In Omens
Birds that enter the palace (Šumma ālu)
Neo-Assyrian omens from the series Šumma ālu (“If a city…”): what it means when birds enter the palace.
View at electronic Babylonian Library (eBL), LMU Munich · CDLI P366129 · Try the in-browser translator
| Designation | K.4110 |
|---|---|
| Museum no. | K.4110 |
| Collection | Kuyunjik |
| Language | Akkadian |
| Period | Neo-Assyrian |
| Genre | CANONICAL > Divination > Terrestrial > Šumma ālu |
| Provenience | Nineveh |
| Findspot | 36.3582, 43.1621 |
| CDLI no. | P366129 |
| Source | electronic Babylonian Library (eBL), LMU Munich — MIT (eBL Zenodo dataset); platform terms unverified |
| Lines | 101 (98 with machine English) |
Machine draft. English generated by model atf-en-best-v2 (montycrypto/atf-to-english) (version d871547f92875415dbbc7f4a37fd65e35f8ac97d) on 2026-10-05, line by line from the ATF. Not a scholarly translation.
The transliteration is not reproduced here because the source (electronic Babylonian Library (eBL), LMU Munich) is not marked as republishable; read it at the source link above.
| Line | English (machine draft) |
|---|---|
| obverse | |
| 1' | ...... |
| 2' | (If) he is a pigeon |
| 3' | ...... |
| 4' | If ditto and.... |
| 5' | ...... |
| 6' | If ditto....... |
| 7' | ...... |
| 8' | If ditto....... |
| 9' | ... lord |
| 10' | (If) a pigeon |
| 11' | If ditto...... |
| 12' | ...... |
| 13' | If he is a eagle, he is a eagle |
| 14' | If a urdu-bird... |
| 15' | ...... |
| 16' | ...... |
| 17' | If ditto...... |
| 18' | ... |
| 19' | ...... |
| 20' | |
| 21' | ... |
| 22' | (If) a pigeon... |
| 23' | .... does not die. |
| 24' | If a pigeon... you set up a chariot |
| 25' | If a pigeon... |
| 26' | If a pigeon... is located and |
| 27' | ... of the army(?) eat |
| 28' | If a pigeon... has swollen |
| 29' | ... you return to your place. |
| 30' | If a ram eats a... pigeon |
| 31' | If a ram... to his father... |
| 32' | If a fox emerges from its... and your enemy will conquer (it). |
| 33' | If a pigeon... in the midst of the troops |
| 34' | If a pigeon... is full of rejoicing |
| 35' | If a pigeon...... in the steppe.... |
| 36' | If a four-headed eagle... you look at you, and |
| 37' | You take.... |
| 38' | If the seven horns of the king stand (there): he will not go out; he will not make a rebellion. |
| 39' | (If) a pigeon is seized by a ka'ama-bird and opened the gate(s):... in that month the moon will make an eclipse |
| reverse | |
| 1 | If a pigeon is swollen and he cries out on the ground: |
| 2 | If a lion stands in the palace: the king will die and the palace will be destroyed. |
| 3 | If a pigeon is swollen: there will be famine in the palace. |
| 4 | If a eagle enters the palace and appears in the west: a strong enemy will attack the land, and the land will be destroyed. |
| 5 | If a eagle enters the palace and stands before the king: his mouth will fall and his fingers will be loosened. |
| 6 | (If) there is an attack in the palace and the king, his magnates, will die with weapons. |
| 7 | If a pigeon raises a pigeon and enters the palace and enters the king's presence and emerges from the king's presence: attack of the enemy. |
| 8 | (If) a king goes out from the enemy's path and a son of a king who is appointed to kingship will fall into a weapon. |
| 9 | If a udu-bird and a ama-bird are together: there will be famine and good for the land. |
| 10 | If a udu-bird and a ama-bird are together together: there will be peace in the land. |
| 11 | If a pigeon and a pigeon stand together together: he will be seized and he will be seized. |
| 12 | If a udu-bird and a ama-bird come together together and kill a udu-bird |
| 13 | (and) the king's weapon against the weapon will attack him. |
| 14 | If a urdu-bird and a ama-bird go together with each other and kills the urdu-bird |
| 15 | (If) a Weapon is cut down on a Weapon: the king of the brothers. |
| 16 | If a udu-bird and a ama-bird are in agreement with each other and stand in front of the king: the troops and the enemy will die. |
| 17 | If a udu-bird and a ama-bird are together together: he will fall upon the king and he will die. |
| 18 | (If) the temple-enterers speak a word(?) of yours, and he will make a rebellion against the king and he will kill him. |
| 19 | If a pigeon and a pigeon are in balance: he will fall down on the king's chariot and he will die. |
| 20 | The kings will be reconciled with them. |
| 21 | If a pigeon is a pigeon, it is a pigeon, it is a pigeon |
| 22 | (If) a pigeon screams(?) |
| 23 | If a pigeon... a pigeon |
| 24 | If a pigeon kills a pigeon and |
| 25 | If a pigeon... |
| 26 | If a pigeon... |
| 27 | If a pigeon... |
| 28 | (If) a pigeon... |
| 29 | 3...... |
| 30 | ...... |
| 31 | ...... |
| 32 | ...... |
| 33 | |
| 34 | |
| 35 | ... before |
| 36 | ....... and you go and.... |
| 37 | ... from a man's left to the right...... |
| 38 | (If) a bird ditto: he will go into front of a man and he will go |
| 39 | If a bird ditto: a lion... towards a man and... |
| 40 | If a bird ditto: a lion from the right of a man to the left.... |
| 41 | If he goes to a sick man's house: that man.... |
| 42 | If you wish to make my life, you will set out for battle. If....... |
| 43 | If a snake ditto: a lion's nest on a tree and.... |
| 44 | If a snake ditto: a lion's nest on a nest and a man... |
| 45 | If a bird ditto: a lion's nest in the right side of a man in the ground, and he eats anything. |
| 46 | If a bird ditto: a lion's nest in the left side of a man's nest in the ground, and he will eat anything. |
| 47 | If a bird ditto: a lion's nest on the road, and a man's right and left will seize that man. |
| 48 | If a bird ditto: a lion's head is located on the ground with the one who sits on a throne; I will not reach the enemy's place. |
| 49 | If a snake ditto: a lion's nest on the 'finger' of the gate of the one who dwells and his...s. |
| 50 | If a bird ditto: birds will rage on the gate of the city; in all night thunder. That city will be destroyed. |
| 51 | If a snake ditto: a lion's eye (and) its pigeons will be filled with famine and his tail will fall into his presence. |
| 52 | (If) that man will not reach his goal: evil will be seen. |
| 53 | If a snake ditto: a lion's head in front of a man's lungs. |
| 54 | If a snake ditto: a lion's head... in front of a man. |
| 55 | (If) a man is seen with the black-headed (people) |
| 56 | If a snake ditto: a lion's eye (and) its intestines are swollen: he will recover. |
| 57 | (If) a man... with a man: he will take away his property. |
| 58 | If a snake ditto: a lion's eye will be surrounded by his lungs. |
| 59 | That land will go with the king to good.... |
| 60 | If a bird is surrounded by a pigeon: in front of a man his...s will cleanse and he will recover. |
| 61 | You recite his incantation 'Gods' for a person. |
| 62 | If a dog approaches a woman: end of the reign.... |