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.

If a Man Builds a Joyful House:Assyriological Studies in Honor of

Erle Verdun Leichty



.

Cuneiform Monographs

Editors

t. abusch – m.j. geller – m.p. maidman

s.m. maul – f.a.m. wiggerman

VOLUME 31



.

If a Man Builds a Joyful House:Assyriological Studies in Honor of Erle Verdun Leichty

Edited by

Ann K. Guinan, Maria deJ. Ellis, A.J. Ferrara,Sally M. Freedman, Matthew T. Rutz,

Leonhard Sassmannshausen, Steve Tinney,and M.W. Waters

BRILLLEIDEN · BOSTON

2006



.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

is available on http://catalog.loc.gov

ISSN 0929-0052ISBN-10 90 04 14632 6ISBN-13 978 90 04 14632 7

© Copyright 2006 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill Academic Publishers,

Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, and VSP.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored ina retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written

permission from the publisher.

Authorization to photocopy items for internalor personal use is granted by Brill provided that

the appropriate fees are paid directly to The CopyrightClearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910

Danvers, MA 01923, USA.Fees are subject to change.

printed in the netherlands



If a man builds a joyful house …

… that man will be joyful!

Erle Verdun Leichty’s enthusiasm is boundless. Whether he is talkingto colleagues, students, or lay people, he communicates an insatiablecuriosity and excitement about the field of Assyriology and the fun-damental humanity of its long-forgotten subjects.

… the bounty of that house will increase!

In applyinghis considerable energy andtalents to his research projects,Erle is indefatigable. He spends long, often frustrating hours con-tending with the formidable challenges of reading, interpreting, andcataloguing cuneiform tablets.

… the gods will accept his gifts!

variant: the attainment of wishes!

Erle has touched many facets of the field with his generosity. Throughhis tacit inclusiveness, he has made each of his students immediatelyfeel like part of the “in group.” Because of his wide ranging interests,

education, and on-going research, he has become a channel of thatmore recent “stream of tradition,” the oral history (and mythology) of the field. His editorial work is a model of service to the scholarlycommunity. His philanthropy and dedication have touched many

projects in the Babylonian Section of the University of PennsylvaniaMuseum in Philadelphia, where he continues to augment the researchlibrary.

… that house will endure!

Erle’s most enduring contribution is his body of published work, whichcontinues to grow. Any research in cuneiform philology will eventu-ally consult one of the results of his labors, be it his standard edition of Summa izbu, the Akkadian and Sumerian dictionary projects to whichhe has contributed, his on-going efforts to help catalogue tablets inthe British Museum, or his forthcoming edition of Neo-Assyrian his-torical texts from the reign of Esarhaddon.

… all who enter that house will be joyful!

The editors andcontributors of this volume count themselves fortunate

to have entered Erle’s house and it is with joyful hearts that we honor him with this token of our esteem, affection, and gratitude.

… the builder of that house will be praised!



Erle Verdun Leichty



vii

CONTENTS

Foreword xiAbbreviations xiiiBibliography of Erle Verdun Leichty xxiii

Tzvi AbuschLists of Therapeutic Plants: An Observation 1

Paul-Alain Beaulieu

The Astronomers of the Esagil Temple in the Fourth Century BC 5 J. A. Brinkman

The Use of Occupation Names as Patronyms in the Kassite Period:A Forerunner of Neo-Babylonian Ancestral Names? 23

Jeanny V. CanbyEarly Dynastic Plaque Fragments 45

Miguel Civil be5/pe-en-zé-er = bi. s. s¯ uru 55

Mark E. CohenA Small Old Babylonian Army of A-pí-ru-ú 63

Barry L. Eichler Cuneiform Studies at Penn: From Hilprecht to Leichty 87

Richard S. EllisWell, Dog My Cats! A Note on the uridimmu 111

A. J. Ferrara

The Size and Versions of Inanna’s Descent 127 I. L. Finkel

On an Izbu VII Commentary 139

Sally FreedmanBM 129092: A Commentary on Snake Omens 149

M. J. Geller Practice or Praxis 167

A. R. GeorgeBabylonian Texts from the Folios of Sidney Smith, Part Three 173



Contents

viii

William W. HalloAnother Ancient Antiquary 187

Atsuko HattoriThe Return of the Governor 197

Anne Draffkorn Kilmer Visualizing Text: Schematic Patterns in Akkadian Poetry 209

Jacob KleinAn “Old Akkadian” Sale Document of Unknown Provenance 223

W.G. Lambert

Enbilulu and the Calendar 237 M. P. Maidman

A Stray Nuzi Text from Belgium 243

Piotr MichalowskiHow to Read the Liver—In Sumerian 247

D.I. Owen and E. WasilewskaCuneiform Texts in Utah Collections 259

J. PolonskyThe Mesopotamian Conceptualization of Birth and the Determi-nation of Destiny at Sunrise 297

Erica Reiner †If Mars Comes Close to Pegasus … 313

John F. Robertson Nomads, Barbarians, and Societal Collapse in the Historiographyof Ancient Southwest Asia 325

F. Rochberg Old Babylonian Celestial Divination 337

Martha T. RothElder Abuse: LH § 195 349

JoAnn Scurlock and Farouk Al-RawiA Weakness for Hellenism 357

T. M. SharlachThe Case of the Family that Fled 383

Marcel Sigrist Droit de pêche: Tablette St. Étienne 26 391



Contents

ix

Åke W. Sjöberg Some Emar Lexical Entries 401

Clyde Curry SmithSome Footnotes to the History of Assyriology: Leonard WilliamKing of the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania 431

Ira Spar, Thomas J. Logan, James P. AllenTwo Neo-Babylonian Texts of Foreign Workmen 443

Matthew W. Stolper Parysatis in Babylon 463

Claudia E. Suter F for Fake? Two Early Mesopotamian-Looking Objects in a SwissCollection 473

Niek VeldhuisDivination: Theory and Use 487

M. W. WatersFour Brothers and a Throne 499

Richard L. Zettler

Tisatal and Nineveh at the End of the 3 rd Millennium BCE 503

Indexes 515





xi

FOREWORD

It is a distinct pleasure for those who know Erle Verdun Leichty as a teacher,colleague, and friend to present this volume in honor of his substantial andwide-ranging contributions to Assyriology. Erle’s publications (pages xxiii– xxvii below) are a witness to his interest in a variety of topics and hisfacility for dealing with a broad spectrum of texts—always with an eye onthe panoramic sweep of Mesopotamian history. The editors and contributorsalike have benefited from Erle’s willingness to share not only his extensive

knowledge, but also the fruits of his hard work and long hours cataloguingtablets in the British Museum. Barry Eichler’s contribution to the presentvolume (pages 87–109) details the scope of Erle’s contributions and themany ways in which he has worked to support Assyriological research.

The title of this volume is an adaptation of an omen from Summa Aluthat was selected by the editors as a fitting homage to the breadth of Erle’sscholarship, his contributions to the infrastructure of thefield, andhis singular generosity of spirit.

The editors would like to thank Geerd Haayer for his advice and help. As

with every other Styx publication, his craftmanship can be found on every page of this volume.We are also happy to thank the following individuals for generously

offering their invaluable assistance in seeing this project to completion:Kevin Danti, Richard Ellis, Charles Kline, John Kessler, Nicholas Picardo,Christopher B.F. Walker, and Richard Zettler.

Matthew Rutz, one of the editors of this volume, was also the technicaleditor in charge of all the final details involved in preparing the manuscriptfor submission. He carried out these tasks with diligence, common sense,and good humor. We are all in his debt.





xiii

ABBREVIATIONS

The abbreviations employed in this volume follow Akkadisches Handwörter-buch (AHw I, 1965; II, 1972; III, 1981), The Assyrian Dictionary of the Uni-versity of Chicago (CAD R, 1999), The Pennsylvania Sumerian Dictionary(PSD A/3, 1998), and The Comprehensive Catalogue of Published Ur III Tablets (ed. Marcel Sigrist and Tohru Gomi; Bethesda, Md.: CDL Press,1991). The two principal exceptions are published proceedings of the Ren-contre Assyriologique Internationale (here CRRAI) and Festschriften (here

Studies). Others are listed below. Additional abbreviations adopted by thecontributors are defined at the beginning of their contribution.

AAICAB Grégoire, Jean-Pierre. Archives Administratives et In- scriptions Cunéiformes de l’Ashmolean Museum et de la Bodleian Collection d’Oxford . Vol. I: Les Sources. Paris:Librairie Orientaliste Paul Geuthner, 1996–

ABCD Rochberg, F. Aspects of Babylonian Celestial Divination:The Lunar Eclipse Tablets of En¯ uma Anu Enlil . Archivfür Orientforschung, Beiheft 22. Horn: Verlag Ferdinand

Berger & Söhne, 1988 ABD The Anchor Bible Dictionary. Edited by David Noel

Freedman. 6 volumes. New York: Doubleday, 1992 AION Annali dell’Istituto universitario orientale Napoli (Naples)AMD Ancient Magic and Divination (Groningen / Leiden)

ANB American National Biography (Oxford) As Field numbersfor objects from Tell Asmar (Iraq)

AuOr Aula Orientalis. Revista de estudios del Próximo Oriente Antiguo (Barcelona)

AuOrS Aula Orientalis Supplementa (Barcelona)

BA Beiträge zur Assyriologie und semitischen Sprachwis-senschaft (Leipzig / Baltimore)

BA Biblical Archaeologist (Cambridge, Mass.)BaF Baghdader Forschungen (Mainz)

BaM Baghdader Mitteilungen (Berlin)BR = Kohler u. Peiser, RechtslebenCANE Civilizations of the Ancient Near East . Edited by Jack

Sasson. 4 volumes.New York: Scribner and Sons, 1995CBCY Catalogue of the Babylonian Collections at Yale (Bethesda,

Md.)

CDA A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian. 2nd edition. Edited by Jeremy W. Black, Andrew R. George, and J. NicholasPostgate. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2000

CJ Classical Journal (Pittsburgh)



Abbreviations

xiv

CM Cuneiform Monographs (Groningen / Leiden)CRRAI 2 (1951) Compte rendu de la seconde rencontre assyriologique

internationale. Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1951CRRAI 4 (1954) Le problème des Habiru à la 4e rencontre assyriologique

internationale. Cahiers de la Société Asiatique 13. Edited by Jean Bottéro. Paris: Imprimerie nationale, 1954

CRRAI 14 (1966) La divination en Mésopotamie ancienne et dans les regionsvoisines. Travaux du Centre d’études supérieurs spécialiséd’histoire des religions de Strasbourg. Paris: PressesUniversitaires de France, 1966

CRRAI 15 (1967) La civilisation de Mari. Bibliothèque de la Faculté dePhilosophie et Lettres de l’Université de Liège, Fasc. 182.

Edited by Jean-Robert Kupper. Paris: Société d’Édition“Les Belles Lettres,” 1967

CRRAI 17 (1970) Actes de la XVII e Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale.Edited by André Finet. Ham-sur-Heure: Publications duComité belge de recherches historiques, épigraphiques etarchéologiques en Mésopotamie, 1970

CRRAI 26 (1980) Death in Mesopotamia. XXVI e Rencontre assyriologiqueinternationale. Mesopotamia 8. Edited by Bendt Alster.Copenhagen: Akademisk Forlag, 1980

CRRAI 28 (1982) Vorträge gehalten auf der 28. Rencontre Assyriologique

Internationale in Wien 6.–10. Juli 1981. Archiv für Orientforschung, Beiheft 19. Edited by Hans Hirsch andHermann Hunger. Horn: Verlag Ferdinand Berger, 1982

CRRAI 29 (1983) Papers of the XXIX Rencontre Assyriologique Interna-tionale, London, 5–9 July 1982: Iraq 45/1 (1983) 1–164

CRRAI 33 (1987) La femme dans le Proche-Orient antique: compte rendu dela XXXIII e Rencontre assyriologique internationale, Paris,7–10 juillet 1986. Edited by Jean-Marie Durand. Paris:Éditions Recherche sur les Civilisations, 1987

CRRAI 35 (1992) Nippur at the Centennial. Papers Read at the 35e Recontre

Assyriologique Internationale, Philadelphia, 1988.Occasional Publications of the Samuel Noah Kramer Fund 14. Edited by Maria deJong Ellis. Philadelphia: TheUniversity Museum, 1992

CRRAI 38 (1992) La circulation des biens, des personnes et des idées dansle Proche-Orient ancien. Actes de la XXXVIII e Rencontre

Assyriologique Internationale (Paris, 8–10 juillet 1991).Edited by Dominique Charpin and Francis Joannès. Paris:Éditions Recherche sur les Civilisations, 1992

CRRAI 44/1 (1999) Landscapes. Territories, Frontiers and Horizons in the

Ancient CRRAI 44/2–3 (2000) Near East. Papers presented to the XLIV Recontre Assyriologique Internationale, Venezia, 7–11 July 1997 . 3volumes. History of the Ancient Near East / Monographs



Abbreviations

xv

3/1–3. Edited by Lucio Milano, Stefano de Martino,Frederick Mario Fales, and Giovanni B. Lanfranchi. Padua:

Sargon srl, 1999–2000CRRAI 45/1 (2001) Proceedings of the XLV e Rencontre Assyriologique

Internationale, Part I, Harvard University: Historiographyin the Cuneiform World. Edited by Tzvi Abusch, Paul-Alain Beaulieu, John Huehnergard, Peter Machinist, Piotr Steinkeller

CRRAI 45/2 (2001) Part II, YaleUniversity: Seals and Seal Impressions. Edited by William W. Hallo and Irene J. Winter. Bethesda, Md.:CDL Press, 2001

CRRAI 47 (2002) Sex and Gender in the Ancient Near East. Proceedings of

the 47 th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Helsinki.2 volumes. Edited by Simo Parpola and R.M. Whiting.Helsinki: The Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project, 2002

DAB Dictionary of American Biography. New York: Scribner’sSons, 1928–

DNB Dictionary of National Biography. 1885– EAE En¯ uma Anu Enlil EAH E.A. Hoffman Collection

Emar 6 = Arnaud, Emar 6GAG von Soden, Wolfram. Grundriss der akkadischen Gram-

matik . 3. ergänzte Auflage, unter Mitarbeit von Werner R. Mayer. Analecta Orientalia 33. Rome: PontificiumInstitutum Biblicum, 1995

HdO Handbuch der Orientalistik (Leiden)Heeßel, Diagnostik Heeßel, Nils P. Babylonisch-assyrische Diagnostik . Alter

Orient und Altes Testament 43. Münster: Ugarit-Verlag,2000

HY Field numbers for objects from Tell Yelkhi (Iraq)ID Inanna’s DescentLAPO Littératures anciennes du Proche-Orient (Paris)

LH Laws of Hammurapi = CHMAM Mission archéologique de Mari (Paris)MBI = Barton, MBI MC Mesopotamian Civilizations (Winona Lake, Ind.)MMA Metropolitan Museum of ArtMsk Field numbers for objects from Meskene / Emar (Syria)OBO Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis (Fribourg / Göttingen)OEANE The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East .

Edited by Eric M. Meyers. 5 volumes. Oxford: OxfordUniversity Press, 1997

OPSNKF Occasional Publications of the Samuel Noah Kramer Fund(Philadelphia)Or NS Orientalia Nova Series (Rome)Or SP Orientalia Series Prior (Rome)



Abbreviations

xvi

PBA Proceedings of the British Academy (London) PDM Papyri demoticae magicae in The Greek Magical Papyri in

Translation, Including the Demotic Spells. Edited by HansDieter Betz. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986

PFS Seal impressions preserved on the Perspepolis Fortificationtablets published by R.T. Hallock, The Persepolis Fortifi-cation Tablets, Oriental Institute Publications 92. Chicago:University of Chicago Press, 1969

PGM Papyri graecae magicae: die griechischen Zauberpapyri.Edited and translated by Karl Preisendanz. 2nd edition.Stuttgart: Teubner, 1973–1974

PIHANS Publications de l’Institut Historique-Archéologique

Néerlandais de Stamboul / Uitgaven van het NederlandsHistorisch-Archaeologisch Instituut te Istanbul (Leiden)

PKN Hölscher, Monika. Die Personennamen der kassiten- zeitlichen Texte aus Nippur . IMGULA 1. Münster: Rhema,1996

Princeton = Sigrist, PrincetonProto-Ur 5-ra Old Babylonian Forerunner to ur 5(

˘HAR)-ra =

˘ hubullu (Hh)

RGTC Répertoire géographique des textes cunéiformes (Wies- baden)

RIMA/B/E Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia, Assyrian/Babylonian/

Early Periods (Toronto)RIME 2 Frayne, Douglas R. Sargonic and Gutian Periods (2334– 2113 BC). RIME 2 Toronto: University of Toronto Press,1993

RIME 3/1 Edzard, Dietz Otto. Gudea and His Dynasty. RIME 3/1.Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1997

RIME 3/2 Frayne, Douglas R. Ur III Period (2112–2004 BC). RIME3/2. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1997

RIME 4 Frayne, Douglas R. Old Babylonian Period (2003–1595 BC). RIME 4 Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1990

ROMCT Cuneiform Tablets in the Collection of the Royal OntarioMuseumSAAB State Archives of Assyria Bulletin (Padua)SANTAG SANTAG. Arbeiten und Untersuchungen zur Keilschrift-

kunde (Wiesbaden)SAOC Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization (Chicago)SAT Sumerian Archival Texts (Bethesda, Md.)SBLWAW Society of Biblical Literature Writings from the Ancient

World (Atlanta)SCHANE Studies in the History and Culture of the Ancient Near

East (Leiden)SCIAMVS SCIAMVS: Sources and Commentaries in Exact Sciences(Kyoto)

SIC Scripture in Context



Abbreviations

xvii

SMEA Studi Micenei ed Egeo-Anatolici (Rome)Studies Aaboe From Ancient Omens to Statistical Mechanics: Essays

on the Exact Sciences Presented to Asger Aaboe. Actahistorica scientiarum naturalium et medicinalium 39.Edited by J.L. Berggren and Bernard R. Goldstein.Copenhagen: University Library, 1987

Studies Albright Near Eastern Studies in Honor of William Foxwell Albright . Edited by Hans Goedick. Baltimore: The JohnsHopkins Press, 1971

Studies Astour Crossing Boundaries and Linking Horizons. Studies in Honor of Michael C. Astour on His 80th Birthday. Edited by Gordon D. Young, Mark W. Chavalas, and Richard

E. Averbeck. Bethesda, Md.: CDL Press, 1997Studies Bergerhof Mesopotamica—Ugaritica—Biblica. Festschrift für

Kurt Bergerhof zur Vollendung seines 70. Lebensjahresam 7. Mai 1992. Alter Orient und Altes Testament232. Edited by Manfried Dietrich and Oswald Loretz.Kevelaer / Neukirchen-Vluyn: Verlag Butzon & Bercker /

Neukirchner Verlag, 1993Studies Boehmer Beiträge zur Kulturgeschichte Vorderasiens. Festschrift

für Rainer Michael Boehmer . Edited by Uwe Finkbeiner,Reinhard Dittmann, and Harald Hauptmann. Mainz: Verlag

Philipp von Zabern, 1995Studies Böhl Symbolae Biblicae et Mesopotamicae Francisco MarioTheodoro de Liagre Böhl Dedicatae. Edited by M.A. Beek,A.A. Kampman, C. Nijland, and J. Ryckmans. Leiden:E.J. Brill, 1973

Studies Borger Festschrift für Rykle Borger zu seinem 65. Geburtstag am24. Mai 1994: tikip santakki mala baˇ smu. Edited by StefanM. Maul. Cuneiform Monogarphs 10. Groningen: Styx,1998

Studies Cagni Studi sul vicino oriente antico dedicate alla memoria di

Luigi Cagni. 4 volumes. Edited by Simonetta Graziani.Istituto Universitario Orientale, Dipartimento di StudiAsiatici, Series Minor 61. Naples: Istituto UniversitarioOrientale, 2000

Studies Civil Velles paraules: Ancient Near Eastern Studies in Honor of Miguel Civil on the Occasion of his Sixty-Fifth Birthday. Aula Orientalis 9/1–2 (1991). Edited by P. Michalowski,P. Steinkeller, E.C. Stone, and R.L. Zettler. Barcelona:Editorial AUSA

Studies De Meyer inquante-deux réflexions sur le Proche-Orient ancien of-

fertes en hommage à Léon De Meyer . Edited by HermannGasche. Leuven: Peeters, 1994Studes Diakonoff Societies and Languages of the Ancient Near East. Studies

in Honour of I.M. Diakonoff . Edited by M.A. Dandamayev,



Abbreviations

xviii

I. Gershevitch, H. Klengel, G. Komoróczy, M.T. Larsen,and J.N. Postgate. Warminster: Aris & Phillips, Ltd., 1982

Studies Dietrich Ex Mesopotamia et Syria Lux. Festschrift für Manfried Dietrich. Alter Orient und Altes Testament 281. Edited byOswald Loretz, Kai A. Metzler, and Hanspeter Schaudig.Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, 2002

Studies Drijvers All those Nations … Cultural Encounters within and withthe Near East. Studies Presented to Han Drijvers at theOccasion of his Sixty-fifth Birthday by Colleagues and Students. Edited by Herman L.J. Vanstiphout, Wout J. vanBekkum, G.J.H. van Gelder, and G.J. Reinink. Groningen:Styx, 1999

Studies Dussaud Mélanges syriens offerts à monsieur René Dussaud, secrétaire perpétuel de l’Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres, par ses amis et ses élèves. 2 volumes.Bibliothèque archéologique et historique 30. Paris:P. Geuthner, 1939

Studies Finkelstein Essays on the Ancient Near East in Memory of Jacob Joel Finkelstein. Memoirs of the Connecticut Academy of Arts& Sciences 19. Edited by Maria deJong Ellis. Hamden,Conn.: Archon Books, 1977

Studies Garelli Marchands, diplomates et empereurs. Études sur la

civilisation mésopotamienne offertes à Paul Garelli.Edited by Dominique Charpin and Francis Joannès. Paris:Éditions Recherche sur les Civilisations, 1991

Studies Gordon Orient and Occident. Essays presented to Cyrus H. Gordonon the Occasion of his Sixty-fifth Birthday. Alter Orientund Altes Testament 22. Edited by Harry A. Hoffner, Jr.Kevelaer / Neukirchen-Vluyn: Verlag Butzon & Bercker /

Neukirchner Verlag, 1973Studies Grayson From the Upper Sea to the Lower Sea: Studies on the His-

tory of Assyria and Babylonia in Honour of A.K. Grayson.

Uitgaven van het Nederlands Instituut voor het NederlandsHistorisch-Archaeologisch Instituut te Istanbul Publica-tions de l’Institute historique-archéologique néerlandais deStamboul 101. Edited by Grant Frame with the assistanceof Linda Wilding. Leiden: Nederlands Instituut voor het

Nabje Oosten, 2004Studies Hallo The Tablet and the Scroll. Near Eastern Studies in Honor

of William W. Hallo. Edited by Mark E. Cohen, DanielC. Snell, and David B. Weisberg. Bethesda, Md.: CDLPress, 1993

Studies Huot Études mésopotamiennes. Recueil de textes offert à Jean- Louis Huot . Edited by Catherine Breniquet and ChristineKepinski. Paris: Éditions Recherche sur les Civilisations,2001



Abbreviations

xix

Studies Jacobsen Riches Hidden in Secret Places. Ancient Near EasternStudies in Memory of Thorkild Jacobsen. Edited by Tzvi

Abusch. Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2002Studies Kraus Zikir ˇ Sumim. Assyriological Studies Presented to

F.R. Kraus on the Occasion of his Seventieth Birthday.Edited by G.van Driel, Theo J.H. Krispijn, Marten Stol,and Klaas R. Veenhof. Nederlands Instituut voor het

Nabije Oosten Studia Francisci Scholten Memoriae DicataVolumen Quintum. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1982

Studies Kutscher kinatt utu ˇ sa d arâti. Raphael Kutscher Memorial Volume.Tel Aviv Occasional Publications 1. Edited by AnsonF. Rainey. Tel Aviv: Tel Aviv University Institute of

Archaeology, 1993Studies Lambert Wisdom, Gods and Literature. Studies in Assyriology in

Honour of W.G. Lambert . Edited by Andrew R. George andIrving L. Finkel. Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2000

Studies Landsberger Studies in Honor of Benno Landsberger on his Seventy- Fifth Birthday April 21, 1965. Assyriological Studies 16.Edited by Hans G. Güterbock and Thorkild Jacobsen.Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1965

Studies Limet Tablettes et images aux pays de Sumer et d’Akkad: Mélanges offerts à Monsieur H. Limet . Association pour

la Promotion de l’Histoire et de l’Archéologie Orientales,mémoires 1. Edited by Ö. Tunca and D. Deheselle. Liège:Université de Liège, 1996

Studies Oelsner Assyriologica et Semitica. Festschrift für Joachim Oelsner .Alter Orient und Altes Testament 252. Edited by JoachimMarzahn and Hans Neumann. Münster: Ugarit-Verlag,2000

Studies Oppenheim From the Workshop of the Chicago Assyrian Dictionary:Studies Presented to A. Leo Oppenheim. Edited byR.D. Biggs and J.A. Brinkman. Chicago: The Oriental

Institute, 1964Studies Pope Love and Death in the Ancient Near East. Essays in Honor of Marvin H. Pope. Edited by John H. Marks and RobertM. Good. Guilford, Conn.: Four Quarters PublishingCompany, 1987

Studies Reiner Language, Literature, and History: Philological and Historical Studies Presented to Erica Reiner . AmericanOriental Series 67. Edited by Francesca Rochberg-Halton.

New Haven: American Oriental Society, 1987Studies Renger Munuscula Mesopotamica. Festschrift für Johannes

Renger . Alter Orient und Altes Testament 267. Edited by Barbara Böck, Eva Cancik-Kirschbaum, and ThomasRichter. Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, 1999

Studies Sachs A Scientific Humanist. Studies in Memory of Abraham



Abbreviations

xx

Sachs. Occasional Publications of the Samuel NoahKramer Fund 9. Edited by Erle Leichty, Maria deJong

Ellis, and Pamela Gerardi. Philadelphia: The University of Pennsylvania Museum, 1988

Studies Sjöberg DUMU-E 2-DUB-BA-A. Studies in Honor of Åke W. Sjö-berg . Occasional Publications of the Samuel NoahKramer Fund 11. Edited by Hermann Behrens, DarleneLoding, and Martha Roth. Philadelphia: The University of Pennsylvania Museum, 1989

Studies von Soden liˇ s¯ an mit ˘ hurti. Festschrift Wolfram Freiherr von Soden zum

19.VI.1968 gewidmet von Schülern und Mitarbeitern. Alter Orient und Altes Testament 1. Edited by Wolfgang Röllig.

Kevelaer / Neukirchen-Vluyn: Verlag Butzon & Bercker / Neukirchener Verlag des Erziehungsvereins, 1969

Studies Spycket Collectanea Orientalia. Histoire, arts de l’espace et industrie de la terre: Études offertes en hommage à AgnèsSpycket . Edited by Hermann Gasche and Barthel Hrouda.

Neuchâtel: Recherches et Publications, 1996Studies Steve Fragmenta Historiae Elamicae: Mélanges offerts à M-

J. Steve. Edited by Léon De Meyer, Hermann Gasche,and François Vallat. Paris: Éditions Recherche sur lesCivilisations, 1986

Studies Veenhof Veenhof Anniversary Volume. Studies Presented to Klaas R. Veenhof on the Occasion of his Sixty-Fifth Birthday. Uitgaven van het Nederlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut te Istanbul / Publications del’Institut historique-archéologique néerlandais de Stamboul89. Edited by Wilfred H. van Soldt, Jan G. Dercksen,

N.J.C. Kouwenberg, and Theo J.H. Krispijn. Leiden: Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten, 2001

Studies Walker Mining the Archives. Festschrift for Christopher Walker on the Occasion of His 60th Birthday 4 October 2002.

Babylonische Archive 1. Edited by Conelia Wunsch.Dresden: ISLET Verlag, 2002Studies Wilcke Literatur, Politik und Recht in Mesopotamien. Festschrift

für Claus Wilcke. Orientalia Biblica et Christiana 14.Edited by Walther Sallaberger, Konrad Volk, and AnnetteZgoll. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2003

TA Tel Aviv (Tel Aviv)TBER Durand, Jean-Marie. Textes babyloniens d’époque récente.

Recherche sur les grandes civilisations, Cahier 6. Paris:Éditions Recherche sur les Civilisations, 1981

TEBR Joannès, Francis. Textes économiques de la Babylonierécente ( Étude des textes de TBER—Cahier no 6 ).Études Assyriologiques. Paris: Éditions Recherche sur les Civilisations, 1982



Abbreviations

xxi

Uruk = SpTU 4 no. 142 (see I.L. Finkel in the present volume)UTAMI Yıldız, Fatma, and Ozaki Tohru. Die Umma Texte aus

den Archäologischen Museen zu Istanbul . Bethesda: CDLPress, 1993

WmF Würzburger medizinhistorische Forschungen (Würzburg)WWWA Who Was Who in America (Chicago)



499

FOUR BROTHERS AND A THRONE

M. W. Waters

It is my pleasure to contribute to Erle Leichty’s Festschrift a small tokenof my approbation, admiration, and appreciation. This article stems fromErle’s unstinting willingness to secure collations of various texts for me inthe British Museum during his work there in the summers. It seems fitting tooffer the preliminary results of one such collation in this volume.

In July, 2002, at my request, Erle collated one line from the tabletBM92502(84-2-11,356),copyAofChronicle1oftheBabylonianChronicleseries published by A.K. Grayson.1 InTextAiii33,thesigndescribingthere-lationship of

˘Huban-

˘haltas II with his predecessor,

˘Huban-

˘haltas I, is broken:

˘ Hum-ba-

˘ hal-da-ˇ sú IIú [x]-ˇ sú AS AS.TE DÚR ab

˘ Humba-

˘ haldaˇ su ˇ sanû [x]-ˇ sú ina kussê ittaˇ sab

Grayson’s restoration and commentary (p. 81) reads: “[mar(?)]-sú: There is

no evidence for this restoration but it is the only plausible one.” This reading,followed by J.-J. Glassner, has served as the basis for identifying˘Huban-

˘haltas II as the son of

˘Huban-

˘haltas I in those subsequent treatments wherein

any family relationship is noted.2

There are numerous genealogical quandaries in the Neo-Elamite period because of the lack of sources and the interpretive difficulties of those extant.Motivated by this fact, and on the assumption that the restoration “[m¯ ar (?)]-ˇ sú” (i.e., [DUMU?]-ˇ sú) was not the only possibility, I asked Erle to collatethis line of the Chronicle text. His collation indicated that there are traces of SES (two Winkelhaken) at the break, so this line of the Chronicle reads:

˘ Hum-ba-

˘ hal-da-ˇ sú IIú [SE]S-ˇ sú AS AS.TE DÚR ab

˘ Humba-

˘ haldaˇ su ˇ sanû [a

˘ h]uˇ su ina kussê ittaˇ sab

˘Huban-

˘haltas II, his (i.e.,

˘Huban-

˘haltas I’s) brother, succeeded to the throne.

The identification of ˘Huban-

˘haltas II as the brother (not the son) of

˘Huban-

˘haltas I establishes a sequence of four brothers who ruled successively in

1 Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles (TCS 5; Locust Valley, N.Y.: J.J. Augustin, 1975).2 J.-J. Glassner, Chroniques mésopotamiennes (Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 1993) 183. See D.T.Potts, The Archaeology of Elam: Formation and Transformation of an Ancient Iranian State(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999) 274 and M.W. Waters, A Survey of Neo-

Elamite History (SAAS 12; Helsinki: Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project, 2000) 37.



M. W. Waters

500

Elam for thirty-six years:˘Huban-

˘haltas I (689–691),

˘Huban-

˘haltas II (681–

675), Urtak (675–664), and Te"umman (664–653). The fraternal relation of Huban-haltas II, Urtak, and Te"umman is established by K 2867+ r. 1, a textthat identifies Te"umman as the brother of the fathers of Huban-nikas II,Huban-appa, and Tammaritu (sons of Urtak) and of Kudurru and Parû (sonsof

˘Huban-

˘haltas II).3

The revelation that˘Huban-

˘haltas I and

˘Huban-

˘haltas II were brothers,

while significant in other respects (see below), does not dramatically impactour knowledge of

˘Huban-

˘haltas I’s reign, since so little of it is known. Extant

Assyrian sources and the Babylonian Chronicle are for the most part silentfor the ten years after the Battle of

˘

Halule (691), including the years of

Huban-haltas I’s reign. The Babylonian Chronicle’s reference to the returnof Uruk’s gods from [Ela]m(?) is uncertain, and even if “Elam” is the correctrestoration there is no additional context supplied for this event.4

The relationship of ˘Huban-

˘haltas I with his predecessor

˘Huban-menanu

(692–689) is not known, and this presents a significant problem for analysis of this part of Neo-Elamite history.

˘Huban-menanu was the son of

˘Hallusu(699–

693) and brother of Kudur-Na˘h

˘hunte (693–692). The Babylonian Chronicle

relays the succession from˘Huban-menanu to

˘Huban-

˘haltas I (iii 25–27) but

provides no information on their familial relationship, if there was one.

Assyrian sources shed no light on this transition. Thus, it is unclear if the four brothers were sons of ˘Huban-menanu or someone else. It is also

unclear whether all four brothers had the same father and mother or were theoffspring of multiple partners of one parent. One may hypothesize a singleroyal line or rival dynasties with that of the four brothers supplanting thatof

˘Huban-menanu, which may be traced back to the first Neo-Elamite king

on record,˘Huban-nikas I (743–717). Further, it is possible, though highly

speculative based on the available evidence, to consider that this fraternalsuccession was based upon a model such as may have been used in the sukkalma

˘ h period of the 19th to 16th centuries.5 Even if such a parallel was

3 The Babylonian Chronicle iv 12–13 and Esarhaddon Chronicle l. 18 (Grayson, Chronicles 84and 126) identify Urtak as the brother of Huban-haltas II, but no chronicle relates informationregarding Te"umman’s accession. ABL 576:8 identifies Te"umman as “the brother of the kingof Elam,” a reference to

˘Huban-

˘haltas II.

4 Grayson, Chronicles 81 iii 28–29. See L. Levine, “Sennacherib’s Southern Front,” JCS 34(1982) 44–5 n. 52 and M.W. Stolper, “Political History,” in E. Carter and M.W. Stolper, Elam:Surveys of Political History and Archaeology (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984)94 n. 382. “Elam” is a possible reading (a vertical wedge is the only visible sign of the GN

before the “KI”—collation by Erle Leichty), but it is not decisive.5 See Potts, Archaeology of Elam 162–6 and references, with particular emphasis on the lack of a consistently identifiable pattern of reign and office in the sukkalma

˘ h period itself. P.

de Miroschedji has applied a sukkalma˘ h model to the Neo-Elamite period, “La localisation

de Madaktu et l’organisation politique de l’Élam à l’époque néo-élamite,” in Studies Steve216–20.



Four Brothers and a Throne

501

germane, it must be noted that there is no other such line of succession (i.e.,four brothers) among attested Neo-Elamite kings. Neo-Elamite sources inthemselves do not provide a coherent chronology or even sequence of kings’reigns. Mesopotamian sources, though offering a distorted view, must beconsidered paramount.6 There is no identifiable pattern of succession in the

Neo-Elamite period. The successive reigns of these four brothers should beconsidered an anomaly rather than a Neo-Elamite version of some as-yet-unidentifiable sukkalma

˘ h parallel.

The identification of ˘Huban-

˘haltas I as a brother of

˘Huban-

˘haltas II offers

some potential insight into another conundrum of Neo-Elamite studies: theassociation of the Neo-Elamite king Te"umman (664–653), prominent in As-

syrian sources, with the Tepti-Huban-Insusinak (son of Silhak-Insusinak II)who made several dedicatory inscriptions at Susa. The presumed identifica-tion of

˘Huban-

˘haltas I as the father of

˘Huban-

˘haltas II, and thus likewise of

Urtak and Te"umman, made a Te"umman/Tepti-˘Huban-Insusinak connection

problematic.7 With˘Huban-

˘haltas I identified as a brother of

˘Huban-

˘haltas II,

Urtak, and Te"umman, one obstacle in the Te"umman/Tepti-˘Huban-Insusinak

connection is removed. The father of these four brothers is not named in anyMesopotamian source. If this Te"umman/Tepti-

˘Huban-Insusinak connection

is correct, did Sil˘hak-Insusinak II father all four of the brothers? One general

problem is that there is no clear place in the chronology for a king (as helabels himself in his own inscription) Sil˘hak-Insusinak II, unless one posits

simultaneous kings in Elam before the mid-seventh century.8

As related by the sources, the four brothers also shared a penchantfor disease and mysterious deaths. The Babylonian Chronicle notes that

˘Huban-

˘haltas I was stricken one midday (VII/23) and died at that same day’s

sunset, but no additional details are provided.˘Huban-

˘haltas II’s fate is even

more cryptic: “without becoming ill, [he] died in his palace” (NU GIG ina

É.GAL-ˇ sú mît ).9 The cause of Urtak’s death is also unknown. The BabylonianChronicle has a gap at this point, and Assyrian sources only allude to the factof his death: “on a day not appointed by fate, death became hostile” (ina UD-

me la ˇ sim-ti-ˇ su mu-u-tu ú-gar-ru-u). Te"umman was beheaded in the courseof the Elamite defeat at the Battle of Til Tuba. He suffered a notable affliction(probably a stroke) sometime before this battle: “at that time a misfortune

6 See M.W. Waters, “Mesopotamian Sources and Neo-Elamite History,” in CRRAI 45/1 (2001)473–82.7 For arguments against the identification of this Tepti-Huban-Insusinak with the King Te"um-man of Assyrian sources, see F. Vallat, “Nouvelle analyse des inscriptions néo-élamites,” inStudies Spycket 385–95.8 See Waters, Neo-Elamite History 40–1 and 48–50 for discussion and references.9 Grayson, Chronicles 81 iii 30–1 and 84 iv 11.



M. W. Waters

502

befell him, his lip was paralyzed, his eye rolled, a gab¯ a. su was set within it”(ina UD-me-ˇ sú-ma mi-i

˘

h-ru im-

˘

hur-ˇ su NUNDUN-su uk-tam-bil-ma IGIII-ˇ sú

is-˘ hur-ma ga-ba-. su iˇ s-ˇ sá-kin ina SÀbi-ˇ sá).10

There is ample opportunity for conjecture with regard to connectionsamong the medical and cryptic references to the deaths of these kings,especially with respect to presumed incest in the royal family and medicalissues generated thereby. Assessment of the regnal transitions also allowsample room for speculation, since neither the chronicles nor Assyrian sources

provide insight into the attendant political circumstances. The exceptionto this is the adverse relationship between Urtak and Te"umman, whichTe"umman continued with the sons of

˘

Huban-

˘

haltas II and Urtak, who had

fled to Assyria upon Te"umman’s accession and one of whom (Huban-nikasII, son of Urtak) was to succeed Te"umman with Assyrian support.11

10 R. Borger, Beiträge zum Inschriftenwerk Assurbanipals (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag,1996) 96 B iv 55 and C v 63 for Urtak and 98 B v 10–12 and C vi 1–3 for Te "umman. For

gab¯ a. su, see CAD G 3 “contraction.”11 See M.W. Waters, “Te"umman in the Neo-Assyrian Correspondence,” JAOS 119 (1999)473–7; Potts, Archaeology of Elam 280–1; and Waters, Neo-Elamite History 56–8.

Documents

Four Brothers and a Throne (2006)