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TBP 23 (P393759)
CANONICAL > Divination > Physiognomy > Alamdimmû > aḫû excerpt series, Neo-Assyrian, Nineveh · c. 911 BCE–612 BCE
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| Designation | TBP 23 |
|---|---|
| ID | P393759 |
| Museum no. | BM — |
| Collection | British Museum, London, UK |
| Language | Akkadian |
| Period | Neo-Assyrian · c. 911 BCE–612 BCE |
| Genre | CANONICAL > Divination > Physiognomy > Alamdimmû > aḫû excerpt series |
| Find spot | Nineveh (mod. Kuyunjik) |
| Coordinates | 36.3582, 43.1621 |
Transliteration (ATF)
From Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative · CDLI: reuse of catalogue/transliteration data with citation of CDLI; images restricted (not fetched)
Machine draft. The right-hand column is machine English from ixmon/atf-to-english (atf-en-t5base-F, 2026-10-17), generated line by line from the transliteration. It is unreviewed and is not a scholarly translation.
| Line | ATF | Machine English (draft) |
|---|---|---|
| obverse | ||
| 1 | _be me-dim2 te tuku_-ma ina _du11-du11_-szu2 e-muq _nig2-tuku igi sumun_-ar2 ana _ka-bi dingir nim-ni_ | If a pig has a tail and at its utterance a powerful weapon is seen: he will rise to the top of the god's head. |
| 2 | _be_ szap-as-su _an-ta ki-ta_ s,ep-rat i11-szar2-ru6 nu-ul4-la3-TAN _du11-du11_-ma _e3_ | If its top is thick on the upper and lower part: he will speak Isharra, nulla-tanner, and will come out. |
| 3 | _be babbar igi-min_-szu _sa5_ ul4-luh _nig2-tuku gar_-szu | If the surface of the 'finger' is red: famine will take place. |
| 4 | _be gi babbar igi-mesz_-sza2 _sa5_ ul4-luh _gi-bi sze-bi-da_ | If the front of the white reed is red: dispersal of the recitative. |
| 5 | _[be] gi gu2_ lu ra pa szi# _szub-szub szu-bi-asz-am3_ | If the 'reed' on the neck is covered in a 'finger': it is a fall. |
| 6 | [...] _ad-sza4 pesz bal_-ut | ... he will become ill; there will be a reign. |
| 7 | [...] hi a kal _zalag2_ dum-LUM _a2-tuku igi_ | ... ... all day bright: a strong man will see him. |
| 8 | [...] _mesz gir3-min_-szu2 _tur-mesz nim-mesz ugu szesz-mesz_-szu2 i-szaq-qu | ... his feet are small and high, they rise over his brothers. |
| 9 | [... _x]-mesz gir3-min_-szu2 _tur-mesz_ szag-ga-ma na-par2-qu2-da is-su _lal_-ma _ug7_ | ... ... his feet are small, he is swollen and is covered with a bandage: he will recover and die. |
| 10 | _be u-mesz gir3-min_-szu2 _tur-mesz_ szu-us-hu-ra-ma ki-is,-ra _gar_-na | If the vertebrae of its feet are small: there will be a rebellion. |
| 11 | al-ma-nu-tam _gen_ | I am a widow. |
| 12 | _be u-mesz gir3-min_-szu2 _uzu_ szu-tu2-ur5 a-na _e2-gal ku4_ | If the vertebrae are short: he will enter the palace. |
| 13 | _be u-mesz gir3-min_-szu2 sza2 _te gal_-ti ana _gal_-ti _diri_ ina _igi-du igi_-szu2 _gar_-an | If the vertebrae of his feet are elevated from the top of the Great One to the bottom of the Big One: in front of his face he will die. |
| 14 | _be ka-bun2-min_-szu2 ba-'-la zi du zi _tuku_-szi | If his intestines are swollen: he will have a good life. |
| 15 | _be ka-bun2-min_-szu2 szum-mu-t,a-ma _kir4_-szu2# 1(u) 5(disz) zi-ir ina _gisz ra_-[as,] | If his intestines are swollen and his breast is 15 in number: he will be killed by a fire. |
| 16 | _be sag kir4_-szu2 par2-is szar-hisz _tal2_-asz | If the top of its 'finger' is thick: there will be frost. |
| 17 | _be a-ra2 du3 er2 szub-mesz ka-balag-bi ka-balag nam-ad-sza4_ | If the 'path' is long: weeping will fall; its balag-drum will be sung. |
| 18 | _na bi nam-ad-sza4 lal_ | That man will experience distress. |
| reverse | ||
| 1 | _be_ in _ka_-szu2 _eme_-szu2 _kalag_-at2 si ku _lul_ ina _du11 igi-min-bi du8 nu tuku_ | If in his mouth his tongue is swollen: falsehood; by the command of his eyes he will not get well. |
| 2 | ina _gisz ra_-[as,] | in the wood of Rash |
| 3 | _be alam du3_ szi ru im _du3 ka du3 kar nig2-tuku igi_ da-ba-ba-szu2 ih-mu-ut, | If a figure is surrounded by a halo: he will build a wall. If he opens the mouth of a man: wealth will accumulate. His words will be forgotten. |
| 4 | _a2_ [...] _lal_ mu _mu kalag_-szu2 | ... is reduced: its strongest year. |
| 5 | _be sa sag-ki_-szu2 _en kir4_-szu2 i-za-qam-ma u i-tah-hi-it | If the top of its forehead is swollen and its nose is twisted. |
| 6 | hi-t,a-am _tuku_-szi | has committed a crime against her |
| 7 | _be_ ina _gen_-szu2 a-si-di [...] usz-ta-naq-qu szar2-hisz _tal2_-asz | If a snake ... in its path ...: there will be famine. |
| 8 | sza2-ni-ti _im-gid2-da_ alam#-dim2-mu-u2 _bar-mesz_ sza2 ina _{gisz}[li]-u5-um nu sar_ | Secondly, long tablets of alamdimmû-songs, omens that are not written on a writing board. |
| 9 | _DISZ gu2_-su _suhur_ ina _egir kar_ ina szer3-ti _e3_ sza2 _suhur sag-ki_-szu2 _en gu2_-szu2 _disz_-it-ma | If his neck is swollen and it comes out in the middle of the 'finger' in the morning: he will recover. |
| 10 | _kur {m}an-szar2-du3-a man szu2 man kur an-szar2{ki}_ | the land of Anšardua, king of the universe, lord of Assyria. |
Sources & licences
- Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative · CDLI: reuse of catalogue/transliteration data with citation of CDLI; images restricted (not fetched) · Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI), https://cdli.earth/ ; cite CDLI and the P-number
- electronic Babylonian Library (eBL), LMU Munich · MIT (eBL Zenodo dataset); platform terms unverified · electronic Babylonian Library (eBL), LMU Munich, https://www.ebl.lmu.de/ ; Zenodo dataset (MIT)
Cite the original edition and translator. Page generated by Unread Atlas from the public corpus export of 2026-10-18.