Pleiades in ancient Mesopotamia

In this paper I will analyse the different features of the Pleiades in the astronomical, astrological, and calendrical interpretation as well as their mythical and cultural background in ancient Mesopotamia. According to cuneiform sources, the Pleiades are among the most important stars. They are simply known in Sumerian as ―the Stars‖ (MUL.MUL), while their Akkadian name, ―the Bristle‖ (zappu), links them to the imagery and the cultural context of the ―Bull of Heaven‖ constellation (Taurus), to which they belong. Pleiades are frequently depicted as seven dots or seven stars, and identified on a mythological level with groups of seven divine beings. In fact, the Sumerian ideogram for ―seven‖ is used as an alternative name for the Pleiades. In particular they show a close relation to a group of demons, called the Seven (Sebēttu), that, according to an etiological myth, causes the eclipse of the moon. The relation of the Pleiades to the war and death sphere is strengthened by their association with the Netherworld god Nergal/Erra, as well as their identification with the god’s planet (Mars). Finally, the Pleiades are among the few celestial bodies that receive a cult, and specific prayers are dedicated to them. From the sources it emerges that the Pleiades are mainly related to the movement of the Moon, and it is worth noting that the list of constellations of the ecliptic begins precisely with the Pleiades. Furthermore, the Pleiades play an important part in the calendrical reckoning, a role that is clearly stated in almanacs as the MUL.APIN, as well as in the intercalation scheme based on the conjunction of the Moon and the Pleiades

The sea in Sumerian literature

Surveying the references to the sea in Sumerian literature, this paper discusses the general idea that the sea is underrepresented in Mesopotamian cultures of the third millennium BCE. The common idea on Mesopotamian civilizations is that these were based on the rivers. However, recent research suggests the early Mesopotamian urban settlements of the third millennium BCE are on the ancient coast of the Persian Gulf and in the middle of lagoons or marshes. Coastal marsh cultures would not only have looked at the mainland, but also to the sea. Through a study of Sumerian literature and royal inscriptions, the historical relationship of the Mesopotamian cultures with the Persian Gulf is discussed. The image of the sea that emerges from literary sources reflects the changes that occurred in coastal region of southern Iraq during the third millennium BCE

I follatori di Umma, 1: I documenti

This article constitutes the first part of a larger study on the fullers in Neo-Sumerian documents from Umma. I hereby collect and discuss all the relevant texts that record the fullers’ names and their activity. After an introduction on the studies of textiles industry in Neo-Sumerian sources, I discuss the evidences grouped into four typologies: 1) the list of fullers recorded in New-Year barley rations (še-ba-za3-mu(-ka)); 2) the documents recording the receipt of textiles and 3) material for fulling (im-babbar2 “gypsum”, naĝa “naĝa herb”, i3-šah2 “lard”) supplied to the fullers; 4) textiles issued by the fullers at the end of the fulling process

I sogni di Gudea: oniromanzia e politica nella Mesopotamia del III millennio a.C.

In the XXIInd c. BCE, Gudea, ruler of the Southern Mesopotamian city-state of Lagaš, begins the construction of the sanctuary dedicated to the city-god Ninĝirsu. The building programme is accompanied by a celebrative apparatus that includes the production of two clay cylinders inscribed with the narrative of the preparatory phase of the construction. In this paper I analyse the three dreams of Gudea attested in the cylinders. In these dreams the ruler of Lagaš receives the order from Ninĝirsu to build the temple, together with instructions and further reassurance that the gods will support Gudea in his undertaking. I further examine the role of dreams and their interpretation in third millennium Mesopotamia and Sumerian literature. I investigate the figure of the dream interpreter and the relationship of dreams with femininity and alterity. Furthermore, I analyse the function of dreams in cuneiform literature, mainly focusing on the Epic of Gilgameš in comparison with the cylinders of Gudea. In the conclusion, I discuss the role dreams play within the political and celebrative discourse of Gudea

25 nuove tavolette neo-sumeriche da Ĝirsu appartenenti al cosiddetto dossier dei «pastori»

25 tablets kept in the collections of the British Museum are published in this article. They belong to the so- called “dossier of the shepherds” of Ĝirsu. To their transliteration and translation an up-dated study of this dossier follows together with the edition of a balanced account that mentions the same officials of the dossier

Perspectives on the history of Ancient Near Eastern studies. An introduction

The present volume collects eighteen essays exploring the history of ancient Near Eastern studies. Combining diverse approaches—synthetic and analytic, diachronic and transnational—this collection offers critical reflections on the who, why, and how of this cluster of fields. How have political contexts determined the conduct of research? How do academic agendas reflect larger social, economic, and cultural interests? How have schools of thought and intellectual traditions configured, and sometimes predetermined, the study of the ancient Near East? Contributions treating research during the Nazi and fascist periods examine the interpenetration of academic work with politics, while contributions dealing with specific national contexts disclose fresh perspectives on individual scholars as well as the conditions and institutions in which they worked. Particular attention is given to scholarship in countries such as Turkey, Portugal, Iran, China, and Spain, which have hitherto been marginal to historiographic accounts of ancient Near Eastern studies

Sedie, troni e portantine nell’antica Mesopotamia

In questo articolo sono pubblicati quattro documenti neo-sumerici dall'archivio degli artigiani di Ur in cui si registrano uscite per la fabbricazione o la decorazione di differenti tipi di sedie. Inoltre, partendo dagli oggetti descritti nei documenti, discuto dell'ordalia nelle fonti neo-sumeriche, delle portantine e delle loro funzioni nelle processioni religiose, e, infine, di un raro termine (gu-niĝin2), che potrebbe indicare la circonferenza.In this paper four unpublished Neo-Sumerian records from the ‘craft archive’ of Ur dealing with the fashioning and embellishment of different type of chairs are published. Furthermore, starting from the object issued in the texts, I analyzed the ordeal in Neo-Sumerian sources, sedan chairs and their use in religious processions, and a rare term (gu-niĝin2) meaning, possibly, «circumference»

Per una teoria dello spazio rituale nell’antica Mesopotamia

Questo articolo esamina i diversi aspetti dello spazio rituale nell’antica Mesopotamia. Nella prima parte sono presentate una serie di questioni centrali relative allo spazio rituale. Vengono discussi i luoghi dove si svolgono rituali, distinguendo tra le parti simboliche dello spazio interno, cioè la casa (la porta/soglia, la camera da letto, il tetto), e lo spazio esterno (il deserto, il fiume, il giardino), nonché i luoghi che hanno un ruolo specifico e preminente in determinati rituali (la bottega dell’artigiano, la taverna, l’ovile, il forno, il pozzo). L’articolo descrive, inoltre, come lo spazio rituale sia delimitato attraverso segni, contrassegni e azioni rituali. Il movimento è discusso in relazione ai verbi d’azione relativi allo spazio e alla progressione del rituale attraverso i diversi spazi e la sua struttura generale (lineare, circolare). Nella seconda parte si analizza lo spazio rituale in una serie di casi studio, tra i quali un rituale apotropaico namburbi contro il male presagito dalle lucertole, due rituali di sostituzione (Sostituzione per Ereškigal, Re sostituto), il rituale di purificazione Casa dell’abluzione (bīt rimki) e un rituale per agevolare il parto. In appendice è riportato un glossario dei termini babilonesi degli spazi, degli oggetti e dei verbi dello spazio e del movimento rituale.This article looks at the different aspects of space in ancient Mesopotamian rituals. The first part introduces a number of critical features related to the ritual space. The locations of rituals are discussed, distinguishing between the symbolical parts of the inner space, i.e. the house (the door/threshold, the bedroom, the roof) and outer space (the desert, the river, the garden) as well as places that have a preeminent role in specific rituals (the workshop, the tavern, the sheepfold, the oven, the well). The article describes how the ritual space is delimited through signs, marks, and ritual actions. The movement is discussed in relation to the verbs for actions related to space and to the progression of the ritual through different spaces and its general structure (linear, circular). The second part analyses the ritual space in a series of case studies among which a namburbi against the evil portended by lizards, two substitution rituals (A substitute of a man for Ereškigal, Substitute king), the purification ritual House of the ablution (bīt rimki), and a ritual to ease the birth. An appendix provides a glossary of the Akkadian terms of the places, the objects, and the verbs of the ritual space and movement