MU.BU.KEŠ2.DA: Difference between revisions

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:MU.BU.KEŠ<sub>2</sub>.DA}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:MU.BU.KEŠ<sub>2</sub>.DA}}
[[File:HitchedYoke-map stellarium.jpg|thumb|morning of seventh month in Mesopotamia, simulated with Stellarium 25.2; the unnamed stars inside the circumpolar circle should be the The Hitchend Yoke = κ, λ, θ Boo plus ζ, η, θ, ι Dra (CC BY SMH).]]
[[File:HitchedYoke-map stellarium.jpg|thumb|morning of seventh month in Mesopotamia, simulated with Stellarium 25.2; the date of this map is roughly two weeks after equinox; the unnamed stars inside the circumpolar circle should be the The Hitchend Yoke = κ, λ, θ Boo plus ζ, η, θ, ι Dra (CC BY SMH).]]
<sup>mul</sup>MU.BU.KEŠ<sub>2</sub>.DA (𒀯𒈬𒁍𒂡𒁕) = ''nīru'' “yoke''," nīru riksu'', "hitched yoke," is an ancient Mesopotamian asterism in the circumpolar area. As it doesn't rise and set, it is difficult to determine its accurate position; the only hint is the schema of the Sitting Gods of the Ekur in MUL.APIN and the entry in the Astrolabe menology. The statement in the Alb B that it "rises" in the month of Tashritu suggests a position north of Bootes in Draco, perhaps the stars κ, λ, θ Boo plus ζ, η, θ, ι Dra. These stars are in the circumpolar area for Mesopotamian in the first millennium BCE, and above the northeastern horizon in the morning in the seventh month. Yet, the identification remains uncertain.
<sup>mul</sup>MU.BU.KEŠ<sub>2</sub>.DA (𒀯𒈬𒁍𒂡𒁕) = ''nīru'' “yoke''," nīru riksu'', "hitched yoke," is an ancient Mesopotamian asterism in the circumpolar area. As it doesn't rise and set, it is difficult to determine its accurate position; the only hint is the schema of the Sitting Gods of the Ekur in MUL.APIN and the entry in the Astrolabe menology. The statement in the Alb B that it "rises" in the month of Tashritu suggests a position north of Bootes in [[Draco]], perhaps the stars κ, λ, θ Boo plus ζ, η, θ, ι Dra. These stars are in the circumpolar area for Mesopotamian in the first millennium BCE, and above the northeastern horizon in the morning in the seventh month. Yet, the identification remains uncertain.


Various ideas regarding the meaning and origins of the Sumerian name have been proposed. An abbreviated writing <sup>mul</sup>MU.BU is also attested. For Yoke asterisms (''nīru''), see also ŠUDUN.
Various ideas regarding the meaning and origins of the Sumerian name have been proposed. An abbreviated writing <sup>mul</sup>MU.BU is also attested. For Yoke asterisms (''nīru''), see also ŠUDUN.
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===Krebernik (2023)===
===Krebernik (2023)===
MU.BU.KÉŠ.DA “(bound/hitched) yoke”. The sumerogram is usually translated simply as ''nīru'' “yoke''”'' (Hh, see SpTU III 228: 104). It should be noted, however, that MU.BU(.KÉŠ.DA) is not the normal Sumerian word for “yoke”, which is usually called /erin/ (<sup>giš</sup>érin) or /šudul/n/ (with various spellings). The logogram MU.BU.KÉŠ.DA resulted from the merger of two originally different star names, <sup>mul</sup>KA.KÉŠDA (or <sup>mul</sup>ZÚ.KÉŠDA) and <sup>mul</sup>MU.BU. The OB star list in Hh lists them in two subsequent lines (MSL 11, 108:390–391). In the mB forerunners to Hh from Emar we find only one entry instead.
MU.BU.KÉŠ.DA “(bound/hitched) yoke”. The sumerogram is usually translated simply as ''nīru'' “yoke''”'' (Hh, see SpTU III<ref>''Špätbabylonische Texte aus Uruk.'' Teil III / Bearb. von Weiher E. von. Berlin, 1988.</ref> 228: 104). It should be noted, however, that MU.BU(.KÉŠ.DA) is not the normal Sumerian word for “yoke”, which is usually called /erin/ (<sup>giš</sup>érin) or /šudul/n/ (with various spellings). The logogram MU.BU.KÉŠ.DA resulted from the merger of two originally different star names, <sup>mul</sup>KA.KÉŠDA (or <sup>mul</sup>ZÚ.KÉŠDA) and <sup>mul</sup>MU.BU. The OB star list in Hh lists them in two subsequent lines (MSL 11<ref name=":0">''Materials for the Sumerian Lexicon''. Vol. XI. The Series HAR-ra = ''hubullu.'' Tablets XX-XXIV. Ed. by E.Reiner with the coll. of M.Civil. Roma, 1974.</ref>, 108:390–391). In the mB forerunners to Hh from Emar we find only one entry instead.


One ms. has [<sup>mul</sup>E.MU.UN.D]U: KI.KÉŠ.DA = ''ni-ru'' (Msk 74115 rev. iii’ 9’, see Arnaud 1985, VI.1, 288, and Gantzert 2011, I 210, II 127). The double wedge transliterated with “:” seems to indicate that the scribe had a ''vorlage'' in which KI.KÉŠ.DA stood in a separate line. The second ms. from Emar has simply <sup>mul</sup>E.MU.UN.DU.KI.KÉŠ.DA = ''n''[''i-ru''] (Msk 47187 rev. ii’ 4’, see Arnaud 1985, VI.2, 461, and Gantzert 2011, I 215, II 127). The sign E was (erroneously) introduced from the preceding section, a list of canal names starting with E “canal”. Apart from múdra ''= (w)aršu'' “dirty”, which cannot apply here, MU.BU has a reading mudul<sub>x</sub> equated with ''nīru'' in OB Diri Nippur 9:18 (MSL 5, 34, with restoration [mu-d]u-ul instead of [x-d]u-ul). This word is most likely identical with Sum. madal, written <sup>giš</sup>(MA.)BU, which designates a kind of pole or shaft rather than a yoke. DU for BU in the Emar texts (transliterated as ‘KUR<sub>9</sub>’ by Gantzert) is a syllabic spelling based on the reading mudul. The spelling MU.UN.DU for MU.BU shows that the Emar scribes interpreted MU.BU as a Sumerian verbal form with the prefix chain ''mu(n)-''. KI.KÉŠ.DA for KA.KÉŠ.DA seems to indicate that the Emar scribes read the sign KA syllabically as ka, which contradicts the established reading of the underlying Sumerian as zú-kéš-da “bond, troop”, from zú-kéš “to bind”. <sup>mul</sup>MU.BU.KÉŠ.DA (EN 19l).
One ms. has [<sup>mul</sup>E.MU.UN.D]U: KI.KÉŠ.DA = ''ni-ru'' (Msk 74115 rev. iii’ 9’, see Arnaud 1985<ref name=":1">Arnaud D. (1985): Textes sumériens et accadiens, planches (= Emar 6/1–2).</ref>, VI.1, 288, and Gantzert 2011<ref name=":2">Gantzert, M. (2011). The Emar Lexical Texts. <nowiki>https://scholarlypublications.universiteitleiden.nl/handle/1887/17707/</nowiki></ref>, I 210, II 127). The double wedge transliterated with “:” seems to indicate that the scribe had a ''vorlage'' in which KI.KÉŠ.DA stood in a separate line. The second ms. from Emar has simply <sup>mul</sup>E.MU.UN.DU.KI.KÉŠ.DA = ''n''[''i-ru''] (Msk 47187 rev. ii’ 4’, see Arnaud 1985<ref name=":1" />, VI.2, 461, and Gantzert 2011<ref name=":2" />, I 215, II 127). The sign E was (erroneously) introduced from the preceding section, a list of canal names starting with E “canal”. Apart from múdra ''= (w)aršu'' “dirty”, which cannot apply here, MU.BU has a reading mudul<sub>x</sub> equated with ''nīru'' in OB Diri Nippur 9:18 (MSL V<ref>Landsberger, B. (1957). The Series HAR-Ra Hubullu. Materials for the Sumerian Lexicon 5.</ref>, 34, with restoration [mu-d]u-ul instead of [x-d]u-ul). This word is most likely identical with Sum. madal, written <sup>giš</sup>(MA.)BU, which designates a kind of pole or shaft rather than a yoke. DU for BU in the Emar texts (transliterated as ‘KUR<sub>9</sub>’ by Gantzert) is a syllabic spelling based on the reading mudul. The spelling MU.UN.DU for MU.BU shows that the Emar scribes interpreted MU.BU as a Sumerian verbal form with the prefix chain ''mu(n)-''. KI.KÉŠ.DA for KA.KÉŠ.DA seems to indicate that the Emar scribes read the sign KA syllabically as ka, which contradicts the established reading of the underlying Sumerian as zú-kéš-da “bond, troop”, from zú-kéš “to bind”. <sup>mul</sup>MU.BU.KÉŠ.DA (EN 19l).


===Kurtik with Hilder, Hoffmann, Horowitz, Kim===
===Kurtik with Hilder, Hoffmann, Horowitz, Kim===
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* <sup>mul</sup>MU.GID<sub>2</sub>.KEŠ<sub>2</sub>.DA,
* <sup>mul</sup>MU.GID<sub>2</sub>.KEŠ<sub>2</sub>.DA,
* <sup>mul</sup>MUDRA<sub>6</sub>.KEŠ<sub>2</sub>.DA;
* <sup>mul</sup>MUDRA<sub>6</sub>.KEŠ<sub>2</sub>.DA;
* = ''nīru'' "Bound Yoke" [Gössmann<ref name=":3">''Gössmann P.F''. Planetarium Babylonicum, Rom, 1950 (A. Deimel. Šumerisches Lexikon 4/2).</ref> 282; CAD<ref name=":4">''The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.'' Chicago - Glückstadt, 1956 -...</ref> N/2, 260ff.];
* = ''nīru'' "Bound Yoke" [G. 282; CAD N/2, 260ff.];


asterism in the far north, see also (Kurtik sh18) [[ŠUDUN]]. For discussion of the name, see also Horowitz 2014: 76-77.
Asterism in the far north, see also (Kurtik sh18) [[ŠUDUN]]. For discussion of the name, see also Horowitz 2014<ref name=":5">Horowitz, W. (2014), The three stars each: the Astrolabes and related texts, Archiv für Orientforschung AfO Beiheft, 33.</ref>: 76-77.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
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|'''Lexical texts.'''
|'''Lexical texts.'''
*(1) Unilingual Sumerian lists of stars:
*(1) Unilingual Sumerian lists of stars:
**<sup>mul</sup>mu.sir<sub>2</sub> (MU.BU) [MSL XI, 108:391], cc??
**<sup>mul</sup>mu.sir<sub>2</sub> (MU.BU) [MSL XI<ref name=":0" />, 108:391], '''''cc??'''''
**<sup>mul</sup>˹keš<sub>2</sub>.da˺, [<sup>mul</sup>k]eš<sub>2</sub>.da [MSL XI, 133, Forerunner 1, rev. viii 39; 144, Forerunner 9, col. iii 2],
**<sup>mul</sup>˹keš<sub>2</sub>.da˺, [<sup>mul</sup>k]eš<sub>2</sub>.da [MSL XI<ref name=":0" />, 133, Forerunner 1, rev. viii 39; 144, Forerunner 9, col. iii 2],
**<sup>mul</sup>MU.BU.kešda [MSL XI, 143, Forerunner 8, col. x 15].
**<sup>mul</sup>MU.BU.kešda [MSL XI<ref name=":0" />, 143, Forerunner 8, col. x 15].
*(2) Urra XXII series:
*(2) Urra XXII series:
**a) <sup>mul</sup>e.mu.un.du =(?) ki.keš<sub>2</sub>.da = ''n''[''i-ru''] A/; [...d]u = ki.keš.da = ''ni-ru'' B/ [Emar VI /4, 151:156],
**a) <sup>mul</sup>e.mu.un.du =(?) ki.keš<sub>2</sub>.da = ''n''[''i-ru''] A/; [...d]u = ki.keš.da = ''ni-ru'' B/ [Emar VI<ref>''D. Arnaud''. Texte de la bibliothèque, transcriptions et traductions, 1987. (= Emar 6/4).</ref> /4, 151:156],
**b) <sup>[mul]</sup>mudra<sub>6</sub>.keš<sub>2</sub>.da = ''ni-i-ru''/''i'' [SpTU III, 114A v 40], <sup>mul</sup>MU.BU.keš<sub>2</sub>.da = ''ni-i-ri'' [Bloch-Horowitz 2015, 108:297ʹ].
**b) <sup>[mul]</sup>mudra<sub>6</sub>.keš<sub>2</sub>.da = ''ni-i-ru''/''i'' [SpTU III, 114A v 40], <sup>mul</sup>MU.BU.keš<sub>2</sub>.da = ''ni-i-ri'' [Bloch-Horowitz 2015<ref>Bloch Y. and W. Horowitz (2015):  “Urra = hubullu XXII: The Standard Recension,” with Y. Bloch, Journal of Cuneiform Studies 67: 71-125.</ref>, 108:297ʹ].
*(3) Nabnītu series (XXI 309):
*(3) Nabnītu series (XXI 309):
**<sup>[mul]</sup>MU.BU.keš<sub>2</sub>.da = ''ni-ru ša''<sub>2</sub> AN''-e,'' "Mubukeshda = Heavenly Yoke" [CT 12, 43 iv 25; MSL XVI], see also [CAD N/2, 261a].
**<sup>[mul]</sup>MU.BU.keš<sub>2</sub>.da = ''ni-ru ša''<sub>2</sub> AN''-e,'' "Mubukeshda = Heavenly Yoke" [CT<ref name=":6">''Cuneiform Texts from Babylonian Tablets in the British Museum.''</ref> 12, 43 iv 25; MSL XVI], see also [CAD<ref name=":4" /> N/2, 261a].
*(4) <sup>[mul]</sup>mu.bu.keš<sub>2</sub>.da = <sup>mul</sup>šudun [CT 26, 48, K. 11306:2].
*(4) <sup>[mul]</sup>mu.bu.keš<sub>2</sub>.da = <sup>mul</sup>šudun [CT<ref name=":6" /> 26, 48, K. 11306:2].
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*Menology:
*Menology:
**<sup>iti</sup>du<sub>6</sub> <sup>mul</sup>MU.BU.keš<sub>2</sub>.da <sup>d</sup>En.lil<sub>2</sub>.le: <sup>iti</sup>du<sub>6</sub> ''ni-i-ru'' <sup>d</sup>''En''-''lil''<sub>3</sub>
**<sup>iti</sup>du<sub>6</sub> <sup>mul</sup>MU.BU.keš<sub>2</sub>.da <sup>d</sup>En.lil<sub>2</sub>.le: <sup>iti</sup>du<sub>6</sub> ''ni-i-ru'' <sup>d</sup>''En''-''lil''<sub>3</sub>
**"Month of Tashrit, Yarmo, Enlil" (A ii 22, 30) [Horowitz 2014, 35, discussion 77];
**"Month of Tashrit, Yarmo, Enlil" (A ii 22, 30) [Horowitz 2014<ref name=":5" />, 35, discussion 77];
*for a parallel see. [Çağirgan 1985, 405:35],
*for a parallel see. [Çağirgan 1985<ref>''Çağirgan G''. Three More Duplicates to Astrolabe B // Belleten. 1985. Vol. XLVIII, № 191-192. Р. 399-416.</ref>, 405:35],
*see also [BPO 2<ref>''Reiner E., Pingree D''. Enuma Anu Enlil, Tablets 50-51. Undena Publications, Malibu, 1981 (Babylonian Planetary Omens: Part Two).</ref>, 82; CAD<ref name=":4" /> N/2, 261a; Emelyanov 1999<ref>''Емельянов В.В''. Ниппурский календарь и ранняя история Зодиака. СПб: "Петербургское Востоковедение", 1999.</ref>, 100].
*see also [BPO 2, 82; CAD N/2, 261a; Emelyanov 1999, 100].
|[[File:HitchedYoke-map stellarium.jpg|thumb|morning of seventh month in Mesopotamia, simulated with Stellarium 25.2; the unnamed stars inside the circumpolar circle should be the The Hitchend Yoke = κ, λ, θ Boo plus ζ, η, θ, ι Dra (CC BY SMH).]]
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|'''MUL.APIN.'''
|'''MUL.APIN.'''
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**<sup>mul</sup>MU.BU.KEŠ<sub>2</sub>.DA <sup>d</sup>''A-num'' GAL-''u''<sub>2</sub> ''ša''<sub>2</sub> AN-''e''
**<sup>mul</sup>MU.BU.KEŠ<sub>2</sub>.DA <sup>d</sup>''A-num'' GAL-''u''<sub>2</sub> ''ša''<sub>2</sub> AN-''e''
**"Mubukeshda, the great Anu of heaven" (I i 19);
**"Mubukeshda, the great Anu of heaven" (I i 19);
*parallel [IIR, 47 iii 16; Horowitz 1989-90 116, BM 54817:7'].
*parallel [IIR, 47 iii 16; Horowitz 1989-90<ref>''Horowitz W.'' Two Mul-Apin Fragments // AfO. 1989-90. Bd. XXXVI/XXXVII. S. 116-117.</ref> 116, BM 54817:7'].
|Note that Anu's Yoke and Heir are interchangable. [[File:EkurGodsSchema on stellarium txt.jpg|thumb|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).]]
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|-
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| '''List of stars VR, 46 1: 12, 47.'''
| '''List of stars VR, 46 1: 12, 47.'''
*(1) <sup>mul</sup>MU.BU.keš<sub>2</sub>.da = <sup>d</sup>''A-nim gal-u''<sub>2</sub> ''ša''<sub>2</sub> an-''e'' dingir gal 'Mubukeshda = the great Anu of heaven, the great god';
*(1) <sup>mul</sup>MU.BU.keš<sub>2</sub>.da = <sup>d</sup>''A-nim gal-u''<sub>2</sub> ''ša''<sub>2</sub> an-''e'' dingir gal 'Mubukeshda = the great Anu of heaven, the great god';
*(2) <sup>mul</sup>MU.BU.keš<sub>2</sub>.da = <sup>d</sup>''ni-ru rak-su'' 'Mubukeshda = the Bound Yoke' [HBA 51-52:12, 47; Wee 2016, 161-3]. Temple ritual.
*(2) <sup>mul</sup>MU.BU.keš<sub>2</sub>.da = <sup>d</sup>''ni-ru rak-su'' 'Mubukeshda = the Bound Yoke' [HBA<ref>''Weidner E.'' Handbuch der babylonischen Astronomie. Bd. I. Leipzig, 1915.</ref> 51-52:12, 47; Wee 2016<ref>Wee, J. (2016). Virtual Moons over Babylonia: The Calendar Text System, Its Micro-Zodiac of 13, and the Making of Medical Zodiology. The Circulation of Astronomical Knowledge in the Ancient World, Ed. J. M. Steele, 139–229.</ref>, 161-3]. Temple ritual.
**a) <sup>mul d</sup>''Anu''(diš) ''gal-u''<sub>2</sub> ''ša''<sub>2</sub> an-''e it-tap-ḫa'' <sup>(mul d)</sup>''An-tum gal-tum ša''<sub>2</sub> AN-''e ina'' <sup>mul</sup>mar.gid<sub>2</sub>.da ''it-tap-ḫa'' "The great celestial asterism of An rises, (and) the great celestial asterism Antum rises in the Wagon." [RAcc. 68, 119:15-16; Linssen 2004, 245:15-16], according to '''''[RAcc. 85 note 2; Reiner 1995, 139], <sup>mul d</sup>Anum is an asterism in the constellation MU.BU.keš<sub>2</sub>.da (α Draconis?).??ccc'''''
**a) <sup>mul d</sup>''Anu''(diš) ''gal-u''<sub>2</sub> ''ša''<sub>2</sub> an-''e it-tap-ḫa'' <sup>(mul d)</sup>''An-tum gal-tum ša''<sub>2</sub> AN-''e ina'' <sup>mul</sup>mar.gid<sub>2</sub>.da ''it-tap-ḫa'' "The great celestial asterism of An rises, (and) the great celestial asterism Antum rises in the Wagon." [RAcc.<ref name=":7">''Thureau-Dansin F''. Rittuels accadiens. Paris, 1921.</ref> 68, 119:15-16; Linssen 2004<ref name=":8">''Linssen, Marc J.H.'' The Cults of Uruk and Babylon : The Temple Ritual Texts as Evidence for Hellenistic Cult Practises. Vol. 25. Cuneiform Monographs. Leiden, Boston : Brill, Styx. 2004.</ref>, 245:15-16], according to '''''[RAcc.'''''<ref name=":7" /> '''''85 note 2; Reiner 1995'''''<ref name=":9">''Reiner E.'' Astral Magic in Babylonia. Philadelphia, The Amer. Philos. Soc., 1995.</ref>''''', 139], <sup>mul d</sup>Anum is an asterism in the constellation MU.BU.keš<sub>2</sub>.da (α Draconis?).??ccc'''''
**(b) New Year's ritual in Babylon, see below.
**(b) New Year's ritual in Babylon, see below.
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         The name is absent from the lists of gods and is never recorded with the determinative d. The special significance of this asterism is emphasized by its identification with the god Anu.
         The name is absent from the lists of gods and is never recorded with the determinative d. The special significance of this asterism is emphasized by its identification with the god Anu.


         Prayers and rituals.
===== Prayers and rituals. =====
⚫
*(1) Babylonian New Year ritual: <sup>múl</sup>MU.BU.keš<sub>2</sub>.da ''ša''<sub>2</sub> ''ḫaṭṭa''(<sup>giš</sup>gidri) ''u kippata''(<sup>giš</sup>gam) ''na-šu''-<''u''> "Mubukeshda, who carries the scepter and the ring" [RAcc.<ref name=":7" /> 137, 153:302; Linssen 2004<ref name=":8" />, 220, 229]. 

* (2) A ritual against an epidemic [TuL<ref>''Ebeling E.'' Tod und Leben nach den Vorstellungen der Babilonier. Berlin-Leipzig, 1931.</ref> 163, 34:13].
⚫
*(1) Babylonian New Year ritual: <sup>múl</sup>MU.BU.keš<sub>2</sub>.da ''ša''<sub>2</sub> ''ḫaṭṭa''(<sup>giš</sup>gidri) ''u kippata''(<sup>giš</sup>gam) ''na-šu''-<''u''> "Mubukeshda, who carries the scepter and the ring" [RAcc. 137, 153:302; Linssen 2004, 220, 229]. 
* (2) A ritual against an epidemic [TuL 163, 34:13].


====III. Symbol. ====
====III. Symbol. ====
         Unclear. Originally, it was apparently a yoke, but the description in [RAcc.] suggests an anthropomorphic figure (?).
         Unclear. Originally, it was apparently a yoke, but the description in [RAcc.<ref name=":7" />] suggests an anthropomorphic figure (?).


====IV. Identification.====
====IV. Identification.====
         = Draco [G. 282].
         = Draco [Gössmann<ref name=":3" /> 282].


         = Draco (?) [Weidner 1957-59, 79a].
         = Draco (?) [Weidner 1957-59<ref>''Weidner E.'' mul gir<sub>2</sub>.tab = ''zuqaqîpi'' // AfO. 1957-1958. Bd. 18. S. 393-394].</ref>, 79a].


         = α Draconis (?) [MA, 137; Reiner 1995, 139; ASM, 273].
         = α Draconis (?) [MA<ref>Hunger, H. and Steele, J. M. (2019). The Babylonian Astronomical Compendium MUL.APIN, Routledge, NY</ref>, 137; Reiner 1995<ref name=":9" />, 139; ASM<ref>''Hunger H., Pingree D.'' Astral Sciences in Mesopotamia. Leiden-Boston-Köln, 1999.</ref>, 273].


====V. Astrology. ====
====V. Astrology. ====
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[[Category:Cuneiform]]
[[Category:Cuneiform]]
[[Category:Constellation]]
[[Category:Constellation]]

[[Category:4workWayne]]

Latest revision as of 07:18, 29 September 2025

morning of seventh month in Mesopotamia, simulated with Stellarium 25.2; the date of this map is roughly two weeks after equinox; the unnamed stars inside the circumpolar circle should be the The Hitchend Yoke = κ, λ, θ Boo plus ζ, η, θ, ι Dra (CC BY SMH).

mulMU.BU.KEŠ2.DA (𒀯𒈬𒁍𒂡𒁕) = nīru “yoke," nīru riksu, "hitched yoke," is an ancient Mesopotamian asterism in the circumpolar area. As it doesn't rise and set, it is difficult to determine its accurate position; the only hint is the schema of the Sitting Gods of the Ekur in MUL.APIN and the entry in the Astrolabe menology. The statement in the Alb B that it "rises" in the month of Tashritu suggests a position north of Bootes in Draco, perhaps the stars κ, λ, θ Boo plus ζ, η, θ, ι Dra. These stars are in the circumpolar area for Mesopotamian in the first millennium BCE, and above the northeastern horizon in the morning in the seventh month. Yet, the identification remains uncertain.

Various ideas regarding the meaning and origins of the Sumerian name have been proposed. An abbreviated writing mulMU.BU is also attested. For Yoke asterisms (nīru), see also ŠUDUN.

Concordance, Etymology, History

Krebernik (2023)

MU.BU.KÉŠ.DA “(bound/hitched) yoke”. The sumerogram is usually translated simply as nīru “yoke” (Hh, see SpTU III[1] 228: 104). It should be noted, however, that MU.BU(.KÉŠ.DA) is not the normal Sumerian word for “yoke”, which is usually called /erin/ (gišérin) or /šudul/n/ (with various spellings). The logogram MU.BU.KÉŠ.DA resulted from the merger of two originally different star names, mulKA.KÉŠDA (or mulZÚ.KÉŠDA) and mulMU.BU. The OB star list in Hh lists them in two subsequent lines (MSL 11[2], 108:390–391). In the mB forerunners to Hh from Emar we find only one entry instead.

One ms. has [mulE.MU.UN.D]U: KI.KÉŠ.DA = ni-ru (Msk 74115 rev. iii’ 9’, see Arnaud 1985[3], VI.1, 288, and Gantzert 2011[4], I 210, II 127). The double wedge transliterated with “:” seems to indicate that the scribe had a vorlage in which KI.KÉŠ.DA stood in a separate line. The second ms. from Emar has simply mulE.MU.UN.DU.KI.KÉŠ.DA = n[i-ru] (Msk 47187 rev. ii’ 4’, see Arnaud 1985[3], VI.2, 461, and Gantzert 2011[4], I 215, II 127). The sign E was (erroneously) introduced from the preceding section, a list of canal names starting with E “canal”. Apart from múdra = (w)aršu “dirty”, which cannot apply here, MU.BU has a reading mudulx equated with nīru in OB Diri Nippur 9:18 (MSL V[5], 34, with restoration [mu-d]u-ul instead of [x-d]u-ul). This word is most likely identical with Sum. madal, written giš(MA.)BU, which designates a kind of pole or shaft rather than a yoke. DU for BU in the Emar texts (transliterated as ‘KUR9’ by Gantzert) is a syllabic spelling based on the reading mudul. The spelling MU.UN.DU for MU.BU shows that the Emar scribes interpreted MU.BU as a Sumerian verbal form with the prefix chain mu(n)-. KI.KÉŠ.DA for KA.KÉŠ.DA seems to indicate that the Emar scribes read the sign KA syllabically as ka, which contradicts the established reading of the underlying Sumerian as zú-kéš-da “bond, troop”, from zú-kéš “to bind”. mulMU.BU.KÉŠ.DA (EN 19l).

Kurtik with Hilder, Hoffmann, Horowitz, Kim

Var. readings:

  • mulMU.BU.keš2.da,
  • mulMU.BU.kešda,
  • mulMU.SIR2.KEŠ2.DA,
  • mulMU.GID2.KEŠ2.DA,
  • mulMUDRA6.KEŠ2.DA;
  • = nīru "Bound Yoke" [Gössmann[6] 282; CAD[7] N/2, 260ff.];

Asterism in the far north, see also (Kurtik sh18) ŠUDUN. For discussion of the name, see also Horowitz 2014[8]: 76-77.

Sources Identifications
Lexical texts.
  • (1) Unilingual Sumerian lists of stars:
    • mulmu.sir2 (MU.BU) [MSL XI[2], 108:391], cc??
    • mul˹keš2.da˺, [mulk]eš2.da [MSL XI[2], 133, Forerunner 1, rev. viii 39; 144, Forerunner 9, col. iii 2],
    • mulMU.BU.kešda [MSL XI[2], 143, Forerunner 8, col. x 15].
  • (2) Urra XXII series:
    • a) mule.mu.un.du =(?) ki.keš2.da = n[i-ru] A/; [...d]u = ki.keš.da = ni-ru B/ [Emar VI[9] /4, 151:156],
    • b) [mul]mudra6.keš2.da = ni-i-ru/i [SpTU III, 114A v 40], mulMU.BU.keš2.da = ni-i-ri [Bloch-Horowitz 2015[10], 108:297ʹ].
  • (3) Nabnītu series (XXI 309):
    • [mul]MU.BU.keš2.da = ni-ru ša2 AN-e, "Mubukeshda = Heavenly Yoke" [CT[11] 12, 43 iv 25; MSL XVI], see also [CAD[7] N/2, 261a].
  • (4) [mul]mu.bu.keš2.da = mulšudun [CT[11] 26, 48, K. 11306:2].
"Three Stars Each (Astroabes)."

Astrolabe B.

  • Menology:
    • itidu6 mulMU.BU.keš2.da dEn.lil2.le: itidu6 ni-i-ru dEn-lil3
    • "Month of Tashrit, Yarmo, Enlil" (A ii 22, 30) [Horowitz 2014[8], 35, discussion 77];
  • for a parallel see. [Çağirgan 1985[12], 405:35],
  • see also [BPO 2[13], 82; CAD[7] N/2, 261a; Emelyanov 1999[14], 100].
morning of seventh month in Mesopotamia, simulated with Stellarium 25.2; the unnamed stars inside the circumpolar circle should be the The Hitchend Yoke = κ, λ, θ Boo plus ζ, η, θ, ι Dra (CC BY SMH).
MUL.APIN.
  • List of Enlil's stars (no. 18):
    • mulMU.BU.KEŠ2.DA dA-num GAL-u2 ša2 AN-e
    • "Mubukeshda, the great Anu of heaven" (I i 19);
  • parallel [IIR, 47 iii 16; Horowitz 1989-90[15] 116, BM 54817:7'].
 Note that Anu's Yoke and Heir are interchangable.
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).
List of stars VR, 46 1: 12, 47.
  • (1) mulMU.BU.keš2.da = dA-nim gal-u2 ša2 an-e dingir gal 'Mubukeshda = the great Anu of heaven, the great god';
  • (2) mulMU.BU.keš2.da = dni-ru rak-su 'Mubukeshda = the Bound Yoke' [HBA[16] 51-52:12, 47; Wee 2016[17], 161-3]. Temple ritual.
    • a) mul dAnu(diš) gal-u2 ša2 an-e it-tap-ḫa (mul d)An-tum gal-tum ša2 AN-e ina mulmar.gid2.da it-tap-ḫa "The great celestial asterism of An rises, (and) the great celestial asterism Antum rises in the Wagon." [RAcc.[18] 68, 119:15-16; Linssen 2004[19], 245:15-16], according to [RAcc.[18] 85 note 2; Reiner 1995[20], 139], mul dAnum is an asterism in the constellation MU.BU.keš2.da (α Draconis?).??ccc
    • (b) New Year's ritual in Babylon, see below.

Additional

II. Deity.

         The name is absent from the lists of gods and is never recorded with the determinative d. The special significance of this asterism is emphasized by its identification with the god Anu.

Prayers and rituals.
  • (1) Babylonian New Year ritual: múlMU.BU.keš2.da ša2 ḫaṭṭa(gišgidri) u kippata(gišgam) na-šu-<u> "Mubukeshda, who carries the scepter and the ring" [RAcc.[18] 137, 153:302; Linssen 2004[19], 220, 229]. 
  • (2) A ritual against an epidemic [TuL[21] 163, 34:13].

III. Symbol.

         Unclear. Originally, it was apparently a yoke, but the description in [RAcc.[18]] suggests an anthropomorphic figure (?).

IV. Identification.

         = Draco [Gössmann[6] 282].

         = Draco (?) [Weidner 1957-59[22], 79a].

         = α Draconis (?) [MA[23], 137; Reiner 1995[20], 139; ASM[24], 273].

V. Astrology.

Identifications:

         (1) = Venus; see (Kurtik a43) gišAPIN, VI 2.

Historical Dictionaries

Kurtik (2022, m27) Gössmann (1950)
вар. чтения: mulMU.BU.keš2.da, mulMU.BU.kešda, mulMU.SIR2.KEŠ2.DA, mulMU.GID2.KEŠ2.DA, mulMUDRA6.KEŠ2.DA; = nīru «Привязанное Ярмо» [G. 282; CAD N/2, 260ff.]; созвездие или звезда(?) в Драконе (Draco), cм. также sh18ŠUDUN.

I. Источники.

Лексич. тексты. (1) Одноязычные шумерские списки звезд: mulmu.sir2 [MSL XI, 108:391], mul˹keš2.da˺, [mulk]eš2.da [MSL XI, 133, Forerunner 1, rev. viii 39; 144, Forerunner 9, col. iii 2], mulMU.BU.kešda [MSL XI, 143, Forerunner 8, col. x 15]. (2) Cерия Urra XXII: a) mule.mu.un.du =(?) ki.keš2.da = n[i-ru] A/; [… d]u = ki.keš.da = ni-ru B/ [Emar VI /4, 151:156], b) [mul]mudra6.keš2.da = ni-i-ru/i [SpTU III, 114A v 40], mulMU.BU.keš2.da = ni-i-ri [Bloch–Horowitz 2015, 108:297ʹ]. (3) Cерия Nabnītu (XXI 309): [mul]MU.BU.keš2.da = ni-ru ša2 an-e «Мубукешда = Небесное Ярмо» [CT 12, 43 iv 25; MSL XVI], см. также [СAD N/2, 261a]. (4) [mul]mu.bu.keš2.da = mulšudun [CT 26, 48, K. 11306:2]. «Астролябии». Astrolabe B. Менологии: itidu6 mulMU.BU.keš2.da dEn.lil2.le : itidu6 ni-i-ru dEn-lil3 «Месяц ташриту, Ярмо, Энлиль» (A ii 22, 30) [Horowitz 2014, 35]; параллель см. [Çağirgan 1985, 405:35], см. также [BPO 2, 82; CAD N/2, 261a; Емельянов 1999, 100]. MUL.APIN. Список звезд Энлиля (№ 18): mulMU.BU.KEŠ2.DA dA-num GAL-u2 ša2 AN-e «Мубукешда, великий Ану небесный» (I i 19) [MA, 24]; параллель [IIR, 47 iii 16; Horowitz 1989–90 116, BM 54817:7']. Список звезд VR, 46 1: 12, 47. (1) mulMU.BU.keš2.da = dA-nim gal-u2 ša2 an-e dingir gal «Мубукешда = великий Ану небесный, бог великий»; (2) mulMU.BU.keš2.da = dni-ru rak-su  «Мубукешда = Привязанное Ярмо» [HBA 51–52:12, 47; Wee 2016, 161–3]. Храмовый ритуал. a) mul dAnu(diš) gal-u2 ša2 an-e it-tap-ḫa (mul d)An-tum gal-tum ša2 an-e ina mulmar.gid2.da it-tap-ḫa «Великая небесная звезда Ану восходит, (и) великая небесная звезда Антум в Повозке восходит» [RAcc. 68, 119:15–16; Linssen 2004, 245:15–16], согласно [RAcc. 85 note 2; Reiner 1995, 139], mul dAnum — звезда в созвездии MU.BU.keš2.da (α Draconis?). b) Новогодний ритуал в Вавилоне, см. ниже.

II. Божество.

Название отсутствует в списках богов и никогда не записывается с детерминативом d. Особое значение этой звезды (созвездия?) подчеркивается ее отождествлением с богом Ану. Молитвы и ритуалы. (1) Вавилонский новогодний ритуал: múlMU.BU.keš2.da ša2 ḫaṭṭa(gišgidri) u kippata(gišgam) na-šu-<u> «Мубукешда, который скипетр и кольцо несет» [RAcc. 137, 153:302; Linssen 2004, 220, 229].  (2) Ритуал против эпидемии [TuL 163, 34:13].

III. Символ.

Неясен. Первоначально, это было, по-видимому, ярмо, однако описание в [RAcc.] предполагает антропоморфную фигуру (?).

IV. Отождествление.

= Draco [G. 282].

= Draco (?) [Weidner 1957–59, 79a].

= α Draconis(?) [MA, 137; Reiner 1995, 139; ASM, 273].

V. Астрология.

Отождествления:

(1) =Венера; см. a43gišAPIN, VI 2.

Example

References

  1. ↑ Špätbabylonische Texte aus Uruk. Teil III / Bearb. von Weiher E. von. Berlin, 1988.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Materials for the Sumerian Lexicon. Vol. XI. The Series HAR-ra = hubullu. Tablets XX-XXIV. Ed. by E.Reiner with the coll. of M.Civil. Roma, 1974.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Arnaud D. (1985): Textes sumériens et accadiens, planches (= Emar 6/1–2).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Gantzert, M. (2011). The Emar Lexical Texts. https://scholarlypublications.universiteitleiden.nl/handle/1887/17707/
  5. ↑ Landsberger, B. (1957). The Series HAR-Ra Hubullu. Materials for the Sumerian Lexicon 5.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Gössmann P.F. Planetarium Babylonicum, Rom, 1950 (A. Deimel. Šumerisches Lexikon 4/2).
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. Chicago - Glückstadt, 1956 -...
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Horowitz, W. (2014), The three stars each: the Astrolabes and related texts, Archiv für Orientforschung AfO Beiheft, 33.
  9. ↑ D. Arnaud. Texte de la bibliothèque, transcriptions et traductions, 1987. (= Emar 6/4).
  10. ↑ Bloch Y. and W. Horowitz (2015):  “Urra = hubullu XXII: The Standard Recension,” with Y. Bloch, Journal of Cuneiform Studies 67: 71-125.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Cuneiform Texts from Babylonian Tablets in the British Museum.
  12. ↑ Çağirgan G. Three More Duplicates to Astrolabe B // Belleten. 1985. Vol. XLVIII, № 191-192. Р. 399-416.
  13. ↑ Reiner E., Pingree D. Enuma Anu Enlil, Tablets 50-51. Undena Publications, Malibu, 1981 (Babylonian Planetary Omens: Part Two).
  14. ↑ Емельянов В.В. Ниппурский календарь и ранняя история Зодиака. СПб: "Петербургское Востоковедение", 1999.
  15. ↑ Horowitz W. Two Mul-Apin Fragments // AfO. 1989-90. Bd. XXXVI/XXXVII. S. 116-117.
  16. ↑ Weidner E. Handbuch der babylonischen Astronomie. Bd. I. Leipzig, 1915.
  17. ↑ Wee, J. (2016). Virtual Moons over Babylonia: The Calendar Text System, Its Micro-Zodiac of 13, and the Making of Medical Zodiology. The Circulation of Astronomical Knowledge in the Ancient World, Ed. J. M. Steele, 139–229.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Thureau-Dansin F. Rittuels accadiens. Paris, 1921.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Linssen, Marc J.H. The Cults of Uruk and Babylon : The Temple Ritual Texts as Evidence for Hellenistic Cult Practises. Vol. 25. Cuneiform Monographs. Leiden, Boston : Brill, Styx. 2004.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Reiner E. Astral Magic in Babylonia. Philadelphia, The Amer. Philos. Soc., 1995.
  21. ↑ Ebeling E. Tod und Leben nach den Vorstellungen der Babilonier. Berlin-Leipzig, 1931.
  22. ↑ Weidner E. mul gir2.tab = zuqaqîpi // AfO. 1957-1958. Bd. 18. S. 393-394].
  23. ↑ Hunger, H. and Steele, J. M. (2019). The Babylonian Astronomical Compendium MUL.APIN, Routledge, NY
  24. ↑ Hunger H., Pingree D. Astral Sciences in Mesopotamia. Leiden-Boston-Köln, 1999.
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