Notes on the Old Babylonian epics of Anzu and Etana.

• Author: Streck, Michael P.

The following notes are the result of a new edition of the Old Babylonian manuscripts of the epics of Anzu and Etana prepared for the project "Sources of Early Akkadian Literature" (SEAL). SEAL has been funded by the German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development since 2007. This project, headed by N. Wasserman (Jerusalem) and the author, aims to create a systematic and comprehensive corpus of Babylonian and Assyrian literary texts from the third and second millennia B.C.E. This corpus will be published on the internet (www.seal.uni-leipzig.de) and as a separate monograph. It provides transliterations, English translations, short commentaries, bibliographies, and indices of all known epics, hymns, prayers, laments, love-lyrics, incantations, wisdom-literature, and some other genres of Akkadian literature from this period. The Old Babylonian (OB) manuscripts of Anzu and Etana have been edited by C. W. Hess and the author. Some remarks of the former are included here and marked by his name.

ANZU

Anzu OB II 3: it-ta-at-ba-ak na-mu-ur-ra-tum sa-ki-in qu-lum, "Fearsome splendor was poured out, silence emplaced." Vogelzang 1988: 106 assumes an emendation of na-mu-ur-ra-tum to sa-hu-ur-ra-tum, "for it would contradict 1. 5"; cf. sa-hur-ra-[tu.sub.4]/tu SB I 84 (Vogelzang 1988: 33; AfO 33: 7: 83). However, whereas 1. 3 speaks about the fear poured out on the gods, 1. 5 alludes to the splendor emanating from the shrine. Both can be namurratum. See already Foster 2005: 556, who translates namurratum in 1. 3 by "panic," in 1. 5 by divine splendour."

Anzu OB II 4: u-te-[es.sub.15]-si kul-la-at ka-li-su-nu I-gi-gi, "Each and every one of the Igigu(-gods) was thrown into disarray." Since the preceding line also has a passive (see above), I take utessi as Dt preterite and not D perfect, as argued by Hallo/Moran 1979: 103 (cf. also Foster 2005: 556). This interpretation also avoids the assumption of a change of subject without mentioning Anzum again. The use of the preterite Dt despite the perfect forms in ll. 1, 3, and 5 does not present a problem; Dt-perfects are exceptional (Streck 2003: 13-16).

Anzu OB II 6: i-lu ma-tim ip-ta-na-ah-hu-ru a-na te-mi-im, "One by one the gods of the land gathered for a plan." For the iterative-pluralic, distributive meaning of the present tense with past reference see Streck 1995: 46 no. 46.

Anzu OB II 11: GU.GAL is-su-u DUMU AN.NA sa-ki-in te-mu a-na sa-si is-sa-qar-su[m], "They called for the Irrigator, the son of Anum. A report was delivered. (Then) he said to him." Against the copies (Scheil 1938: 20; Vogelzang 1988: 92), the photo shows is-su-u instead of is-su-u. Foster's objections (2005: 577) to translating sa-ki-in te-mu here and in subsequent lines as "the commander" or similar, on analogy to the administrative title sakin temi (e.g., Dalley 1989: 207, 227) still stand (C. W. Hess).

Anzu OB II 12: x x BI TAR x a ti qa-bal-ka su-ub-ri-iq An-za-am i-na ka-ki-ka, " ... your battle, flash lightning on Anzum with your weapon!" Reading of the beginning of the line according to the photo. Cf. the SB version CT 15: 39 ii 35 (= Vogelzang 1988: 34: 96): [[.sup.d]ISKUR ga-as-]ru [.sup.d]ISKUR da-pi-nu a-a i-ne-' qa-bal-ka "[O Adad, might]y one, Adad, victorious one, let your battle not waver."

Anzu OB II 23: [is-mu-u qi-bi-i]s-su i-li is-sa-ah-hi-i[h-hu], "[When they heard] his [wo]rd, the gods became more and more despondent." Reading [qi-bi-i]s-su (sic, not -su) instead of [qa-b]a-su (Vogelzang 1988: 96; Annus 2001: 23) according to the photo. Note that Scheil 1938: 15 and Nougayrol 1952: 88 correctly read -su. Note also ili instead of ilu; this may be a sandhi-spelling. issahhihhu is a Rtn-stem preterite.

Anzu OB II 24: [ip-si-il u]r-ha-am la a-la-kam iq-b[i], "[He turned around] on the way, refused to go." Note that the transliteration in Annus 2001: 32 is wrong. Hallo/Moran 1979: 87: 97 (see also 84: 55, 76) translate the SB version of the line "He turned away, the journey refused to make." In their commentary to the line (p. 99), they state that pasalum is intransitive and interpret the caesura after ipsil as "an abrupt and decisive disappearance into the assembly." Nevertheless, they also consider a translation "he declined the journey." It is clear from the parallel ipsil urhasuma la alaka iqbisu (Fuchs 1994: 153: 309; 331 n. 334. Fuchs even thinks that the Sargon reference is a quote from Anzu) and the meter that the caesura must be after urham; note the -ma! Therefore, also CAD P 217 pasalu 1c connects urhasuma to pasalu and gives a transitive translation: "he obstructed(?) his course, he commanded him not to proceed." However, a suitable subject can be found for neither the Anzu (see Hallo/Moran 1979: 99) nor the Sargon passage (see the translation of Fuchs 1994: 331). pasalum is construed here with an accusative urham. This accusative seems to belong to those dependent on verbs of motion described in GAG [section]144d as an accusative "der das nicht intendierte Obj. der Handlung bezeichnet."

Anzu OB II 35: [id-da-a]r-ru-[ma is-si-qu] [se.sub.20]-pi-su, "[They ran tog]eth[er and kissed] his feet." [iddar]ru[ma] (cf. it-tar-ru-ma of the SB version, Hallo/Moran 1979: 86: 109 with commentary pp. 99f.; Vogelzang 1988: 37: 168) not dardru N preterite (AHw 1550a), but in view of 1. 42 ([a-n]a i-pi-is pi-sa ih-du i-lu ma-tim id-ru-ru-ma is-si-qu [se.sub.20]-pi-su, "[A]t her utterance the gods of the land rejoiced. They ran together and kissed his feet.") rather dararum G perfect.

Anzu OB II 38, 40: [ra-a]p-sa-am i-ir-tim mu-ta -ab-bi-lu se-be-tam qa-ab-li, "Broad of chest, who leads the seven combats." sebetum might point to a rare verbal construction of the participle (Wilcke 1977: 157 n. to 1. 10; GAG [section]148 c*). Another interpretation is favored by Lambert 1980: 84f., who connects sebetam with sebeta in Etana Morgan tablet i 10 (see commentary below) and other instances in which "the accusative sebettam" is "used to qualify a noun in another case."

Anzu OB II 45: ma-har A-nim u [.sup.d]Da-gan [te.sub.9]-lu-tim, "Before Anum and Dagan, the able ones." I derive [te.sub.9]-lu-tim from tele'u "able, experienced" (AHw 1344; CAD T 327f.). *tele'utim > telutim. For the vowel contraction cf. *tele'itum > telitum.

Anzu OB II 49, 51: [[.sup.d]En-lil-lu-tam a-n]a a-hi-ia u a-na A-nim sar-ru-ut sa-me-e us-we-ed-di, "I had assigned [the Enlil-ship t]o my brother, and to Anum the kingship of heaven." In view of 1. 1 ([.sup.d]En]-lil-lu- tam i-te-ki-im na-du-u pa-ar-su), restore [.sup.d]En-lil-lu-tam (Vogelzang 1988: 97; Annus 2001: 34) rather than [.sup.d]En-lil-u-tam (Hallo/Moran 1979: 103).

Anzu OB II 50: [us-si An-zu-um sar-r]u-ut us-we-ed-du-u a-na-ku, "[Anzum has thrown into disarray the king]ship which I had assigned." Hallo/Moran 1979: 103; Vogelzang 1988: 98; and Annus 2001: 34 restore [u-te-es-si sar-r]u-ut ... Vogelzang 1988: 103 translates "[He has confused the king]ship I assigned," Foster 2005: 559 "The kingship that I appointed [is overthrown]." This restoration is improbable because it implies an unannounced change of subject, either in 1. 50 or, following Foster's interpretation, in 1. 51. Therefore, it seems safer to restore following the SB version, which mentions Anzu here (also noticed by Hallo/Moran 1979: 104): utessi Anzu [sarrut usmaddu (anaku)], Hallo/Moran 1979: 88: 9; Vogelzang 1988: 39: 207. But there doesn't seem to be enough space for a restoration of the longer perfect u-te-es-si (see also Hallo/Moran 1979: 104). Therefore, I restore the preterite ussi, which yields a plausible restoration of 6 1/2 signs (compare the restoration of 6 1/2 signs in 1. 49 and of 7 1/2 signs in 1. 51).

Anzu OB II 51: [[.sup.d]En-lil-lu-tam i-te-k]i-im a-ba-ka is-se-er, "[He took] away [the Enlilship] from your father (and) became exalted." For [.sup.d]En-lil-lu-tam see commentary to 1. 49, above. Hallo/Moran 1979: 103f., followed by Annus 2001: 34, read iz-ze-er and...