8/2/2019 babil ve ninova astrologlar

1/5

Thompson's Reports of the Magicians and Astrologers of Nineveh and BabylonThe Reports of the Magicians and Astrologers of Nineveh and Babylon by R. CampbellThompsonReview by: W. Muss-ArnoltThe American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures, Vol. 17, No. 1 (Oct., 1900), pp.61-64Published by: The University of Chicago PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/528095 .Accessed: 19/02/2012 09:40

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of

content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms

of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

The University of Chicago Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The

American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures.

http://www.jstor.org

http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ucpresshttp://www.jstor.org/stable/528095?origin=JSTOR-pdfhttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/stable/528095?origin=JSTOR-pdfhttp://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ucpress

8/2/2019 babil ve ninova astrologlar

2/5

Boos; NoTIaEsoos; NoTIaEs 611Less is known of the zammaru -priests, the singers. But they evi-dently occupied a part of some importance in the full conduct of the

Babylonian religious ritual.The texts investigated arefound beautifullJr utographedon nineteenlithographed plates. The fragments of small or broken tablets are sopieced together as to give us one long consecutive description of theoffice the character,a-nd he function of the baru-priests. The lacunaeoften interfere with the discoveryof the meaning of a passage, but thegeneral sense and duplicates in some places, help to bridge over thechasm.These te2ats, o well e2ecuted, are transliterated and translated overan area of 34 pages. The notes at the bottom of the page explain theorigin of the loracketedwords inserted to fill out breaks,the reasons forcertain readings and translations, and general philological material.The well-established characterof Zimmern'swork leads us to put agood measure of confidence in his methods and conclusions.In our examination of this part of his contribution to Babylonianreligion we have noted a few minor errata. On p. 82, note 6), bottom,SU should be SU; p. 86, note 1), ZA IV should be ZA III; p. 100,1. 53, should we not read t a n ak k i (- ki) ? p. 100,note 23), read 1> .B I .AS.A.AN; p. 104, l. 120, abkal? p. 118, the number 40 should bedroppedone line; p. 121, l. 10, the figure 3 should be 4.Such valuable collections of religious material as we find here willdo much to elevate the religious systems of the Babylonians to a newplace among the religions of the ancient oriental world. We await withinterest the completion of this notable work. IRAM. PRIaE.

THE UNIVERSITYOF CHICAGO.

TEOMPSON'S REPORTS OF TIIE MAGICIANS AND ASTROL-OGERS OF NINEVEH AND BABYLON.1These two volumes constitute Vols. VI and VII of Luzac's "SemiticText and Translation Series," to which E. A. Wallis Budge, the super-vising editorof the series, has contributed thus far five volumes of Syriactexts and translations,and Mr.L. W. King threevolumesof "The Lettersand Inscriptions of Hammurabi,"a publication received most favorablybJrAssyriologists. Thompson'sworkis thus in very good company,andthe publishers are to be congratulated upon securirlg such scholarlJreditors and translatorF,as well as upon bringing out their contributions

in such a pleasing dress and handy form. Typographical- and press-worktas well as binding, aredone well, and the paper is good aIldheavy.l THE REPORTSOF TEE MAGICIANSAND ASTROLOGERS F NINEVEH AND BABYLON nthe British Museum. The original te;ts, prirlted in cuneiform characters, edited withtranslations, notes, vocabulary, inde2r, and an introduction. BY R. Campbell Thompson,B.A. (Cantab.), Assistant in the llepartment of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities, BritishMuseum. 2 vols. London: Lxzac and Co., 1900. Bound, 25s.-Vol. I "The CuneiformTe2rts." x2: pp. (of which pp. ix-xvii are a descriptive list of the astrological reports printedin this volume) +8;)plates.-Vol. II, "Er!glish Translations, Vocabularar," etc. xcii+147 pp.;i. e., Preface, pp. viiix; Contents, p. xi; Introduction, pp. xiii-x2ri2r; Translationst pp. 2r2rxiii-xci; Transliterations, pp. I-111; Vocabulary, pp. IlS32; Index, pp. 133-44; Lists, pp. 145-7.

Less is known of the zammaru -priests, the singers. But they evi-dently occupied a part of some importance in the full conduct of theBabylonian religious ritual.The texts investigated arefound beautifullJr utographedon nineteenlithographed plates. The fragments of small or broken tablets are sopieced together as to give us one long consecutive description of theoffice the character,a-nd he function of the baru-priests. The lacunaeoften interfere with the discoveryof the meaning of a passage, but thegeneral sense and duplicates in some places, help to bridge over thechasm.These te2ats, o well e2ecuted, are transliterated and translated overan area of 34 pages. The notes at the bottom of the page explain theorigin of the loracketedwords inserted to fill out breaks,the reasons forcertain readings and translations, and general philological material.The well-established characterof Zimmern'swork leads us to put agood measure of confidence in his methods and conclusions.In our examination of this part of his contribution to Babylonianreligion we have noted a few minor errata. On p. 82, note 6), bottom,SU should be SU; p. 86, note 1), ZA IV should be ZA III; p. 100,1. 53, should we not read t a n ak k i (- ki) ? p. 100,note 23), read 1> .B I .AS.A.AN; p. 104, l. 120, abkal? p. 118, the number 40 should bedroppedone line; p. 121, l. 10, the figure 3 should be 4.Such valuable collections of religious material as we find here willdo much to elevate the religious systems of the Babylonians to a newplace among the religions of the ancient oriental world. We await withinterest the completion of this notable work. IRAM. PRIaE.

THE UNIVERSITYOF CHICAGO.

TEOMPSON'S REPORTS OF TIIE MAGICIANS AND ASTROL-OGERS OF NINEVEH AND BABYLON.1These two volumes constitute Vols. VI and VII of Luzac's "SemiticText and Translation Series," to which E. A. Wallis Budge, the super-vising editorof the series, has contributed thus far five volumes of Syriactexts and translations,and Mr.L. W. King threevolumesof "The Lettersand Inscriptions of Hammurabi,"a publication received most favorablybJrAssyriologists. Thompson'sworkis thus in very good company,andthe publishers are to be congratulated upon securirlg such scholarlJreditors and translatorF,as well as upon bringing out their contributions

in such a pleasing dress and handy form. Typographical- and press-worktas well as binding, aredone well, and the paper is good aIldheavy.l THE REPORTSOF TEE MAGICIANSAND ASTROLOGERS F NINEVEH AND BABYLON nthe British Museum. The original te;ts, prirlted in cuneiform characters, edited withtranslations, notes, vocabulary, inde2r, and an introduction. BY R. Campbell Thompson,B.A. (Cantab.), Assistant in the llepartment of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities, BritishMuseum. 2 vols. London: Lxzac and Co., 1900. Bound, 25s.-Vol. I "The CuneiformTe2rts." x2: pp. (of which pp. ix-xvii are a descriptive list of the astrological reports printedin this volume) +8;)plates.-Vol. II, "Er!glish Translations, Vocabularar," etc. xcii+147 pp.;i. e., Preface, pp. viiix; Contents, p. xi; Introduction, pp. xiii-x2ri2r; Translationst pp. 2r2rxiii-xci; Transliterations, pp. I-111; Vocabulary, pp. IlS32; Index, pp. 133-44; Lists, pp. 145-7.

8/2/2019 babil ve ninova astrologlar

3/5

62 HEBRAICAThompson'sfirst volume contains the "CuneiformTexts " of these reportsin 277 numbers, of which only about fifty have hitherto been published.Some of these reports would naturally appear also in an edition of omensand presages, while others might be incorporated n the Letter literature.The enditor, owever, has been very careful in avoiding useless duplica-tion, and, in consequence,we Snd but one text (8F7-19, 19) which is alsofound in Robert Francis Harper's standard edition of Assyrian andBabylonian Letters (Vol. IV, No. 416). The reports "deal with thephases and appearances of the moon (and the sun) on the days of thevarious months throughout the year; the rising and setting of the planets,and of the stars which form the signs of the Zodiac 2 observations con-cerning eclipses,3halos,4parhelia,5 tc., and remarks on earthquakesandstorms, and the probabilities of fine or bad weather." In the preface toVol. II the editor pays just tribute to the work of his predecessorsinthis special line of work, the great Edward Hincks,6 Jules Oppert,7andProfessor Sayce. Assyriologists have now before them the text of thecomplete series of the reports found at Nineveh, etc., and deposited inthe British Museum.It is, of course, impossible to collate these reports as to their accuracy;the whole work, however, impresses one so favorably that we venture tosay that there can be only very few instances in which a careful col-lation would discover a diSerent reading.Volume II contains the transliteration of the texts, preceded bytranslations, wherever possible, except in the case of duplicate texts,which number about two hundred and twenty.8 Philological notes areadded in nlost cases to the translations, and in footnotes to the trans-literations are added important variant readings and glosses.9 The

2 See the author's remarkson m a n z a lti, Vol. II, pp. ssvii eq.3Eclipses were very carefully observed and registered. " For the purposeof accuratelyrecording partial eclipses, the face of the Moon was divided into four parts, and each partwas identified with a certain country; the portion to the right was Akkad,that to the leftwas Elam, the upper part was Aharru,and the lower part Subartu. A total eclipse of theMoonwas called atal matati, i. e., a darkrlessof the countries"' (pp. m2zviiiq.).4Of wllich there were two: oneof 22, called tarbasu, and the other of 46, calledsupuru; both words meaniIlgoribinally "sheepfold," it being understood hat the moon isthe shepherd of the stars, or the celestial " sheep," which are within the halo (see pp. 2Zziv8qq) i

a Called n idu, a word occurring " in several places in astrological reportsin the phrasenidu nadi which seems to mean 'casting a shadow or image, or reflection.' The 'image'appears at the Sun's zenith, to the right or left of the Sun; in one case four such ' images' arementioned. I cannot help thinking that these ' images' refer to mock suns " (p. w2rvii).6Onwhom see Dr. CyrusAdler's articles. ' The Life and Works (and Writillgs)of EdwardHincks," in the Proceedings of the Awlerican O^ientcblSociety, meetings of Mayand October-November,1888;Andover Reriew, October,1887.7 Cf. the present reviewer in Beit? age zur Assyriolo.yie und vergleichenden semitischenSpra( lunissen.chcrff, Vol. II (1892),pp. 523-56, The Works of Jules Oppert."8These duplicate tests are inserted in transliteration, in Vol. IIs after the numbers towhich they properlybelong, e. g., No. 11 s followed by llA, 81 by 81A-81K, 36by 136A-136Uetc. It is a great pity that the author has not given us the cuneiform te2ztof at least themost important ones, together with translation and comment ry. A few misprints inthese transliterated tests cannot be corrected without the cuneiform test, e. .g., No. 236F,5,riu-hus; should this perhaps be nu-hus? Speakingof misprints, I am happyto saythatI have noticed only a few * No. 141,3, iA a-kau (for n); r. 3, au (for n) -ni-u; 95r. 4, omitthe sign - between a and zi-kit.9It is interesting to notice that the largest numberof glosses occur in the shortest texts.Here is a complete ist of the texts with the numberof glosses added n parenthese : t()3 11);98 (10); 181 and 229(8); 238(7); 139,209,and 258 (6); 246B(5); 43, 84, and 214 4); 57,179,191,244G,46A,nd 48 3);62, 12,178,nd 72 2);andOne 1OSSn 42, 0, 1G, 8, 9, 6,106,137,141.176,35D, P36G,36H,nd 4GG.

8/2/2019 babil ve ninova astrologlar

4/5

BOOK NOTICES 3author justly points out that these glosses and the explanations of diffi-cult phrases, which they frequently give, are of the highest value philo-logically and certainly throw considerable light on the professionalmethods adopted by the early Mesopotamian astrologers.lOne of the most attractive features of this second volume is the"Introduction," in which the author gives a short sketch of the scienceof astrology among Assyrians and Babylonians, and explains a number oftechnical terms employed by the astronomers n their reportsto the king.llThe author has done his work carefully and well; the texts areextremely difficult, the style and language of these reports obscure anddiflicult grammatically, especially in view of the fact that their writerseven took pains to make their forecasts and portents as unintelligible tothe uninitiated as possible. This, of course, makes it impossible tosecure accuracy at every point in text and transliteration, translationand commentary. There are many words and idioms in these astro-logical reports which will remain obsctlre and unintelligible until, atsome future time, we shall have before us a complete collection of allastrological and astronomical reports, and other texts bearing on astron-omy and astrology, thus far found. Yet even at this point Mr. Thonlp-son's edition has materially enriched our knowledge of the Assyrianlexicon, as any reader of the vocabulary can see at once. A few wordsadded here will amply prove this statement.Thus we have many new and interesting forms of ed ed u "be sharp ;"u-di-na (a particle), No. 112 r. 5; ezu "stand," e. g., No. 153, 7 (= III R.64 b 16), ana Sin ina alaki-su e-zi, etc. (cf. Del., HWB., 3S, col. 2);96, 3, Jupiter stood (it-ti-it-zi) within the halo of the moon, and 106, 7,where it is prececledby iz-za - az and izziz; No. 180, 8; 228, 2, it -ti-ti-zi; and ittitiz in 235, 8, ki-ma it-te-mid it-ti-ti-iz su-u-tu,"when it stands and waits;" 236G r. 1; 251, 1. Perhaps it would bebetter to connect these forms with the rerb n a z u, a synonym of n a z a z u,discussed by T. G. Pinches, JRAS., 1899, p. 112. A few more forms areadeled for a neg treatment of the verb ab a r u "delay," on which see theremarks of R. F. Harper in this JOURNAL,O1@ IV, P. 178. iluttu"calf," 257 r. 3. i m d u "standing of crops," 272, 16. u m m u l u "grow

lThus KA-(;I-NA (= sanaku Aa pl, Brtinnow,618) is glossed in 42, 5 by pu-ui-kan; AGA in 43,1 (and MIR in other tests, e. y., 106,2- 209,4) glossed a-gu-u- ibid.,l. 5, SI-ZAG-su ANA-u glossed kar-nu i-mit-ti-Au sa-mu-u; 7, gI-GAR glossedbar-ti (ba-ar-tu, 237,8); 62,3, EME-BAR-tum glossed li-a-a-nu a-i-tum; 81G,4, KAB-Au glossed su-me-li-su (cf. 235D, 1); 84 r. 1 (98, 2; 139,6), IM-DIR glossedur-pa-a-ti; 89r. 7 reads NIGIN: la-mu-u andtheformerisglossed ni-gi-in; in 149r.2 NIGIN-Au isgl>ssed il-me-su; 98,7, KUR-MAR-TUki is glossed ma-at A-har-r i -e, followed in line 8 t>y um -n u s a (m t) A-h a r-r i - e . Thompson hroughout his t)ookreads Ah arru instead of the universally accepted Amurru (cf. pp. svii, 2zviii). Aknowledge of Robert Francis Harper's note in this JOURNAL,Vol. XV, p. 142, wouldundoubtedly have led the author to read these two lines somewhat diSerently. No. 103,7,MULU-SA-GAZ is glossed hab-ba-a-te; r. 9, EUR-Au glossed ni-pi-ih-Au (cf.178,1 K U R - m a glossed i p - p u - h a - m a); 112,8, I M ME glossed a - r a - a - n i (cf. 229,3, ZI-IBI = Lti]-ib Aa-a-ri; 248,2, IM = Aa-a-ri; for ZI see 244Gk,, ZI-ut = [ti]-bu-utand 24dB,3), and NU-DIJG>-GZA-MES=la ta-bu-u-ti; UD-N4-A-AN (179,4) =umbu-ub-bu-li; HU-MEg (238r. 2) = iq-u-ri; KASKAL-su (246B,6) har-ra-ni-Au(cf. 103r. 4); 274E,3, A N - M is glossed a - t a -l u -u (cf. A N A -u = s a - m u - u, 84,8 + 9; 139r. 2; 179,5; 229,2; and MI glossed sa-al-mu, 98,1; 180r. 1, 209r. 1; or mu-u, 176r. 1).11 mention here, in addition to those already spoken of in this review, the abkallus i kl a " the measure-governor," n instrument to which the name B el- r im enu -u k arr a d-1% r d u k was given, and which was nrobah] the clepsydra.

8/2/2019 babil ve ninova astrologlar

5/5

64 HEBRAICAindistinct (saidof stars),e. g, 232,9, ma - ' -d i s u m - mu l; ibid. 6, u m -mu-lis "dimly;"also243r.4, a-mu-lis.-236E,3 (.... ta-lu-ki-su)u n - d i - i t. t.u, treatedby 1Shompsons a noun. It is said there of theplanet Mars that t a - l u - k - s u u n - di - i t - t.u . I prefer to considerundittu as an Ifta'al of matu, to mrhicha-lu-ki(-su) is the subject.enet u ' becomedim," etc. ( ?); Iftetal ittint u, which means "thegradualdisappearancef the moonas it drawsnear the sun at the endof the month." ur-ri-tum "point of light" (268, 3; cf. p. lxxxv).-(amel) a-ra-su-ll (236F r. 5).-is-sik-ki12 ri-ku-te (207 r. 3).-misirtu "justice" (121, 4). atu Ishtafal (sutatu, ustata) "beinvisible," meaningdiscussedon pp. ssvi sq.-un - n u - u t a - t i n - n uu l i - s a k - k a m- ma (181 r. 3; p. lxiv: "perhapswe may compare heHeb. ethan").-ba'alu (iba'il, ib-il; ba'il, etc.) "grow bright."-b a t u "cut in pieces" (257 r. 4, d i - e - i - q i i - b a - a t - t i ; see p. lxssi).-gubru (223 r. 2) "man.'-da'abu; dimqu, etc.-158 r. 4 has theinteresting form ul-tah-tu-ni 2 v hat.u; 94 r. 3 (108,3) enati ptus-t.ah-ha-a, f t. hu, "approach,"written us-ta-ha-a (143, 8).-il EN-LIL ka-mar mati (267,7).-mu-nik-si-sa (var. mu-ni-ik-si-sa) "divided,"Niftal partic.of kasasu.-uk-tap-pad (277AE, ),Wkapadu. [mul] SU-GI kur-kur-ru-su i-nam-bu-ut. (244 not3]A, 1) "whenthe circleof the pleiades s bright" (p. lssvii comparesEIeb.kdrdr, "revolve"). ku-ru-sis-su tibu-ma (2 [not 9] 8, 4) "the Xwill come and eat up the sesame ' p. sssvii says: "perhaps wormorinsect." katat u 4'grow im," 08, 3 US -t ak-t i -it - ma (alld 208A, 3),while parallel ext 204 r. 1 has u s - t a k - ti - ma; this latter had betterbe derived from kata m u. it - t am - me - hi - ir, 180, 6, Ittaf al ofmaharu, which in the vocabulary s also suggested for the reading:.... ultu me-hir of a7 r. 4; but I do not quite see how is-sa-na-ab-har (88, 4; 103 r. 11 is-sa-na-har) can be an Ittanaftal ofmat ar u, notwithstandinghe gloss ma - h i - ru added to the form inNO. 88. matu A-SI-SI-s. a (191, ) has the gloss me-li-sa; why notcompare Iebr. 57: ? - ma - s a - a r -t i b 1 k a t a II (240, 9) "an attackon the treasury."- ularu "spoil," umarri (201A, 3). im-da -na -ra-as (257 r. 7) Iftanetalof marasu "be sick."-277 r. 2 has the rareform (i-na tabti) an-di-di-il-su (of Vna'alu) "I preserved t inbrine."These areonly a few nstances f the manynew wordts nd interestingverbal orms ound n this welcome nd timelyworkof Mr.Thompson's.13W. MUSS-ARNOLT.

TH: UNIVE:RSITY F CEtICAGO.12 The author, p. 1x2r, says: " Res. 3 zzkku: see Muss-Arnolt, Dict., sub soce ;" but the

i 8 i k k u quoted there seems to be entirely distinct in meaning from the i s i k k u usedhere.13For zalpu (181,1) readbetter salpu; zirtu (p. 120), pl. zi-ra-a-ti (190, 2; rf0A, 2),should rather be zirutu; see my C W* l e Dtotiona^y. p. 294, col. 1. I do not quite see svhytimu (270, 7* kima te-im Aame) should be separated from temu ''command,'' etc.195A, 3, [mad]-da-gi (p. 123, col. 2) should be read [Ca(d) l-da-gi as RobertF. IIarperhas shosvn in this JOURNALVOL XIV, P. 13 (Oct,ober, 1897); i t - t a n - t a - h a, 84, 6, etc., i8 aIVz 2 (Ittaftal), rather than a lV, 3 (Ittanaftal) form of matabu. But these few items donot detract in any way from the great value of this splendid publication.