Ekur

The Ekur (E₂-kur) is an ancient Mesopotamian super-constellation consisting of the group of the Standing Gods of the Ekur (^mulDIĜIR.GUB.BA^meš) and the Sitting Gods of the Ekur (^mulDIĜIR.TUŠ.A^meš), both mentioned in MUL.APIN.

Dictionary (Provenance of the term)

Krebernik (2023)

see glossary of Hoffmann and Krebernik (2023):

^mulDIĜIR.GUB.BA^meš & ^mulDIĜIR.TUŠ.A^meš. The sumerograms are ambiguous, since the first sign can be read as DIĜIR “god” or AN “heaven”, and TUŠ can also be read DÚR (both meaning “to sit”) or KU. However, the addition of A makes the reading TUŠ virtually certain. In the same manner, BA confirms the reading of GUB.BA. The Sum. forms mean “seated, sitting” and “standing”, respectively.

The corresponding entries in the dictionaries are angubbû (AHw, CAD) and ankurû (CAD), antušû (AHw), respectively. The first sumerogram, which is much more common than the second, designates a type of priest and describes the function of certain (minor) deities in god lists. In the OB Ištar ritual from Mari, the DIĜIR^meš DIĜIR-gub-bu-ú are obviously (representations of) deities, who “sit down to the left of Ištar together with (the god) Latarak” (ii 1’-3’, see Ziegler 1997, 58). The usage in MUL.APIN, where the two expressions are connected with Enlil’s temple Ekur in Nippur (“The stars of the Standing/Sitting Gods of the Ekur”) seems to be comparable. In 5R 46: 15–16., the “Standing Gods of the Ekur” are interpreted as “Sîn and Nergal”, and the “Sitting Gods” as “Anu and Enlil”, which is not applicable to MUL.APIN. The same is true of [M]UL.DIĜIR.GUB].BA^meš DIĜIR.TUŠ.A^meš in Hg, where they are identified with Sîn and Šamaš (MSL 11, 41: 52). MUL.DIĜIR.GUB.BA^meš šu-ut É.KUR / MUL.DIĜIR.TUŠ.A^meš šu-ut É.KUR (after EN 21).

Hoffmann and Krebernik Text Edition

The path of Enlil in MUL.APIN

our numbering	DIŠ	explanandum	explanans
1	1	STAREPINNU (Plough)	GODEnlil
2	1	STARBARBARU (Wolf)	seeder of STAREPINNU
3	1	STARŠĪBU (Old Man)	GODEnmešarra
4	<1>	STARGAMLU (Throwing-stick)	GODGamlum(Throwing-stick)
5–6	1	STARTŪ’AMŪ·RABÛTU (Great Twins)	GODLugalirra and GODMeslamtaʾea
7–8	1	STARTŪ’AMŪ·ṢEḪRŪTU (Little Twins)	GODAlammuš and GODNingublaga
9	1	STARALLUTTU (Crab)	seat of GODAnu
10	1	STARURGULÛ (Lion)	GODLatarak
11	1	STAR opposite STARURGULÛ	STAR (of the) King
12	1	twinkling STARs in the tail of STARURGULÛ	‘date-palm spadix’ (jewellery?) (of) GODErua | GODZarpanītum
13	1	STARŠU.PA (The Bright?)	GODEnlil who determines the destinies of the land
14	1	STAR in front of it: STARḪENGALLĀYU (Abundant)	vizier of GODNinlil
15	1	STAR behind it: STARBĀŠTUM(Dignity)	vizier of GODTišpak(<*INANNA!?)
16	1	STAREREQQU (Wagon)	GODNinlil
17	1	STAR by the pole of STAREREQQU: STARŠĒLEBU(Fox)	GODErra, the  strong of the gods
18	1	STAR on the forehead of STAREREQQU: STARLAḪRU(Ewe)	GODAya
19	1	STARMU.BU.KÉŠ.DA (Hitched yoke?)	GODAnu-rabû of heaven
20	1	STARMAR.GÍD.DA.AN.NA (Wagon of heaven)	GODDamkianna
21	1	STAR in its bond: STARAPIL-EMAḪ (Heir of the Emaḫ-temple)	foremost son of GODAnu
	{1}	STAR·STANDING·GODs of the Ekur	The stars (of the) Standing Gods of the Ekur
	({1})	STAR·SITTING·GODs of the Ekur	Sitting Gods of the Ekur (temple)
22	1	STARENZU (She-Goat)	GODGula
23	1	STAR in front of STARENZU	STARKALBU(Dog) (of GODGula)
24	1	bright STAR of STARENZU	GODLamassatu | vizier of GODBaba (= GODGu-la)
25–26	1	2 STARs behind it	GODNin-SAR and GODErrakal
27	1	STARU4.KA.DU8.A	GODU.GUR(Nergal)
28	1	STAR to the right of it	STARŠAḪÛ(Pig) | GODDamu
29	1	STAR to the left of it	STARSSISÛ(Horse)
30	1	STAR behind it	STARLULIMMU | vizier of STAR.STAR (Pleiades)
31	1	twinkling STARs opposite STARLULIMMU(Stag)	GODḪarriru (Field Mouse) | GODManzât(Rainbow)
32	1	red bright STAR in the kidney of STARLULIMMU	STARPĀŠITTU (Deleter)
		When the STARs of GODEnlil are completed:

The Standing Gods and the Sitting Gods are rubric markers (like headlines in modern texts). Then, the rest of the list can be rendered as itemized lists in modern text layout.

	explanandum	explanans
Standing Gods of the Ekur	Plough Wolf Old Man Throwing Stick Great Twins Little Twins Crab Lion King Date-Palm Spadix Shupa	Enlil . Enmesharra Gamlu Lugalirra and Meslamta'ea Alamush and Ningublaga Anu Latarak . Zarpanitum Enlil
Sitting Gods of the Ekur	Wagon Fox Ewe Hitched Yoke Wagon of Heaven Heir	Ninlil Erra Aya Anu Damkianna Anu
Outside the Ekur	She-Goat Dog Lamassatu two stars UD.KA.DU8.A Pig Horse Stag Field Mouse Deleter	Gula . Lamassatu Ninsar and Erragal UD.KA.DU8.A Damu . . Manzat (Rainbow) Pashittu

Kurtik with Hilder, Hoffmann, Horowitz, Kim

Sources	Identifications
MUL.APIN. (1) The stars of Enlil (no. 21): mulDINGIR.GUB.BAmeš šu-ut E2-kur "Standing Gods of the Ekur" (I i 23), for a parallel see. [Horowitz 1989-90, 116, BM 54817:10'].	The constellations of "The Ekur" in Stellarium and a schema overlay: The Sitting Gods are bluish, and the Standing Gods are darker gray. The two additional Non-Ekur divine "entities" with their entourage (Susanne M Hoffmann 2025).
MUL.APIN. The list of the stars of Enlil (no. 22): mulDINGIR.TUŠ.Ameš šu-ut E2-kur "Sitting Gods of Ekur" (I i 23), see also [Horowitz 1989-90, 116, BM 54817:10'].

additional

Deities of the Ekur

1. Standing Gods
   1. Enlil
   2. Enmešarra
   3. Lugalirra and Meslamtaʾea
   4. Alammuš and Ningublaga
   5. Anu
   6. Latarak
   7. Erua | Zarpanītum
   8. Enlil
2. Sitting Gods
   1. Tišpak
   2. Ninlil and her vizier
   3. Erra
   4. Aya
   5. Anu
   6. Damkianna
   7. The Heir of the Emaḫ-temple (could be Enlil's or Anu's son)

Historical Dictionaries

The historical dictionaries by Kurtik (2007) and Gössmann (1950) both don't include this term, as the discovery of the astronomical unit of The Ekur only happened in a series of papers later (Hoffmann and Krebernik 2023, Hoffmann and Horowitz 2023, and Hoffmann 2024)

References

• Kurtik's references