GIG
mulGIG is an ancient Mesopotamian name of the planet Mars; the standard term would be dṢal-bat-a-nu (Kurtik ts02).
Dictionary
Kurtik with Hilder, Hoffmann, Horowitz, Kim
The name of Mars; only in Ḫg. B VI:
- mulgig = kakkab(MUL) šib-ṭi <u> mūtāni(NAM.BAD)meš = MIN(=dṣal-[bat-a-nu])
- "Star of Disease = Star of Plague and Death = Mars". [MSL XI, 40:38; Reynolds 1998, 349, 353];
- partially parallel to: [dṣal-bat-a-nu] a-na mu-ta-ni qa-bi "[Mars], so it is said, for (predicting) death." [ARAK, 114:3].
Mars is a planet of our solar system and visible to the naked eye. Its motion occurs in loops which are easily observable as he is the fastest of the looping planets.
Images of Mars
Close Conjunction of Jupiter (brighter) and Mars (reddish) under Orion (upper right), seen from Cape Town (SMH 2024)
Closest Conjunction of Jupiter and Mars in 2024 (Cape Town, SMH).
Jupiter, Mars and Pleiades at Dawn (SMH 2024).
Jupiter, Mars, Pleiaden in a slightly cloudy morning twilight (SMH 2024).
Mars in the constellation Gemini, The Twins (SMH January 2025).
Mars in the constellation Gemini, The Twins (SMH February 2025).
Mars extremly close to epsilon Geminorum (14 April 2023), seen from Petra, Jordan (SMH).
One day after the close conjunction of Mars with epsilon Geminorum; seen from Petra, Jordan (SMH 2023). The planet then had a visible separation from the star.
Mars in the Open Star Cluster Praesepe (M44) in Cancer (2023)
Mars next to a tower in Central Europe: its reddish colour is extraordinarily obvious (SMH 2025).
Mars two moon widths next to the Moon, photograph at full moon taken through a window in order to produce a dimmer image of the full moon next to Mars: the planet is at the right edge of the Moon. (SMH January 2025).
Historical Dictionaries
| Kurtik (2022, g14) | Gössmann (1950) |
|---|---|
| название Марса; только в Ḫg. B VI: mulgig = kakkab(MUL) šib-ṭi <u> mūtāni(NAM.BAD)meš = MIN(=dṣal-[bat-a-nu]) «Звезда Болезнь = Звезда чумы и смертей = Марс» [MSL XI, 40:38; Reynolds 1998, 349, 353]; частичная параллель: [dṣal-bat-a-nu] a-na mu-ta-ni qa-bi «[Марс], так говорят, для (предсказания) смерти» [ARAK, 114:3]. | Example |
