History of the Cuneiform Lexical Tradition

544 Pages·2014·15.489 MB·English

by  Niek Veldhuis

!
Niek Veldhuis

History of the

Cuneiform Lexical Tradition

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Guides to the Mesopotamian Textual Record

edited by Eckart Frahm and Michael Jursa
Volume 6
Niek Veldhuis
History of the

Cuneiform Lexical Tradition

Ugarit-Verlag
Munster 2014
L. -J
Niek Veldhuis:
History of the Cuneiform Lexical Tradition
Guides to the Mesopotamian Textual Record, Vol. 6
©2014 Ugarit-Verlag Munster
Alie Rechte vorbehalten
All rights preserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo-copying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Herstellung: Hubert & Co, Gottingen
Printed in Germany
ISBN 978-3-86835-116-3
Printed on acid-free paper
3
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ,v
Preface................. x
List of Figures...... xiii
1. Introduction........................................................................................... 1
1.1. Lexical Lists and Intellectual History........................................ ,2
1.2 Lexical Lists: A Crash Course..................................................... .6
1.2.1 Word Lists vs. Sign Lists..................................................... .6
1.2.1.1 Thematic Word Lists.................................................... 7
1.2.1.2 Other Types of Word Lists.......................................... 8
1.2.1.3 Sign Lists....................................................................... 11
1.2.2 Third Millennium vs. Old Babylonian (and later)............. 13
1.2.3 Exercises and Reference Texts............................................ 14
1.3 History of Research...................................................................... 16
1.3.1 Lexical Lists as Ancient Dictionaries.................................. 16
1.3.2 Lexical Lists as Evidence for Cultural History................. 19
1.4 Organization of the Present Study and its Relation to DCCLT 23
2. The Archaic Lexical Corpus...................................................... ,27
2.1 Introduction.......................................................................... 27
2.1.1 Archaic Writing............................................................ 27
2.1.2 Conventions of Archaic Cuneiform Transliterations, 30
2.2 Overview of the Archaic Lexical Corpus.......................... 32
2.2.1 The Standardized Compositions................................. .32
2.2.1.1 Professions: Lu A................................................ ,34
2.2.1.2 Vessels and Garments.......................................... ,37
2.2.1.3 Word Lists C......................................................... 39
2.2.1.4 Metals.................................................................... .41
2.2.1.5 Wood..................................................................... .41
2.2.1.6 Cattle..................................................................... ,42
2.2.1.7 Officials................................................................ ,42
2.2.1.8 Fish....................................................................... ,43
2.2.1.9 Cities..................................................................... .43
2.2.1.10 Geography......................................................... ,44
2.2.1.11 Food (Grain; Word List D).............................. .44
2.2.1.12 Birds................................................................... .45
2.2.1.13 Plants.................................................................. ,46
2.2.2 Non-Standardized Exercises...................................... ,46
2.2.3 Formats and Find Spots............................................... ,47
2.3 The Administrative Context............................................... .48
2.3.1 A Metals Account....................................................... ,49
2.3.2 Animals........................................................................ 51
2.3.3 Lexical Texts as Administrative Reference Tools?.. 52
2.4 Interpretations of the Archaic Corpus............................... 53
2.4.1 Order of the World..................................................... 53
2.4.2 Teaching Tools............................................................ 56
2.4.3 Writing as a Social Practice...................................... ,57
59
2.5 Conclusions.........................................................................
3. Third Millennium: All-Babylonian, Regional, and Local Traditions .60
vi Table of Contents
,62
3.1 Third Millennium Lexical Texts: Provenance and Appearance......
.62
3.1.1 Lexical Texts: Distribution in Time and Place.......................
,68
3.1.2 Tablet Formats and Colophons.............................................
3.2 The All-Babylonian Lexical Tradition: Conservatism in Degrees..., 71
72
3.2.1 ED LuA............................................................................
,76
3.2.2 Vessels and Garments.........................................................
79
3.2.3 Word List C (“Tribute”).......................................................
82
3.2.4 Metals................................................................................
83
3.2.5 Wood.................................................................................
85
3.2.6 Cattle.................................................................................
86
3.2.7 Officials.............................................................................
88
3.2.8 Fish....................................................................................
,91
3.2.9 Cities.................................................................................
92
3.2.10 Word List ........................................................................
3.2.11 Food................................................................................ ,93
3.2.12 Birds................................................................................ 96
3.2.13 Plants............................................................................... .98
3.2.14 Conclusions: The Archaic Texts in Early Dynastic Versions, 102
3.3 Regional: ED Northern Tradition................................................ 103
3.3.1 EDLuE............................................................................ 105
3.3.2 Names and Professions....................................................... 107
3.3.3 List of Geographical Names................................................ 108
3.3.4 ED Animals B.................................................................... 109
3.3.5 Practical Vocabulary A....................................................... 111
3.3.6 The SamaS Myth................................................................ 112
3.3.7 Northern Features............................................................... 112
3.4 Regional: ED Southern Lexical Texts......................................... 116
3.4.1 Thematic Word Lists........................................................... 117
3.4.2 Practical Vocabularies........................................................ 119
3.4.3 Sign Lists........................................................................... 123
3.4.4 ED Syllabaries.................................................................... 126
3.4.5 Unclear and Unclassified.................................................... 128
3.4.6 Southern Lists.................................................................... 129
3.5 Local: ED Ebla......................................................................... 129
3.5.1 Mesopotamian Lexical Tradition at Ebla.............................. 130
3.5.2 Local Ebla Lists................................................................. 132
3.5.2.1 Ebla Sign List............................................................. 133
3.5.2.2 ESbarkin, Ebla Vocabulary and the Extracts.................. 135
3.5.3 Ebla: Conclusions............................................................... 138
3.6 Old Akkadian and Ur III Periods................................................ 139
3.6.1 Old Akkadian.................................................................... 139
3.6.2 Ur III................................................................................ 140
3.7 Conclusions.............................................................................. 142
4. A Revolution in Writing: The Old Babylonian Period........ 143
4.1 Old Babylonian Lexical Novelties............................... 143
4.1.1 Sign Exercises and Name Lists............................ 144
4.1.1.1 Syllable Alphabet A and Syllable Alphabet B 145
4.1.1.2 TuTaTi........................................................ 147
4.1.1.3 Lists of Names............................................. 148
4.1.2 Word Lists.......................................................... 149
4.1.2.1 Ura........................... . . . . . . . 149
Table of Contents vii
4.1.2.2 Ugumu “My Crown:” List of Body Parts............. 157
4.1.2.3 Lists of Human Beings........................................ 159
4.1.2.4 Acrographic Lists................................................. 166
4.1.2.4.1 Izi................................................................. 170
4.1.2.4.2 Kagal........................................................... 171
4.1.2.4.3 Nigga........................................................... 174
4.1.2.4.4 Sag............................................................... 175
4.1.2.5 Miscellaneous Vocabularies................................ 175
4.1.3 Sign Lists.................................................................. 177
4.1.3.1 Syllabary A......................................................... 177
4.1.3.2 Ea and Aa............................................................ 178
4.1.3.3 Diri..................................................................... 182
4.1.4 Varia.......................................................................... 187
4.1.4.1 Legal Phrasebooks.............................................. 188
4.1.4.2 Grammatical Lists............................................... 194
4.1.4.2.1 Verbal Paradigms........................................ 195
4.1.4.2.2 Grammatical Vocabularies........................... 197
4.1.4.3 God Lists............................................................ 199
4.1.5 Old Babylonian Lexical Novelties: Some Conclusions. ,201
4.2 The Uses of Old Babylonian Lexical Lists......................... 202
4.2.1 The Scribal Curriculum at Nippur............................... ,204
4.2.2 Scribal Curriculum: Variations and Developments..... ,212
4.2.3 Scholarly Handbooks................................................ ,215
4.2.3.1 Archaic Knowledge........................................... ,216
4.2.3.2 Systematizing Knowledge.................................. ,219
4.2.3.3 Speculative Philology......................................... ,220
4.3 The Old Babylonian Writing Revolution........................... ,223
5. The International Period.................................................. ,226
5.1 Middle Babylonian Lexical Novelties........................ ,229
5.1.1 Syllabary B......................................................... .230
5.1.2 Syllabary A Vocabulary...................................... ,232
5.1.3 Syllabary A Paleography..................................... .233
5.1.4 Nabnitu.............................................................. ,233
5.1.5 ErimhuS............................................................. .235
5.1.6 The God List An = Anum................................... ,237
5.2. Kassite Babylonia.................................................... ,239
5.2.1 Lexical Texts from Kassite Babylonia: Criteria... .241
5.2.1.1 Kassite Archaeological Data....................... .241
5.2.1.2 Kassite Paleography and Orthography......... ,242
5.2.1.3 Tablet Typology: Kassite Exercise Formats. ,242
5.2.1.4 Layout of Kassite Multi-Column Tablets.... .245
5.2.2 The Kassite Lexical Corpus............................... .250
5.2.2.1 Kassite Thematic Lists: Ura........................ .250
5.2.2.2 Kassite Lists of Professions: Lu2 = sa......... .252
5.2.2.3 Kassite Sign Lists: Syllabary B, Ea and Diri .253
5.2.2.4 Kassite God Lists........................................ ,256
5.2.2.5 Kassite Acrographic Lists........................... ,258
5.2.2.6 Kassite ErimhuS and Nabnitu....................... .259
5.2.2.7 Kassite Grammatical Lists.......................... .260
5.2.3 The Kassite Lexical Corpus: A Characterization ,260
5.2.4 Uses of Kassite Lexical Texts........................... ,261
viii Table of Contents
269
5.3 The West.....................................................................
271
5.3.1 HattuSa.................................................................
272
5.3.1.1 Some Examples of HattuSa Lexical Texts.........
5.3.1.2 HattuSa Lexical Texts: Formats and Distribution 276
279
5.3.2 Emarand Ugarit.....................................................
.280
5.3.2.1 Emar: Introduction...........................................
5.3.2.2 Syrian and Syro-Hittite Lexical Texts at Emar..., 283
,285
5.3.2.3 The Syrian Lexical Corpus at Emar..................
286
5.3.2.4 The Syro-Hittite Lexical Corpus at Emar.........
5.3.2.5 The Lexical Texts at the Zu-Ba’la Residence.... .294
297
5.3.2.6 Ugarit............................................................
5.3.2Z7 Other Sites: Alalakh, Nuzi, Ekalte, and Siyannu 300
302
5.3.3 Akhetaten (Amarna) and Canaan............................
5.4 Elam: Intellectual Tradition at Kabnak (Haft Tepe)......... 304
5.4.1 Scholarly Literacy at Kabnak.................................. .305
5.4.2 The Kabnak School Texts....................................... 307
311
5.5 Conclusions.................................................................
6. The Kings and Scholars of Assyria....................................................... 312
6.1 The Earliest Periods...................................................................... 313
6.2 The Middle Assyrian Period........................................................... 317
6.2.1 Middle Assyrian Lexical Novelty: The Emesal Vocabulary...... 318
6.2.2 Sibaniba (Tell Billa)............................................................... 320
6.2.3 Assur.................................................................................... 322
6.2.3.1 The Assur Lexical Corpus: Overview............................... ,324
6.2.3.1.1 Ea: The Ea Extracts.................................................. .326
6.2.3.1.2 Ki-ulutinbiSe: A Nippur Phrasebook at Assur............ 328
6.2.3.1.3 Ura: Assyrian Dialect Forms.................................... 330
6.2.3.2 Middle Assyrian Exercise Texts...................................... ,332
6.2.3.3 The Tablets of the Sons of Ninurta-uballissu.................... 336
6.2.3.4 Babylonian Sign Forms and Paleographic Lists................ 341
6.2.3.5 Sumerian and Emesal in Middle Assyrian Assur.............. 347
6.2.3.6 Conclusions: Lexical Texts in the Middle Assyrian Period 351
6.3 Lexical Texts in the Neo-Assyrian Period...................................... ,353
6.3.1 Neo-Assyrian Lexical Novelties............................................. ,354
6.3.1.1 Sign List: A2 = idu.......................................................... ,355
6.3.1.2 Thematic Lists: The Practical Vocabularies..................... 357
6.3.1.3 Other Word Lists: Igituh and Alan = Lanu....................... .358
6.3.1.4 Akkadian Synonym Lists................................................. ,360
6.3.1.5 Antagal and Group Vocabularies..................................... 361
6.3.1.6 Murgud.......................................................................... ,363
6.3.1.7 Assyrian Innovations?..................................................... .366
6.3.2 Assur in the Neo-Assyrian Period........................................... .367
6.3.2.1 Lexical Exercises from Assur........................................... 369
6.3.3 Kalhu................................................................................... 372
6.3.4 Dur-§arrukin......................................................................... 374
6.3.5 Nineveh................................................................................ ,375
6.3.5.1 Context: Knowledge, Wisdom, Secrets........................... 379
6.3.5.2 Uses: Scribal Education of the Crown Prince................... 382
6.3.5.3 Uses: Tablet Collecting................................................... 385
6.3.5.4 Uses: Interpreting Received Tradition............................. ,387
6.3. 6Huzirin.a............ 389
Tabic of Contents ix
6.4 Conclusions 390
7. Temples, Scholars, and Students.............................. 392
7.1 Introduction...................................................... 392
7.2 The Neo- and Late Babylonian Lexical Corpus ... 397
7.2.1 The Lexical Corpus................................... 397
7.2.2 Lexical Innovations................................... 400
7.2.2.1 Lexical Commentaries........................ ,400
7.2.2.2 Sa Number Syllabaries........................ 404
7.2.2.3 Non-standardized Exercises................ ,405
7.3 Lexical Texts as School Exercises..................... ,406
7.3.1 Elementary Level...................................... ,407
7.3.2 Advanced Level........................................ .410
7.4 Scholars and Libraries of Late Babylonian Uruk ,418
7.5 Conclusions..................................................... ,422
8. Conclusions................................................................................ ,425
8.1. Contexts.............................................................................. ,425
8.1.1 Writing.......................................................................... ,426
8.1.2 Knowledge.................................................................... .427
8.1.3 Power............................................................................ 428
8.2 Why a History of the Lexical Tradition should not be Written .429
Appendix: Glossary of Cuneiform Lexical Texts ,430
Bibliography .442
Indices................................ ,487
Akkadian....................... ,487
Sumerian....................... ,494
Personal and God Names. 511
Texts.............................. ,513
Ik zoek een reisgenoot
(Martinus Nijhoff, Awater, 1934)
In deze volgorde, maar niet per se
(Gerrit Achterberg, Code, 1946)
Preface
My work on cuneiform lexical texts started twenty years ago in 1992, when Dr.
H.L.J. Vanstiphout brought me back to Groningen to work on a dissertation
within the framework of the research program Pre-Modern Encyclopedia of the
Centre for Classical Oriental Medieval and Renaissance Studies. The result of
that project was a study of the Old Babylonian lists of trees and wooden objects
(Veldhuis 1997), including a reconstruction of the curriculum in which those
lists functioned.
The present book builds on the ideas and the approaches developed for my
dissertation, using a broader temporal framework and a much larger database of
texts. The first person I need to pay tribute to, therefore, is my teacher Stip (Dr.
H.L.J. Vanstiphout), who was responsible for pushing me in this direction and
has supported me with his enthusiasm and his criticism, and has inspired me
with his idiosyncratic approach to Assyriology and Assyriological data.
The actual process of writing mostly took place during two sabbaticals in the
calendar years 2006 and 2012. Those sabbaticals were funded by a generous
fellowship from the Guggenheim Foundation (2006), a President’s Research
Fellowship in the Humanities (University of California, 2005) and a Research
Fellowship in the Humanities (Division of Arts and Humanities in the College of
Letters and Science of the University of California at Berkeley, 2012). These
leaves allowed me the time and the mental space to think about broader ques­
tions and work them out in tiny details and I am very grateful to each of these
organizations for their support and their interest in my work.
Over the years I enjoyed the hospitality of many museum curators who al­
lowed me to work in their collections and shared with me their first-hand
knowledge of the tablets under their care. I wish to mention here by name Jane
Siegel of the Rare Book and Manuscript Library of Columbia University, New
York; Jon Taylor at the British Museum, London; Beatrice Andre-Salvini at the
Louvre, Paris; and Erie Leichty, Grant Frame, Steve Tinney, and Ilona Zsolnay
at the University of Pennsylvania Museum, Philadelphia. Without the hands-on
work on cuneiform tablets the preparation of this book would have been much
less enjoyable.
I wish to thank the Trustees of the British Museum for their permission to
publish my drawing of BM 85983. Steve Tinney and Erie Leichty gave their
permission to publish texts in the collections of the University of Pennsylvania
Museum. Several people graciously gave me permission to reproduce their
drawings in this work: Alfonso Archi, Bob Englund, Eduardo Escobar, Mark