Inanna, Aya and Ninlil; goddesses of the Sirius star

Imprint number 38

This imprint pictures a sexual intercourse of sun god Utu with Inanna, a goddess of the

Sirius star. On the right stands the moon god Suen dressed in a woollen skirt.

This trio: the moon god, the sun god and the Sirius goddess are pictured on many cylinder

seals. In this paper I examine some of them.

Around 2000 B.C. the Sirius star and the sun were in conjunction from about half April until

about half June: rising and setting at the same time:

“Egyptians based their calendar on the heliacal rising of Sirius, namely the day it becomes visible

just before sunrise after moving far enough away from the glare of the Sun. This occurred just before

the annual flooding of the Nile and the summer solstice, after a 70-day absence from the skies.

Sirius was identified with the great goddess Isis, while the 70-day period symbolized the passing of

Isis and Osiris through the duat (Egyptian underworld)”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirius

This meant that for 70 days Sirius and the sun formed a couple. In the next verse the

conjunction of Sirius with the sun is described as Inanna riding together with her brother,

the sun god Utu:

24-30. “(Inana speaks :) "My brother, awe-inspiring lord, let me ride with you to the mountains!

Lord of heaven, awe-inspiring lord, lord, let me ride with you to the mountains; to the mountains of

herbs, to the mountains of cedars, to the mountains; to the mountains of cedars, the mountains of

cypresses, to the mountains; to the mountains of silver, the mountains of lapis lazuli, to the

mountains; to the mountains where the gakkul plants grow, to the mountains; to the distant source of

the rolling rivers, to the mountains." Name poem: A cir-namcub to Utu (Utu F)

Published: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

At new moon the moon god joined them and at that time the Sirius goddess formed a “trio”

with both the sun and the moon.

This “Sirius/sun/moon trio” was visualized on the next drawing of a cylinder seal.

Imprint number 32

On this drawing an ithyphallic Utu, indicated by a sun disc, solemnize a Sacred Marriage

with Inanna who is bending over two pots. This scene may be more or less described in: “A

balbale to Inana as Nanaya:”

"My bending over is one and a half giĝ.”

“Let me be your canal.”

“Let me be your field.”

“Let this be your desire!”

“I come …… with bread and wine."

"My resting against the wall is one lamb. My bending over is one and a half giĝ. Do not dig

a canal, let me be your canal. Do not plough a field, let me be your field. Farmer, do not

search for a wet place, my precious sweet, let this be your wet place. ……, let this be your

furrow. ……, let this be your desire! Caring for ……, I come ……. I come …… with bread

and wine."

The moon god Nanna, indicated by a crescent, is depicted as a child dressed with a woollen

skirt. He holds the hair of Inanna similar to what we read in a praise poem: “when he ruffles

my pubic hair for me, when he plays with the hair of my head, when he lays his hands on my

holy genitals, when he lies down in the …… of my sweet womb:”

"When I have bathed for the king, for the lord, when I have bathed for the shepherd Dumuzid, when I

have adorned my flanks (?) with ointment (?), when I have anointed my mouth with balsamic oil (?),

when I have painted my eyes with kohl, when he has …… my hips with his fair hands, when the lord

who lies down beside holy Inana, the shepherd Dumuzid, has …… on his lap, when he has relaxed

(?) …… in my pure (?) arms, when he has intercourse (?) with me …… like choice beer, when he

ruffles my pubic hair for me, when he plays with the hair of my head, when he lays his hands on

my holy genitals, when he lies down in the …… of my sweet womb, (2 lines unclear)when he treats

me tenderly on the bed, then I will too treat my lord tenderly." Title poem: A praise poem of Šulgi (Šulgi X): c.2.4.2.24

Published: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

A Sacred Marriage of the three deities of course is successful: this child,

seated on a low stool holding up a cup or bread, may be the result of this Marriage.

Imprint number 38

On the first imprint three drill holes represent 30 the number of the moon god Nanna. Like

on the above drawing the moon god is pictured as a child dressed with a woollen skirt. The

new moon pictograph above him demonstrates that he is new-born: he is always young as he

is the lord who is born each month:

“The beauty of heaven, the prince of earth, youthful Suen, the immense, the light of heaven and

earth, who makes years of prosperity and good …… last permanently, Nanna, the lord who is born

each month, sired my Šu-Suen.” Title poem: An adab to Suen (Šu-Suen F, c.2.4.4.6)

Published: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

He may join Utu and Inanna who solemnize a sexual intercourse on a couch. The vase with

drinking tubes of course indicate drinking of beer or wine. This whole scene may be more or

less describes in “A šir-namšub to Utu (Utu F):”

17 “Youthful Utu ……, calf of the wild cow,(-), Utu, royal brother of Inana! He who brings thirst to

streets and paths (?), (-) youthful Utu, he of the tavern, provided beer.

24-30. (Inana speaks:) "My brother, awe-inspiring lord, let me ride with you to the mountains! (-)

to the mountains of herbs, to the mountains of cedars, (-) the mountains of cypresses, (-) to the

mountains of silver, the mountains of lapis lazuli, (-) to the mountains where the gakkul plants grow,

(-) to the distant source of the rolling rivers, to the mountains."

31-34. "My brother, come, let me ……. My brother, the midst of the sea …… my eyes. My brother,

women ……. Utu, women ……." 35-38. "I am unfamiliar with womanly matters, with ……. I am unfamiliar with womanly matters,

with sexual intercourse! I am unfamiliar with womanly matters, with kissing! I am unfamiliar with

sexual intercourse; I am unfamiliar with kissing!"

This event may have happened in May/June indicated by the scorpion beneath the couch: on

cylinder seals scorpions usually represent the constellation Cancer:

"The Crab, a variant of the Scorpion (Vide Vol. I. 60, 210), is frequently figured in a somewhat

similar manner. It appears in Lajard, M. PI. xxxv. 7 (Sup. p. 32), and liii. 4. In PI. liii. 3 it is difficult

to say whether two Crabs or Scorpions are intended. (As to the Crab in art, vide Z. sec. iv.)" Researches into the origin of the primitive constellations of the Greeks, Phoenicians and Babylonians by Robert Brown, Jun., f.s.a.

Imprint number 33

On this imprint of a cylinder seal the sun god and the moon god approach a naked Canis

Major goddess. The two “plants of live” next to them symbolize that they inseminate the

goddess. As a result, a child is created.

On the left the same goddess is situated between two dogs: the sun and moon god in the

constellations Canis Minor and Major indicating April.

The two dogs emphasize that the goddess herself is the Canis Major goddess. In April she

gives birth to the created child. April is also indicated by the two hares which represent the

constellation Lepus.

Imprint number 37

This imprint of a cylinder seal pictures four different scenes indicating the goddess of Canis

Mayor, the sun god and the moon god in four spring constellations.

In July a naked double headed goddess is situated

in between the sun and the moon in the constellation Leo. This whole scene indicates a

Sacred Marriage of the three deities.

In this scene the sun and the moon are pictured like

winged dogs with human faces as they are passing Canis Major and Canis Minor in May.

Here Sirius is represented by the head of a deer indicating Inanna, who is called red deer in

the next verse:

“Maiden, glossy mane, lovely beauty, Inana, glossy mane, lovely beauty! Maiden, mane of the ibex,

…… red deer, …… red deer, Inana, mane of the ibex, …… red deer, …… red deer! Maiden,

colourful as a pile of grain, fit for the king, Inana, colourful as a pile of grain, fit for Dumuzid!

Maiden, you are a shock of two-row barley, fully developed in loveliness, Inana, you are a shock of

two-row barley, fully developed in loveliness!” Title poem: A song of Inana and Dumuzid (Dumuzid-Inana R): c.4.08.18

Published: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

Or by the head of a gazelle. In Roman times Isis apparently was related to the Gazelle.

“At Coptos in Egypt the natives pay homage to Isis in a variety of

rituals but especially in the service and ministry rendered by women

who are mourning either a husband or a son or a brother. And at

Coptos there are scorpions of immense size, possessing very sharp

stings, and most dangerous in their attack (for when they strike they

kill instantly), and the Egyptians contrive innumerable devices for self

protection. But although the women in mourning at the temple of the

goddess sleep on the floor, go about with bare feet, and all but tread on

the aforesaid scorpions, yet they remain unharmed. And these same

people of Coptos worship and deify the female gazelle, though they

sacrifice the male. They say that the females are the pets of Isis.” De Natura Animalium XI, 23 (Schofield 1959: 315-317)

In this scene the sun and the moon in Gemini hold the

Sirius star in between them. Gemini indicates April

In this scene two sheep represent the constellation Aries.

Together with the deer or the gazelle they form a womb pictograph indicating childbirth: in

March the child is born who is created in June.

The two sheep obviously are related to the two goddesses: probably Inanna and her sister

Ereshkigal, or Isis and her sister Nebthet.

In this scene only two goddesses are pictured not the sun or the moon. They are not there as

in March the Canis major goddess is not jet united with one of them.

In the left scene of this imprint (39) two bull man put seed in a “womb” formed by the

antlers of a stag.

This scene shows a bull man putting seed in a “womb”: a

triangle which is formed by the antlers of the stag and by an arm of the right bull man.

“Sumerian Jaritz #919 means ‘woman, wife’, and pictures an inverted triangle representing

the vulvae; one of its readings is gimu (for *gêmû) .

This word can be seen in PIE *g^em(e)- (from **gyemé-), ‘marry’ (i.e. ‘take to wife’). PROTO- LANGUAGE MONOSYLLABLES with their principal meanings by Patrick C. Ryan

The two bull-men represent the sun and the moon. They are clearly indicated by the

crescent/sun-disk on top.

Both the sun and the moon appear to be related to bulls; in the myth “Lugalbanda in the

mountain cave” the sun god Utu is called “the bull that eats up the black soup,” and the

moon god Nanna is called “bull-calf:”

“The bull that eats up the black soup, the astral holy bull-calf (i.e. the moon), came to watch over

him. He shines (?) in the heavens like the morning star, he spreads bright light in the night -- Suen is

greeted as the new moon; Father Nanna gives the direction for the rising Utu..”

The head of the stag may represent Inanna: In “A balbale to Inana for Cu-Suen (Cu-Suen

C)” her hair is made stag-like:

1-8. “My hair is lettuce, well-watered. It is the sprout of a lettuce, well-watered. Its tangled coils (?)

have been tightened. My nursemaid has ...... them high and made my hair stag-like. She has

tightened its tiny hairgrips and brought order to my charms; my charms, my hair, the lettuce, is the

fairest of plants.”

On the right the three deities, now depicted as humans,

decree fates for their created (human?) child (who is not pictured):

The idea of “fate” is symbolized by the bird: The Sumerian word for bird is “nam”

which means fate or destiny.

http://www.goldenageproject.org.uk/969.php

The mother goddess may give a plant: she may decree that her son will be fruitful.

One of the male gods decrees another fate: “be a warrior,” as the ram’s head means

“to oppose” or “to fight “or “to ram.”

“The ram's head is especially important, meaning apparently, when used as a verb root with

Ni prefixed, “to oppose”' or “fight”- in fact, to “ram.” (ALTAIC HIEROGLYPHS.)

The other male god decrees a third fate: “be king.” This fate is symbolized by the

upraised hand, which symbolizes “god” and “king.”

“In Sumeria the pictograph of an upraised hand symbolized the tile of “Kad”, and meant

both “god” and “king.” Egyptian Civilization Its Sumerian Origin and Real Chronology Door L. A. Waddell

Aya in a Canis Major goddess .

The moon god, the sun god and a Sirius or Canis Major goddess are pictured on a lot of

cylinder seals like on the next one.

Imprint number 35

Aya Canis Suen Utu

According to the inscription the goddess pictured on the left is Aya. She is also indicated by

the dog seated before her, which of course represents the constellation Canis Major. And

thus, without any doubt, Aya is one of the Sirius or Dog goddesses.

The enthroned god is Utu, his name is mentioned in the inscription and he is also indicated

by the sun disk. The person in the middle is the moon god Nanna. He is indicated by the

crescent. So, together Canis Major, the moon and the sun are depicted on this imprint. (See

below.)

Imprint number 01

Here a goddess of Sirius is united with two bearded gods: the sun god as well as the moon

god. The goddess holds two snakes in her hands which obviously represent the phalluses of

the two gods. This action suggests Sacred Marriages of the Sirius goddess with both gods.

These Marriages are not without result: on the right the same goddess is placed within a

V-pictograph made of palm-leaves which symbolizes a womb. This womb indicates

childbirth.

Imprint number 02

Henri Frankfort describes the person depicted on the right as a “Monster consisting of

human upper part, his legs being lions whose tails end in snakes held in his hands.”

I don’t think he is right. I think that this remarkable person represents a goddess of Sirius

united with both the sun and the moon.

To me this imprint of a cylinder seal demonstrates the different positions of this goddess

towards the sun and the moon in springtime.

On this part of the imprint we see spring constellations:

A crossed ram/bull (Aries/Taurus) indicates February/March.

The reversed lion and bull-man (Gemini) indicates April.

The scorpion (Cancer) indicates May (On cylinder seals scorpions usually represent

the constellation Cancer):

"The Crab, a variant of the Scorpion (Vide Vol. I. 60, 210), is frequently figured in a

somewhat similar manner. It appears in Lajard, M. PI. xxxv. 7 (Sup. p. 32), and liii. 4. In PI.

liii. 3 it is difficult to say whether two Crabs or Scorpions are intended. (As to the Crab in art,

vide Z. sec. iv.)" Researches into the origin of the primitive constellations of the Greeks, Phoenicians and Babylonians by Robert Brown, Jun., f.s.a.

Two crossed lions (Leo) indicates June.

In April and May, indicated by Gemini and

Cancer, the Sirius goddess is fully united with the sun and the moon, both depicted as a lion.

The goddess of Sirius, the sun god and the moon god apparently have a love affair as

goddess holds the tails of both lions: in Sumer the word "tail" and the words "erected penis"

are the same:

K?E erect penis, tail, sprout, split open, male, pierce, poke, prod, nudge, point forward, call

attention to verbally, be bowed forward ; formant of male names; http://reocities.com/proto-language/ProtoLanguage-Monosyllables.htm.

In March as well as in June the Sirius goddess stands

separated from the crossed suns and moons.

In the lower register the crossed bull and ram represent the sun and the moon in Aries and

Taurus indicating February/March.

In February/March the Sirius goddess is depicted as a naked child who is not jet united with

the crossed sun/moon.

On the left her star is placed above the crescent which means that she is moving behind the

new moon and thus she is the “evening star.”

In the upper register the crossed lions represent the sun and the moon in Leo indicating

June.

In June the whole situation has changed: now the Sirius goddess is depicted as a full grown

woman who is leaving the crossed sun/moon behind.

On the left her star is placed below the crescent: now she is the leading lady in the evening.

This of course means that she also is the leading lady in the morning: and thus in June she is

the morning star.

In Gemini (April) a bull man holds a reversed lion. In Gemini one of

the two gods usually goes up, whereas the other one goes down just like Castor and Pollux

do (see below):

“The constellation Gemini depicts the two Dioscuri or heavenly twins, Castor and Pollux, the names

of the two brightest stars in the constellation. The twins were the sons of Leda, wife of Tyndareus, the

king of Sparta. Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, and Pollux the divine son of Zeus who

seduced Leda in the guise of a swan. They were born or hatched from an egg and were pictured with

half of the severed egg on each of their heads as a cap or helmet.

In mythology the Twins were involved in cattle theft, it was during a dispute over the division of

spoils of a cattle raid with their cousins that Castor met his death. Pollux was granted immortality by

Zeus, but he persuaded Zeus to allow him to share the gift with Castor. As a result, the two spend

alternate days on Olympus (as gods) and in Hades (as deceased mortals). The stars Castor and

Pollux are never above the horizon at the same time.” http://www.constellationsofwords.com/Constellations/Gemini.html

Seal number 03

Sun Sirius Moon Sun/Sirius/Moon Sirius Sun

This imprint also demonstrates the different positions of a Sirius goddess towards the sun

and the moon in springtime.

In March, when the sun passes Taurus, the goddess of Sirius and the sun

are not jet united. If they are not “united” then they are quarrelling with each other.

In April, when the sun passes Gemini and Cancer, the Sirius goddess is

fully united with the sun and the moon both depicted as a lion.

The goddess of Sirius apparently has a love affair with both of them as she holds the tails of

the two lions: in Sumer the word "tail" and the words "erected penis" are the same.

In June, when the sun passes Leo, the Sirius goddess no longer

forms a “trio” with the sun and the moon and now she starts quarrelling with both of them.

Seal number 04

From about half April until about half June the goddess of Sirius and the sun are in

conjunction for 70 days. At new moon the moon god joins them and at that time the Sirius

goddess forms a “trio” with both the sun and the moon. On the above imprint three “trios”

are visualized: three times Sirius is united with both the sun and the moon.

The Sirius goddess has three love affairs with both of them as she holds their tails suggesting

Sacred Marriages: in Sumer the word "tail" and the words "erected penis" are the same. .

Seal number 05

Once again: from about half April until about half June the goddess of Sirius and the sun are

in conjunction for 70 days. At new moon the moon god joins them and at that time the Sirius

goddess forms a “trio” with both the sun and the moon. On the above imprint three “trios”

are visualized: three times Sirius is united with the sun as well as the moon.

The Sirius goddess has three love affairs with both of them as she holds their tails suggesting

Sacred Marriages: in Sumer the word "tail" and the words "erected penis" are the same.

Ninlil is a Sirius goddess

Seal number 06

Ninlil Ninlil Ninlil Ninlil Suen Enlil Nergal

This imprint shows some scenes of the myth “Enlil and Ninlil.” Because of imprints like this

one it is evident that Ninlil is a goddess of Sirius.

March, April May and June

Here Ninlil/Sirius is depicted four times:

On the right she is depicted as a small girl sprouting water. She is situated beneath a

ram. This scene demonstrates four things:

a. Ninlil is depicted as a small girl which visualizes a sentence of the myth “Enlil

and Ninlil:” “My vagina is small; it does not know pregnancy. My lips are

young; they do not know kissing.” (See below.)

b. She is sprouting water which visualizes the sentence: "At the pure river, O

maid, at the pure river wash thyself,”

c. She is situated beneath a ram which symbolizes the sun in Aries. This scene

demonstrates that Ninlil/Sirius is not jet united with the sun

d. Situated beneath the sun in Aries also demonstrates that Ninlil/Sirius is the

evening star.

"13-21. At that time the maiden was advised by her own mother, Ninlil was advised by

Nun-bar-ce-gunu: "The river is holy, woman! The river is holy -- don't bathe in it!

Ninlil, don't walk along the bank of the Id-nunbir-tum! His eye is bright, the lord's eye

is bright, he will look at you! The Great Mountain, Father Enlil -- his eye is bright, he

will look at you!”

(-)Enlil said to her, "I want to kiss you!", but he could not make her let him. "My

vagina is small; it does not know pregnancy. My lips are young; they do not know

kissing. If my mother learns of it, she will slap my hand! If my father learns of it, he

will lay hands on me! But right now, no one will stop me from telling this to my

girlfriend!"

In the middle Ninlil/Sirius is depicted as an adult goddess twice: in April as well as in

May she forms a trio with the sun and the moon.

On the right she is standing upon two lions. This scene symbolizes that she leaves the

sun and the moon in June. Now she is the morning star: rising before the sun and the

moon get up.

Ninlil Suen Enlil Nergal

This scene depicts the trio Ninlil/Sirius, Suen and Nergal.

Ninlil/Sirius stands upon two lions representing the sun and the moon.

The moon god Suen holds an animal offering: he is the priest of the gods.

The sun god Nergal punishes his father Enlil for raping his mother Ninlil:

“Enlil was walking in the Ki-ur. As Enlil was going about in the Ki-ur, the fifty great gods

and the seven gods who decide destinies had Enlil arrested in the Ki-ur. Enlil, the ritually

impure, left the city. Nunamnir, the ritually impure, left the city. Enlil, in accordance with

what had been decided, Nunamnir, in accordance with what had been decided, Enlil went.

Ninlil followed.”

In the 70-day period it can be new moon two or three times.

On the above seal it is new moon twice whereas on the next seal it is new moon three times.

Ninlil Ninlil Ninlil Nergal Enlil King Suen Ninlil

On this imprint (24) Ninlil is depicted four times: one time she is depicted as a naked girl

demonstrating that she is not jet united with the sun nor the moon. Three times she is

depicted as an adult woman, so three times she is united with the sun as well as with the

moon.

The sun god is seated on a throne and he may decree a destiny for the king standing before

him, and the moon god is depicted as a child: he is always young as he is born each month.

On this imprint (26) the Sirius goddess is depicted three times.

1. On the left she is small and stands on a bull which represents the sun in Taurus and

indicates April. She holds a bow, which shows that she is the goddess of the

constellation “The Bow” (Canis Major, Sirius, see below).

2. On the right she is depicted as a so called “suppliant goddess” indicating that she is

united with the sun and the moon in May and June.

3. In July she is separated again and standing on her own: now she is depicted large,

with one foot standing on an eagle (?) which may represent the sun in the Egypt

constellation Wings, (tm3t).

4. The moon god is depicted as a naked young priest: he is always young and he is the

priest of the gods.

Aya is also a Sirius goddess

Imprint number 34

Utu Aya Canis Major Aya Aya

According to the inscription on this imprint the pictured goddess is Aya, the wife of Utu.

Obviously she is a Canis Major goddess as she is marked by the seated dog which of course

represents the constellation Canis Major.

Just like Ninlil on the above imprints Aya is depicted three times as an adult woman, which

means that three times she is united with the sun as well as with the moon.

The moon is indicated by the three dots, which indicate his number: 30.

And the sun god Utu is pictured on the left holding a sceptre in a special way. Holding it this

the way it looks like a phallus, which of course symbolizes that the sun god will solemnize a

Sacred Marriage with Aya.

Imprint number 36

Suen King Enlil Utu Aya

According to the inscription the ascending sun god who holds a saw-toothed blade and rests

his foot on a double-cube mountain is Utu.

His wife Aya is also mentioned but on this imprint she not depicted like a woman but she is

represented by the dog beneath the inscription.

On the left stands the moon god Suen who is depicted as a new-born boy in a short kilt,

holding a bucket and a sprinkler as he is the priest of the gods.

Before him stands the king, the owner of the seal who receives his destiny from Utu. And thus

the moon god the sun god and the goddess of Canis Major are depicted on this imprint. (See

below.)

Sirius depicted as a small girl and as an adult woman

We know that between 4,320 - 2,160 BC the sun passed Taurus in March and that between

2160 BC – 0 it passed Aries in March. But if we are more precise then we must say that

about 2200 BC – 1800 BC the sun passed the Pleiades in March.

This is what we see on the next imprint of a cylinder seal created between 2000-1600 BC:

March is indicated by a hedgehog, which represents the Pleiades.

April May June July August September

February March December January November October

This imprint (25) shows that in the month of April the Sirius goddess is just a small girl not

jet united with the sun. But in July when she is standing on her own again she is depicted

large.

In 139 BC in Egypt the heliacal rising of Sirius fell on July 20:

“According to Roman writer Censorinus, the Egyptian New Year's Day fell on July 20 in the

Julian Calendar in 139 CE, which was a heliacal rising of Sirius in Egypt. From this it is possible to

calculate that the previous occasion on which this occurred was 1322 BC, and the one before that

was 2782 BCE. This latter date has been postulated as the time when the calendar was invented, but

Djer's reign preceded that date.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_calendar

Inanna is also a goddess of Sirius

In myths, hymns and praise poems the goddess Inanna is described in different ways: she is

called "The Bow," "The Lioness of Heaven" and she is likened to the risen sun as well as to

moon light.

On cylinder seals she is depicted in various ways:

On the above imprint (1) Ishtar is depicted as an archer holding a bow, which shows that

she is the goddess of the constellation “The Bow.”

In Babylonia the constellation "Canis Maioris" was called "The Bow:" mulBAN [Qastu] and

according to the description given by Mul.Apin this constellation is the Elamite dIstar: the

daughter of dEnlil. http://www.reocities.com/astrologymulapin/pathofenlil.htm

On the Denderah zodiac (2) the constellation Canis Maioris is depicted like a cow lying in a

barge. The dog star Sirius is depicted between her horns.

"In Egyptian mythology, Sopdet was the deification of Sothis, a star considered by almost all Egyptologists to

be Sirius. The name Sopdet means (she who is) sharp in Egyptian, a reference to the brightness of Sirius,

which is the brightest star in the night sky. In art she is depicted as a woman with a five-pointed star upon her

head." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sopdet

In the New Kingdom Sirius was connected to fertility and identified with Isis.

"The goddess Sopdet personified the Dogstar (today called Sirius) whose first appearance over the

north horizon announced the advent of the annual flooding of the Nile and the New Year.

In the First Dynasty she was thus called in texts: "The bringer of the New Year and inundation".

Pyramid texts say that the king united with his sister Sopdet who gave birth to the morning star and

guided him to the "Celestial Field of Rushes" (next life). She could be a cow or wearing the white

crown with horns (like Satet) with a star atop.

In the New Kingdom she was connected to fertility and identified with Isis. Her festival was in late

July and her cult centre (together with her husband Sopdu) was held in Kesem, the capital of

province 20 of Lower Egypt." http://www.nemo.nu/ibisportal/0egyptintro/1egypt/index.htm

On this picture (3) Isis carries a throne on her head as “the Egyptian

words Ast or Aset mean 'Throne or Seat'. http://www.thewhitegoddess.co.uk/the_goddess/isis_-_goddess_of_the_throne.asp

The next imprint (4) shows that Ishtar/Inana is related to a throne just like Isis. She is also

related to a cow just like the Egypt goddess Sopdet:

Both the throne and the cow represent Ishtar/Inana as her symbols are placed on top of

them. In a poem she is called “a cow” and she takes her seat on the great dais:

"When standing in the heavens she is the good wild cow of An, on earth she instils respect; she is

the lady of all the lands. She received the divine powers in the abzu, in Eridug; her father Enki

presented them to her. He placed the lordship and kingship in her hands. She takes her seat on the

great dais with An; she determines the fates in her Land with Enlil. Monthly, at the new moon, the

gods of the Land gather around her so that the divine powers are perfected." Name poem: A šir-namursaĝa to Ninsiana for Iddin-Dagan (Iddin-Dagan A): c.2.5.3.1

Published: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

Isis in her barge

This drawing (5) shows Isis in her Sacred Barge and below her stellar associations.

Utu Inanna Dumuzid Nanna

On this imprint (6) the throne and the cow represent Ishtar/Inana as her symbols are

placed on top of them. Similar to the above drawing the throne of Ishtar/Inana throne

as well as her cow are placed in a barge.

A bow, representing the constellation "The Bow" is placed at the left side of the barge.

So on this very special imprint the Isis throne, the " Sopdet" cow and the barge are

related to Ishtar/Inana as well as to the constellation "The Bow."

The sun god Utu and the moon god Nanna may be the children who paddle in the

bark, more or less similar to what we read in the myth: “Šulgi and Ninlil's barge: a

tigi (?) to Ninlil (Šulgi R):”

“Your rudder is a large kiĝ fish in the broad waters at the mouth of the Kisala canal. Your

…… are a bison, inspiring terror on the great earth. Your tow-rope is the gliding Niraḫ

extended over the land. Your mooring pole is the heavenly bond, which ……. Your longside

beams are a warrior striking straight against another warrior. Your prow is Nanna …… fair

sky. Your stern is Utu …… at the horizon. Your canopy (?) is …….”

Dumuzi may be portrayed in the middle of this barge. He is the lover of Inanna and he is

compared to the moon as well as to the sun in “A tigi to Inana (Inana E).” In this tigi Ama-

ušumgal-ana (Dumuzid) is recreated monthly like Suen and like Utu as he rises:

“My lady, Ama-ušumgal-ana trusts in you. He cloaks his body as if in your royal robe of office.

Monthly at the crescent moon An recreates him for you like Suen. People praise King Ama-

ušumgal-ana, the beloved of your heart, like Utu as he rises.”

When Ishtar/Inana and Dumuzi are together in the boat they will solemnize a Sacred

Marriage:

"These genitals, ……, like a horn, …… a great waggon, this moored Boat of Heaven …… of mine,

clothed in beauty like the new crescent moon, this waste land abandoned in the desert ……, this field

of ducks where my ducks sit, this high well-watered field of mine: my own genitals, the maiden's, a

well-watered opened-up mound -- who will be their ploughman? My genitals, the lady's, the moist

and well-watered ground -- who will put an ox there?" Name poem: A balbale (?) to Inana (Dumuzid-Inana P): c.4.08.16

Published: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

On this imprint (7) Inana holds a bow as she is the constellation "The Bow." At the same

time, she sits on a throne, which of course is related to Isis.

Inana is like the sun

In at least four different manners Inana is related to the sun, in the first place she is

compared to the risen sun in a hymn:

"Great light, heavenly lioness, always speaking words of assent! Inana, great light, lioness of

heaven, who always speaks words of assent! Ninegala! As you rise in the morning sky like a flame

visible from afar, and at your bright appearance in the evening sky, the shepherd (i.e. the king)

entrusts (?) the flocks of Sumer to you. Celestial sign, …… glory of heaven! All the countries are

building a house for you as for the risen sun; a shining (?) torch is assigned to you, the light of the

Land." Name: A hymn to Inana as Ninegala (Inana D): c.4.07.4

Published: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

Secondly: on this imprint (8) the sun symbol demonstrates that she is a sun goddess.

Thirdly: according to her cryptographic number she is the wife of the sun god Utu/Shamash.

Gods were substituted by tens, whereas their wives were substituted by fives:

60 was assigned to Anu and 55 to his wife Antu,

Enlil "was" 50 and his wife Ninlil 45,

Ea/Enki "was" 40 and his wife Ninki 35,

Nanna/Suen was indicated by number 30 and his wife Ningal by number 25.

The god of light Nusku or storm god Ishkur/Adad was substituted by number 10

and apparently Ninhursag, who was substituted by number 5, was his wife. (See

below)

According to the relationships between the numbers of husbands and the numbers of their

wifes Inana, who "was" number 15, must have been the wife of Shamash who "was" number

20.

Male: 60 - Anu, 50 -Enlil, 40 - Ea/Enki, 30 - Nanna/Suen, 20 - Utu/Shamash, 10 - Nusku or

Ishkur/Adad

Female: 55 - Antu, 4.5 - Ninlil, 35 - Ninki, 25 -Ningal, 15 - Inanna/Ishtar, 5 – Ninhursag

Fourthly: on cylinder seals both gods and goddesses were indicated by tens: husband and

wife "had" the same number. On the next imprint Utu as well as Inana "had" number 20:

On this imprint (9) Enlil is seated on a throne. As usual he is the father of Suen, Ishkur/Adad,

and of Inana and Utu both having number 20:

To the left stands Nanna who is indicated by number 30. In "Nanna-Suen's journey to

Nibru (ETCSL 1.5.1: 10)" he is a son of Enlil.

In June an enthroned Enlil sits in the constellation "Crater" and at the new moon he

decrees two destinies for Adad who is standing before him: "Shamash will be your

helper in battle," (symbolized by the scimitar depicted before Shamash), "Inana will

give you a son," (symbolized by the monkey).

The Sumerian word for monkey is: ugu4-bi; a-gáb. Which also can be translated as: 'to give

birth' + inanimate demonstrative ["Inanimate are things and animals." Thomsen, p. 49].

In the middle stands Nusku or Ishkur/Adad who is indicated by number 10. In

"Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta" (ETCSL 1.8.2.3: 542-543) he is a son of Enlil. (See

below)

To the right stands Inana who is indicated by 20. In "A tigi to Inana" (Inana E):

c.4.07.5") Enlil is her father.

To the far right: Utu is indicated by 20 too. In "A hymn to Utu," (ETCSL 4.32.2: 24.)

he also is a son of Enlil.

According to Alfred Jeremias 10 refers to Nusku (Handbuch der altorientalischen

Geisteskultur page 147) whivh means that the king may have been called Mutakkil-nusku

who lived ca. 1133 BC.

But according to Zechariah Sitchin it refers to Ishkur/Adad ("The 12th Planet" Page 25.)

From April until June Sirius seems to “unite” with the moon:

now Ishtar/Inana is like the moon

Being like the sun Inana is married the moon god at new moon. This marriage may be

depicted on the next imprint:

This imprint (10) shows Lahmu, a lion, Inana, a king, a double headed eagle and an

inscription reading: “Girnunne, the writher of Nigin”.

The double headed eagle represents Ashur/Enlil who is the father and the

mother of the four children standing next to him.

The person standing next to the inscription may be the owner of

the seal called: "Girnunne, the writher of Nigin." He may be the son of Enlil.

This fighting Lahmu may represent the storm god Ninurta. In Enuma elish

Lahmu is the son of Apsu and Tiamat which of course means that he cannot be a son of Enlil.

On this imprint he is a symbol like on the imprint below: he shows two prominent qualities of

the storm god Ninurta, who is a son of Enlil:

1. In hymns etc. Ninurta is a farmer and fertilizing god, this quality is symbolized by

Lahmu as in Sumeria his name means: "The Muddy One." (See the next imprint.)

2. Ninurta is also described like a warrior: this quality is visualised by this Lahmu who

is fighting with a pick-axe.

On this imprint (11) four times Lahmu represents four deities who more or less fertilize the

seasons.

The crescent represents the moon god who is the presiding deity of May/June. He

is depicted like Lahmu as he is a fertilizing god in these two months.

The sun disk represents Shamash who is the presiding deity of September/October.

He is also depicted like Lahmu as he also is a fertilizing god in these two months.

The vase with sprouting water symbolizes the constellation "The Great One." He is

depicted like Lahmu who symbolizes his fertilizing character in January/February.

The fish represents represent the constellation "Pisces." It is depicted like Lahmu

who symbolizes its fertilizing character in February/March.

Two vertical lines of inscription give the name as: “Shatpum, son of Shallum,”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonian_calendar

Babylonian calendar

Season

Month name Presiding

deities Zodiac sign

Equivalent in Hebrew

calendar

Equivalent in Gregorian

calendar

Reš Šatti

1 Araḫ Nisānu 'Month of the

Sanctuary'

Anu and Bel KU (Aries) Nisan March/April

2 Araḫ Āru 'Month of the Bull'

Ea

Iyar April/May

3 Araḫ Simanu Sin

BI(KAŠ)

(Gemini) Sivan May/June

4 Araḫ Dumuzu 'Month of Tammuz'

Tammuz

Tammuz June/July

Mišil

Šatti

5 Araḫ Abu āru (Leo)

Av July/August

6 Araḫ Ulūlu Ishtar

Elul August/September

This Babylonian calendar shows that Sin is the presiding deity of May/June. Shamash is the

presiding deity of September/October, Aquarius represents January/February and Pisces

represents February/March.

Here Inana, daughter of Enlil, holds the tail of a lion. The

lion may represent the moon god Suen who is a son of Enlil.

In a hymn he is called “a lion who utter hostile words to the enemy:”

“Lion uttering hostile words to the enemy, supplying evening light to dark places! Youthful Suen,

glorious moonlight, the people gaze at you in wonder.” Name Poem: A hymn to Nanna (Nanna J)

Published: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

Inana and Suen apparently have a love affair which is symbolized by Inana holding the tail

of Suen: in Sumer the word "tail" and the words "erected penis" are the same:

K?E, erect penis, tail, sprout, split open, male, pierce, poke, prod, nudge, point forward, call

attention to verbally, be bowed forward ; formant of male names; http://reocities.com/proto-language/ProtoLanguage-Monosyllables.htm.

The next two imprints emphasise that a lion represents the moon god Suen.

On this imprint (12) the three dots demonstrate that the battering lion represents the moon

god Suen.

On this imprint (13) the crescent also demonstrates that the lion represents Suen.

The sun marries the moon

In some cultures, around the Mediterranean area it was believed that the sun married the

moon.

"In Thracia Bendis was goddess of the moon and the hunt whom the Greeks identified with Artemis.

She was a huntress, like Artemis, but was accompanied by dancing satyrs and maenads on a fifth-

century red-figure stem less cup (at Verona)." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bendis

"Bendis was a Moon Goddess and wife of the Sun God Sabazius, and was worshipped with orgiastic

rites. Thracians made her popular in Attica, and in 430 BC her cult became a state ceremonial in

Athens, with torch races at the Piraeus." http://www.ladyoftheearth.com/goddesses/moon-goddess.txt

"In Ugarit Eterah, in the texts a name given to El+, the moon god, as husband of the sun goddess.

Other spellings are Érah, Jarih+ and Terah+. Eterah was a Semitic word meaning moon." Who's Who in Non-Classical Mythology by Edgerton Skyes,Alan Kendall

"The Hebrew goddess of the new moon Jarah was seen as the bride of the sun." Magick & Rituals of the Moon by Edain McCoy

On this imprint (20) Inana possesses the moon which is depicted like a little lion. She is

called “the light of heaven” and at dawn she enlightens the whole sky. At the same time, she

fills the "little" moon with her light and causes full moon which is symbolized by the

crescent/sun disk.

"The lady, the light of heaven, the delight of the black-headed, the youthful woman who excels her

mother, who was granted divine powers by her father, Inana, the daughter of Suen, decreed a

destiny for Šulgi, the son of Ninsumun:" Name poem: A praise poem of Šulgi (Šulgi X): c.2.4.2.24

Published: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

On this imprint (21) the sun god Utu possesses the moon god Suen who is depicted like a

little lion. The light of the sun is fertilizing: In his book "The Queen of Heaven" (page 95)

Gavin White writes:

“This fertile aspect of sunlight immediately reminds us of the nature of the sun god’s gaze. The most

significant aspect of the sun’s gaze was that it induced fertility in the herds: ‘when you gaze upon the

bulls in the cattle-pen, bulls fill the cattle-pen. When you gaze upon the sheep in the fold, sheep fill

the fold’.36 The same text goes on to talk about its effects on man ‘When you have gazed upon the

man …’ but sadly the final line or two have been lost. Even so the implication should, by now, be

obvious.”

The inscription on the imprint reads: "Apil-Sin, son of Silli-Ishtar, servant of Nin-Shubur."

It is clear that Apil-Sin is named after his godly father: the moon god Sin or Suen. He is the

son of Silli-Ishar which means that his father is named after Ishar or Inana: the light of the

sun.

Inana like a moonbeam

On this imprint (28) three dots representing number 30 and a star indicated the seated

goddess.

The star demonstrates that the goddess is Inana and the number demonstrates that she is the

sun.

The crescent and number 20 demonstrate that the barge is the moon god Suen.

So this imprint shows the sun goddess Inana travelling in the moon boat Suen: together they

form full moon.

But with full moon we can also say that Inana is the light of the moon: she is like a

moonbeam.

"At her mother's bidding, Inana bathed in water and anointed herself with sweet oil. She covered her

body with a grand robe; she also took her pin. She straightened the lapis lazuli stones on her neck,

and grasped her cylinder seal in her hand. The young lady stepped forward as Dumuzid pushed

open the door, and like a moonbeam she came forth to him from the house. He looked at her and

rejoiced in her; he embraced her and kissed her." Name poem: A song of Inana and Dumuzid (Dumuzid-Inana C1): c.4.08.29

Published: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

All in all, Inana is the constellation Canis Maioris. In summer she is "united" with the sun

for 70 days, which means that these 70 days she is like the sun. Being like the sun she

entlightens the moon and becomes a moonbeam:

“She shines brilliantly in the evening,

brighten the day at dawn,

and stands in the heavens like the sun and the moon.”

About the constellation Gemini

Imprint number 29

This imprint of a cylinder seal depicts the constellation Gemini represented by two naked

boys. Like Castor and Pollux one of them goes up whereas the other one goes down.

Imprint number 30

Once again: this imprint of a cylinder seal depicts the constellation Gemini represented

by two naked boys. Like Castor and Pollux one of them goes up whereas the other one

goes down.

Imprint number 31

For the last time: this imprint of a cylinder seal depicts the constellation Gemini represented

by two naked boys. Like Castor and Pollux one of them goes up whereas the other one goes

down.

Tom van Bakel

Sint Pancras

Nederland

Email: tom.vanbakel@xs4all.nl

Quotations: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature (ETCSL):

http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/

Reverences;

Seal number 01

A.607. Deux taureaux couchés dos à dos, une des pattes antérieures dressée. Sur la tête de chacun

est assis un personnage dont la chevelure serrée en chignonsert de point de départ à une aile très

longue qui descend jusqu'à terre; ce personnage est coiffé d'une tiare conique et vêtu d'une simple

ceinture; un seul membre inférieur est représenté et se termine par une serre agrippant le taureau au

cou et à l'échiné. Au milieu de la composition une déesse, aux longs cheveux tressés avec mèche

bouclée tombant sur la poitrine, est coiffée d'un simple bandeau et vêtue d'un très court jupon

frangé; de chaque main elle tient un serpent dressé vers elle que l'un des personnages tient

également, mais des deux mains; ses membres inférieurs se terminent aussi par des serres et, après

s'être enlacés avec ceux des génies, viennent agripper les taureaux à l'arrièretrain. Au revers du

cylindre, une autre déesse, aux longs cheveux relevés en chignon, vêtue d'une jupe à trois volants,

élève les mains et saisit la pointe des tiares des deux personnages. Dans le champ, près du bord.

Published: CATALOGUE DES CYLINDRES ORIENTAUX CACHETS ET PIERRES GRAVÉES DU

MUSÉE DU LOUVRE

Seal number 02

bibliography and image source: Frankfort, Henri: Stratified Cylinder Seals from the Diyala Region.

Oriental Institute Publications 72. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, no. 254.

excavation number: Kh. IV 338

provenience: Khafaje

dimension(s) (in cm): 2.8 x 1.8

material: shell

date: Early Dynastic II -

description: Monster consisting of human upper part, his legs being lions whose tails end in snakes

held in his hands; bull-man with dagger holding hind leg of inverted lion; two registers beside these

figures: in the upper, crescent, star, man, two crossed lions, and scorpion; in the lower, star,

crescent, crossed bull and ram, and man.

Published: http://oi-archive.uchicago.edu/OI/IRAQ/dbfiles/objects/941.htm

Seal number 03

Material: white translucent stone

Dimentions: 3 x 2.3 cm

Numver: 330

Date of findspot: Early Dynastic III

Style: Early Dynastic III

Field no.: Khafaje V1

Published: Stratified cylinder seals from the Diyala Region by H. Frankfort

Imprint number 04

Three demons Whose Legs Are Foreparts of Merged Lions Whose Tails End In Serpent Heads

Cylinder seal and impression

Mesopotamia, Early Dynastic II period

(ca. 2750–2600 B.C.)

Published: http://www.themorgan.org/collections/collectionsEnlarge.asp?id=620

Imprint number 05

A. 42. Trois êtres fantastiques formés chacun d'un buste humain auquel sont soudés les membres

postérieurs de deux antilopes qui forment les jambes ; seule l'antilope placée à l'extrême gauche ne

tient au buste humain que par une patte. Les six animaux se tiennent sur leurs pattes antérieures ;

ceux du milieu sont croisés deux à deux ; ceux des extrémités de la composition sont l'un et l'autre tournés vers la gauche. Des deux mains élevées chaque être fantastique tient les deux queues

dressées des antilopes qui lui servent de membres inférieurs ; ces queues sont terminées elles-mêmes

chacune par une tête d'animal. Au revers du cylindre, une plante.

Époque archaïque. -, - Marbre gris. — 31 X 24 mm— Inv. : AO 6643.

Planche 64, fig. 11.

Comparer avec A 108et 109 : pl. 68, fig. 13 et 16.

Published: CATALOGUE DES CYLINDRES ORIENTAUX CACHETS ET PIERRES GRAVÉES DU

MUSÉE DU LOUVRE

Imprint number 06

Material: Haematite.

Place: Mesopotamian or Nord Syrian

Date: ca. 1850-1700 B.C.

Dimensions: 25 x 14 mm

Number: 64

Published: Länder der Bible

Imprint 1: Mesopotamian cylinder seal (Neo-Assyrian, 720-700 B.C.)

Published:http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_d

etails.aspx?objectid=1476802&partid=1

Picture 2: Denderah zodiac: published:

http://jfbradu.free.fr/egypte/LES%20TEMPLES/DENDERAH/decan-detail.jpg

Picture 3: Portrait Isis, published: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-

5R8Fz8zxUdM/TXvPhwc8xrI/BBI/DQdV8fEjmyo/s1600/IsisWithThroneIcon.jpg

Imprint 4: Marble, 63 x 44 x 21 mm, number 22.

Punblished: Ancient Oriental seals in the Newell collection

Drawing 5: The original picture is depicted in the Ramesseum, the mortuary temple of Rameses II a

Tebes.

Published: Brightest Diamond in the Night Sky, Door Jay B. Holberg

Imprint 6: Ur,Assur and Babylon afb 12, Uruk and Djemdet-Nasr period Lazuursteen 50x44 mm

Moortgat Rollsiegel, afb 1. no 1.

Imprint 7, Hämatit, 23,3 x 11,8 mm. 1450-1300 BC. Nordsyrien. DatensatzID: 416

Permanenter Link: http://www.bible-orient-museum.ch/bodo/details.php?bomid=416

Imprint 8: Oriental Institute, University of Chicago.

Published: http://www.sourcememory.net/veleda/?p=229

Imprint 9: an old Babylonian haematite cylinder seal circa 1900-1700 B.Sc.

Published:

http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?pos=4&intObjectID=1894461&sid=

Imprint 10: Berlin Musuem, Akkad-period, lazuursteen 27 mm Moortgat, pl.33 nr 243;

Published: "Ur, Assur en Babylon."

Imprint 11: Mesopotamian cylinder seal Akkadian, ca. 2220–2159 B.C.

Published: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/03/wam/ho_1999.325.89.htm.

Imprint number 12: Period: Late Cypriot II Date: ca. 14th century B.C. Geography: Cyprus

Culture: Cypriot Medium: Black-grey steatite Dimensions: 0.83 in. (2.11 cm) Classification: Stone.

Published:http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-

collections/30000008?rpp=60&pg=3&rndkey=20121225&ft=*&what=Seals%7cCylinder+seals&p

os=129#fullscreen

Imprint 13: British Museum, number 36.199, serpentine, 23 x 12 mm, Iran, proto-Elamite, 3000-

2300 BC

Imprint 14: c.2000-1600 B.C. Akkad period. Nephrite, Mesopotamia

Published:http://wings.buffalo.edu/english/faculty/christian/syllabi/375/hhjw1/hhjw1.htm

Imprint 15: Number 385, Beige stone, 39 x 14 mm, Western Iran, ca. 1300 - 900 BC

Published: http://www.christies.com/lotFinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=3924058

Imprint 16: Haematite, Mesopotamian/Akkadian, ca 2340 -2180 BC

Published:http://educators.mfa.org/objects/detail/265685?classification=Seals&pageSize=100&pag

e=3

Imprint 17: Länder der Bible page 112 number 64 Hämatit Mesopotamien oder Nordsyrien:

Altbabylonische Zeit. ca 1850-1700 v. Chr. 27 x14 mm

Imprint 18: Near Eastern, Mesopotamian, Babylonian, 1894–1595 B.C.

Published:http://educators.mfa.org/objects/detail/129328?classification=Seals&pageSize=100&pag

e=5

Imprint 19: Hematite. Cylinder seal. 26 X 15 mm. number 205.

Published: Ancient Oriental seals in the collection of Mr. Edward T. Newell.

Imprint 20: British Museum Old Babylonian cylinder seal from Ishchali (ca. 1800 - 1700 BC).

Imprint 21: Old Babylionan, Ca. 18th century BC. British Mueum. Museum number 103314.

Hematite cylinder seal with some magnetite. Length: 3 centimetres, Diameter: 1.55 centimetres

(max?) Diameter: 1.45 centimetres (min?)

Imprint 22: provenience: Khafaje, date: Early Dynastic IIIa (ca. 2500 - 2400 BC) Goat attacked by

panther, restrained by long-haired bullman, and by lion crossing another goat attacked by another

panther; scorpion beneath blank inscription panel.

Published: http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/IRAQ/dbfiles/categories/c5_4_85_87.htm

Imprint 23: museum number: IM14686, excavation number: Kh. I 360

provenience: Khafaje, dimension(s) (in cm): 2.6 x 1.7

material: white limestone, date: Early Dynastic IIIa (ca. 2500 - 2400 BC)

Published: http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/IRAQ/dbfiles/categories/c5_4_85_87.htm

Imprint 24: Mesopotamia: First Dynasty of Babylon: ca.1894–1595B.C.

Published: http://www.themorgan.org/collections/collections.asp?id=724

Imprint number 25: Hematite, Isin Larsa, old Babylonian, 2000-1600 BC.

Published: http://wings.buffalo.edu/english/faculty/christian/syllabi/375/hhjw1/hhjw1.htm

Imprint 26: British Museum: number134765, Black serpentine, Old Babylonian, Date 2000BC-1600

BC, Syria, serpentine, 2.8 x 1.7 cm, BM/Big number134765, Registration number1966,0218.26.

Imprint 27: AN135126001 Middle East, BM/Big number: 89115, 2300BC, Akkadian, Greenstone

cylinder seal; Inscription Translation: Adda, scribe.

Imprint 28: Nr. 331, Lapis lazuli, 22 x 11 mm, Locus: P 54:14, Building or level: Houses 2, Date:

ED III, Style: ED IIIa.

Published: Stratified cylinder seals from the Diyala region by H. Frankfort.

Imprint number 29: British Museum number 89737

Description Black hematite cylinder-seal; the king with a mace faces the suppliant goddess who

raises both hands; between them are two small kilted figures tete-beche, facing the goddess and

raising one hand. In the field are a double lion-headed mace; a bull-man holding a staff and a nude

goddess above; a monkey, and a lion attacking a couchant goat below.

Culture/period Old Babylonian term details

Materials hematite

Dimensions Length: 2.4 centimetres Diameter: 1.25 centimetres

Bibliography Collon 1986a 150 (cross-reference) bibliographic details Collon 1986a 242 (cross-

reference) bibliographic details Collon 1986a 255 bibliographic details Collon 1986a C.12a, p.43

(cross-reference) bibliographic details Collon 1986a pl. XXI bibliographic details

James Rich biography

Acquisition date1825

Department Middle East

BM/Big number89737

Registration number1825,0503.173

Imprint number 30:

metmuseum.org: 1999,325,055.jpg

405 × 305 - Cylinder seal.

Date: ca. early 2nd millennium B.C.

Imprint number 31: This hematite cylinder seal is out of place at Tell Sabi Abyad. The seal dates

from the Middle Bronze Age, around 1700 BC. Tell Sabi Abyad was not inhabited at that time,

however. What happened? The seal was found inside a mud brick of a wall in the Middle Assyrian

fortress at Tell Sabi Abyad. The seal was in the used clay, and therefore must have come from a

place that was also occupied earlier, in the Middle Bronze Age, just like the seal. Apparently the mud

bricks that were used to build the fortress were not all manufactured at Tell Sabi Abyad itself. Other

people in other places were engaged in the process as well. The seal shows the sun-god, Shamash,

with a saw in his hand. A king is depicted reporting to Shamash, bringing an animal for sacrifice.

Behind the king we see two figures who assist him in the ritual.

http://www.sabi-abyad.nl/Page.aspx?pageType=page&pageID=375

Imprint number 32

368. Marital scene. A woman is bending over two pots which she apparently tries to lift from the

ground. A second woman holds her head down by her tresses while an ithyphallic male woollen skirt.

The male is nude. His elongated head has a striking animal profile. Beard and hair are uncertain. 'A

child seated on a low stool behind him holds up a round object, cup or bread.

There is a second marital couple above and many smaller figures in the field: a scorpion, a

spouted jar, round pieces of bread, a crescent, and again the curious checker-board of nine squares

inscribed in a circle, No. 29I. Eight-petalled rosette on the butt-end of the cylinder, d. 20 mm.

U. I4597. Pit D. SIS 4. P1. 49. (P. CBS. 3I.I6.603.)

(1936) Ur Excavations III: Archaic Seal-Impressions, Oxford

Imprint number 33

Objekt: Rollsiegel, Magnetit, 22 x 11 mm.

Datierung: 1850-1720.

Herkunft: Nordsyrien.

Sammlung: Fribourg, Sammlung Keel, VR 1993.6; Ex-Sammlung Marcopoli.

Darstellung: A naked frontally facing figure with large ears and a triangular shaped face stands

with folded arms within a vertical linear enclosure [ergänzter Text von Keel/Schroer 2004: Nr. 71: ...

die ein Heiligtum andeuten könnten]. A male figure in a short fringed mantle stands raising one arm

on either side of the enclosure. A plant is by each of their feet. In a subsidiary scene is a similar

naked figure squatting on a pedestal under a canopy which it holds over its head. The figure is

flanked by two rampant quadrupeds, (dogs?). Two opposing hares are in the sky above the group.

Linear borders.

Diskussion: [ergänzter Text von Keel/Schroer 2004: Nr. 71: Die Stellung der gespreizten Beine hat

wohl nichts mit Geburt zu tun, sondern ist wie auf Terrakottaplaketten aus dem nördlichen

Babylonien, die ab Hammurabi belegt sind, als primär apotropäische Position zu deuten (Assante

2002: 44-47; vgl. auch Kat. 235)].

Bibliographie: Teissier 1984: no. 537; Christie’s 1993: 149, lot 205:3; Keel-Leu/Teissier 2004: 282,

Nr. 318; Keel/Schroer 2004: 116f, Nr. 71.

DatensatzID: 592

Permanenter Link: http://www.bible-orient-museum.ch/bodo/details.php?bomid=592

Imprint number 34

British Museum number 102515

Description Goethite cylinder seal; a suppliant goddess, a goddess (full-face) in a decollate flounced

robe which exposes both her breasts, wearing a square-topped head-dress and a choker necklace

and raising her left hand with strands of hair over each shoulder, raising her left hand, and the king

with a mace, approach a goddess (full-face), who wears a flounced robe draped over one shoulder

and exposing one breast, a choker necklace, with a strand of hair over one shoulder, and holds a

double lion-headed mace. In the field are a line of inscription; a goat-fish, facing right, above a fish;

a couchant lion (damaged) facing right above a goat sitting on its haunches and looking back over

its shoulder towards the left; a star-disc and crescent above three drill-holes grouped together, a

tortoise, a dog supporting a crook and facing right; file marks above the couchant animals; faults in

the stone.

Culture/period Old Babylonian term details

Materials goethite

Technique drilled

Dimensions Length: 2.5 centimetres Diameter: 1.3 centimetres

Inscription Transliteration

Aya, Shamash.

Bibliography Collon 1986a 402 bibliographic details Collon 1986a pl. XXX bibliographic details

Purchased from: I Élias Géjou biography

Acquisition date1908

Department Middle East

BM/Big number102515

Registration number1908,0411.23

Imprint number 35

British Museum number 101964

Description Quartz var chalcedony (agate) cylinder seal; the suppliant goddess and a bald, clean-

shaven worshipper in a fringed robe, with hands clasped, face a deified king (cup is missing). In the

field are a dog supporting a crook; a disc and crescent (N.B no star). There is a base-line beneath

the scene; chipped and partly weathered.

Culture/period Old Babylonian

Materials chalcedony (?)agate (?)

Dimensions Height: 2.55 centimetres Diameter: 1.45 centimetres

Inscription Transliteration

utu, a-a.

Inscription Translation

Shamash, Aya.

Bibliography Collon 1986a 49 bibliographic details Collon 1986a pl. VIII bibliographic

Acquisition name Purchased from: I Élias Géjou biography

Acquisition date1905

Department Middle East

BM/Big number101964

Registration number1905,1111.15

Imprint number 36

British Museum number 89273

Description; a kilted priest, with cup (?) and pail, and the robed king with a crested head-dress face

the ascending sun god who holds a saw-toothed blade vertically beneath a crescent moon and rests

his foot on a double-cube mountain; before him, on a T-shaped stand, sits a monkey facing left; in

the upper field before the priest is a pot; beneath the inscription panel; one side of which is extended

as far as the line border, is a small lion or dog moving towards the left. Line border round the

bottom of the seal; chipped.

Culture/period Old Babylonian

Materials goethite

Dimensions Length: 2.2 centimetres Diameter: 1.25 centimetres

Inscription Transliteration

utu, a-a.

Inscription Translation

Shamash, Aya.

Bibliography Collon 1986a 367 bibliographic details Collon 1986a pl. XXVII bibliographic details

Acquisition name Purchased from: J K Lynch (?) biography

Acquisition date1856

Department Middle East

BM/Big number89273

Registration number1856,0502.6

Imprint number 37

1750 Kiton. Tomb 9, No. 16. Impression of a haematite seal (Late Cypriot II)

[1300–1200 BC] Cypro-Aegean style: height 3,1 cm.

Published: Prehistoric Greece and Cyprus.

Imprint number 38

museum number: IM15630

excavation number: As. 32:934

provenience: Tell Asmar

dimension(s) (in cm): 2 x 1.2

material: limestone

date: Early Dynastic (ca. 2900 - 2400 BC)

description: "Sacred Marriage" scene: two figures lying on couch in process of sexual intercourse;

scorpion beneath couch, standing figure beside couch; vase with drinking tubes, crescent, and five

drill holes in field.

Published: http://oi-archive.uchicago.edu/OI/IRAQ/dbfiles/objects/1106.htm

Seal number 39: http://www.bibleorigins.net/ezekielscherubim.html Two men possessing an ox's

(bull's) head, from a cylinder seal impression (cf. p. 42. Henrietta McCall.Mesopotamian

Myths. Austin, Texas. University of Texas Press. [in cooperation with the British Museum, London].

1990, 1993. ISBN 0-292-75130-3).