Sage(s)."Admit-
tedly this attribution occurs in commentaries to other texts,
but does it here perhaps mean that Esagil-k-rn-apli also
wrote explanations of the dilficult passages?
U 57. The terrr, um-rrlat occurs also in CRRAI 19, p. 436
12, but its meaning remains uncertain. The present passage
shows that the citation inAlfto, p. l4l5sub ummatu3l c) as
subordinate to m;ukin. . . must be corrected. A meaning
"descendant"
in the Nebuchadnezzar I text seemsproba-
ble, and support for this might be provided by the passage
quoted from Rm 17* and BM 55148+ below, where
SA.nell,.SeL dlie-si.a a corresponds to um -matdS}alh-st<u
dna-na-a.Compare also K 2596rev. iii 18'.20' (drawn to my
attention by W. G. Lambert), a colophon describing the
textual history of tbe incantations against agricultural
pests:
eS(for .) a(PAP).SUKKAL.DUG{. NU.
BAL.BAL u[m-mat. . .)
SU.AN.NA.KI ZABAR.DAB,BAana-bi.u/n [. . .]
GUDU. A-sag-{lu C-zi-dakt-r[. . .]
Forthe name of this scholar-scrjbeseeJCS tl (1957) l3:bl.
58. Compare the scribal ancestor Baba-5um-ibni, in
colophons from Assur, wbo is described as z,abardabbi of
E5arra; seenow O. Peders6n,Archh:es and Libraries in the
City of Aswr part 2, Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis,Studia
59. For nl-zu-zuas a name of Nab0 seeF. Pomponio,
StudiSemttict5r (1978)15&159.
80. nnin-zll-z{lis givenasEmesalfor Nanaiin MSL4 g:g0
(compare W. G. Lambert, MIO L2/2 [LgSSl45); she is
describedas dna-na-aDUMU.MUNUS [. . .] dd man-za-
as-sudd-gu-ube-Iettak-nC-el. . .l in CT 25497-8,and the
syncretistichymn KAR 10922 statesthatin BARA.SIPA.KI
dnin-ztl-z{l-le be-let tak-n4-e zi-kir-!d.
61. It is assumed,thatnarmfi standsfornaritmu (compare
CAD N/l 381subnarrnri),and refersto Nab0,andthar-jri
refers to Esagil-kin-apli;talimtu must therefore mean
"lover"
here.
62. In line 30', A offers 40 u [. . .] and B t. . .l PAP.PAP
where gods must be meant, and since the ordainingof
human fate must be largely Ea's responsibiUty (compare
K.2/1482-3 referred to above), 40 may be tmsted; in tbe
parallelphrasein line 23' A hasr30rand B r50rwhich must
be emended. PAP.PAP seemslikely to stand for Asal-
lufi,/Marduk, although no support can be offered;
dPAP.PAP: D U M U. M UN USdnin-Jvblr( Keikchiftt exte
cusAssuroerschiedenenlnhaltsS0 i7-8), explainedasLIJ
KA ru-qid, is no doubt irrelevant.
83. a capite ad calcem (MSL 16, p. 23 and refs.)
expressedin Akkadianl Compare also line A 77 belorv,
TDP 28 8&96,and R. D. Biggs,RA 62 (1968)58 l7'.
64. That is, both organizedby this tablet.
 150 IRVING L. FINKEL

3l' [Let the d.Iipu) who makes the decisions, and who watches over people's lives,
32' who comprehensively knows SA.cIc and Alamdimm0, inspect (the patient) and
check (the appropriate series),
SiiI' flet him ponder], and let him put his diagnosisat the disposalof the king.ss

In many ways this passageis a remarkable one. According to this text, SUR.GIBIL (= za-ra-al
"canonisation"
gabatueffectivelyrepresents theprocessof so oftendiscussed by Assyriologists; a
text is establishedfrom disparatesourcesto represent the standard version of the composition.
The expression is alsoappliedto theindividualsub-series in A 19andA 31;comparealsoA 49 (not
apparentlySUR.cIBIL), and alsoA 4: GIBILNUTIL.Othertechnicaltermshere,stillquite obscure,
are Gu)suKUD.cIM in A 37andA 43,and cIS.cIS.A in A 49and A 9I. The passage is directsupportive
"canonisation"
evidence for the conventionalplacing of in the secondhalf of the second
millennium, and provides a unique glimpse of a major scholarlyeffort from a masterscribe.
"incipits
In the Exorcist'sManualKAR 44,the openingsection(obv. 2 - rev. 3) liststhe of the
series of.d{ipiltu which have been establishedfor knowledge and study" (SAG.MES ES.cAR

Y MAS.MAS-fd dd ana
describedas the
MAS.MAS-td
Nlc.zu u IGLDUs,A kun-nu). The following section (rev. F20)
"incipits the seriesof a{ipatu accordingto Esagil-kln-apli(snc.unSES.cAR
dd^e-sag-tl-DU-A).
of
is,

Two new Late Babylonianduplieatesto KAR 44to be publishedby

in contrast,

M. j. Geller(Rm 717* and BM 55148+)offer fuller informationat thispoint, and areparticularly

relevantto the passageunder study: Rm 717+ (with variantsfrom BM 55148+)readsasfollows:
Rev. 3. Su.tttcrl.ES.cAna-{i-pu-tu(var. MAS.MAS-x[. . .) .{d'd5-gri-zi-gint-ouMUxUS (var.
^ Cll.-gi-zi- gi-in-a'1DUMU ^dasal-1il-bi-fma-an- sufm
,4. NUN.ME ^[a-am-mu-ra-p{ LUCALSU(var. x[. . .]) SA.BAL.BAL olrn-slne (var. s t) i-{ip-
pu (var.GUDU.)A-zi-da(var. adds t. . .l)
The anonymityof cuneiformliteraturehasbeenstressedby W. G. Lambert,66who emphasized
the importance of the Catalogueof Texts and AuthorsoT asbeing exceptionalin approach.The
presenttext, now more or lesscomplete,showsboth one individual at work, and the carewith
which thosewho were to usethat work were to proceed.In its rather cryptic useof a colophon-
style mixture of Sumerianand Akkadian and its choiceof unusualwords and gods the passage
embodiesthe protective attitude of the d{ipu to his inherited lore. The closinglineslikewise are
U suggestive.It is interestingthat while the d.{ipuis seenas responsiblefor health at large, it is
primarily theking for whom thepracticalvalueof hisknowledgeis to be put to use,unlessthisis
mere diplomatic hyperbole. Furthermore,would it be wholly inappropriateto see in the
injunctionto safeguardthe corpus,study the symptoms,and produce the correctdiagnosison
requesta faint anticipationof the admonitionsof Hippocrates?

85. ME-a is taken to stand for qTbu:for passagesin 66. SeetCS lr (1957)t.
which this meansa medical diagnosis,construedwith 67. See/CSl8 (L902)77.
{akdnu,seeCAD Q, p. %9 sub voce'
 ADAD-APLA.IDDINA,ESAGIL-KIN.APLI,AND THE SERIESSA.CIG 151

ALAMDIMMU
4 72 B U ' I ntS SAG.DUrcl BAR-dtDrNGrR.MEScg
472 835' III DISrSA.NrcrNr
[iru sA]c.DU
Lt safi-ru
A73 836' ru DISSAG.KI NUTUKU
473 B37' ry DrSsrc,rcr 15ka-bar
474 B38' V DIS rxIn.t-54 a-ri-ikoe
474 B38' VI DISEME-J1nam-rrat1lo
474 839' VII DIS TTE.MURUB.T'I.MEg.fdx-'-x7r
h75 B 40' VIII DrSpa-nu-diGID.DA
/^75 B 4L' IX otS crJ-rsu] cID.DA
1^75B 42' X DIScABA-r,ru]6fp.p4zz
476 B43' XI DIS ruMBINl cIM GU.GAR-in73
478 B 44' K)(II DrSalam-d[m-ma-fa. . . . . .]

L77 B 45' NIGIN12 nus.NlsSalarn-d{m-mu-iTA rnub-birN

Y cIIRIIzAG.TrL.LA.Br.SE]

NIGDIMDIMMC
L78 B 46' I DISpa?m[u? x (x) ]-.ft, 5l gi rganr sa SAs7l
L78 B 47' II DIS [x] IGI?SAG.DU-sz x [x]75

B 48' [tttctx 2] oun.ues fn{g-dhn-dtm-rnu-il

. .]tu

KATADUGGO
479 849' [otSx (*)] x DINGIR.MES
cAL.MES SdNAM.LU.IU,,.LUI lz]a-qt-iq-{dana
EN.LfL-lrt]
480 850' [cen-nz] i ka-ta-dug4-gaddana re-te-etr6fx&r-jl d-kin-nu

U A8t Bsl' 1 oun Dts kal to-dugn-ga1-i77

88. A: DIS SAG.DUIGI BAR-AfDINGIR.Yg$ I1ME.U)
(after nervcopy, contralraq L4,11962) 55 29a);B: I x KID
B[AR]-atDINGIR.MES.Thlstabletis unidentified.Note
that unusuallythis seriesis namedafter Tablet XII rather
than Tablet I.
69. A: a-nk.
70. A: namJ rat1l;B; namJ rafr clear.
71. A: rDIs TEr [. . .].
72. In this and precedingentry B apparently omits -su.
73. A: DIs f UMBIN] GIM GUl GAR-in;B: DIs GIS.X
G I M ?G U 1 [ . . . ] .
74. Readingfrom A; B: DIS cna DINGIR-$, SA GI x x
t. . .l (AS before SA probablyerasure).
75. ReadingfromA;B:DISLAKAX-&,[. . .];SAGr.DUr
unlikely.
76. This rubric omitted in A. For the restoration compare
K.13280+13818 obv. l0-12: t. . .l 97 ES.CAn alam-dtm-
mu-u f. . .) a-di BAR.MESntg-dtn-dtm-mu-u1. . . u k)a-
ta-dugr-ga-u(seeS. Parpola,/NES 42 [1983]%-25;F. R.
Kraus, Terte zur babylonischen Physiognomatik, AfO
Beiheft3 (Berlin,1935),no. 5L;Iraq %U98Zl 53).Seealso
CT 54 106 15 and F. Rochberg-Halton,ed.,Language,
Literature and History: Philalogicaland HistoricalStudies
presentedtoEricaReiner,AOS67 (New Haven,fgSZ),p.
163.
77. Comparelraq 24 (1962)53 and 57. In A line 8l is
written over the ruling between80and 82 asif addedlater
(]. A. Black),
 I52 IRVINGL. FINKEL

SUUUE SINNISTUQAQQADARABIAT
!/'
A82 B 52' I IDISMUNUS s]AG.DU c^Lat
A83 B53' [ntSMUNUS]-x{8ctt-atGIBILNUTIL
A 84 II 15 cun-ru7s
[olS. . . . . .] x SAG,DU-,fii

rctl-at1
A85 [Ntcrru2 oun].unS DISMUNUSSAG.DU

SUUUELIPTU
. r -ipt-Srtpi tu {ti i-
A 86 [orSrec-tu4 ind sAc].DUNABAR-rmu [x]ed lf

A87 [orS.. . . . . . ] x b i k u[ x x x J s
A87 rptSsecl.puNAzaq-pct [s],Aum ud?en [(x)]
A88 [DrS. . . ina sAc].ouNA [. MINina
.] e.urSSUB.MES
Iz-uIn-x]
(.- A 89 ri ix-(x)-rgit

rb1-lip)-tte'l
A90 [Nrcwsr . . . DUn].rvESr[DIS]

SUMMARY
A 9r. [Su.NlclN DUB.MES zAc.rIL.LA.BI.SE
ES.cAnal.a]m-dtm-mu-il
CIS.GIS.A

A 92 [Su.NrcrN DUB.MES alnm-dtrn-mu-ilrsel.SnSrd-[zi-

sA.c]IG.MES
dal

A93 t.... ...] e,l'.ru.RASuM.MA.rvst182

It is evident from the summarythat Nigdimdimm0, Katadugg0,SummaSinniItu,and Summa
Liptu were consideredthe sub-seriesto Alamdimmt. The uncertaintyooncerningthe number of
tablets to SummaLiptu meansthat the missingfinal totals cannot be filled in for certain.]. V.
Kinnier Wilson suggestedsix tablets for the latter case, so the resulting total would be
40+L2+2+I*2*8 : 63 tablets for the twin seriesSA.cIc and Alamdimm0, representingthe
editorial achievementof the Sageof Borsippa.

medieal omens we may conclude with a text of a very

While on the subject of the SA.GIG
joined by the writer, and given in
different stamp.This is BM 47687+485U(8I-1I-3,392+1223),

?8.A:[...]GAL-clB,...lxx[...;theGIBILNU
TIL here,in view of A obv. 4 above,showsthat this entry is
not to be taken as a third seriestablet incipit.
. Zg. Seelraq% (1962)58 n. 31.
80. Rm 288+ (TBP no. 50) givesthe incipit for Tablet II
as DIS GIG.PESina SAG.DU LU GAR-in NA BI [. . .h
shouldonereadthen. . .NlA BI ku-[. . .]? ,:.'
8 1 . T h e c o r r e c t t o t a l h e r e a n d u n d e r s t a n d i nl ignoefs
8&90 must await new evidence;compareS.Parpola,/NES
42 (1983)28'
82. SuM.MA.MEistakentostandforJUrnmti,"theifs,"
that is, the medical omensthemselves.ME?is followed by
a sma]llow subscriptsignlike ZA.
 -t

ADAD.APLA.IDDINA, ESACILKTN.APLI, AND THE SERIESSA.CIC r53

copy asFigure II. This single-columntablet is likewiseregisteredasbeing from Babylon,and is a
record of miscellaneous materialcopied from a wooden tablet.The obversecontainswhat might
"Poor
be styled a Man's TDP," sincethe authorhaswith great despatchreducedthe complexity
of the forty tablets of se.cIG to a single statement for each part of the body, arranged
approximately (paceline 20) i^dtuqaqqadi adi dEpA,oI which the following diagnosessurvive:

:.

BM 47687+

Transliteration
Obv. 1 f. . . i!-ta-ncJ-a+sdSvaa-nlmtu[. . .J
2 Suo[.. .]
t. . . . . .-JdKIIJ.KtI-sri
3 t. . . . . .-&iKlrl.Krl-Jri
su'u'[.. .]
4 x-[. . Su d[. . .]
.-.ftiK]I1.KO-JII
5 x-[. . .-,fiiK]O.KII-JdSu'd'[. . .]
6 x-[. . .-,ftixtl.x]t1-Jri
Su'o'[. . .]
7 x-[. . .-.fiiKU.K]Il-rftisu d'[. . .J ;
8 t.... ...Slu.[e]uen.uru
9 x.x-rJrjl[xf.rtt-Jri] SVaa-nim
l0 rx,tl-Jri [xtt.x0-J]riSudIM
1l EME-Jri((u) mut-ta-bil-t[a-{nKO.K(t]-JriSUdrlie'r-s.i{r
LZ cABA-srx[(t.x0-J]ri rSuodl-tor
13 BAR.SIL MrNLfl rx6t.[xtr-.triSUdp]Au dLUcAL
14 A ItJd KU.K[O-ftiS]u'qif-rarr
15 { 150-Jr,rx0t.r[U-JriS]u a1.. .,
16 SA.MES_S.; sAR.rMESr-b[a S]u o[. . .]
17 MURUBT.MES-JIi KCI.KtI-JrirSut o[. . .]
:_:,
i
18 GIRl5-Jri KTI.KIJ-S|, o[.
Su . .]
t- 19 cIR rls0r-Jd Sud[. . .]
[x]rJ.xrJ-Jri
20 rucu] mo-bi-l$ . .)l Sv aza-fban-banl
t(.
2l x [x (x)-,ff x]U.rxU-JriSudr[. . .]
n Sud. . .]
t. . . . . .-.fiilrKll.Kgt-[Jri
(Remainder,perhapstwo lines,lost)
The reverse of BM 47887+,missing perhaps a single line at the top, lists and equatesthe
, .ii.iil : watchesof the night (l'-3'), and givesprescriptionsfor salves(andin onecasea fumigant) against
I
i;-:.

i:r
-

!:
fever (4'-8'), the evil olt (7'-9'), and madness(10'-1I'). The scribe'sname survives,and the
eolophon may be restoredwith someconfidenceas follows:
.:!ijj.

[re cr]S.oen-bi crMsuMUN-JrisAR-rrur

.i+Rtiti-:
[IcI.r{n IGLTABS)v ^Je-mo-'-ia
lA.fri Jd ^)' d'za-ba n-rbd1I - [ NuNuz-SESA ^ e-ti- ra / A-DI-ru]

'+vi This tablet belongswith a group of scholarlytextsin a similar hand and style,all found in the
.':it!
8I-lI-3 collection,whosescribal namesfrom the colophonsinvite comparison:

o*it g.'.
i::+.n:_.
,J.
: :e:j
i,:.;#.i.-:,,
"i'3tr'
.., . t& IRVING L. FINKEL

explanatorytext:83
(a) BM 47463(81-1I-3,168),
DUB AS de-ma-'-i[ A mA-DI-/u
(b) BM 47451(81-11-3,156), bil. u5burrudainc.:
Sulr e-rna-'-idA-Jli{d ^dza-bon-ban-pdr-'u-5ES
^d A'A-DI-ru
(c) BM 47459(81-ll-3,164),ritual:
IM.GID.DA'[.. . . . .f ^oza-ba4-bao-NUNUz-s[E]SDUMU ^e-fi-ru
(d) BM 4749L(8I-l l-3,196\,Frauenkrankheitz
tM LSde-ma-LrzDUMUJd dza-ban-boo-NUNUZ-SES A^e-ti-ru
A further text must alsobe compared:
(e) BM 47506(81-ll-3,211),medical: - l
t
-. . .]x-a$-ruA-dtidd^dza-ban-ban-pir-'u-SB9
A^e-ti-ru
II
SinceA may be read e (den-ruu etc.), taken together thesecolophonsprovide the following
branch of a scholarlyfamily tree for Babylon in the Persianperiod:
I
EHru
: I
Zababa-pir"u-ugru
I I

l .- l
Sema'a [. . .]x-uqru
It is likely that Zababahereis to be understoodand read asMarduk, in which casetwo further
spellingsmay be compared:
' Comm. on lvlarduk'sAddress:
(f) BM 47529+47685(81-11-3,234+390),
A ^e'tli-ru)
[. . .]rdlsA.ztJ-pir-'u-us-ru
(g) BM 47462(81-11-3,167\, abttu Alu omens:
ASsIRSIRs{-NUNUZ-SES A ^ e-t[i-ru)
A third, in which dAMAR.uruis written, adds anothergeneration:
(h) BM 47458(81-11-3,161),
Iqqur-Ipu5:
DUMU Jd 'IR.OKA A'A-DI.TU
5gII OA4\,If,R.UTU-NUNUZ-SES

U Provisionally,then, one may suggestthe following:

Etiru

Urad-Baba
I
I
Marduk-irfu"u-ugru (floruit: [an] Artaxerxesyear 9)
I
I

I
s"-*1" [. . .]x-uqru

83. Publishedin A. Livingstone,Mgsficcland Mgtho-
logical Exphnatorg Works of Assgrianand Babglonian
scholzrs(oxford, 1986),pls. ii!v; seepp.25$210.There
seemsto be no surereasonto assumethat'Je-mcr-c is a
Hebrew scribe,since-ma would be expected.The useof
AS for DIS before the name also in BM 47491and-BM
47482below showsthat thisis not a mistakein BM 4746i1;
compareK.2590rev. iii 18' at footnote 57 and, e.g.,K.8173
ll'-12': As dl.zu.ZU-ZU-DU.DU A As dKU.KU.x[. . .]
(a'na1ta-mar-ti-hiit'1ur (colophon)'
84. For Sirsir = Marduk see B. Landsberger,lVO I
(1947)38%386.
.t6*

.:i.. ADAD-APLA-IDDINA, ESAGIL.KIN-APLI, AND THE SERIESSA.CIG 155

Note finally one further text from this group:

;l: (i) BM 47447(81-11-3, 152),Comm. on EAE:
.1.i".: IMnde-m.a-'-raA.IR-dba-il A^e_tri_ru,
,i;ft dated ITU.ASUD 23.KAMMU lg.KAM^ar-tak-dat-su LUGAL.
.*:j;:. It is curiousthat Sema'ahasomitted his father'sname. Comparisonof thesecolophonshighlights
i-;i-_: '

",-_ the uncertaintiesinvolved in reconstructingscribal families.

.i'- The precedingremarkss5arerespectfully dedicatedto the memory of Abraham Sachs,who

'.:: J.
was a bit of an apkallu himself. Would but that the presentpublication were his Festschriftand
s,., not his Memorial Volume.

!'
-:r:,-

&5. Itisapleasuretoacknowledgethehelpfuldiscussion gratefultoProf.FranzKiieherforhiscarefulreadingofthe

/
of severalpointsin thispaperwith J. A. Black,M. J. Celler, manuscript.Sucherrorsas may have escapedremain the
J. V' Kinnierwilson, and w. G. Lambert.I am particularly writer's responsibility.

U
156 IRVING L. FINKEL

FIG. I. BM 4L237+46807+47183
Obverse
 j:"

ADAD.APLA.IDDINA,ESAGIL.KIN.APLI,AND THE SERIESSA.GIG r57

l.:
-.:Y. FIG. I. BM 4I237+4ffi07+47I83
.i:!F;!: Reverse
:.qi:,,...

-;ffi,,
a4**-;.
,,t€ir:.,

: :11

20'

?5'

30'

35'

40'

/ CLAYDEPRESSED
158 IRVING L. FINKEL

FIG. II. BM 47687+485L7

Obverse

l0

15

20
of "+;

ADAD.APLA-IDDINA,ESAGILKIN.API,I,AND THE SERIESSA.GIG 159

FIG. II. BM 47687+485L7

? : '-:'

inl . r:
:,r I !j
: t r '

Reverse
:rl -d,
.Bit.*L

: {-
! f ;:..:

i
l .r:

t ' ,
I
I
tI
I

IO M

I5