Position in chronology
SAA 08 253. Morning First of Mercury in SW Pisces (RMA 225) [planetary]
Translation · reference
High confidence(Beginning destroyed) (1) If [Mercury ......]. (3) [...... the gods] will make a favorable decision [about ...]; there will be [rains] and floods. (5) — Mercury stands inside the Swallow star. (6) [If] a planet comes close to the Tigris star: there will be rains and floods. (8) — Mercury became visible in the east. (Break) (r 1) [......] ... [......]. (r 3) [......] eclipse of Subartu [......]. (r 4) If the moon [becomes visible ......] as in intercalary Adar (XII/2) on the 1st day: reliable speech; the land will become happy. (r 6) Now in intercalary Adar (XII/2) on the 1st day the moon will become visible: [in] Subartu speech will become reliable; the land will become happy. (r 8) [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/P237956/
Why it matters
Transliteration
1 [MUL.UDU.IDIM.GUD.UD x x x x x] / [x x x x x x x x x x x x] / [x x DINGIR]-⸢MEŠ⸣ ana MÍ.SIG₅ GALGA-MEŠ / [A.AN]-MEŠ ù A.KAL-MEŠ GÁL-MEŠ / [MUL].UDU.IDIM.GUD.UD ina ŠÀ MUL.SIM.MAḪ GUB-ma / [1] ⸢MUL⸣.UDU.IDIM a-na MUL.ÍD.IDIGNA TE / A.AN-MEŠ ù A.KAL-MEŠ GÁL-[MEŠ] / MUL.UDU.IDIM.GUD.UD ina dUTU.È it-tan-⸢mar⸣-[ma] / [x x x x x] ⸢x⸣ / [x x] EN [x x x x] / [x x x x] AN.MI SU.BIR₄.⸢KI⸣ [x x x x] / 1…
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 P237956.
Attribution
Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P237956). 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/P237956/.
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