Mesopotamian (All Terms)

Kurtik's Dictionary of the Babylonian Star Heaven

This list of terms is based upon the printed dictionary:

• Kurtik, G. (2007): Звездное небо Древней Месопотамии. Шумеро-аккадские названия созвездий и других светил [The Star Heaven of Ancient Mesopotamia: Sumero-Akkadian Names of Constellations and Other Heavenly Bodies], Aletejja, St. Petersburg, Russia.

The author participated at the beginning of the project and sent us a reworked version of this print short before his death in March 2022. We include his last (unpublished) Russian version, Gössmann's 1950 German version, translated both and rework them continuously. The numbers of the terms are from Kurtik, terms without numbers were added by us.

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cuneiform	Kurtik's term	our note
	a01. A	merged into UR.A
	a02. A.EDIN	redirect to Eru
	a03. dA.KU	redirect to A.GI7
	a04. A2mušen	redirect to TE8mušen
	a05. A2.GU2.ZI.GA
	a06. AB.SIN2	see AB.SIN2, ABSIN (𒀊𒉆)
	a07. ABSIN	see AB.SIN2, ABSIN (𒀊𒉆)
	a08. AD.ME
	a09. AD6
	a10. AG2.AN.BUR2
	a11. AGA
	a12. AGA dA-nim
	a13. Agru
	a14. A-ḫa-ti
	a15. Aḫû
	a16. dAḪUD
	a17. AKKIL
	Alammuš	God, vizier of the moon god Nanna/Sîn. d(MÙŠ.)LÀL (MUL.APIN, I i 6, EN 7–8r).
	a18. AL.LUL 𒀠𒈜
	a19. AL.TAR	merged into UD.AL.TAR
	a20. ALAM
	a21. ALLA
	a22. Alluttum	merged into AL.LUL 𒀠𒈜
	a23. Alpu
	a24. Alû
	a25. AM.AN.NA	merged into GU4.AN.NA
	a26. ddAMA.ME.TIL
	a27. AMAR.GIR2	Only in Old Babylonian Sumerian star lists: mulamar.˹gir2˺(?) [MSL XI, 143, Forerunner 8, col. x 21; OECT IV, Pl. LIII]. Probably a scribe's mistake, written instead of mulamar.utu (see a28).
	a28. dAMAR.UD
	a29. Amurru
	a30. AN
	a31. AN.KI	merged into mulNUNki
	a32. AN.ŠU2.TE	merged into AN
	a33. mulAN.TA.GUB
	a34. AN.TA.SUR.RA	merged into AN.TA.ŠU.UR.RA
	a35. AN.TA.ŠUB.ŠUB.BA	= kakkab eliš māqitu "Star falling from above"; a term for meteors(?) [BPO 2, 10; Chadwick 1993, 164; G. 35]. Only in EAE predictions series: mulAN.TA.ŠUB.ŠUB.BA <ana> IM.ŠUB.BA "stars, falling from above, to weaken? the wind". [BPO 2, I 20; III 20; IV 14].
	a36. AN.TA.ŠU.UR.RA
	a37. AN.U2.GI.E
	a38. AN.ZU	see i07 mul dIM.DUGUDmušen. The reading ANZU and ANZUD have been proposed for IM.DUGUD and dIMDUGUD. Writings mul dIM.DUGUD prove that this is a name for an asterism, perhaps to be read mul dAnzu(d).
	a39. ANŠE.KUR.RA
	a40. dAntum	Asterism forming part of the constellation (m08) Wagon, identified with the goddess Antum, the wife of the god Anu, 'the King of Heaven'; paired with (a41) mul dAnum. The name is attested in a night ritual at the temple of Anu in Uruk, see (a41) dAnum, 3. In the divine genealogies–the consort of the sky god Anu, see AN: dAnum (I 2-23, 29-31) [Litke 1998, 20-24].
	a41. dAnum	Akkadian name for the God of Heaven AN, see (a30) AN.
	a42. dAnunītum
	Anu-rabû	“Great Anu”. Most probably to be understood as the name of a specific deity, the city god of Dēr. dA-num GAL-ú šá AN-e (MUL.APIN I i 19).
	Apil-Emaḫ	“First-born son of the (temple) Emaḫ”. Emaḫ is the name usually given to sanctuaries of the mother goddess. The first-born son of the mother goddess (under her name Ninḫursag) would normally be Ninurta whose father is, however, Enlil. mulIBILA-É.MAḪ (MUL.APIN, I i 21).
	a43. gišAPIN
	a44. Āribu	Akkadian parallel to mulUGAmušen "Raven"; a constellation within the modern Raven (Corvus), syllabic entries of it are found mostly in lexical texts, see (u11) UGAmušen.
	a45. Arītum
	a46. Arḫum
	a47. Asīdu	"the heel" is a mentioned as part of several constellations
	a48. AŠ.GAN	see mulIKU
	a49. AŠ.ME
	Aya	Goddess, wife of the sun god Utu/ Šamaš. dA-a (MUL.APIN I i 18), associated with the asterism of The Ewe.
	Baba	dBa-ba6, Goddess, wife of Ningirsu/Ninurta, identified with Gula who, in MUL.APIN I i 24 is associtated with the asterism of The Goat.
	b01. dBA.LIM	is a misreading, see b05. dBalum
	b02. BAL.ME.GAR	misreading, corrected: DILI.BAD, see d06 Dilbat
	b03. BAL.TEŠ2.A
	b04. BALAG
	b05. dBalum
	b06. gišBAN	see gišPAN
	b07. Barbaru	see UR.BAR.RA
	b08. Bašmu
	b09. BI.GIR3
	b10. Bibbu
	b11. BIR
	b12. BURANUN
	b13. Burrum AN.NA
	d01. gišDA
	Damkianna	< Damkina. Goddess, wife of Enki/Ea. The normal form is Damkina; the extended form (with the component -an-na “of heaven”) is artificial. Used as the Akk. equivalent of Sum. Damgalnunna. dDam-ki-an-na. In MUL.APIN I i 20 associated with MAR.GID2.DA.AN.NA (The Great Wagon of Heaven)
	d02. dDamu
	d03. dDāpinu
	d04. DAR.LUGALmušen
	d05. DI
	d06. Dilbat	variant: DILI.BAT
	d07. DILI
	d08. DILI ša2 KUN-šu2
	d09. DINGIR
	d10. DINGIR.GUB.BAmeš
	d11. DINGIR.KU.Ameš	variant: mulDINGIR.TUŠ.Ameš
	d12. dDU.ŠE.E GUD.UD
	d13. dDUMU.ZI	variant Tammuz.
	e01. E-pa2-e
	e02. E-ra-sa-al-BU
	e03. dE.TA.NAM.AN

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cuneiform	Kurtik's term	our note
	e04. dE2-a
	e05. E2 sak-ki-i	read: (MUL.MEŠ) bīt sakkî
	e06. E2.TUR3
	e07. Ēdu
	e08. Elamātum	Elamattu(m)
	ÉLLAG	= kalītu “kidney”: see mulLU.LIM.
	e09. EN.GIŠGAL.AN.NA
	Enki/Ea	God of sweet water, crafts and wisdom, father of Asalluḫi/Marduk. dÉ-a (MUL.APIN I i 40, I ii 19, 26).
	e10. dEn-lil2
	e11. dEN.ME.ŠAR2.RA
	e12. dEN.MUL
	e13. EN.TE.NA.BAR.ḪUM	now read dEN.TE.NA.BAR.GUZ
	e14. Enzu
	e15. Epinnu	see APIN
	e16. dEreš-ki-gal
	e17. Eriduki
	e18. ERIN2
	e19. Eriqqu
	e20. dErra
	e21. dErragal
	e22. Erû, ERU	"Eru" (Disambiguation)
	Erua	ERU (Goddess)
	g01. Ga-ga
	g02. GABA
	g03. 4 ša2 GABA-šu2	see UR.GU.LA
	g04. dGAL.A.RU.RU
	g05. GAM-ti
	g06. GAM3
	g07. Gamlu	An Akkadian parallel to mulGAM3(=ZUBI) "staff," see (Kurtik g06)GAM3, merged.
	g08. gišGAN2.UR3
	g09. GAŠAN.TIN
	g10. GENNA
	g11. GI.GI
	g12. GI6
	g13. dGIBIL6
	g14. GIG
	g15. gišGIGIR
	g16. GILIM.MA
	g17. GIR2
	g18. GIR2.AN.NA
	g19. GIR2.TAB
	g20. GIR3
	g21. GIŠ.BAR
	g22. GIŠ.ERIN2
	GIŠ.GÁNA.ÙR	=maškakātu “harrow”. mulGIŠ.GÁNA.ÙR (in MUL.APIN I ii 23)
	g23. GIŠ.KUN
	g24. Gizzānītu
	g25. GU
	g26. GU.AN.NA	merged into (g33) GU4.AN.NA
	g27. GU.LA or Gula	"Gula" (Disambiguation)
	g28. GU2.AN.NA	merged into (g33) GU4.AN.NA
	g29. GU2.ḪAL
	g30. GU2.MUR
	g31. GU4	merged into (g33) GU4.AN.NA
	g32. GU4.ALIM
	g33. GU4.AN.NA
	g34. GU4.UD
	g35. dGula	"Gula" (Disambiguation)
	g36. GUR4
	h01. Ḫabarīrānu
	h02. Ḫabbātu
	h03. dḪaniš
	h04. dḪar-ri-ru
	h05. ḪE2.GAL2-a-a
	h06. ḪI.LUGAL.MAŠ.LAḪ2.ḪA
	h07. ḪU.NIM
	h08. ḪUL
	h09. ḪUM.BA
	h10. ḪUN	merged with (Kurtik h12) ḪUN.GA2
	h11. ḪUN.GA2	merged with (Kurtik h12) ḪUN.GA2
	h12. lu2ḪUN.GA2
	i01. I3-li2-ab-rat
	i02. IBILA.E2.MAD
	i03. IDIGNA
	i04. IKU, Ikû	Akkadian parallel to mulAŠ.GAN2 "Field"; parts of the constellations Andromeda and Pegasus + some other southern stars from the zodiacal belt [G. 193; AHw, 370; CAD I, 69], see (Kurtik a48) AŠ.GAN2.
	i05. Ilum
	i06. dIM
	i07. dIM.DUGUDmušen
	i08. IM.GI
	i09. IM.ŠEŠ
	i10. IM.ŠU.RIN.NA
	i11. dIMIN.BI
	i12. IN.DUB.AN.NA
	i13. dINANNA
	i14. IR.BI4.IL
	i15. Is lê

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cuneiform	Kurtik's term	our note
	i16. Iṣṣuru
	i17. dIšḫara
	Iškur / Adad	The storm god. dIŠKUR (MUL.APIN I ii 9, I ii 25-27).
	i18. dIštar
	i19. dIštaran
	k01. KA
	k02. KA.AN.DU8
	k03. KA.AN.NA
	k04. KA.KEŠ2
	k05. KA.MUŠ.I3.KU2.E	variant KA.MUŠ.I3.GU7.E
	k06. KA5.A
	k07. dKAB.TA
	k08. Kajjamānu	Kurtik's spelling Kajjamānu; now read Kayyamānu(m)
	k09. KAK.BAN
	k10. KAK.SI.SA2
	k11. KAK.U2.TAG.GA
	k12. kakkabu
	k13. Kalbu
	k14. Kalītu
	k15. KAL.NE
	k16. KAR2.ŠUL
	k17. KASKAL.UD	former KASKAL.UD, now read KASKAL.UTU
	k18. Kinṣu	Kinru / Kinṣu
	k19. Kippatu
	k20. Kiṣru
	k21. KIŠIB
	k22. Kittu
	k23. KU.RU.NA
	k24. KU6
	k25. Kumāru
	k26. KUN
	k27. KUNme(š)
	k28. KUR.GI.Amušen
	k29. lu2KUR2.RA
	k30. dKusarikkum
	Kusu	Goddess of the cultic censer, mainly occurring in purification rituals. Her name is also an ancient epithet and later byname of the grain goddess Nissaba. See Michalowski 1993, 158–159; Simons 2018. dKù-sù (MUL.APIN I ii 28).
	k31. KUŠU2
	L01. la ŠID.MEŠ
	L02. dLA.KU.DU
	L03. dLAMMA
	L04. Lammu
	L05. dLātarāk
	L06. LI.DUR
	L07. dLI9.SI4 , Lisi(n)
	L08. LU
	L09. LU.LIM
	L10. LU.MAŠ
	L11. LU2
	L12. dLU2.LAL3
	L13. Lubuštum
	L14. LUGAL
	L15. LUGAL.E2.GAL
	L16. dLUGAL.GIR3.RA
	LÚ.ḪUĜ.ĜÁ	see ḪUN.GA2
	L17. LUL.LA
	L18. Lulīmu
	L19. Lumāšu
	L20. Lumnu
	m01. MA2.GUR8
	m02. gišMA2.DIRI.GA
	m03. Makrû
	m04. MAN
	m05. MAN-ma
	m06. Manzât
	m07. MAR
	m08. MAR.GID2.DA
	m09. MAR.GID2.DA.AN.NA
	m10. MAR.TU
	Mār-bīti	“Son of the House (Temple)”. A god worshipped in the city of Der. Originally, the name was perhaps an epithet of the snake god Niraḫ as attested in an inscription by Nebuchadnezzar I (see Paulus, AOAT 51, 507, NKU I 1, II 69). gišTUKUL šá dA/DUMU-É (EA 5r).
	m11. dMarduk
	m12. Marratu
	m13. MAŠ
	m14. Maš-a-ti
	m15. MAŠ.MAŠ
	m16. MAŠ.TAB.BA
	m17. MAŠ.TAB.BA.GAL.GAL
	m18. MAŠ.TAB.BA.TUR.TUR
	m19. MAŠ.TAB.BA ša2 IGI-it mulSIPA.ZI.AN.NA
	m20. Maškakātu
	m21. Māšū
	m22. MAŠ2
	m23. ME.GAR
	m24. dMES.LAM.TA.E3.A
	m25. mišḫu
	m26. mišiḫ dPA.BIL.SAG
	m27. MU.BU.KEŠ2.DA

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cuneiform	Kurtik's term	our note
	m28. MU.BU.KEŠ2.DA ša2 A.AB.BA
	m29. MUL
	m30. dMUL.AN.DIRI.A
	m31. MUL.AN.NA
	m32. MUL.GAL
	m33. MUL.KI.GAL
	m34. MUL.MEŠ kayyamānūtu
	m35. MUL.MUL or MUL2.MUL2
	m36. MUL.MUL.LA	or: mulmullu. “arrow”: see GAG.SI.SÁ.
	m37. MUL2
	m38. MUL2.BABBAR
	m39. MUL2.ŠID.MEŠ
	m40. MUL4
	m41. MULx
	m42. MURUB4
	m43. MUŠ
	m44. MUŠ.ḪUŠ
	m45. MUŠ.MIN.SAG.GA
	m46. MUŠEN
	m47. Muštarīlu
	n01. NA2
	n02. dNabû
	n03. NAGAR
	n04. Nakaru
	n05. Nammaššû
	n06. dNANNA
	n07. Narkabtu
	n08. Naṣrapu
	n09. Nattullu
	n10. Nattullu arkīti
	n11. NE
	n12. NE.GAR
	n13. NE.GI.IZI.GAR
	n14. NE.NE.GAR
	n15. Nēberu
	n16. Nebû
	n17. Nēltu
	n18. dNergal
	n19. Nēšu
	n20. ne2-bu-u2 ša2 GABA-šu2
	n21. ne2-bu-u2 ša2 mulŠU.GI
	n22. NI2.ZU
	n23. NIM.MA(ki)
	n24. Nimru
	n25. dNIN.A.ZU
	n26. dNIN.AN.NA
	n27. dNIN.GIR2.SU
	n28. dNIN.GIR3
	n29. dNIN.GIŠ.ZI.DA
	n30. NIN.GIRIM3
	n31. NIN.GUL.TI
	n32. NIN.KA.SI
	n33. NIN.KILIM
	n34. NIN.LIL2
	n35. NIN.MAḪ
	n36. dNIN.MUL
	n37. dNIN.MUL.NUN.DA
	n38. dNIN.MUL.SI4.A
	n39. dNIN.PA.MUL.E.SI
	n40. NIN.SAR
	n41. NIN.SI4
	n42. NIN.SI4.AN.NA
	n43. dNIN.URTA
	n44. dNiraḫ
	n45. Nīru
	n46. NITA.A.ŠE3
	n47. NU.KUŠ2.U3
	n48. NU.ME.A
	n49. NU.MUŠ.DA
	n50. NUNki
	n51. NUN.DIM4
	n52. NUN.ME
	n53. dNUN.SAR.A
	n54. Nūnu
	n55. dNusku
	p01. PA	see p03. dPA.BIL.SAG
	PAN
	p02. PA.BIL	see p03. dPA.BIL.SAG
	p03. dPA.BIL.SAG
	p04. Pagru
	p05. dPAP.SUKKAL
	p06. Peṣû
	p07. Puššanītu

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cuneiform	Kurtik's term	our note
	q01. Qaštu
	r01. Rabû
	r02. Rapaštu
	r03. Rappu
	r04. RI.ŠI.BE
	r05. Rittu
	s01. lu2SA.GAZ
	s02. SA.RI
	s03. SA4
	s04. SA5
	s05. SAG.DU
	s06. SAG.DU mulUR.GU.LA	? to UR.GU.LA
	s07. SAG.DU3.A	?
	s08. dSAG.KUD
	s09. SAG.ME.GAR
	s10. SAG.UŠ
	s11. SAL.A.ŠE3
	s12. SAL.ARḪUŠ.ŠA3.GA
	s13. SAR.A
	s14. SAR.U5
	s15. Sarru
	s16. dSI.MU2.A
	s17. SI4
	s18. SIG7
	s19. SIM.MAḪ
	s20. dSîn
	s21. SIPA
	s22. SIPA.ZI.AN.NA
	Sissinnu
	s23. SUḪUR
	s24. SUḪUR.MAŠ2 ku6
	s25. Suḫurmāšu
	ts01. Ṣal
	ts02. Ṣalbatānu
	ts03. Ṣallummu
	ts04. Ṣāriru
	ts05. Ṣarru
	ts06. Ṣurru
	sh01. ŠA3.TUR3.RA.ŠE3
	sh02. ŠAḪ
	sh03. dŠamaš
	sh04. Šanûmma
	sh05. ŠAR2.GAZ
	sh06. ŠAR2.UR4
	sh07. Šēlebu
	sh08. Šību
	sh09. Šiḫtu
	sh10. šil PA
	sh11. Šiltāḫu
	sh12. dŠimut
	sh13. Šinūnūtu	see s19. SIM.MAḪ
	sh14. Šitadallu	see s22. SIPA.ZI.AN.NA
	sh15. ŠU
	sh16. ŠU.GI
	sh17. ŠU.PA
	sh18. ŠUDUN
	sh19. ŠUDUN ša2 A.AB.BA
	sh20. ŠUDUN.ANŠE
	sh21. ŠUDUN.ANŠE EGIR-ti
	sh22. ŠUDUN.IM.U18.LU
	sh23. Šukūdu
	sh24. dŠUL.GI
	sh25. ŠUL.PA.E3
	sh26. Šullat
	t01. Tak-ša2-a-ti / tu2
	... TE8mušen
	t02. dTI.MU2.A
	t03. Tikpu
	t04. Tinūru
	t05. TIR.AN.NA
	t06. dTU.TU
	t07. Tūsamū
	t08. Tūsamū GAL.MEŠ
	t09. Tūltu
	t10. TUR3
	u01. U.RI.RI
	u02. U4.ZAL.LE
	u03. U5.RI2.IN
	u04. U8
	u05. UD.AL.TAR
	u06. UD.KA.DU8.A

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cuneiform	Kurtik's term	our note
	u07. UDU.IDIM
	u08. UDU.IDIM.GU4.UD
	u09. UDU.IDIM.SAG.UŠ
	u10. UDU.NITA2
	u11. UGAmušen
	u12. UL
	u13. UMBIN
	u14. ummulūtu
	u15. unnutu
	u16. UR	see UR.GU.LA
	u17. UR.A	UR.A is an abbreviation of (Kurtik u20) UR.GU.LA in the constellation of Leo, The Lion. see also: (Kurtik u22) UR.MAḪ.
	u18. UR.BAR.RA
	u19. UR.GI7
	u20. UR.GU.LA
	u21. UR.IDIM
	u22. UR.MAḪ
	u23. UR.NIG
	u24. UR2.KUN
	u25. Ur(i)dimmu	see UR.IDIM
	u26. Ur-um AN.NA
	u27. dUSAN2.PA.SIKIL
	u28. Uṣurtu
	u29. UŠ12.ZU
	u30. dUTU
	u31. UZ3
	z01. dZA.BA4.BA4
	z02. ZAG.GAR
	z03. Zappu
	z04. dZarpānītu / Zerpānītu
	z05. Zarû
	z06. ZI
	z07. ZI.BA.AN.NA
	z08. ZIBme
	z09. dZIB2
	z10. Zibānītum
	z11. Ziqpu
	z12. Zuqaqīpu