The Calculation of the Stipulated Term in Extispicy

divninaTion and inTerpreTaTion of signs in The ancienT world iii divinaTion and inTerpreTaTion of signs in The ancienT world edited by AMAr ANNUs with contributions by Amar Annus, francesca rochberg, James Allen, Ulla susanne Koch, edward l. shaughnessy, Niek veldhuis, eckart frahm, scott b. Noegel, Nils Heeßel, Abraham Winitzer, barbara böck, seth richardson, Cynthia Jean, JoAnn scurlock, John Jacobs, and Martti Nissinen tHe orieNtAl iNstitUte of tHe UNiversity of CHiCAgo orieNtAl iNstitUte seMiNArs • NUMber 6 CHiCAgo • illiNois iv library of Congress Control Number: 2009943156 isbN-13: 978-1-885923-68-4 isbN-10: 1-885923-68-6 issN: 1559-2944 ©2010 by the University of Chicago. All rights reserved. Published 2010. Printed in the United states of America. The oriental institute, chicago tHe UNiversity of CHiCAgo orieNtAl iNstitUte seMiNArs • NUMber 6 series editors leslie schramer and thomas g. Urban with the assistance of felicia Whitcomb cover illustration: bronze model of a sheep’s liver indicating the seats of the deities. from decima di gossolengo, Piacenza. etruscan, late 2nd–early 1st c. b.C. Photo credit: scala / Art resource, Ny printed by edwards Brothers, ann arbor, michigan the paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National standard for information services — Permanence of Paper for Printed library Materials, ANsi Z39.48-1984. v tAble of CoNteNts PrefACe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii iNtrodUCtioN 1. on the beginnings and Continuities of omen sciences in the Ancient World . . . . . . amar annus, university of chicago 1 seCtioN oNe: tHeories of diviNAtioN ANd sigNs 2. “if P, then Q”: form and reasoning in babylonian divination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . francesca rochberg, university of california, Berkeley 19 3. greek Philosophy and signs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . James allen, university of pittsburgh 29 4. three strikes and you’re out! A view on Cognitive theory and the firstMillennium extispicy ritual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ulla susanne Koch, independent scholar 43 5. Arousing images: the Poetry of divination and the divination of Poetry . . . . . . . . . edward l. shaughnessy, university of chicago 61 6. the theory of Knowledge and the Practice of Celestial divination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . niek Veldhuis, university of california, Berkeley 77 seCtioN tWo: HerMeNeUtiCs of sigN iNterPretAtioN 7. reading the tablet, the exta, and the body: the Hermeneutics of Cuneiform signs in babylonian and Assyrian text Commentaries and divinatory texts . . . . . . eckart frahm, yale university 93 8. “sign, sign, everywhere a sign”: script, Power, and interpretation in the Ancient Near east . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 scott B. noegel, university of Washington 9. the Calculation of the stipulated term in extispicy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 nils p. heeßel, university of heidelberg 10. the divine Presence and its interpretation in early Mesopotamian divination . . . . . 177 abraham Winitzer, university of notre dame 11. Physiognomy in Ancient Mesopotamia and beyond: from Practice to Handbook . . . 199 Barbara Böck, csic, madrid seCtioN tHree: History of sigN iNterPretAtioN 12. on seeing and believing: liver divination and the era of Warring states (ii) . . . . . 225 seth f. c. richardson, university of chicago 13. divination and oracles at the Neo-Assyrian Palace: the importance of signs in royal ideology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 cynthia Jean, université libre de Bruxelles, fnrs 14. Prophecy as a form of divination; divination as a form of Prophecy . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 Joann scurlock, elmhurst college 15. traces of the omen series Åumma izbu in Cicero, de divinatione . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 John Jacobs, loyola university maryland seCtioN foUr: resPoNse 16. Prophecy and omen divination: two sides of the same Coin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341 martti nissinen, university of helsinki v vii PrefACe this book makes available the revised versions of the papers read at the fifth annual University of Chicago oriental institute seminar science and superstition: interpretation of signs in the ancient World, which took place at March 6–7, 2009. the printed volume has a slightly different title, and it includes two papers from scholars, who were invited to the seminar, but could not come — from barbara böck and Niek veldhuis, while one participant, Clifford Ando, has decided to publish his paper elsewhere. i remain thankful to all the contributors for a very smooth and efficient collaboration that gave birth to this sizable volume. i am grateful to gil stein, who initiated this remarkable post-doctoral symposium program, and to the oriental institute for giving me the opportunity to organize this event, so making one of my dreams a reality. i would like to extend my warmest thanks to Mariana Perlinac, Kaye oberhausen, and Christopher Woods for all that they have done to help me organize this event. i also thank thomas Urban and leslie schramer for their help with the printing and editing of this book. i am also thankful to Cathy duenas for her help in everyday matters. finally, i should mention my family — my wife Merili, and children Kaspar and Kreeta, who patiently shared half of my time here in Chicago. i am happy that they were willing to come with me to a far-away city, where Kaspar could satisfy his ever-increasing curiosity, and where Kreeta literally made her first steps in life. Amar Annus vii symposium participants, from left to right: front row: John Jacobs, Amar Annus, JoAnn scurlock, Ulla Koch, Martti Nissinen, Ann guinan, francesca rochberg, James Allen. back row: edward shaughnessy, Nils Heeßel, eckart frahm, seth richardson, scott Noegel, Clifford Ando, Abraham Winitzer, robert biggs. Photo by Kaye oberhausen The calculaTion of The sTipulaTed Term in exTispicy 163 9 The calculaTion of The sTipulaTed Term in exTispicy Nils P. Heeßel, UNiversity of Heidelberg Among the many different divinatory methods used in Mesopotamia, the practice of extispicy stands apart. it has always been of special importance to society as it represents the only means of direct communication between mankind and the realm of the gods. While other divinatory genres are concerned with signs as messages from the gods and sacrifice represents a human way to beseech the gods, they remain techniques for a one-way contact. Quite on the contrary, extispicy functions in both directions and therefore it is real communication: A human being formulates a question that can be answered with “yes” or “no,” the gods decide upon the answer and write their decision within the entrails of a sacrificial animal. extispicy makes it possible to communicate with the divine sphere in order to find out the will of the gods concerning specific events and to align one’s deeds with it. therefore, extispicy has been called a “checking technique,”1 which coordinates a planned action with the will of the gods. this possibility to communicate with the divine sphere can be seen as a highly stabilizing factor for a community, as the society could be sure to live in accordance with the decrees of the gods. However, the will of the gods, even when formulated as a simple yes-or-no answer to a predetermined question, was not easy to read. for the gods gave their answers not for free, but only after a sacrifice had been made; a sacrifice that represented something valuable for the person seeking a divine answer to a question, be it cedar from a diviner, flour from a widow, oil from a poor woman, or a lamb from a rich man. 2 No matter how poor or rich a person might be, in order to get an answer from the gods one had to sacrifice something valuable for oneself. And the answer of the gods was not communicated by a dream or a revelation, in a form that anyone could easily understand, but it was written within the physical material of the sacrifice, in the shape of either sprinkled flour, the smoke generated by burned cedar wood, or oil poured in water. However, the most sophisticated technique was always to read the entrails of a sacrificial lamb, into which the gods wrote the answer to a question. Numerous passages illustrate that especially the liver of the sacrificial lamb was regarded as the “tablet of the gods.” 3 And, therefore, the different elements of the liver surface, its marks, colors, sizes, and so on, could be viewed as a script that like cuneiform signs could be pieced together into a meaningful whole. in order to be able to read the answer, one had to be initiated in the art of extispicy and have a thorough understanding of the correct interpretation of extispicy results. these hermeneutics of extispicy are quite straightforward at first glance, as the rules 1 Pongratz-leisten (1999: 12, 14) uses the german term “vergewisserungssystem,” which describes extispcy well, contra brown 2004: 113f. 2 na-åak-ka dumu lú æal giå eren munus al-mat-tú zì.mad .gá la-pu-un-tú ì+giå åá-ru-u ina åá-ru-ti-åú na-åi udusila› “(oh Åamaå,) the diviner brings you cedar, the widow roasted flour, the poor woman oil, the 163 rich from his wealth brings you a lamb” K. 3333 iii 9'–10' // KAr 252 iii 21–23 // K. 3286 (gray 1900/1: pl. 3) 3–6; see oppenheim 1956: 301 and 340. 3 lambert 1998, 148, line 8, 149 lines 14 and 16; Maul 2003–05: 76f. 164 nils p. heeßel of interpretation follow the basic principles of society which are at the same time the basis for the interpretation of other divinatory genres. simple examples are: right is positive, left is negative, white is good, black is bad, etc.4 but it does not end with this simple interpretation. Certain marks had their own value of interpretation that might affect the basic rules,5 signs had to be evaluated according to their exact location, different signs had to be balanced against each other, and certain signs called nipæu or pitruåtu could affect and, indeed, change the result of the whole extispicy to the opposite6 — and it is here at the latest where it becomes increasingly difficult for modern scholars to understand the rationale of babylonian extispicy. And so babylonian scholars put layer on layer of interpretation and the implications of each layer need to be assessed for their impact on the preceding layers of interpretation. one of the particularly enigmatic layers of interpretation is set forth in a group of texts called “Calculation of the stipulated term” that problematize the time period in which a given extispicy result can justly expect validity. the earliest references to the use of a certain time period in extispcy can be found in old babylonian Mari, where extispicies are said to be taken for a specified time, for example for the well-being of a city or an area “for one month.” 7 However, in Mari the technical term adannu for the “stipulated term” is not (yet) used, but the time period for the validity of the extsipicy result is usually rendered as: têrËtim ana åulum alim/œabim/gN ana u› x-kám Ëpuå “i made extispicies for the well-being of the town/troops/gN for x days/months.” in the extispicy queries taken at the court of the sargonid kings the “stipulated term” (adannu), is mentioned frequently as a predetermined period of time, which is often well defined.8 this chronological range shows that the idea of a certain time period, for which a given extispicy was considered valid, had already been developed when the first extispicy texts were written down and that it was carried on until the end of cuneiform culture. in the old-babylonian texts from Mari as well as in the extispicy queries from Ninive the time period for the validity of extispicies could be artificially defined by the person carrying out the extispicy. However, in addition to this simple system of fixing a certain time period for the extispicy, a handful of texts present us with more elaborate rules for the calculation of the stipulated term. these texts have been recently edited by Ulla susanne Koch;9 while Koch was not the first in editing a text of this particular enigmatic group of extispicy treatises — this was ernst Weidner already in 1917 — she was first in putting them in a coherent context and to explain the basic rules governing the texts. this group of texts makes it clear that the stipulated term can be extrapolated by the appearance of the finger (ubΩnu), one of the basic elements of the sheep’s liver. the finger, today called the processus caudatus by veterinary surgeons,10 is a piece of flesh sticking out of the liver, having three rather flat sides or surfaces. All these texts use the most common marks — piør„ “notches,” åÏl„ “holes,” and kakk„ “weapons” — placed on the three zones (top, middle, basis) of the two outer surfaces of the finger to calculate the stipulated term. As Ulla Koch has shown, the significance of 4 for these basic rules of interpretation, see starr 1983: 15–24. 5 the different marks have been studied, inter alia, by Meyer 1987; leiderer 1990; Koch-Westenholz 2000: 43–70. 6 for nipæu and pitruåtu, see Koch 2005: 10–22, with older literature. 7 see the examples listed in starr 1990: p. Xvii, and add the information compiled in durand 1988: 57–59. 8 see starr 1990: pp. Xvif. 9 Koch 2005: 459–79. 10 for the identification of ubΩnu, see Jeyes 1989: 65; leiderer 1990: 119–34; and Koch-Westenholz 2000: 69f. for a good picture of the “finger” (ubΩnu), see leiderer 1990: 182f. The calculaTion of The sTipulaTed Term in exTispicy 165 the zones of the finger is quite straightforward, as the stipulated term depends on how many marks appear in which zone of the finger:11 top Middle basis right/left surface 1 mark right/left surface 2 marks right/left surface 3 marks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 but in order to calculate the stipulated term another factor has to be known. this is the rËå adanni “the basis for (the calculation of) the stipulated term.” the rËå adanni again depended on two factors: 1. the time period for which the extispicy should be performed, usually a day, a month, or a year. this is phrased in the texts as “if you perform the extispicy for a day/a month/a year.” 2. the uddazallû, the “correction,” which represents the constant coefficient. the time period for which the extispicy is performed is multiplied with the uddazallû, the constant correction, as well as with a certain number, and the result of this multiplication is in turn multiplied with the number gained from the observation of the marks on the outer surfaces of the finger. this result then represents the adannu, the time period for which the extispicy is actually valid. but what exactly is the uddazallû, the constant correction in extispicy, and with what exact value is it to be multiplied? Ulla Koch has shown that the uddazallû in extispicy differs from the uddazallû for astronomical purposes as laid down in the astronomical compendium Mul.apin.12 in extispicy the uddazallû according to the text K. 4061, published in Ct 31/16, and 1813 that lays down these rules, seems to be 6 2/3 (or: 6,666) for one day. However, the relevant passage in K. 4061, which might explain why this is the value of the uddazallû, is broken, as K. 4061 is only the lower left edge of the original tablet. However, while looking for parallels to the extispicy texts from Assur among the Ninive texts in the british Museum (siglum K.) i was able to find the missing right side of that tablet. by this new join (K. 4061 + K. 10344) it becomes clear that the uddazallû was multiplied with three times the åikin ubΩni “shape of the finger” (see the Appendix and figs. 9.1–2). the relevant passage reads: 7' åum-ma a-na mu 1-kám dù-uå 0;6,40 ud-da-zal-le-e u›-mi a-na 6 uå u›-mi 0;6,40 íl-ma 8' 0;6,40 a.rá 360 40 tam-mar 40 ud-da-zal-le-e mu 1-kám a-na 3 åi-kin åu.si i-åi-ma 9' 40 a.rá 3 120 tam-mar 120 4 iti ina níg.ka· i-ta-bal 10' ana mu 1-kám a-dan-na gar-an sag a-dan-ni-ka 120 11 Koch 2005: 65. 12 Koch 2005: 64. 13 transliterated and translated by Koch (2005: 471–74). 166 nils p. heeßel 7' if you perform (the extispicy) for one year, then 1/9 is the correction of a day, multiply (it) with 360 days and 8' you will see that 1/9 times 360 is 40. 40 is the correction (uddazallû) for one year; multiply (it) with the three shapes of the finger (åikin ubΩni) and 9' you will see that 40 times 3 is 120. 120 corresponds to four months in the result. 10' (if) you determine the period for a year, (then) the basis for (the calculation of) your period is 120. the still enigmatic term åikin ubΩni appears several times in the so-called dub æa.la texts, but we are far from really understanding what it means. 14 According to K. 4061 + K. 10344 obv. 8', it seems reasonable to view åikin ubΩni as a synonym to the surface of the finger (œËr ubΩni). this would further support the convincing idea put forward by Ulla Koch, that the reciprocal of the uddazallû in extispicy being 9 corresponds to the three surfaces of the finger and their subdivision into the zones top/middle/basis.15 but this new join also puts into question the previously assumed number for the uddazallû in extispicy. in his first edition of this text ernst Weidner (1917: 260) read the number of the uddazallû as 6 2/3 and all scholars followed him. However, a given number in the cuneiform sexagesimal writing system has many possible readings, as, for example, one vertical wedge can stand for the numbers 1, 60, 3600 and so on or even 1/60, 1/3600, etc.16 the actual value, be it 60 times higher or lower, can only be determined through the context. the new text K. 4061 + K. 10344 shows that the uddazallû is to be multiplied with the three åikin ubΩni and not, as was formerly surmised, with the number 3/60 (or 1/20). since it is much more likely that there are three åikin ubΩni and that they refer to the surfaces of the finger, we have to lower the uddazallû by the factor 60, which is perfectly possible in all texts. so instead of the formerly assumed uddazallû of 6 2/3 for a day, 200 for a month and 2400 for a year we now have an uddazallû of 1/9 for a day, 3 1/3 for a month, and 40 for a year. Now, having established the actual value of the uddazallû and its multiplication with the three shapes of the finger (åikin ubΩni), we can derive a formula for the “calculation of the stipulated term”: (planned time period ≈ uddazallû ≈ 3 åikin ubΩni) ≈ marks on the finger = adannu the first multiplications in the parentheses constitute the rËå adanni, the basis for the stipulated term, which is then multiplied with the value of the marks on the finger. to illustrate this, we can now analyze lines 7'–16' of the obverse of K. 4061 + K. 10344, which in its first section explains the rules for the calculation of the rËå adanni, which we have used to derive the formula, and in the second section actually calculates the stipulated term (adannu) by multiplying the rËå adanni with the results from the observed marks on the finger. 7' if you perform (the extispicy) for one year, then 1/9 is the correction (uddazallû) of a day; multiply (it) with 360 days, and 8' you will see that 1/9 times 360 is 40. 40 is the correction (uddazallû) for one year; multiply (it) with the three shapes of the finger (åikin ubΩni) and 14 for åikin ubΩni, see the discussion in borger 1957: 191f. for the dub æa . la texts, see the edition in Koch 2005: nos. 90–95. 15 16 Koch 2005: 64f. see friberg 1987–90: 533f. The calculaTion of The sTipulaTed Term in exTispicy 167 9' you will see that 40 times 3 is 120. 120 corresponds to four months in the result. 10' (if) you determine the period for a year, (then) the basis for (the calculation of) your period (rËå adanni) is 120. _______________________________________________________________________ 11' if a hole lies in the top of the right surface of the finger: 120 times 1 is 120, 4 months. the enemy will besiege and seize the town, 12' in battle: defeat of the army, it will rain, a patient will recover. 13' if a hole lies in the middle of the right surface of the finger: 120 times 2 is [240], 8 months. the enemy will besiege and seize the town, 14' in battle: defeat of the army, it will rain, a patient will recover. 15' if a hole lies in the basis of the right surface of the finger: 120 times 3 is [360, one ye]ar. the enemy will besiege and seize the town, 16' in battle: defeat of the army, it will rain, a patient will recover. _______________________________________________________________________ the planned time period is a year or 360 days, the uddazallû-correction is 1/9 and this together with the 3 åikin ubΩni gives a number of 120 for the basis of the calculation (rËå adanni). this is now multiplied with the value gained from one hole in the different zones17 of the finger in order to get the result for the stipulated term (adannu). from these texts for the calculation of the stipulated term, two important aspects for the babylonian understanding of extispicy can be deduced: first, the adannu, the time period in which the extispicy is actually valid, is not necessarily identical with the time period for which the extispicy is performed. even if a diviner “performs the extispicy for a year,” its adannu can be shorter or longer, or it can be identical, but this depends on the calculation of the stipulated term and, therefore, on the observation how many marks are located on the different surfaces of the finger. When a babylonian diviner “performs an extispicy for a year,” this extispicy is not necessarily valid for a year. basically, he is proposing a time period he is interested in. However, it is the part of the gods to decide how long the extispicy is actually valid. And they place their verdict into the appearance of the finger of the liver. the diviner, then, calculates this time period for the validity of the extispicy result according to the planned period and the uddazallû-correction. in this case, the adannu is not determined by the diviner or the client, but by the gods.18 the second aspect concerns the fact that the adannu not only indicates the time period of validity of the extispicy result, but it also determines the maximum time period that will elapse until a certain dreaded or hoped for event will happen. this is made clear by many entries in the texts for calculation of the stipulated term, speaking of “in x hours/days/months you will besiege and seize the enemy town.”19 17 see the table above. this is also illustrated by passages in the chapter Åumma multΩbiltu of the series BΩrûtu, which tell the diviner to wait for the time period set by the god(s): a-dan ili(dingir) ú-qa-a-a; see Koch 2005: 7/1 and 8/1. 18 19 see K. 4061 + below, obv. 24'–rev. end, and vAt 9492 (KAr 452), for which see Heeßel, forthcoming, no. 64. 168 nils p. heeßel this layer of interpretation called the “calculation of the stipulated term” again calls to mind the fact that babylonian extispicy was never used to gain secure, unchangeable statements about the future. extispicy results had a limited validity that seldom exceeded one year. 20 therefore, extispicy was not used to make general statements about the far away future, but on the contrary was indicating the result of a development, which was viewed as threatening or desirable in the present. this might be regarded as one of the main reasons for its success with the common people as well as the ruling class, as it answered to the current needs and hopes of people. APPeNdiX edition of K. 4061 (Ct 31/16, 18 [Koch 2005: 471–74]) + K. 10344 K. 4061+K. 10344, represents the lower half of a one-column tablet. the joined fragment measures 92 ≈ 95 ≈ 20 mm (see figs. 9.1–2). obv. 1' ≠be ina murub› edin 15 åu.si bùr åub±-[di bat] ] ≠uru nigin-mi± d[ab- 2' ina giåtukul åub-ti érin-ni [an-ú sur]-nun gig t[i.la] 3' be suæuå edin 15 åu.si bùr åub-di 10 a.rá ≠3 30± [iti 1-kám/30 u›-mi kú]r uru nigin-ma dab-[bat] 4' ina giåtukul åub-ti érin-ni an-≠ú± [sur]-nun gig ti.[la] 5' åum-ma a-na iti 2-kám dù-uå sag a-dan-ni-ka 20 20 u›-m[i] en mu 1-kám tu-mal-lu-≠ú± 6' 40 ud-da-zal-le-e mu 1-kám gub-ma 3,20 ud-da-zal-le-e iti 1-kám tuå-te-qa 7' åum-ma ana mu 1-kám dù-uå 0;6,40 ud-da-zal-le-e u›-mi a-na 6 uå u›-mi 0;6,40 íl-ma 8' 0;6,40 a.rá 360 40 tam-mar 40 ud-da-zal-le-e mu 1-[ká]m a-na 3 åi-kin åu.si i-åi-ma 9' 40 a.rá 3 120 tam-mar 120 4 iti ina níg.ka· i-ta-bal 10' ana mu 1-kám a-dan-na gar-an sag a-dan-ni-ka 120 _______________________________________________________________ 11' be sag edin 15 åu.si bùr åub-di 120 a.rá ≠1 120 4 iti± kúr uru nigin-ma dab -bat 12' ina giåtukul åub-ti érin-ni ≠an-ú± sur-≠nun± gig ti.la 13' be murub› edin 15 åu.si bùr åub-di 120 a.rá ≠2± [240] 8 iti [k]úr uru nigin-ma dab-bat 14' ina giåtukul åub-ti érin-ni an-≠ú sur±-nun gig ti.la 15' be suæuå edin 15 åu.si bùr åub-di 120 a.rá ≠3 360± [mu 1]-kám kúr uru nigin-ma dab-bat 20 see starr 1990: p. 16. The calculaTion of The sTipulaTed Term in exTispicy 16' ina giåtukul åub-ti érin-ni an-[ú s]ur-nun gig ti.la 17' åum-ma a-na mu 2-kám dù-uå sag a-dan-ni-ka 240 8 iti a-dan-ni ana mu 1-kám 18' en ud.lá-a gar-an _______________________________________________________________ 19' be lu ina sag edin 15 u lu ina murub› edin 15 u lu ina suæuå e[din] 15 u bùr .meå 20' ú-lu 1 ú-lu 2 ú-lu 3 åub.meå kúr uru ni[gin-m]a dab-bat 21' ina giåtukul åub-ti érin-ni an-≠ú± sur-[nu]n gig ti.la 22' åum-ma ana u› 1-kám dù-uå a-dan-ni u›-mi 0;20¥(text: 0;10) ≠150± åub-ku 23' be ina sag edin 150 u bùr åub-di 0;20 a.rá 1 0;20 ina 4 danna u›-mi uru kúr nigin-ma dab-bat 24' a-na giåtukul åub-ti érin kúr an-ú nu [su]r-nun gig ba.úå end of obv. rev. 1 be ina murub› edin 150 u bùr åub-di 0;20 a.rá 2 0;40 ina 8 danna u›-mi uru (erasure) kúr nigin -ma dab -bat 2 a-na giåtukul åub-ti érin kúr an nu sur-nun gig ba.úå 3 [be ina s]uæuå edin 150 u bùr åub-di 0;20 a.rá 3 1 ina 12 danna u›-mi [ga]m∑-mar-ti a-dan-ni uru kúr nigin-ma dab-bat 4 [åum-m]a ana iti 1-kám dù-uå a-dan-ni <<10>> iti 10 150 åub-ku 5 ≠be± ina ≠sag± edin 150 [u b]ùr åub-di 10 a.rá 1 10 ina 10 u›-mi uru kúr nigin-ma dab-bat 6 ina ≠giå±t[ukul åub-ti é]rin kúr an-ú nu sur-nun gig ba.úå 7 be [ina] ≠murub›± [edin 15]0 u bùr åub-di 10 a.rá 2 20 ina 20 u›-mi uru kúr nigin-ma dab-bat 8 ina ≠giåtukul åub-ti± érin kúr an-ú nu sur-[nun] gig ba.úå 9 be ina suæuå edin 150 u bùr åub-di 10 a.rá 3 30 in[a 30 u›-mi uru kúr nigin-ma dab-bat 10 ina giåtukul åub-ti érin kúr an-ú [nu sur-nun gig b]a.úå _______________________________________________________________ 11 åum-ma ina a-dan-ni mu 1-kám [ ] 12 be ina sag edin 150 u bùr åub-di-≠ma± [ 13 a-na giå tukul åub-ti érin [kúr ] ] 14 be ina murub› edin 150 [u bùr åub-di-ma 15 a-na giå tukul [ ] ] 16 be ina suæuå edi[n 150 u bùr åub-di-ma ] 169 170 nils p. heeßel 17 a-na [giåtukul ] _______________________________________________________________ 18 be ina sag [ ] 19 be ina [ ] 20 b[e ] translation obv. 1' if a hole lies in the middle of the right surface of the finger: [ … … : the enemy] will besiege the town, he will t[ake (it)], 2' in battle: defeat of the army, [it will ra]in, a patient will rec[over]. 3' if a hole lies in the basis of the right surface of the finger: 10 times 3 is 30 [days … … : the ene]my will besiege and seize the town, 4' in battle: defeat of the army, it will rain, a patient will rec[over]. 5' if you perform (the extispicy) for two months, then the basis for (the calculation of) your period is 20, 20 days until one year you make full, 6' 40 is established as the correction for one year, 3 1/3 is the correction for one month, you let it pass. 7' if you perform (the extispicy) for one year, then 1/9 is the correction of a day, multiply (it) with 360 days and 8' you will see that 1/9 times 360 is 40. 40 is the correction for one year; multiply (it) with the three shapes of the finger (åikin ubΩni) and 9' you will see that 40 times 3 is 120. 120 corresponds to four months in the result. 10' (if) you determine the period for a year, (then) the basis for (the calculation of) your period is 120. _______________________________________________________________ 11' if a hole lies in the top of the right surface of the finger: 120 times 1 is 120, 4 months. the enemy will besiege and seize the town, 12' in battle: defeat of the army, it will rain, a patient will recover. 13' if a hole lies in the middle of the right surface of the finger: 120 times 2 is [240], 8 months. the enemy will besiege and seize the town, 14' in battle: defeat of the army, it will rain, a patient will recover. 15' if a hole lies in the basis of the right surface of the finger: 120 times 3 is [360, one ye]ar. the enemy will besiege and seize the town, 16' in battle: defeat of the army, it will rain, a patient will recover. 17' if you perform (the extispicy) for two years, then the basis for (the calculation of) your period is 240, 8. the period for one year 18' together with the correction you determine. _______________________________________________________________ The calculaTion of The sTipulaTed Term in exTispicy 19' if holes lie either in the top of the right surface of the finger or in the middle of the right surface of the finger or in the basis of the right surface of the finger 20' either one, two, or three: the enemy will besiege and seize the town, 21' in battle: defeat of the army, it will rain, a patient will recover. 22' if you perform (the extispicy) for one day, then the period for one day is 1/3, the left side occurs for you 23' if a hole lies in the top of the left surface of the finger: 1/3 times 1 is 1/3. in 4 double-hours of a day you will besiege and seize the enemy town, 24' in battle: defeat of the enemy army, it will not rain, a patient will die. end of obv. rev. 1 if a hole lies in the middle of the left surface of the finger: 1/3 times 2 is 2/3. in 8 double-hours of a day you will besiege and seize the enemy town, 2 in battle: defeat of the enemy army, it will not rain, a patient will die. 3 [if] a hole lies [in the b]asis of the left surface of the finger: 1/3 times 3 is 1. in the 12 double-hours of a day, in the completion of the period, you will besiege and seize the enemy town. 4 [i]f you perform (the extispicy) for one month, then the period for one month is 10, the left side occurs for you. 5 if a [hole l]ies in the top of the left surface of the finger: 10 times 1 is 10. in 10 days you will besiege and seize the enemy town, 6 in ba[ttle: defe]at of the enemy army, it will not rain, a patient will die. 7 if a hole lies [in the] middle [of the lef]t [surface] of the finger: 10 times 2 is 20. in 20 days you will besiege and seize the enemy town, 8 in battle: defeat of the enemy army, it will not rain, a patient will die. 9 if a hole lies in the basis of the left surface of the finger: 10 times 3 is 30. in 30 days you will besiege and seize the enemy town, 10 in battle: defeat of the enemy army, it will [not rain, a patient will d]ie. _______________________________________________________________ 11 if in the period of one year [ … … ]. 12 if a hole lies in the top of the left surface of the finger and [ … … ], 13 in battle: defeat of the [enemy] army, [ … … ]. 14 if [a hole lies] in the middle of the left surface [of the finger and … … ], 15 in battle: [ … … ]. 16 if [a hole lies] in the basis of the [left] surf[ace of the finger and … … ], 17 in b[attle: … … ]. _______________________________________________________________ 18 if in the top [ … … ]. 171 172 nils p. heeßel 19 if in [ … … ]. 20 i[f … … ]. Commentary obv. 1' despite the fact that this line is broken it is clear that the scribe wrote uru nigin -mi and not, as in obv. 3' etc., uru nigin -ma. 22' Here and in rev. 4 the phrase 150 åub-ku shows that concerning the calculation of the stipulated term the right side refers to the enemy and the left side to the client of the extispicy, contrary to the usual custom in extispicy. rev. 1 the scribe erased the sign nigin after uru as he had forgotten to write kúr before nigin. figure 9.1. K. 4061+K. 10344 obverse The calculaTion of The sTipulaTed Term in exTispicy figure 9.2. K. 4061+K. 10344 reverse 173 174 nils p. heeßel bibliogrAPHy borger, rykle 1957 brown, david 2004 “niœirti bΩrûti, geheimlehre der Haruspizin (Zu Neugebaurer-sachs, MCt, v und W, und einigen verwandten texten).” Bibliotheca orientalis 14: 190–95. review of herrschaftswissen in mesopotamien, by b. Pongratz-leisten. 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