Sumerian·Book

Position in chronology

SAA 08 508. New Moon on 1st Day (RMA 023) [lunar]

~670 BCE·Neo-Assyrian·P236921

Translation · reference

High confidence
(1) If the moon becomes visible [in Tam]muz (IV) on the 1st day: reliable speech; the land will become happy. (3) If the moon at its appearance wears a crown: the king will reach the high[est rank]. (5) If the moon wears a crown of a dark day: the moon god will smite [the enemy]. A dark day means a cloudy day [......]. (r 2) If the moon at its app[earance ....]: the king [......] the land [......].

Source: Hunger, H. 1992. Astrological Reports to Assyrian Kings. SAA 8. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/saa08/P236921/

Why it matters

Transliteration

1 30 [ina ITI].⸢ŠU⸣ UD 01-KÁM ⸢IGI⸣.[LAL] / KA GI.NA ŠÀ KUR DÙG.GA / 1 30 ina IGI.LAL-šú AGA a-pir / LUGAL SAG.[KAL-tú] il-lak / 1 30 AGA UD ŠÚ.UŠ.RU a-pir / d30 [KÚR] i-maḫ-ḫa-aṣ / UD ŠÚ.UŠ.⸢RU UD⸣-mu er-pi / [x x x x x x x x] / [x x x x x x x x] / 1 30 ina ⸢IGI⸣.[LAL-šú x x] / LUGAL ⸢x⸣+[x x x x x] / KUR ⸢ZI⸣ [x x]

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 P236921.

Attribution

Image: BM — (British Museum, London, UK) — from Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P236921). 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/P236921/.

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