AD -342A (X103421)
Astronomical Diary, Achaemenid, Babylon · c. 539 BCE–330 BCE
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| Designation | AD -342A |
|---|---|
| ID | X103421 |
| Museum no. | BM 34651 + 77245 |
| Language | Akkadian |
| Period | Achaemenid · c. 539 BCE–330 BCE |
| Genre | Astronomical Diary |
| Find spot | Babylon |
| Coordinates | 32.5434, 44.4222 |
English translation
By ORACC project adsd/adart1 · Via Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus (ORACC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (ORACC)
| Line | English |
|---|---|
| Obverse [0:1] o 1o 1–o 1o 1 | [Year 16 of Umakuš,] who is called king Artaxerxes. Mon[th I, ...] |
| Obverse [1:2] o 22–o 22 | [...] before? sunrise it was high to the north; it went down? and the sun [...] |
| Obverse [2:3] o 33–o 33 | [Night of the 4th, beginning of the night, the moon was] 2 cubits [..] ζ Tauri [...] The 4th, clouds were in the sky. Night of the 5th, beginning of the night, the mo[on was ... μ Geminorum ...] |
| Obverse [3:4] o 44–o 44 | [...] balanced 2/3 cubit. Night of the [8th], beginning of the night, the moon was 2/3 cubit behind γ Cancri [...] |
| Obverse [4:5] o 55–o 55 | [Night of the 9th, beginning of the night, the moon was] 2/3 cubit [...] ε Leonis; it was surrounded by a halo. A meteor which became very bright was below [... Night of the 10th,] |
| Obverse [5:6] o 66–o 66 | [beginning] of the night, the moon was 1 2/3 cubits below ρ Leonis, the moon having passed 8 fingers to the east. The 10th, [...] |
| Obverse [6:7] o 77–o 77 | south ... Night of the 13th, the moon was surrounded by a halo, it billowed very much. Last part of the night, the moon was above α Virginis [... Night of the 14th, ] |
| Obverse [7:8] o 88–o 88 | the moon was surrounded by a halo, it billowed very much. The 14th, sunrise to moonset: 3° 30'; measured (despite) clouds. From morning to afternoon, [... Night of the 15th, ...] |
| Obverse [8:9] o 99–o 99 | 2 2/3 cubits, 6 fingers below Saturn; at the beginning of the rising of the moon, the moon was 8 fingers behind Jupiter, it stood to the north [...] |
| Obverse [9:10] o 1010–o 1010 | Night of the 17th, overcast, gusty wind. The 17th, very overcast, gusty east wind. Night of the 18th, very overcast, lightning, much thunder, rain sh[ower? ...] |
| Obverse [10:11] o 1111–o 1111 | Night of the 19th (and) the 19th, clouds crossed the sky, gusty south wind. Night of the 20th, clouds crossed the sky; last part of the night, the moon was [...] behind β Capri[corni ...] |
| Obverse [11:12] o 1212–o 1212 | The 21st, Saturn’s acronychal rising; clouds, I did not watch. Middle part of the day, the sun was surrounded by a halo, it billowed very much. Night [...] |
| Obverse [12:13] o 1313–o 1313 | lightning, much thunder, much rain PISAN DIB. Bread which like barley bread [...] |
| Obverse [13:14] o 1414–o 1414 | last part of the night, much lightning, ..., the weather god thundered strongly, a little rain [...] |
| Obverse [14:15] o 1515–o 1515 | gusty wind [...] in the morning, overcast, rain shower. The 22nd, 23rd, 24th, the river level [...] |
| Obverse [15:16] o 1616–o 1616 | [...] The 28th, the sun was surrounded by a halo (which was) not closed [...] |
| Obverse [16:17] o 1717–o 1717 | [...] ... The 29th, the 30th, the river level [...] 1 [...] |
| Top [0:2] t.e. 1t.e. 1– | [Di]ary from month I [...] |
| Left [0:1] l.e. 1l.e. 1–l.e. 1l.e. 1 | Year 16 of U[makuš, who is called king Artaxerxes ...] |
Transliteration (ATF)
From Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus (ORACC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (ORACC default); per-file JSON license fields say: This data is released under the CC0 license (133618)
| Line | ATF | Machine English (draft) |
|---|---|---|
| o | ||
| 1 | [MU 16.KAM₂ {m}u₂-ma-kuš ša₂] ar-⸢tak⸣-[šat]-su LUGAL MU-šu₂ na-bu-u₂ ⸢BAR⸣ [...] | |
| 2 | [...] la-<am> KUR-ha {d}UTU ana SI NIM SIG-am-ma {d}UTU [...] | |
| 3 | [GE₆ 4 SAG GE₆ sin x ŠUR-GIGIR]-ša₂-ULU₃ 2 ⸢KUŠ₃⸣ [x x] ⸢DIB⸣ 4 DIR AN ZA GE₆ 5 SAG GE₆ ⸢sin⸣ [x MUL₂-IGI-ša₂-še-pit₂-MAŠ.MAŠ ...] | |
| 4 | [...] 2/3 KUŠ₃ LAL GE₆ 8 SAG GE₆ sin ar₂ MUL₂-ar₂-ša₂-ALLA-ša₂-SI 2/3 [KUŠ₃ ...] | |
| 5 | [GE₆ 9 SAG GE₆ sin x] SAG-UR.A 2/3 KUŠ₃ TUR₃ NIGIN₂ MUL₂ GAL ša₂ ma-gal KUR SIG ⸢MUL₂⸣ [... GE₆ 10 | |
| 6 | [SAG] ⸢GE₆ sin SIG⸣ MUL₂-TUR-ša₂-4-[KUŠ₃]-⸢ar₂⸣-LUGAL 1 2/3 KUŠ₃ sin 8 SI ana NIM DIB 10 [...] | |
| 7 | ⸢ša₂⸣ ULU₃ GI ⸢GE₆⸣ 13 sin ⸢TUR₃⸣ NIGIN₂ ma-diš iq-tur₇ ina ZALAG₂ sin e SA₄-[ša₂-ABSIN ... GE₆ 14 | |
| 8 | sin TUR₃ NIGIN₂ ma-diš iq-tur₇ 14 3.30 na DIR muš TA še-ri₃ EN KIN.[SIG ... GE₆ 15 ...] | |
| 9 | 2 2/3 KUŠ₃ SIG GENNA 6 ⸢SI⸣ SAG KUR ša₂ sin sin ar₂ MUL₂.BABBAR 8 SI ana NIM GUB [...] | |
| 10 | GE₆ 17 ŠU₂ IM ŠAR₂ 17 ŠU₂.ŠU₂ KUR ŠAR₂ GE₆ 18 ŠU₂.ŠU₂ GIR₂ GU₃ U MAH AN ⸢UTAH⸣ [...] | |
| 11 | GE₆ 19 19 DIR AN DIB ULU₃ ŠAR₂ GE₆ 20 DIR AN DIB ina ZALAG₂ sin ar₂ SI-[MAŠ₂ ...] | |
| 12 | 21 GENNA ana ME E-a DIR NU PAP AN.BAR₇ šamaš₂ TUR₃ NIGIN₂ ma-diš iq-tur₇ GE₆ [...] | |
| 13 | GIR₂ GU₃ U MAH ⸢AN PISAN⸣ MAH DIB NINDA HI.A ša₂ GIM NINDA HI.A še-im [...] | |
| 14 | ina ZALAG₂ GIR₂ MAH [x x] ⸢x⸣ {d}IM dan-niš i-ram-mu-um AN i [...] | |
| 15 | ⸢IM ŠAR₂⸣ [x x x x] ina še-ri₃ ŠU₂ AN UTAH 22 23 24 ⸢ILLU⸣ [...] | |
| 16 | [...] x 28 šamaš₂ TUR₃ NU KAD₂ ⸢NIGIN₂⸣ [...] | |
| 17 | [...]⸢DIB⸣ 29 30 ILLU 1 [...] | |
| 18 | [...] ⸢x⸣ [...] | |
| t.e. | ||
| 1 | [EN].NUN ša₂ gi-ne₂-e ša₂ ⸢TA BAR⸣ [...] | |
| l.e. | ||
| 1 | MU 16.KAM₂ {m}⸢u₂⸣-[ma-kuš ...] | |
Sources & licences
- Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus (ORACC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (ORACC default); per-file JSON license fields say: This data is released under the CC0 license (133618) · ORACC project editions, https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ ; cite the individual project (see texts.extra_json.project)
Cite the original edition and translator. Page generated by Unread Atlas from the public corpus export of 2026-10-11.