SAA 10 072. An Ignoramus Sights Venus (ABL 1132+) [from astrologers][via saao/saa10]


Obverse
o 1o 1	[a-na LUGAL EN-ia]	(1) [To the king, my lord: your servant Nabû-ahhe-eriba. Good health] to the king, my lord! May [Nabû and Marduk] bless the king, my [lord]!
o 22	[ARAD-ka ^m^dPA—PAB-MEŠ—SU]
o 33	[lu DI-mu a]-na LUGAL EN-ia
o 44	[^dPA ^dAMAR.UTU] a-na LUGAL
o 55	[EN]-ia lik-ru-bu
o 66	[ša a]-na LUGAL EN-ia iš-pur-an-ni	(6) [He who] wrote to the king, my lord, "The planet Venus is visible, it is visible [in the month Ad]ar (XII)," is a vile man, an ignoramus, a cheat! [And he who] wrote to the king, my lord, "Venus is [...] rising in the constellation A[ries]," [does] not [speak] the truth (either). Venus is [not] yet visible!
o 77	[ma-a] ⸢MUL⸣.dil-bat nam-rat
o 88	[ina ITI].⸢ŠE⸣ nam-rat
o 99	[LÚ].qal-lu-lu LÚ.sa-ku-ku
o 1010	⸢LÚ^*⸣.par-ri-ṣu / šu-ú
o 1111	[ša] ⸢a⸣-na LUGAL EN-ia iš-pur-[an-ni]
o 1212	[ma-a] ⸢MUL⸣.dil-bat ina ŠÀ MUL.⸢LÚ^*⸣.[ḪUN.GÁ]
o 1313	[x x] KUR-ma la-a ket-⸢tú^*⸣ [ši-i]
o 1414	⸢MUL⸣.dil-bat ú-di-[na la]
o 1515	[in]-na-mar a-ta-a ⸢a^*⸣-[ke-e]	(15) Why does one so [deceitf]ully send such (a report) to the ki[ng, my lo]rd? "Venus is stable in the mor[ning]": (this) signifies "morningtime." If [...], it signif[ies ...]. (But) [Venus is not] vis[ible at p]resent.
o 1616	[la ket]-⸢tú⸣ an-ni-tú^* a-na ⸢LUGAL⸣
o 1717	[EN]-⸢ia⸣ i-šap-pa-⸢ra⸣
o 1818	⸢MUL⸣.dil-bat ina še-re-⸢e^*⸣-[ti]
o 1919	[i]-kun / a-na šá—še^*-[ra-a-ti]
o 2020	⸢i⸣-qab-bi šum-ma [x x x]
o 2121	[x] ⸢x x⸣ i-⸢qab⸣-[bi]
Bottom
b.e. 22b.e. 22	[ú]-⸢ma⸣-a ⸢MUL⸣.[dil-bat]
b.e. 2323	[la] in-⸢na⸣-[mar]
b.e. 2424	⸢man⸣-nu šu-⸢tu⸣	(24) Who is this person [that] so deceit[fully] se[nds] such reports to the king, my lord? [Tom]orrow they should let me scrutinize th[em], every single one of them.
Reverse
r 1r 1	[ša] a-ke-e la ⸢ket⸣-[tú]
r 22	[di]-ib-bi an-nu-[ti]
r 33	[a]-⸢na⸣ LUGAL EN-ia ⸢i^-šap^⸣-[par-u-ni]
r 44	[ina ši]-a-ri ina ŠÀ IGI.2-ia
r 55	[lu]-še-ti-iq-ú-neš-šú-[nu]
r 66	[am]—⸢mar^*⸣ šu-nu—u-ni
r 77	⸢ša⸣ LUGAL be-lí iš-pur-an-[ni]	(r 7) [As to wh]at the king, my lord, wrote to me: "What do you take the present month to be?" — we take the present month to be Adar (XII), and the present [day] is the 27[th]; the coming [month] is Nisan (I).
r 88	ma-a ITI an-ni-u mì-i-[nu]
r 99	tu-kal-la / ITI an-ni-⸢ú⸣
r 1010	ITI.ŠE nu-ka-a-[la]
r 1111	[UD-mu] an-ni-u UD 27-[KÁM]
r 1212	[ITI ša] er-rab-an-⸢ni⸣
r 1313	[ITI].BARAG a-ta-a man-nu ⸢ina⸣ [UGU]	(r 13) Why does someone tell lies and boast about it? [I]f he does not know, [he should] keep his mouth shut. The [kin]g, my lord, should not hesitate (but) promote him [at once]!
r 1414	[i]-sa-na-al-li [o]
r 1515	⸢i^*⸣-pa-aḫ-ḫi-iz [o]
r 1616	[šum]-⸢ma^*⸣ la ú-da
r 1717	[lu] qa-a-la
r 1818	⸢LUGAL^*⸣ be-lí la i-nàr-ru-ṭu
r 1919	[ár]-⸢ḫiš⸣ lu-rab-bi-iš
r 2020	[MUL].dil-bat ú-di-na	(r 20) Venus is [not] yet [vis]ible.
r 2121	[la in]-⸢na-mar⸣

Adapted from Simo Parpola, Letters from Assyrian and Babylonian Scholars (State Archives of Assyria, 10), 1993. Lemmatised by Mikko Luukko, 2016, as part of the research programme of the Alexander von Humboldt Chair in the Ancient History of the Near and Middle East at LMU Munich (Karen Radner, Humboldt Professorship 2015). The annotated edition is released under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license 3.0. Please cite this page as http://oracc.org/saao/P334745/.