IM.ŠEŠ

IM.SHESH, The Rainbow, rises in the east together with the Swallow (who, in turn, is characterized by its V-shaped tail). Stellarium displays the area from northeast to southeast over Babylon in -1050. Might it refer to the three bright stars α, β, γ Ari? (we don't know)

^mulIM.ŠEŠ, The Rainbow, is an ancient Mesopotamian asterism. Its identification is unclear. As an asterism, it is designated in the list of rising and setting constellations of MUL.APIN but the rainbow god also occurs as the patron of the asterism-deity of the Vole, Ḫarriru, (I i 33). In both cases, the asterism that is referred to is in the area of Pisces/ Andromeda as it rises together with SIM.MAḪ, The Swallow. Identifications were proposed either southwest in Pisces, northwest in Pegasus (Papke 198x) or in the middle northern part of Andromeda.

Dictionary

Kurtik with Hilder, Hoffmann, Horowitz, Kim

Var. readings:

• ^mulIM.SIS, ^mulIM.SES;
• = marratu "Rainbow" [AHw, 612; CAD M/1, 286];

constellation identified with (Kurtik s19) SIM.MAḪ^(?).

Sources	Identifications
MUL.APIN. Dates of heliacal risings: ina itiAB UD 15 KAM mulSIM.MAḪ mulši-nu-nu-tu4 mulIM.ŠEŠ / ina GIŠ.NIM IGI.LA2 (var.: IGIme) "on the 15th day of tebet SIM. MAḪ, (i.e.) the Swallow, (or) IM.ŠEŠ, becomes visible in the east" (I iii 7) [MA, 45], see also (Kurtik k10) KAK.SI.SA2.
"The Great Stars List". tir.an.na ud nu-uḫ-ši mu.bi2 mar-ra-tum "Rainbow, its name 'day of plenty', rainbow" [Mesop.Astrol., App. B:167]. See also [ACh Sin, 3:122; HBA, 13].

Additional

Babylonian constellation of the Rainbow next to the IKU-constellation (Papke 1993). This way, IM-SHESH would culminate together with the Swallow and not rise together with it, so it contradicts at least one of the texts.

II. Identification.

         It has been suggested that ^mulSIM.MAḪ and ^mulIM.ŠEŠ are different names for the same constellation located in southwestern Pisces [MA, 128; G. 197; Koch 1989, 39; ASM, 65]. Doubts about the correctness of the identification are expressed in [MA, 128], see also the philological commentary in [Hunger-Steele 2018, 118], and (Kurtik t05) ^dTIR.AN.NA.

Historical Dictionaries

Kurtik (2022, i09)

Gössmann (1950)

вар. чтения: mulIM.SIS, mulIM.SES; = marratu «Радуга» [AHw, 612; CAD M/1, 286]; созвездие, отождествляемое с s19SIM.MAḪ(?). I. Источники. MUL.APIN. Даты гелиакических восходов: ina itiAB UD 15 KAM mulSIM.MAḪ mulši-nu-nu-tu4 mulIM.ŠEŠ / ina GIŠ.NIM IGI.LA2 (вар.: IGIme) «15-го тебету SIM.MAḪ, (т.е.) Ласточка, (или) IM.ŠEŠ, становятся видны на востоке» (I iii 7) [MA, 45], см. также k10KAK.SI.SA2. «Большой список звезд». tir.an.na ud nu-uḫ-ši mu.bi2 mar-ra-tum «Радуга, ее имя «день изобилия», радуга» [Mesop.Astrol., App. B:167]. Cм. также [ACh Sin, 3:122; HBA, 13]. II. Отождествление. Предполагается, что mulSIM.MAḪ и mulIM.ŠEŠ ― разные названия одного и того же созвездия, расположенного в юго-западной части Рыб [MA, 128; G. 197; Koch 1989, 39; ASM, 65]. Сомнения в правильности отождествления высказываются в [MA, 128], см. также филологический комментарий в [Hunger–Steele 2018, 118], а также t05 dTIR.AN.NA.

Example

References

• Kurtik's references