DUMU.ZI

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An ancient Sumerian depiction of the marriage of Inanna and Dumuzid (public domain).

mul / dDUMU.ZI (𒀯𒌉𒍣) is an ancient Mesopotamian god, a shepherd and lover of the goddess of love. The name written with MUL determinative that indicates him to be an asterism, only occurs in the text called "Great Star List". There, the asterism is identified with with the god Ištaran of Isin, in a short three line section between names for a planet, Mercury and Mars. The god Dumuzi (dDumuzi) is most often identified with the constellation mul lu2ḪUN.GA2 , 'The Hired Man' (Kurtik, h12).

Concordance, Etymology, History[1]

Var. designations:

  • 1) the deity of the constellation mul lúḪUN.GA2 "Hired worker" (see h12);
  • 2) a planet, possibly Saturn.

Dumuzi/Tammuz is the mythical lover of Inanna/Ištar, imagined as a shepherd; as her substitute, he has to spend part of the year in the netherworld.[2] dDUMU.ZI (AN 4r).

Sources Identifications
Hittite Prayer to the Gods of the Night.
  • In the list of planets(?) on the third place: mul dDUMU.ZI [KUB[3] IV, 47 r. 43; BPO 2[4], 2:3; Van der Toorn 1985[5], 129:43].
star chart with constellation images
Dumuzi, the shepherd god, as Hired Man, as lover of Inanna who is depicted in the constellation Anunitu(m); both east of the One Field-constellation (IKU), and north of the Swallow SIM.MAH and the giant, GU.LA, the god Enki/Ea. Drawings by Robert Perdok and Susanne M Hoffmann 2016, CC-BY, mapped in Stellarium.
MUL.APIN.
  • In the list of Anu’s stars: mul lúḪUN.GA2 dDumu-zi "Hired Man, Dumuzi" (I i 43) [MA[6], 30]; for a parallel see. [STC 1[7], 217:9; HBA[8], 112].
star chart with images
Hired Man (Dumuzi) and goddess Anunitu(m) in Stellarium (2021). Jessica Gullberg's modern interpretation of the celestial divine couple (CC BY).
"The Great Star List and Miscellenia".
  • (1) muldumu.[zi] = dmin(= dištaran) "Dumuzi = Ishtaran",
  • (2) ulsig7 = ddumu.zi "Green-yellow star = Dumuzi" [Mesop.Astrol.[9], App. B:82, 171].
"Planisphere" K 8538.
  • Sector 0: along the arrow representing mulkak.si.sa2, the inscription is ddumu.zi [CT[10] 33, 10; Koch 1989[11], 56-61; Kurtik 2007[12], fig. 9].
Late astrology, magic and calendar.

An extispicy involving correspondences between the liver fragments, deities, months and stars:

  • NA // dEn-lil2 // itiBARA2 [mul lúḪUN.GA2] / dDumu-zi ... "'Standing' - Enlil; Nisanu; [Hired Man], Dumuzi". [SpTU IV[13], 159:1-2]; here Dumuzi appears to correspond to mul lúḪUN.GA2 [Reiner 1995[14], 78].

Additional

II. Deity.

          The mythological basis explaining the connection of Dumuzi with the constellation Hired-Worker is unclear. It is likely that the role of Dumuzi, as a shepherd of Anu, probably mattered. On the identification of Dumuzi with Ishtaran see [Livingstone 1986[15], 137]. On Dumuzi as a reborn lunar month see [Foxvog 1993[16]].

III. Symbol.

           During the second half of the first millennium BC, the figure of the constellation Hired-worker was considered a ram, see (Kurtik h12) lúḪUN.GA2.

IV. Identification.

           As a constellation:

           = Hired Worker (Aries) [Foxvog 1993[17], 106]; for objections to the identification of mul / dDUMU.ZI with mulSIPA.ZI.AN.NA see. [ibid.[18]]

           = Orion [Mesop.Astrol.[19], 207, App. C].

           As a planet:

           = Saturn(?) [HBA[20] 61; Lambert 1987a[21], 95-96].

Historical Dictionaries

Kurtik (2022, d13) Gössmann (1950)
1) божество созвездия mul lúḪUN.GA2 «Наемный работник» (см. h12); 2) планета, возможно, Сатурн.

I.  Источники.

Хеттская молитва ночным богам. В списке планет(?) на третьем месте: mul dDUMU.ZI [KUB IV, 47 r. 43; BPO 2, 2:3; Van der Toorn 1985, 129:43]. MUL.APIN. В списке звезд Ану: mul lúḪUN.GA2 dDumu-zi «Наемник, Думузи» (I i 43) [MA, 30]; параллель см. [STC 1, 217:9; HBA, 112]. «Большой список звезд». (1) muldumu.[zi] = dmin(= dištaran) «Думузи = Иштаран», (2) ulsig7 = ddumu.zi «Зелено-желтая звезда = Думузи» [Mesop.Astrol., App. B:82, 171]. «Планисфера» K 8538. Сектор 0: вдоль стрелы, представляющей mulkak.si.sa2, надпись — ddumu.zi [CT 33, 10; Koch 1989, 56–61; Куртик 2007, рис. 9]. Поздняя астрология, магия и календарь. Экстиспиция, включающая соответствия между фрагментами печени, божествами, месяцами и звездами: NA // dEn-lil2 // itiBARA2  [mul lúḪUN.GA2] / dDumu-zi … «‘Стоянка’ — Энлиль; Нисану; [Наемник], Думузи» [SpTU IV, 159:1–2]; здесь Думузи, по-видимому, соответствует mul lúḪUN.GA2 [Reiner 1995, 78].

II. Божество.

Мифологическая основа, объясняющая связь Думузи с созвездием Наемный работник, неясна. Вероятно, при этом имела значение роль Думузи как пастуха Ана. Об отождествлении Думузи с Иштараном см. [Livingstone 1986, 137]. О Думузи как возрождающемся лунном месяце см. [Foxvog 1993].

III. Символ.

Во второй половине I тыс. до н.э. фигурой созвездия Наемный работник считался баран, см. h12 lúḪUN.GA2.

IV. Отождествление.

Как созвездие:

= Наемный работник (Aries) [Foxvog 1993, 106]; возражения против отождествления mul / dDUMU.ZI с mulSIPA.ZI.AN.NA см. [ibid.].

= Орион (Orion) [Mesop.Astrol., 207, App. C].

Как планета:

= Сатурн(?) [HBA 61; Lambert 1987a, 95–96].

Example

References

  1. ↑ Planetarium Babylonicum 2.0, All Skies Encyclopaedia.
  2. ↑ Hoffmann, S. M. and Krebernik, M. (2023). What do deities tell us about the celestial positioning system, in: R. Rollinger, I. Madreiter, M. Lang, C. Pappi (eds.). The Intellectual Heritage of the Ancient Near East, Papers held at the 64th Rencontre Assyriologique International and 12th Melammu Symposium July 16-20 2018, Innsbruck. Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, 539-579
  3. ↑ Keilschrifturkunden aus Boghazköi (Berlin). KBo
  4. ↑ Reiner E., Pingree D. Enuma Anu Enlil, Tablets 50-51. Undena Publications, Malibu, 1981 (Babylonian Planetary Omens: Part Two).
  5. ↑ K. van der Toorn. Sin and Sanction in Israel and Mesopotamia. A Comparative Study. Maastricht, Van Gorcum, 1985.
  6. ↑ Hunger, H. and Steele, J. M. (2019). The Babylonian Astronomical Compendium MUL.APIN, Routledge, NY
  7. ↑ King L.W. The Seven Tablets of Creation. Vol. I-II. London, 1902.
  8. ↑ Weidner E. Handbuch der babylonischen Astronomie. Bd. I. Leipzig, 1915.
  9. ↑ Koch-Westenholz U. Mesopotamian  Astrology. Copenhagen, Museum Tusculanum Press. 1995.
  10. ↑ Cuneiform Texts from Babylonian Tablets in the British Museum.
  11. ↑ Koch J. Neue Untersuchungen zur Topographie des babylonischen Fixsternhimmels. Wiesbaden, 1989.
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ URUK. Špätbabylonische Texte aus dem Planquadrat U 18. Teil IV / Bearb. von Weiher E. von. Mainz am Rhein, 1993.
  14. ↑ Reiner E. Astral Magic in Babylonia. Philadelphia, The Amer. Philos. Soc., 1995.
  15. ↑ Livingstone  A. Mystical and Mythological Explanatory Works of Assyrian and Babylonian Scholars. Oxford, 1986.
  16. ↑ Foxvog D.A. Astral Dumuzi / Near Eastern Studies in Honor of W.W.Hallo. Bethesda, MD, 1993.
  17. ↑ Foxvog D.A. Astral Dumuzi / Near Eastern Studies in Honor of W.W.Hallo. Bethesda, MD, 1993.
  18. ↑ Foxvog D.A. Astral Dumuzi / Near Eastern Studies in Honor of W.W.Hallo. Bethesda, MD, 1993.
  19. ↑ Koch-Westenholz U. Mesopotamian  Astrology. Copenhagen, Museum Tusculanum Press. 1995.
  20. ↑ Weidner E. Handbuch der babylonischen Astronomie. Bd. I. Leipzig, 1915.
  21. ↑ Lambert W.G. Babylonian Astrological Omens and Their Stars / JAOS. 1987. V. 107. Р. 93-96.
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