Dates are normally given simply as 'month name, day, in the eponymate of' but a few examples have ina, 'in' before the month name (such are Mannu-kī- Aššur-lēʾi K383, Marlarim K1378, Nabû-lēʾi Rm.174, Šulmu-šarri K1604). Scribes wrote ina lim instead of ina lim-me in date-lines for Aššur-dūru-uṣur, Mušallim-Aššur, Nabû-aḫḫē-ēreš and Nabû-sagib, perhaps giving the sign IGI (lim) the value limi,[[8]] or indulging in an abbreviation, like be for bennu, or bēlu.[[9]] The term ina limme was omitted from a tablet dated in the second month of Girṣapūnu's eponymate; the tablet K1378, ADD 6, has the day and the month (18:iii), but the eponym is omitted; on the tablet dated 9:iii:Bēl-ēmuranni (686), the month and day follow the eponym's name, which is probably also the case on Ki.1904-10-9,190, ADD 1195 (Aššur-bāni). In two cases, the name Zazāya is written za-za-KU.
8 On the principle established by K. Deller, Or. 31 (1962) 7-26, but he found this value only in personal name.
9 See CAD s.v., and note be for bēlu in A9 at 710.
Alan Millard
Alan Millard, 'Unusual Writings', The Eponyms of the Assyrian Empire 910-612 BC, SAAS 2. Original publication: Helsinki, Helsinki University Press, 1994; online contents: SAAo/SAAS2 Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2020 [http://oracc.org/saao/saas2/variousobservations/unusualwritings/]