#neoassyrian

[fmstonecarving]

Out of place artifact.

Hand carved sandstone, based on an ancient Assyrian Winged Genie, but with a twist.

[mostlydeadlanguages]

On Foxes

eṭlu ša sibbat nēši iṣbatuni ina nāri iṭṭubu ša sibbat šēlebi iṣbatuni ussēzib "The man who seized the lion’s tail sank in the river; he who seized the fox’s tail was saved." — ABL 555 r.3-6 (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform letter, date and name missing)

πόλλ' οἶδ' ἀλώπηξ, ἀλλ' ἐχῖνος ἓν μέγα “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog one big thing.” (Archilochus, 7th c. BCE)

“We communicate like the burrows of foxes, in silence and darkness, under ground.” — Henry David Thoreau, letter to Ralph Waldo Emerson, February 12, 1843

“Be like the fox who makes more tracks than necessary, some in the wrong direction. Practice resurrection.” — Wendell Berry, “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front,” 1970

[monriatitans]

MERMAY: OCEAN CONSERVATION QUOTE 6

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

The first known mermaid stories are from Assyria in around 1000 BC. The story goes that the ancient Syrian goddess Atargatis fell in love with a shepherd, a mortal. She unintentionally killed him, and because of her shame, jumped into a lake and adopted the form of a fish. However, the waters would not conceal her beauty, so she took the form of a mermaid instead and became the goddess of fertility and welfare. An enormous temple which came complete with a pond full of fish was devoted to the goddess, while artwork and statues depicting mermen and maids were used during the Neo-Assyrian period as protective figurines. The ancient Greeks later recognised Atargatis by the name Derketo. – Lucy Davidson, "Singing Sirens: The Mesmerising History of Mermaids"

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[mostlydeadlanguages]

Hey! How are you? I hope you're doing great!

May I have a translation from these cuneiform writings? :) I'm dying to know what it's written there. I'm trying to make out a few things here and there, but it's quite puzzling to fathom, to say the least. Anyhow, if you're able to do it, I'll be more than appreciative and thankful for it. Thank you

What beautiful seals! It looks like you've come across Morgan Seal 747 and Morgan Seal 609. (Click through for more discussion.) A full write-up of the seals, including their inscriptions, is in CANES 1 by Edith Porada, which unfortunately I don't have access to. Aruz et al also talk about the first seal in Assyria to Iberia at the Dawn of the Classical Age.

The inscriptions appear to be identifying the owners of the seal. The first seal is inscribed (according to Aruz et al) with "[belonging] to Nabu-nadin-shumi son of Ashur … may [the god] Nabu grant [him] life!" The second seal mentions a man named Ashur-iddin.

I hope you'll forgive me leaving things there. It's the start of my first semester as a professor, I don't have CANES to reference, and my cuneiform-reading skills are rusty. Anyone else want to jump in?

[mostlydeadlanguages]

Three Prophecies by Genderqueer (?) Prophets  (SAA 9 1.1, 1.4, 1.5)

Image: Two Neo-Assyrian stone reliefs of eunuch courtiers (BM 118812 and BM 118816)

These texts all come from a collated group of prophecies for the famous Neo-Assyrian King Esarhaddon (ruled 681-669 BCE).  The rest of the prophecies in the collection are mostly by women, though some are unattributed and there is one male attribution.  As you'll see, these prophecies all reassure the king of his divine favor.

What's interesting about these three is their authors.  We have very little information about the prophets — generally just their name and home city.  But these three authors contain a "mismatch" in gender within that schema.  The first prophecy has a masculine name, described as a "son of Arbela" (i.e. a man from the city of Arbela), but it looks like the scribe originally used a female determinative, then erased it and wrote the male determinative.  The second prophecy is quite clear: the author has a female determinative before her name, but is also described as a "son of Arbela."  Finally, the third prophecy (which is very broken) has a female determinative but a masculine location appellation.

The conflux of three gender-ambiguous prophets in a single collection of 10 prophecies is no coincidence, and the careful, neat scribe is unlikely to have made so many basic mistakes.  Parpola identifies these prophets as assinnu priests of Ishtar; the cuneiform sign for an assinnu literally meant "man-woman," and they are described in other texts as "those whom Ishtar turned from males to females."  While Parpola describes them as victims of the "ghastly act" of self-mutilation (ugggh), the fact is that we don't know the state of their genitals or their personal gender identity.  All we know is that these prophecies preserve the words of ancient people who were understood to transcend the male-female binary.

                     [Esarhad]don, king of the nations: [do not] fear!

[Tha]t wicked wind that blew into you — I have broken its wings.  Your enemies, like summer apples, will roll over at your feet.  I am the Great Lady.

I am Ishtar of Arbela, the one who casts down your enemies at your feet.  Which of the words that I spoke to you could you not rely upon?

I am Ishtar of Arbela.  I will flay your enemies; I will give them to you.

I am Ishtar of Arbela.  I walk before you and behind you.  Do not fear!  When your heart aches, my heart breaks.  I will rise and come sit [beside you].

— From the mouth of Ms. Mr. Ishtar-la-tashiyaṭ, man of Arbela.

                    Do not fear, Esarhaddon!

I am Marduk; I speak to you; I guard the wood-beams of your heart.  When your mother brought you into being, sixty great gods stood with me, protecting you.  The Moon-God was to your right; the Sun-God was to your left; sixty great gods surrounded you, having girded your loins.  Do not trust humanity.  Raise your eyes to me; look at me!

I am Ishtar of Arbela; I brought you peace with Assur.  You were small; I brought you out.  Do not fear; praise me!  What enemy is there who blustered against you while I did nothing?  The future will surely be like the past.

I am Nabu, lord of the stylus.  Praise me!

— From the mouth of Ms. Baya, man of Arbela.

                    [...] I myself will [...] you yourself will [...] I am M[...]

— From the mouth of Ms. Ilussa-am[ur], man of the Inner City.

[clairesulos]

Sargon, The Gardener's Lad

The Neo-Assyrian Birth Legend of Sargon of Akkad, known since the mid-19th century, was loosely interpreted for popular audiences in an early serial publication, The Story of the Greatest Nations (1913). The authors elaborated on the famous legend with a rather fanciful description of Sargon’s encounter with the goddess: “A legend grew around him, telling that he was a prince, who was exposed to…

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[renehw]

Fragment of a limestone relief from the 8th century BC showing the Neo-Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III (r. 745-727 BC), from @rijksmuseumvanoudheden in Leiden. The relief was found in Nimrud and shows the king seated on a throne, holding a rod in his right hand and a flower in his left hand. Originally it was part of a larger scene: the king is blessing a high-ranking officer and a soldier. The relief was cut into pieces sometime after its excavation. Tiglath-Pileser is wearing a fez-like headdress that is characteristic for depictions of the Neo-Assyrian kings. #rijksmuseumvanoudheden #rmo #leiden #assyrian #neoassyrian #assyrianempire #assyrianart #tiglathpileseriii #relief #limestone #nimrud #iraq #mesopotamia #mesopotamian #mesopotamianart #archaeology #archeology #archeologie #art #museum #kunst #king #koning #throne (bij Rijksmuseum van Oudheden) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGzQgbgnjz0/?igshid=fgtzzjz0go9o

[renehw]

Fragment of a Neo-Assyrian limestone relief with a winged genie wearing a horned headdress, from @rijksmuseumvanoudheden in Leiden. Most likely this relief is originally from the palace of Ashurnasirpal II in Nimrud (Kalhu). He reigned the Neo-Assyrian Empire (c. 911-607 BC) from 883 till 859 BC and made Nimrud the new capital, complete with new impressive palaces and temples. Winged genies such as this one are a recurring theme in Assyrian art; usually depicted holding a pail and a cone, either accompanying the king or paired with a tree. The exact significance of such genies or ‘apkallus’ (minor deities) is yet unknown, but it is believed they were depicted to provide protection and blessing. #rijksmuseumvanoudheden #rmo #leiden #assyrian #neoassyrian #nimrud #ashurnasirpal #genie #apkallu #wingedfigure #limestone #relief #archaeology #archeology #archeologie #history #art #iraq #palace (bij Rijksmuseum van Oudheden) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGuqeW5no-4/?igshid=1qpr429lo1w76