DIAGNOSIS AND THERAPY IN BABYLONIAN MEDICINE*

M. Srol (Ausrnnoeu) of Modern students Babylonianmedicineare confrontedwith a large corpusof "diagnostic" and the "therapeutic" texts that consistsof two main groups, the "medicalomina" because they predict texts.The "diagnostic"textsare also termed the future of the patient after having given the symptomsof his illness.They are "physiognomic on the omina" forecasting future of healthypersons followedby the Most of the omina in what we will of appearance their bodies. the basisof the outer often the call "The DiagnosticHandbook" give the sourceof illness("diagnosis"), "Hand" of a supernatural most being,and add the patient'soutlook ("prognosis"), "he will die". The expertwho consults this handbook often either"he will live", or "conjurer" is the in determining patient'slife expectancy the @iipu).When thereis "will live", he, or the physician(asft),has the numerous patient hope that the therapeutictexts at hand in order to find a fitting remedy. The Diagnostic form, only rarelyaddsa therapy:a few timeswe find, Handbookitsell in its classic "he after the symptoms, [the conjurer] will cast an incantation upon him [the patient]and he will live"1), or: "he will perform his art of the conjurerfor him and "in order to heal we he will live"2). In other instances find for a baby an ointment of by caused "hands" the composition magical him" 3) and for various"epilepsies" "in order to savehim"a). Thesebagsservedas apotropaic amulets. leather-bags Two diagnostichandbooks It is little known that there actuallywere two differentDiagnosticHandbooks. "Trait6 akkadiende The first. the well-knownone, was publishedby R.Labat as "When the conjurer m6dicaux"(TDP) and bearsthe title et diagnostics pronostics the approaches houseof a sick man". This is the first line of the two tabletsthat but they do not discussdisease open this Handbook: they are not medical because

+ Expandedversion of a paper read at the Symposium"Sciencein Ancient Mesopotamia", Leiden, l 4 - 1 5M a y 1 9 9 2 . 1) TDP 42:37;169:68:'222:38-9. 2\ TDP 196:69; in F.R. Kraus, ZA 77 (1987)197Omen 4. - Note the unusualprescription TDP 26:76,a-naBUR U x Tl ni-ii (: inii). 3) TDP 222:42-3(cause:nikipti Sin). 4\ TDP 192:37-54.

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describe kinds of fortuitousevents all that might happenon the way to the patient's house.It hasthe characterof the omen seiesSummaAlus). we might add that quite another text givesan incantation intendedto protect a conjurer on his way to his work6). Only in Tablet III of the Handbook does the careful observation the of patient'sconditionbegin;its first line is "In your approaching sick man". This the incipit also is the title of the first of the five "divisions" of the Handbook, this one consisting tablets of III-XN. Clearly,the real Handbookbegins only hereand tablets I-II have been added to the beginning. Indeed, there was a second Diagnostic Handbook,as R.Labathas seen, this one with the title "In your approaching sick a man" which suggests that it startedwith our Tablet III. Hardly anything has been saidabout this composition; will makesomeremarks. we Labat published fragmentof its Tablet 2, found in Nippur, o.R. Gurney of its a Tablets 23 (?) and [24] (?), found in SultantepeT). suggest we that this was an earlier form of TDP startingwith its real beginning,Tablet III. The two fragments show that it was an independent pieceof work. Entriesin Labat'sfragmentcan be found in TDP, but in other contexts.we supposethat this older Handbook remainedin existence and that TDP was basedon it. The first half of the large fragmentpublishedby Gurney (Tablet 23) gives symptomsof illnesscausedby human agents:Hand of cutting-off-Life (qat zikuruuda), Machinationsby black magic (ipiu), Hatred (zrru). of many of theseforms of sorcerythe exact day in the year on which or the star beforewhom it was performedare given.The later,main Handbook gives other forms of sorcery as diagnosis("Hand of Man"; kiipu; ru'tu)B).The second half of the Gurneyfragmenr(Tablet[24]?)dealswith forms of epilepsy and endswith sundrymatters.Its last sectionwith cases diagnosed all as "Hand of Sin" beginswith an entry that we find back as first line of Tablet XIX of the otherHandbooke). As a rule, the Labat and Gurney fragments not recommend therapy.There do a is one exception:the Gurney fragment prescribes what to do in some casesof epilepsy(167-186). two casesof its severest In form, "Spawn of Sulpaea,,, the patient is to be killedlo). such a prescription unheardof in the medicalcorpus. is Another peculiarfearureof the 24th (?) tablet (: lines 103-204) that after a first is diagnosis without prognosis, two setsof subsidiary symptomsfollow, eachending in a prognosis. clear exampleis the first sectionwhere everyentry beginswith A
s) Sally M. Moren, The omen series Summa Alu: a preliminary investigation (Diss. University of Pennsylvania 1978) f. 3l 6) KAR 3l. 7) R. Labat,Syria33 (1956) l19-130; O.R. Gurney, SZf I 89. 8) TDP 24:51;88:10;176:l-5(!); 180:24; 218:15-19;232:t6 (readlu-'a-tu iu-[kul];cf. TLB 2 2t:21 e) STT 1 89:205: TDP 168:1, 244 cf. E 6. - Line 209 : TDp 34:24. 1o) Translatedby Erica Reinerin Le mondedu sorcier(: Sources Orientales,7) ,196fi)92.

(oB).

JAARBERICHT "EX ORIENTE LIIX- 32 _ IggI.g2

iumma enuma ibitaiiu (DIS UD-rna IJD.DTJ-jir)(103_la0);after the diagnosis "Lugalgirra hasseized him", more symptoms follow, introduced summa iumma by (written BE-ma).We take the seemingly independent entriesconcerning right the and the left cheek(lEtu)interrupting sequence the (120-127) secondary as symptoms written on new lines,only looking like separate entries. More is unusualin this text. In one casethe patient is "hit" by a scalpelin order to seehow he reacts; this determines outcomeof the illness(152-158); another casethe diagnosis the in is differentfor a commoner and a patrician(190-l). Elsewhere section a endswith the "do recommendation not be negligent", usingthe old Babylonian expressio (ahka n la tanamdi,140), againunique and possiblyan indication of an old Babylonian origin. We note in the margin that it is remarkable that the only elaborate therapeutic prescriptions that we find in TDp againoccur in the sections epilepsyll;. tt ls on possiblethat the major therapeuticstandardworks did not have ,,chapters,, on epilepsyand that our Handbooks coveredtherapy for it. Did they know that epilepsy incurableand are the prescriptions TDp only apotropaic? is in In contrast,the omina in TDp are normalised a formal style.It is my opinion in that the Gurney text with its diverse, not ..wild', contents, if was an older version and that the editor of the classicDiagnosticHandbook composedhis book in reactionto this. when comparingboth works one can indeedappreciate system the and conciseness zDp. one example:he did not add subsidiarysymptoms in but starteda new entry,taking up the first symptoms "the same, as and', (KLMIN-rua), then giving the additionalsymptoms. we euite exceptionally, know who the author of TDP wasand we havethe text wherehe tellsus what he, Esagil-krn-apli, did12). Hands of gods Let us now discuss work to the conjurer.His first task was to find the the cause of illness. Much hasalreadybeenwritten about what the Babylonians considered causes of disease. Prayersare most informative in this respect.Limiting ourselves the to medicaltext corpus,we first note that the DiagnosticHandbook is speciali in zed this matter. Abundant are the "Hands" of supernatural beings.A few times, the textsadd the human sin that had madethis hand to strike: they are introduced by the word "becauseof' (aiium, rarcryana).Thus, someHands are followedby the remark "Becauseof the wife of a man" (Samasonce, Ninurta once, and, three timesand exclusively, uras)13).This must refer to adultery; other passages speak
'L) TDP 192:37-54 (one Hand changing into another);TabletXXIX (Lugal-urra;unpublished). t2) LL. Finkel,A Scientific Humanist (Srudies A.J. Sachs) (l9Sg) l43. tt1 TDP 42:32;56:16:170:16; cf. anaaiiat awrli it[e,160:32. Note "Hand of the wife of a man,, (qat aiiat aml) in the commentary spbrl)l2l rev.g,commenting TabletI23: ,.If he (theconjurer) on sees

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of a man having "approached" his sister or a priestessla). Being found in bed with just "a woman" does not lead to a fatal diseasebut can manifest itself by boils appearing on the skinls). The Hand of l5tar (and only this Hand) sometimes is followed by MU TAG TE which I interpret as "Because of touching the cheek (aiium lipit lefi)" t6). Why did the compiler of the handbook add these occasional remarks on the cause of the Hand? Perhaps this way he makes it possible to find a ritual that absolvesthe wrongdoing indicated. In all other caseswe have to infer from the symptoms why a particular Hand was in play - a hopelessundertaking for the modern scholar. The only clear casesare those of the Hand of Dilbat (: Venus): the few referencesinvariably have to do with problems of a man's lower abdomen, as far as we see: painful testicles,etcl?). The Hand of IStar is behind a lack of potencyls) but in most caseswe would never associatethe symptoms with the goddessof love. It is virtually impossible to discover by what method the conjurer linked symptoms with particular Hands. We regularly see that the Hand of IStar is associated with the left side of the body whereas that of the Sungod SamaS is associated with the right side. Elsewhere this opposition is marked by colours: white for the Sungod, black for I5tar. IStar also is opposed to Sulpaea as left to right. Although a few referencesblur this general picture, we can safely conclude that the association of the most important female deity in Mesopotamia with the "male" (and good) left side fits the universal idea that the right side has to do with "female" (and bad). To give one example from a Babylonian and the left side with "He holds (bird) in his right hand, the female in his left hand"tn). ritual: the male One may call this folk wisdom. Another example, specific for Babylonia, is the association of ear-ache and related troubles, like migraine, with the Hand of a "popular" Hand is widely attested in the texts and only here we notice Spirit. This

RA A.R.George, 85 (1991\142 a whitedonkey:that patient:Hand of the wife of a man; he will die"; see and 148. r+'S ("Hand of Sin" follows; inadvertently omitted by R. Labat); ll2:24: 136:65,66; TDP 108:17 138:67. ts) TDP 28:91. Also in170:21-23; KAR2ll:20. ta1 TDP 60:46;88:5, 17; ana in 170:19, 8673:ll (unp.),variantof .id in 182:39. rejectthe We K. insteadof the consistentte one would expectti. The meaningof /rplt readingTAG-Ie -- lipte because "Touching the cheek" is related to marriage to /etin is unknown and seems have sexualconnotations. (M6langesPaul Garelli) et ceremonies inZlS l8 77; see M.Stol in Marchands,diplomates empereurs

(leer) 33e.

tt1 TDP 134:38("If his penis and his testicles swollen:Dilbat has reachedhim in his lying are (burningribttu); cf. 142:l;244 E l0 (fragmentary). ABL 203 In 140:4'7 down"); 232:14(navel);236:53, disease? rev. I a venereal rt1 TDP 126:41;cf. 178:14-15 (murusndki, venereal disease?); KUB 37 82:4 with Biggs, Sd.zi.ga. (1967) KAR'70:9 with Biggs,46. Incantations 6l; AncientMesopotamian Potency "Epilepsy in Babylonia" (1993), 1e) References will be given in the author's forthcoming book ChapterIII, "Hand of the Goddess".

46
how the expertsintroducedrefinements suchas "seizure by the Hand of a Spirit" "Seizureby a (next to the simpler Spirit")2o),"Touch by the Hand of a Spirit"21) - not to mention the various kinds of "roving" and "murderous" Spirits of the "theology" was wastelands.So an elaborate developed Hand of a Spirit. very on frequentis alsothe Hand of a God - possiblythe patient'spersonal god. Here,the refinements are found in the verbs: this Hand "is heavy", "reacheshim", "is pressing upon him" (emEdu and N), "is upon him". D There are a few passages mentioningHands of supernatural qualifiedas beings, "demon, deputy of (iEduian) god NN". Thus, the Spirit is "demon, deputy of IStar", the epilepsy Bennuthat of Sin. Two textsgive as their names what look like epithets(like Munniiu, Samru "The weakening/ Fierce one"), often deputiesof Anum22).Thesesupernatural beingsare no gods and we suppose that the major godswork through these intermediary Augenblicksgdtter. Human sin Illnessalsocould be due to a sin committedby the patient;breakinga taboo also belongsto this category.For example,a person stepping(kabasu)into unclean wateror on holy ground will contracta foot disease. readthis in the chapteron We foot diseases the therapeutic in textsand a few times the Handbook mentionsthis fault. In one sectionof the Handbook simply "sin" and "oath" (perhaps:unconsciously committedsin) are givenas the cause23). Cases suchas these, attested as in the diagnostictexts, have been investigated Karel van der Toorn2a).we add by that the DiagnosticHandbook, in the few casesit mentionshuman sin, has a markedinterestin illicit sexualcontacts seeabove- and in not fulfilling vows made to the gods (ikribu, kaspu).one unusualsin can be tracedback to popular "He stole wisdom: diagnosis [from] (?) a boat; the god of the harbour has seized him; he will ... and recover"zs;. This remindsus of a "proverb" preserved a in "The god scribalexercise: of the harbour will seize thief of a boat, the gods(?) the will seize thief of a man (?;"zo;. the
20)AMT 76. l:ll. 15; 95,1:14; SpbTU| 49:33; BAM 2216:12,cf.55; 5 503I lt, cf. 30 (sibitqat etemmi - Note sibit (?) qat Sinin TDp 38:57(cf. also the,,lu', in lines5g. 64). ). 21) K. van der Toom, Sinand Sanctionin Israel and Mesopotamia. Compararive A Srill,' (1985)pl. 8 K.3937:9. 22) A concentration these"deputies"is found of in BAM 4 407; CT 14 38 K. 14081; J.V. Kinnier Wilson, Iraq 18 (1956)Plate XXV ND 4368 II ,l-12 (seemto duplicateBAM 4 407 :6-13),Vt (cf. haq 19 4t). 23) TDP 180:28-32. 2a) Karel van der Toorn, Srnand Sanction Israel in (19g5)73tr and Mesopotamr4... 2s) 28:87(copy: ,/cs 2 307 rev. 27), readwith the help of an ancientcommentary, spbru | 29:3.cf . van der Toorn, 199note 320. 26) UET 7 156rev. I 9-15(LU iar-ra-quGIS.MA DINGIR ka-a-rii-pab-barsuL(J iar-ra-qua-me-lu DINGIR.MES i-;ab-bat-su). Possibleemendation: GodSin(drXXX)wili seizethe thief of a slavefu-melu-tit\.

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Turning now to the therapeutic texts,we observe that human behaviouris very rarely given as the causeof disease. a caseof dropsy: "he has approached In his s[ister], has set fire to the templeof Sebetti".This could be a quotation from a he diagnostic text21). Human trespassas cause of foot-diseases also found in is therapeutic texts2s). woman receiving seedin her womb but not giving birth A the suffersfrom "wrath of the god" (iibsat rli)2e) and a man whose beard is thinning out has similarproblems30). This is popular wisdom. Sorcery Sorcery might be calledsinscommittedby other persons, one'senemies. Old The "that man hasbeenbewitched"3l); Babylonian textsgive the simplediagnosis later textsdifferentiate between ways by which the witch has reached / her goal. the his Most frequentis the administration bewitched of food or drink leadingto intestinal troubles. suppose I that the sorcerer spat his spittle(ru'(a)tu) into the food. We has find the variant "he has been given spittle to eat and drink" as a method of "Spittle has seized him" is equivalent bewitching32). to "sorcery has seized "sorcery" stands for "spittle": him"33). In one instance,the Sumerogramfor "sorcery flows in his mouth" 3a). Generally speaking, "throwing spittle" ruH.SUB.BA) was an evil requiringa namburbiritual3s).Another word usedin similarwaysis lu'atu"dirly matter";note that it sounds like ru'atu"spittle"36). A "given" "to eat" (iukut). third word is nulldtu. All are to a man Sometimes, figurinesof the patient were laid in a graveby the witch, or evenhis semen. The latter trick brought about impotency,of course3T). The most dangerous form of sorcerywas Cutting-off-Life, intendedto kill the patient.And all techniques could (iabasu). cannotgo into all this but note that sorcery be usedtogether We had three clearly distinguished effects,treated in separatetexts: physical disease, psychosomaticdisorders, and socialalienation3s). The latter also meant that the patient incurredfinanciallosses, that his children,cattle and slaves died, etcetera;a true Job figure3e).
21) BAM 2 174rev.34; cf. the diagnostic texl TDP ll2:20-l and 24. 28) CAD K 6 kabdsumng I ze1BAM 3 240 rcv. 70. In contrast,a woman giving birth to a son (?) enjoysthe "favour of the god" (gimilli tli),69. to1 BAM 5 480 III 48, with van der Toorn, 203note 412. zt1 BAM 4 393:l; AMT 85,1:1, etc. This text is a faithful copy of an OB original. tz| AMT 87,7:10. CompareTDP 64:46with 176:5. A. Falkenstein, 45 (1939)19 f. Cf. ZA
33) IDP 88:10. 3a) KAR 2ll:16. 3 s ) R . C a p l i c e ,O r . N S 3 9 ( 1 9 7 0 ) 1 3 6 n o . 4 0 r e v . 8 - l3 . 36) Read in TDP 232:16 lu-'-tu iu-lkull. Cf. lu-'-a-tum =

kii-pu, STT 2 403:44 (mt ir ft dictionaries). 3?) Biggs,Sa.zi.ga dupl. 53. 69, 3 8 )P h y s i c a lf f e c t s os o r c e r y : A M 3 2 3 l ; T D P 1 7 6 . S o c i a l e f f e c B A M 3 3 1 6 : A M T 7 l - 7 2 e f B ts: 3e) Cf. the translationof BAM 3 234:l-9, given by J.V.Kinnier Wilson in AnatoliqnSruales (1980) 30

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JAARBERICHT "EX ORIENTE LUX" 32 _ 1991.92

The methodof the conjurer Accordingto the wisdom text Ludlul it was the task of the conjurerto "clarify "Nature", iiknu, primarily @pA,$ the nature of disease"(II 110). means..appearance" and actuallycan refer to the patient'sappearance; most ofthe references in the medical texts have this meaningao). The colour of the skin can be a determinantal).The expert has to draw his conclusionsfrom the symptoms observed. once, we read about the foot: "If a man is ill with an illnessof the kabbartu, and the natureof the disease confused is One @ifi" (therapyfollows)a2). medicaltext lists four symptoms and then givesthis uniqueremark: "The natureof his disease not known; that man is bewitched: is figurinesof him have beenmade and beengivenQtaqadu) (...) EreSkigal goddess the Netherworld)".This is to (: of one method of black magic. Then the text continues:"In order to loosen the sorcery,four figurinesof him have been made and given to Ereikigal"a3).We assume that "In order to loosen the sorcery" does not belong here. We further suggestthat the four figurines representthe four unidentifiedsymptoms.one "sorcery" when he wondershow the conjurercould reachhis diagnosis was unable "nature" of the symptoms. to identify the The exact meaningof the word iiknu eludesus here, as it does in Ludlul: one expects that "diagnosis" should be the "appearance"is meaningthere but in the other contexts better. Meanwhile,the vagueand provisionaltranslation"nature" fits all passages. A doctor who could not establish "nature" (iikin mursiamaru)of the king's the disease diagnose (sakikkt iuhkumu)advisedhis lord to turn to the diviners; nor it meanwhile, continuedprescribing lotionaa). he a For impotency, are givensomeinsighton the way the conjurerdetermined we the Hand that had caused disease. madefigurinesof a man and a woman,put the He them one upon the other, and observedthe behaviour of a pig: if the pig approaches figurines,the impotencyis due to Hand of I5tar, if it does not, the sorceryhad seized that man - Hand of Manas).So a scene the styleof Summa in

24-26(read at the end of 5: i-zi-ir (!)-rri KA UN.MES ULA.M[ES], "the cursingby the mouth of man is much"). 40) Cf.EdithRitter,S/rdierinHonorof BennoLandsberger(1965)30lnotell(a),"natureorformof perhapsits syndrome;it is an enduring quality of the disease".Seealso V. Hurowitz, "The the disease, etymologyof Biblical Hebrew 'ayin'appearance' light of Akkadian iiknu" , Zeitschriftfilr Althebraistik in 3 0990) 90-94. +t1 BAM 6 409:18(black);etc. 42) BAM 2 124 | 26, cf. Ritter, 307D("is unclear"). "Confused" could refer to an undetermined colour! Note I 33, "If the illnessof the kabbartu- the nature of his [!] illness(GIG) is black" (therapy "sore"? follows). Does GIG stand here for simmu 43) BAM 3 214 | l'13: cf. M.-L. Thomsen,Zauberdiagnose schwarze und Magie in Mesopotamim (1987)53; 83-4Anm. 128.Col. IV: "ritual for Hand of Sorcery". 44) ABL 391 : LAS 246:9,12, 17-19; Ritter, 319a. cf. 1t) KAR 70:6-10; (1967)46.Dupl. SpbTLt| 9:5-7. with R.D. Biggs,Sd.zi.ga

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Alu is organized;compare Gideon's test of the ways his soldiersdrink water (Judges the 7:4-7).We neednot repeatthat in most cases motivationfor the choice on of particularHands escapes us. groupedtogether. This In several texts,we find a numberof diseases therapeutic is alwaysone specificgroup, attesteda dozen times in differentcontexts:disease causedby heat of the sun (l-timit s7ti),by blowing wind (irDil ia-ri), two kinds of paralysis,often mentionedtogether (iimmatu and rimirtu), a muscle disease (iaiiatu), Hand of a Spirit, Hand of an Oath, (sorcery),rectal problems (DUR.GIG), and "all kinds of illness"a6). One getsthe impression that we have illnesses. this is true, we havebeforeus the If list herean exemplary for all possible We add that the as by main categories disease distinguished the Babylonians. of paralysis one entity because secondrimitu, is neverattestd :rs the are two kinds of , We an independent ailment.This needsfurther investigation. are remindedof the Seleucid text of capital importancestudied by F. Kocher: it lists a numhr of diseases accordingto their location in four parts of the body: belly (?) (libbu), stomach(kariu?),lungs,kidneysaT).

texts Useof the DiagnosticHandbookin therapeutic is the Once he has established causeof the illnessand as long as the prognosis textsand try to not "he will die", the conjurerwill consultthe relevanttherapeutic heal the patient.A conjurersuchas Kisir-A55urhad thosetextsin his library. The principalhandbookwas here a series 45 tablets,with the title "If the skull of a of This handbook man's head holds fever". It had a number of subdivisionsa8). follows the human body from head to toe. This handbook was completely independent TDP and only a few timescan we detectcorrelations of between both gave most of them in footnotes and J.V. Kinnier Handbooks. Labat already "companionseries"going Wilson thought it possible that therewas a therapeutic with TDP. The fact that identicalgroupsof entriescan be found togetherin both thisae).However,the sequence the lines often is of handbooksmade him assume we would expectmore tracesof sucha companionhandbook.In our differentand to opinion,the DiagnosticHandbookwasavailable the compilerof the therapeutic textsand a few timeshe quotedone, two, or a few more omina from it - mostly for no obviousreasons.

a6) Often in a therapyinvolving ablution (mar[asu); seeCAD Mll 280aand Goltz, 78 note 472; add BAM 3 p. XVII ad no. 228:14-16. 6 BAM 1 68-69:l-3:216:27-8: 579ll 54-5,III 18-9.SeeF.K<icher, givenby Ritter, 316b. Note the translations a?) K<icher,Medizinische und Diagnostikin Geschichte Gegenwart(FestschriftHeinz Goerke) (1978) 22 ff., ad SpbTU| 43. a8) F.K<icher, HeinzGoerke l8-20. Festschrift ae) Kinnier Wilson,haq 19 (1957)44-46.

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Survey: TDP 42:39 : BAM 5 482 I 60. TDP 36:31: BAM 5 4821162. TDP 36:32: BAM 5 482III l. TDP 34:17: BAM 5 482III 5. TDP 34:13: BAM 5 48211I7. TDP 34:18: BAM 5 482 IV 40 (?). TDP 34:15: BAM 5 482M4. TDP 32:8, 10-12(all "he will die") : BAM 5 482 M9, 47, 48, 46 (in all no therapygiven). TDP 36:35: AMT l9,l I 9-10(?) (related BAM 5 482). to TDP 68:10(two omens; ears): BAM 5 506:8-10 dupls. and : TDP 140:39 CT 23 l:1 (definition SA.GAL). of : T D P 1 5 4 : 1 5 - 1 6 B A M 4 4 1 6r e v .8 - 1 0 . TDP 170.24: BAM 6 578 III 7 (definitionof amuruiqdnu). TDP 72:13: BAM 6 578IV 26 (definition ahhazu; of variants). TDP 188:1, 5-13: AMT 77,1 I l-10 (no therapy given). : T D P 1 9 2 : 3 5 - 3 6 B A M 5 4 7 1 I I 2 l - 2 2 ,a n dd u p l s . ' : TDP 168:3-4 BAM 3 323:65-67 (moresymptoms BAM 5 471II26-28) in : TDP 190:16-17 KinnierWilson, Iraq 19 (1957) ND 436813-4. 40 : TDP 190:14-15 ibidem,I 10-12 (with minor variants) TDP 82:21: ibidem,I l5-19 (with minor variants) : TDP 190:18 ibidem,I26; Labat,Semitica (1950)ll Ao 7760Iil 7-g (: 3 Nougayrol,RA 73 65). TDP 220:28: K. 3628+:8 (Diss.I.L. Finkel,268). : TDP 224:60 K. 3628+:9. TDP 230; 12 : K. 3628 : 10. I + : T D P2 3 0 : l 1 3 K . 3 6 2 8 + : l l . TDP l12:20-21,24 seem be related BAM 2174 rev.33-34. to to TDP 88:8-10 muchin commonwith BAM 4 397 rev.33-36 has (MB!). : BAM 2 129M (definitionof SA.DUGUD or iaiiatu; variants). TDP 80:10 T D P 8 0 : 1 1: B A M 2 l 3 l : 9 s o ) . TDP 80:12-13 muchin common has with KUB 37 87:13-16 (MB). : STT I 89:18-22 BAM 5 449III 18-22 STT 189:23-27: BAM 544911124-27 : STT 189:48-51 BAM 4361:40-43 STT189:52-56: BAM 4361:45-48 : STT I 89:38-42 KMI 76:12-l4sL).
5o) Readin BAM 2 131:9 instead i-ba-al:i-zu-{tr;cf. of also 129IV 6. Probably ancient an corruption. s1) Cf. T. Abusch, BabylonianWitchcraftLiterature (1957)62 f., note.

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Two of thesepassages deserve closerattention, thosewhere no therapy is added. They are true quotations. AMT 77,1 is the first column of a large tablet on miiittu ("stroke"; of various parts of the body). This tablet beginswith an almost full quotation of the first thirteen lines, those on stroke, in the chapter of the Diagnostic Handbook on epilepsy-related diseases, fDP 188. Characteristically, skips the lines (: it symptoms) the handbookpredictingla pater "it will not stop", and imdt 1t; "he in will die". These entries wereof no help to the healer. The author of this therapeutic tablet deemed useful to prefix his recipeswith what he considered be basic it to guidelines, taken from TDP.Therapiesfollow only in line ll, and not of the kinds of stroke discussed the precedingten lines, but of stroke "of the rear"s2). in "Stroke" indeed was to the Babyloniansa well-defined concept and its effects (iipru) could easilybe confused with other disorders. That is why anotherchapter in the Diagnostic Handbook,summingup two setsof symptoms paralysis, of warns "(this is) not stroke!"s3). in both cases: Sucha negative diagnosis uniquein the is handbook.On the other hand, elsewhere the handbook "Hand of Stroke" is in definedas follows: "If his face is pinched@anuiu;ap-ru), his trunk is without feeling,his left hand is hangingdown so that he cannot raiseit, he dragshis feet: Hand of Stroke;his dayswill be long, he will not fare well"sa).Thesetwo passages are more or lessisolatedinsertionsin other chaptersof the handbook: the first contextdiscusses symptoms an alreadyexisting new in (ina disease mursiiu),and the second abnormalities the face.In thesecontexts, author wishedto set stroke of the apart. Thesedefinitionsare not repeatedin the thirteen-linesection on stroke beginningthe chapter on epilepsy-related diseases. Similarly, a therapeutictext givessymptoms facial palsyother than thoselistedheress). of Also, we find herea definitionof strokeother than that quotedabove,and only in line 8: "[f he is heavy and he has bent (kananu) eitherhis hand or his foot: stroke has strucks6)him: he
sz; The contentsof the fragmentary tablet on stroke, K.2418+, in AMT 77-79,arc roughly as follows:col. I, quotation from TDP and therapies "effects(iipru) of strokethat has touchedthe for rear"; also of "the front" (GABA.RI : mibru: misreadby CAD Ml2 l25b as qab-r)?; col. ll, (facialpalsyexpected?); III, aphasia; fragmentary col. col. IV, strokeofthe cheek, neck,the hips,the the trunk, the arm, the foot. "his disease pass(etEqu) st1 TDP 160:30-31. Prognosis: will (and he will recover)". st'| TDP 78:72-3. Comparethis with the preceding entry, wherethe faceis sep-ru:the samesymptoms are given in almost the samewords but no diagnosis follows and the prognosisis "he will die" (71). We take72-73 an insertion: scribe as the knew that a squintingeye(iniui;appar,cf.SpbT(l I 46:16)is a sign of facialpalsyandwishedtodifferentiate pdnfriusep-ru inTl from pdniiusap-ru(72).The inability"to raisehis left hand" is phrasedin 7l as SU-szil CL na-ia-a NU ZU-e but in 72 as SU-sai.i NiG.GIG-rr'iu (: maruitisu)SUB-rnaNU ll--.it. The unusualwording of 72 expressing sameas 7l suggests the that the editor took this omen from another source. ss) SpbTul46:16-17(du pl.AMT76,5:ll-12;joins 79,4:2-3) could be that in l8 the prescription (it begins; contrastH. Hunger),as compared with IDP 188:1. s6) maiddu is equatedwith maftasuin the commenlariesSpbTU | 47l-7and CT 41 3l rev. 20. This

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will recover"sT).Does "heavy" refer to aphasia?clearly, the thirteen lines on stroke quoted in the therapeutic text are not a completesurveyof all variantsof strokebut nevertheless are systematic that they follow ihe symptoms they in from the face(miiitti pdnl to the trunk (pagru).The unusualfeatureof strokeis indeed that it affectsvarious parts of the body whereas ,.chapter"in the therapeutic a corpustreatsonly one part. This may be the reasonwhy we find this introduction here.In a way, this introductionremindsme of the casuistry the poor on and the rich man exchanging goodsfrom privateto public domain,at the beginning the of MishnahtractateSabbath:againan isolatedsection, considered be but to basicand meantto set the scene the tractate. of The secondexampleis BAM 5 492, a large text giving prescriptions against ailments the temples of and the forehead. The last column,tv, enoswith a group of symptomsof "migraine" taken from TDp 32. The diagnosis the first of entry in TDPis: Hand of a spirit, and no prognosis given.For this reason, is our therapist, quoting this entry, felt free to give a prescription, hoping that the prognosis would be good. Then,however, after a dividing line, follow four linestaken from TDp all endingwith the prediction"he will die". so at the end of our therapeutic text a number of hopeless casesare given. Note that the text on stroke omitted the ' hopeless cases; consciously it startedwith a numberof hopefulcases. Death in the therapeutic texts Normally,the therapist promises recovery; recipes his end in.,he will live (: recover)",or this is impliedby prescribing treatment a (like: ..youwill bandage him [with this]"). The timesthat he sumsup symptoms and concludes the sobe.ing by remark "he will die" are very fewss).Above, we have discussed thoseconcernin! migraine.we come acrossanother concentrationof them in the tablet on gai diseases: thejaundiceamurriqanuthalhas expanded the eyes, is said: ..that of to it man is iil with all kinds of 'wind'; his disease be protractedand will he will die,,; the next entry speaks anotheraggravation this jaundiceand concludes: .,its of of 'work'will lastlong and he will die"sn).Themessage that any treatment is will be futile in the long run. The word "protract" (zabaluD) is typicai of the diagnostic,

"to meaning hit, to strike" seems fit BAM I 32:5,dupl. 4 417:4,BE_maGIG (:simmul) to im_iid-ma sA'MES-i, A.MES rt-ial-la-ku,"if it (?) hits the wound and his blood vessels circulatewater,,.The open wound showsthe presence water. of s1) TDP 188:8, cited AMT77,r:5. In sum,we find in the therapeutic texts(fragmentary!) only two definitions offorms ofstroke.:"stroke ofthe face" (translated here), and..strokeoittre hips',:.,heis not able to walk"(ctallukam ide),BAM 2 136Il3_5, dupl. AMT 7g,l lV la ll. 58) cf. Ritter, 304 f., P..Herr6ro, La thirapeutique misopotamienne (r9g4) 25 note 40. se) BAM 6 578III 4-6. Note "dehnition" that in the next line a ,,If of simpleam)rriqanufollows: a 'falling man'sbody is yellow,his face.is yellow.he acquires out of the flesh'(J{f at-irri): amuryiqazn its is name". Many precriptionsfollow.

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not the therapeutictexts.At the end of this text, closing the sectionon another jaundicenamed a[[azu, we again find two incurableforms with the sameextra The amurriqdnu6o). first entry endswith the remark on symptomsas the hopeless "The physibeing protractedand death; the secondhas this formula: the disease cian shouldnot lay his hand on that patient; that man will die, he will not [live]". contexts;the expresThe statement the physicianis taken from hemerological on "he will die, he will not - if rightly restored- is unique6l) and sion [ive]" reminds one of this same seeminglyredundant phrase in some sectionsof the "Set your E5nunnaCode62)and in particular of Isaiah'sprophecyto Hezekiah, house order,for you shalldie,you shallnot live" (Is. 38:1,2 Kings 20:l). A few in "he will not live" insteadof the expected timesthe medicaltextsgive the prognosis "he will die"63). has foot diseases a large sectionon the part of the foot The tablet discussing "If are cases given: namedkabbartu.Almost at its end the following two hopeless it, an Oath hasseized he will haverest (ipaiiab); in the remotefuture he will die 'mud' (rutibtu, yar. ruiumtu ibtani), he will die"un). The second If it has formed empirical.The effectof the Oath probably was common knowledge, observation "debilitating (iafuibu) Oath" affecting the reminds us of a similar effect of a tract: "After a long time that man will die (irrikma imdt)"4s1' digestive follows, a What is surprisingin this latter text is that nevertheless prescription The word with the unusual introduction ana mai-taq-ti-iu <u> bul-lu-ti-iu. ktu remainsobscure66). maitaqf (qdt zikurrudQcaused A special caseis deathdue to the Hand of Cutting-off-Life "He will die" invariably is the kill (nakas napiiti). by black magic aimed to that these prognosis the Gurney text giving theseomina. Now, it is interesting in to entries are quoted in therapeutictexts, omitting the references stars, but thesetexts go on by giving including the unfavourableprognosis.Nevertheless, "he will die". This meansthat they want to the prescriptions, thus disregarding on Another passage the sameproblem is preventdeath: they are apotropaic6?). "That man, of phrasedas follows: [machinations black magic havebeenpractised against himl before the Wagon Star: after a lapse of ten days he will die (ana 10
60) M3_46. 61) Note "Hand of Sulak;he will not live, he will die", R. Labat, MDP 57 (19'14)245Y5. 62) Sections 13,28: cf. R. Yaron, The Laws of Eshnunna in (1988)259-262. Now alsoattested a 12, Mari letter with a legal flavour: M. Ghouti, FlorilegiumMarianum (M6langesM. Fleury) (992) 63:25 (amdt ul aballut). a1 TDP 154:20, BAM 6 578 I l0; cf. TLB 2 2l:13 (ul bali!). 184:20,208:86; c+1AMT 73 II l0-l l, var.BAM 2 124ll 34-5. 6s\ BAM 2156:l-3. 66) Seethe dictionariesand cf. Herr6ro, 39: "pour gu6rir sa meurtrissure". 6?) See Survey, of (a sub STT 189:18-22 potion in BAM),23-27(thenpy at the beginning BAM 5 the in M),48-51,52-56 (amulets BAIt4). 449col.

54

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umeirrikma imdt )". Then, however, ritual in the styleof a namburbi follows .,in a order to savehim" from that Hand68).Here, we have beforeus one of the few examples medicine in whereone resortsto a namburbi order to avoid disaster6e). in The kind of disasterthat a namburbitakescareof is namedlumnu(flIJL), .,Evil", in Akkadian. "Evil has seized him" is rarely attested the medicaltextsTo). in "he will An isolatedfragmentpromises comeout of sorcery/ hardship/ sin; he will walk in straightness"Tl). After this discussion the prognosis"he will die", we add that indicationson of the expected length of the disease, often attestedin the DiagnosticHandbook so (terms:ardku,zabdluD), are nevergivenin the therapeutic textsT2). Someof those "in texts give prescriptions order that his disease doesnot last long,'r:). perhaps thesetexts take up the prognosis"it will last long and he will recover,'in the DiagnosticHandbook,and havethe intention to shortenthis period. Other omina in therapeutic texts One might call theselines on death or duration of illnessin the style of TDp as "intrusions" in the therapeutic texts.There are a few more intrusionsfrom other quartersof omen literature.Let us look now at suchunusualpredictions. Most of them give the prospects the patient'sgood or bad fortune in later life. for - The exceptional prognosis"cutting-off-Life will not come near and that man will enjoy old age (NAM.AB.BA iiebbi)" still has somerelationshipwith health, but this apodosis not found elsewhere the medicalcorpusTa). is in clearly, quite the oppositeof imminentdeathis promisedherein emphaticterms. - Two lines in a therapeutic text on skin problemsof the face give non-medical predictions if we had to do with medically as insignificant pimplesor the like; this is an intrusion from the physiognomictextsTs).Physiognomic texts deal with the appearance healthypersons?6). of - The DiagnosticHandbook offersthesesubsequent omina: "If the right ear of a man buzzes the time, hardship (mEsiru) all will seizehim - If his left ear buzzesall
68) AMT 44,4: cf . M'-L. Thomsen,Zauberdiagnose 42. I supply at the end of line 2 lipin epiuiuml, based STT | 89:26,42,46, on etc. 6e)BAM 6 580v 9 (skindiseases); KADp ly 13(iimmatu?); R.D. Biggs,Sa.zi.ga40 no.2l:15,dupl. SpbTUl 9:15(potency). to1 TDP 30:97,190:15-19 (correctLabat'sgalti); cf. DIB gUL in SZI I 89:190. 1a\ AMT 87.3r. ?2) The ideogramGID.DA in GiD.DA-za iballut (as in AMT 8l,l ly 2; g2,3rev. 13, 16)standsfor iadddu "to suck". 13) Cf. CAD Al2 224b. 14) BAM 5 461It 28. 15)BAM | 35:12-14. 76) This meansthat the man with the swollenbelly (etc.) in STT 2 324:2-3still is healthy although illnessor deathafter one year are predicted.Death after one year (and more) is typical ofnon-diagnosiic texts; seeJ. Bott6ro in Annuaire- Ecolepratique desHautesEtudes,lYe section. 1969-1970 95-6.

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the time, he will seeprofit (nEmelu)". Two linesearlier,we find the samesymptoms "he will live" for with a truly medicalprognosis: the right ear; "his disease last will long" for the left ear11). Clearly, theseomina - physiognomic were inserted after the medical ones. As it happens,both also are widely attestedin the therapeutic texts where a therapy is added?8). our opinion, we have here an In example popular physiognomy buzzingears,so well known that the authors of on of the medical corpus could not avoid them and had to incorporatethem as alternative traditions. - "His house will be scattered disappear",meaning that the family will be / disrupted,is predictedwhen a baby behaves a particular way?e).The sameis in said of a deaf person and of someone sufferingfrom an epilepsybordering on madness8o). Theseomina have much in common with thoseon the birth of malformed offspring. possible No prognosis A medicalomennormallyhasthese elements: description the symptoms the of cause(often a Hand) - predictionof death or life. The therapeutic texts give no more than the symptoms, ("the name only a few timesaddinga popular diagnosis "that man suffers of the illness ...", or: is from ..."). After this, the therapyfollows. There is no mention of Hands and certainly not of death. However, a few therapeutic texts refer to a Hand and a prediction,namedqlbu, and it would not surpriseme if theseisolatedpassages turn out to be quotationsfrom a diagnostic predictthe patient'sfuture: the conjurerand handbook.Two experts were able to the diviner (haruspex).Their making a prediction was named qtba iakdnu in Akkadian8l). Twice the therapeutic texts,after having given the symptoms, offer "Hand of god NN this sequence: diagnosis], will make a prediction [: he [: prognosis];in order to eradicateit" (therapy follows)82);another text does not speakof the Hand, but the Overthrow (si[iptu) by god NNtt). This recommendation impliesa warning:if the predictionshouldbe "he will die", do not proceed. The illnesses mostly thoseof the skin; we will offer an explanationat the end of are this article.

11\ TDP 68:10. 8. cf. ta1 BAM 5 506:8-10, dupl. - The therapies different. and are 1e) TDP 214:21 (cf. 22),230:lll (cf. I l0) 80) TDP 70:12; STT | 89:177 Also in ZDP 72:21-24, . againmad behaviour. Note "he will not be successful"(ul ikeiier) in the epilepsytablet; TDP 194 f.: 56-58; looks like a forecast from anothcr corpusof omina. 81) Ritter, 303anote 14. az1BAM 4 417:15,418:8 (skindiseases), (unrecognised AMT 19,8:.3 &ryls. BAM 4 415tev.2, CT 23 l2 III 50) (muscle diseases). azl BAM 6 580III 17,22 (skin diseases).

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Somewhatmore frequent are the negativerecommendations. The Diagnostic Handbook always uses this negativephrase, "The conjurer shall not make a predictionabout his life"8a). The diagnostictext of Gurney also has this remark ("the demonLugalgirrahasseized him, you shall not makea prediction,')but does not stop at this: two setsof subsidiarysymptomsfollow, the one ending in the "Epilepsy (miqit diagnosis iam) has seized him", the other: ,,He shall grasp the garment of a patrician ...; do not be negligen,"as;. a similar fashion,a In therapeutictext has this passage a negativestatementwith two alternatives of added:"Hand of Ninge5tinanna; you shall not make a prediction.If the sorespot (simmu)[...] goes,he will die. You shall not make a prediction.If the sore spot [.'..]' You shallmakea predictionabout his life; in order to eradicate (a therapy it" follows)86). is unfortunatethat this passage so broken.The sametext, further It is on, hasthe lineson the Overthrowby gods.We will return to these passages the at end of this article,in the discussion skin diseases. of None of these passages explicitlysaysthat it is the conjurerwho is to make- or not make- a prediction. We assume that the editor of the classic handbook(TDp) canonized this standardformula in its negative form (alreadyattestedin Boghazkoytt)).The othertextsshowus how theyactedin practice. The question remains, what methods treatment of wereleft to the userof TDP oncethe conjurercould not make a prediction.TDP alwaysstopsshort after this remark. Prognosis the diviner by It is possiblethat one resortedto that other expert, the diviner performing extispicy(bara)who also was able to give a prognosis sick peopless). for Actually, one therapeutic text indicates that his expertise could be used,althoughit is here phrased a negative in way. After a lengthydescription troublesof the chestand of coughing, passage one ends:"That man suffers from [...;a physician shalln]ot lay [his hand on him], a diviner shall not make a prediction[...]"rn).This negative phraseis standardin hemerologies and soundslike a quotation here. Again, we raisethe question:what can the patient do in this situation?Maybe he can now turn to the conjurer.But are thesetextsnot exactlythoseof the conjurer'slibrary? We stress that this passage unique in the medicalcorpus.The fact that neither is this fragmentnor its join showsany signof therapyclassifies asa diagnostic it text.
84) TDP 154:8, 176:3,188:13 (forerunner KUB 34 6:5 + KBo 36 50:9, me-ie-ti ma-[i-is LII a-itpu a[na ... qi-ba I]a i-ia-kan). 85) ,Sff I 89:133-140. 86) BAM 5 580 III 3-5 (: AMT 27,6). 81) KUB 34 6:5. 88) R. Labat, JCS 6 (1952) l3l ; L Starr, Queries to the Sungod (lg9}) 295 no. 317:5-6 (and dupls.) (negative). 8e) AMT 51,2:2-6;join 52,9 (Thompson, RA 3l t7 ; Labat, TDp p. XLVII).

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to Medical texts rarely mention the divinereo).A veiled reference extispicyin "that man will look for the sanctuary (aiirta iite"tt) of medicaltextsis the phrase god NN and (...)". This is not just a form of pietyel).M.-J. Seuxhas shownthat The this expression refer to extispicye2). attestations few. One text says"If are can a man's spleenhurts him, he will look for the sanctuaryof Marduk and he will (in All recover"(therapyfollows without introduction)e3). remainingpassages one fragmentarybut someshow that a generalpredictionis text, on ear troubles)are nice made, as in "that man will look for the sanctuaryof l5tar and experience things (damiqtaimmar) and in order to heal him" (therapy follows)ea)."Experiencing nice things", the expectedresult of the extispicy,is in this situation equivalent the "he will live" of the medicalomina. to A diviner could be asked to confirm by extispicy whether a specificHand was laid on the patientand to give his prospectses). referred One more remark on the role playedby the diviner.One of the passages monthshe will experience things" (III 6l). nice to has the prediction"during seven the abilitiesof a diviner. Remember line Settingtime limits was one of the specific "the conjurerdid not clarify the nature (iiknu) of my disease, and the in Ludlul, diviner did not give the time (adanru)of my ailment" (II ll0-l). The meaning "crisis" has beenproposedfor adannue6). This translationcould be advocatedeT) "terme (fix6 par la consultation)" (J. Nougayrol) in an but the word means extispicy text with predictions on illnesse8).The Diagnostic Handbook also

eo) Oftenmentioned (id'ilu),asin BAM 3 315II 15,il l5; 5 446:8,468:2with the dreaminterpreter (: in physician conjurer- diviner- dreaminterpreter TDP 170:14 CT 37 42:14). 3. Note the sequence a BAM | 87:18poses problem;seeE. Ritter, 3030footnote. e1) As in BAM 3 318III 39, "he will enterthe sanctuary DINGIR : asirtu) (E and sooththe *rath of the god". ozl RA 60 (1966)l74, "Il r6sulte qui peut d6signer processus le (...) que I'expression iite"ft aSrat(i1 "/R,{Sl93l l3 note2. -ln CAD A12 is d'un oracle". Outdated R.C. Thompson, aboutitd I'obtention 459 sub a.irz. ot1 BAM | 77:21,dupl. 78:3; M. Civil, JNES 33 (1974)336:6. s+1BAM 5 503III 75,combined and beingheardwill be his alsoIII 48 ("to speak with 65, 73,76. See ..."),79. nice monthshe will experience things"),76("he will experience lot"), 52,57,6l ("during seven osl AEM lll 27 ad no. 136(p. 299-300) is not Hand ofthe God, butjust fever;shewill recover"); ("it to LStarr, Queries the Sungod(1990) 192-6nos. 190-5;256 no. 2'77. e6) B.Landsberger, B. 304a.With someemphasis WdO 3 (1964)65; E.Ritter, Studies Landsberger of Ritter,3200:"the notion of the day of crisisis an incursionfrom diipfitu". Note the translation Ludlul "and the bari colld not give (the day of) crisis for my (unbearable) II I I l, by Ritter, 303anote 14 (a): parentheses. pains". Ritter still needed time indicationbut put "the day" between a er; "Crisis" couldbe based the interpretationof in adannu the ripe stateof sores, AMT74ll25 as on as AMTpassage follows:"If a man's andABL391 : LAS246rev.20.B:utCAD S 276translatesthe full havea fixed duration (adannu) when he becomes of (: simmus legsare full of simmus sores),these simmus(you perform the ritual for heaiinghim)". e8) CT 31 36 rev. 9, with J. Nougayrol, Semitica 6 (1956) 14 (adi ilm adanniiballut arki adanniiu imdt).

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frequentlygivestime indicationsin numbersof days; so fixing an sdannuwas not exclusivelythe diviner's task. We admit that the meaning of adannu in the diagnostic textsremainobscure usee). to The word adannu referringto a specific as day is attested somemedicaltextsif in we may identify the logogramUD.DA.KAM with itloo). There.it standsfor the appropriate day in the yearto perform a medicalritual. In the Seleucid period,this system developedinto medical astrology becausethe days were related with positionsin zodiacal signs.Thus, we see how an early Neo-Assyriansurvey of "simple" days was expanded with information on the corresponding starsin late Uruk textslol). Generally speaking,the therapeuticmedical texts hardly pay attentionto exactdays in specific monthslo2).when remedies againstsorceryare involved,the fifth month and days 1,7, 14,21 and 29 of every month are mentioned fitting; especially moonless as its end(biblu). Conjurerandphysician We no longercan avoid the problemof the positionof the physician (asr2) versus that of the conjurer(aiipu),discussed R.Labatand E. Ritterlo3).The therapeutic by textstell us several timesthat a disease could not be "loosened"Qtataru) neitherby the treatmentof the physiciannor by that of the conjurer.This looks like a frozen formula for: "Nothing succeeded". one also comes acrossdiseases which the conjurer(alone)cannot "eradicate"(nasa[u)Loa). only oncea comparable formula "has not beenloosened on the physicianis found: the disease by the handsof the physician and comesback time and time again"10s). We add that the physician not only contrasted is with the conjurer,but alsowith the diviner and the scholar. with the diviner in the well known phrase "the
ee) TDP 66:64,65,70; 166:97 with R. Labat, syria33 (1956)12l :l I ("avantla fin du jour',). Also in TDP 60:42? loo) AHw III 1400f., uddakam"den ganzenTag lang; immerdar" (which must be wrong for our passages; equationUD.DA.KAM : u+-fttu the a-da-nu BRM 4 20:52concerns word). Refs.are in our STT 2 300:4,7, etc.;SpbTUll 122no. 23:1,126no. 24:18(all with specific datesindicated); . BAM 5 cf 461 ll 35-7 (bulti annfiti iitu Nisannu [UD.D]A.KI-j, adi Adaru UD.DA.KI-.i/ 1...1ana tJD re-qi inneppei). Can we compare with ilmu rEqu in this text the za-ku-u-a-tein Boissier. DA 102:lj (hemerology)? F.Joannds,TEBR 328no. 90:7, inalTlJ 3 ua-muza-ki-it-ti. Cf. ror) S?nl 2 300, comparedwith BRM 4 19 and 20. 1o2)Examples known to me: AMT 5,3:ll (the head);50,6:15;105 M,7,10,14,17 and dupls. ( S p i r i t s ) ; A M 4 3 2 3 : 7 9( S p i r i t s ) ;7 0I I I b : 5 ; 6 5 1 6I 6 5 ( e y e s ) S Z I 2 2 7 5 : 9 ( H a t r e d ) B 3 ; 1o3)R. Labat in his reviewof the book by H.E. Sigerist, ,/cs 6 (1952)128-133; in and E. Ritter, "Magical-expert (: aiipu) and physician (: asil). Notes on two complementary professionsin Babylonian medicine", in studies B. Landsberger(1965) 299-321.Note also p.E. Dion, ..Medical personnel the Ancient Near East. asft and diipu in Aramaic garb", ARAM I (1989)206-216. Ritter, in 308 f., says that both men used the same drugs. It is possible,however, that the coniurer preferred magicalplants like tarmui, imhur-lim,im[ur-eird, blnu. t o t l B A M l 9 : 5 5 ;3 2 2 l l l r t 4 ( c f . 3 2 3 : 7 s ) ; 5 4 6 9 r e v . t t ( c f . 4 7 0 : 2 4 ) ( H a n d o f a s p i r i t ) ; c f . 4 3I8 5 . I4 ros'1 BAM | 22:12(seeCAD Al2 345a).

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physicianshall not lay his hand on the patient, the diviner shall not make a prediction". With the scholar in a passage eye salves:"spoon of lead (: on collyrium) of the hand of a physician" is preceded "perfect eyesalveof the hand by (UM.ME.A); approved of a scholar and checked"106). It has beendemonstrated that the method of the qsAis "empirical" rather than "rational" tot). To me, he is alsothe medical expertwho is freeto experiment. is He not a man of handbookswith narrowly circumscribed rituals, like the conjurer, diviner and scholar.Note that medicinewas only one of the many concernsof thoseexperts. The asfi wasthe real doctor. It can be shownthat when the conjurer failed one resortedto the doctor1o8). removingforeign bodies(corporaaliena) In from the eyeone first tried an incantation, beforehavingto useGula's knives,i. e., those of the doctorlon).We add that a non-medical text saysthat the man who goes to the patient'shouse (the conjurer) made a pronouncement (qtba iakanu) eitherto performthe art of the physician to [...]tto).Most interesting the text or is where we first read that a group of diseases (the group we discussed above) "persists under the treatmentby physicianand conjurerand is not loosened";the text goeson with a prescription, endingin the remark "This is a lotion of the hand of a physician"111). Why did the treatmentof the physicianfail first and now his help is promised?Again, the formula is frozen and neednot be taken literally. The is asr2 the patient'slast hope. The doctor was free to experiment: we find experiments the medicaltexts? do in Abundantly, if one looks at the innumerableprescriptions beginningwith "The same:" (KLMIN) in the therapeutic texts.They tried out one recipeafter another and could evennumber them112). Sometimes they first give a magicalprescription involving a ritual, followed ("KI.MIN") by a recipeusing plants,etceterall3).A few times, it is explicitly said that they do somethingnew when "not seeing improvement"(DUG.GA NU.IGLDUT)ttn). The physician indeedusedhis hands

toal BAM 6 516IV 13,4. 1o?)D. Goltz, Studienzur altorientalischen griechischen und Heilkunde(1974)lI-I3, in her critique of J.C. Pangas,Aula Orientalis7 (1989) 230. - Still, Ritter's Ritter (p. 5-14, 93-95); independently "practical grasp(intuition plus accumulated of PostulateB (p. 302a)is not bad when shespeaks the asr2s situation". experience) the immediate of 108)Ritter, 315-6;Herr6ro,La thtrapeutique 22-3. roe; 5 510 IV 37-8,with B. Landsberger,,/NES (1958)58 (ll). The samephraseis now known 17 from an incantation againstmaikadu; seeJ. van Dijk, fOS I I (1985)23f. tto) CT 39 30:51(broken) trtl BAM 3 228:14-22. Note that l-14 are a prescriptionof "46 lotions made of leaves". 1t2\ BAM 5 4'll ll '7-20:STT | 57:24-27. 113)In foot diseases: (oin); 15,3:7-12 l3-15; AMT 100,3:8-12 13-14; and 15-19 and 20-15,3:4 and 69,2:2-6 and 7-9. rt+) BAM 6 548M with R. Labat,RA 55 (1961) f.; 558IV 14-15; III 36 with par. 55:17; 152 575 Z,4S Comm.,p. 257ad no. 259.W.G. Lambert,Iraq 3l (1969)29:19(wr. DUG-ba). Cf. S.Parpola, Another phraseis iumma la inna[ (BAM 4 4l'l rev. 3; CT 44 36:14).

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in experiments when provoking boils in gall-diseased patientslls) or a lancet in puncturing or scarification(ne;fi, mahdsu,taraku)L.6).It remains to be seen whether thesetechniques really are examplesof la chirurgietLl). Skin eruptions wereoften treatedby provoking suppuration(lardku) or bleeding (adi damu ussd), by rubbing(kAru),etc.Often, these experiments not intendedto healthe patient are but rather to gather new data about the nature of the illness, or to create alternatives. The physicianwas well versedin popular medicine. tracesare few, however. Its We givea survey.In order to makedry eyes producetears,he prescribes patient the to chop onions118). bile wasa populartreatment blindnesslle). a state Fish for In of colic, the patienthas to be drasticallymovedin unusualwaysl2o).Unique in its wordingand contents these are prescriptions against swollenbelly: "He will lick a a bronzesawor a bronzeknife and he will recover You makehim sniff the dust of strong copper,if he sneezes, will recover"r.21). he Unorthodox is a prescription againsta kind of rash (riiatu) styledas a recipefrom a cookerybook122). These examples more or lessrational. But the doctor also sharedsuperstitious are beliefs with his fellow-men.Blindnessis cured by applying the eyes of young ravens; behindthis is a story also known in Europeabout swallows123). Againstjaundice: "You will put a red goldenring on his hand"; this is sheer magic,of course, not but that of the conjurerl2a). The tablet of foot diseases inserts one- or two-line incantations the middle of a prescription, in not between official rulings: they the smackof popular magicalformulas12s). A few times the therapeutic texts contrast oral and written tradition; both are quoted as alternativesl26).one passagetaken from the oral tradition (ium,uttu.
rrs) BAM 6 578I 8-10,with M. Stol in K.R. Veenhof, Schrijvend Verleden (1983)302f. Cf. lbu-l-buuh-ta sa-lim-taf sa-am-taI it-ta-di in AMT 92,4rev. g-9. rro) M. Stol, ReJ?ers deuxfeuves des (M6langes Andr6 Finet)(19g9)164. 11?) R' Labat, "A propos de la chirurgie babylonienne",Journal asiatique242(1954) ZO7-218. Cf. Goltz, 88 f. a a g \ A M 5 5 1 0I 2 1 . B rre) W. von Soden, AfO 19 (1959-60) f. Sl r z o l B A M 6 5 7 4 1 4 , l l , 1 3 ,1 4 - 1 6 , w i t h K i i c h l e r ' s a n d v o n O e f e l e ' s r e m a r k s inBKBM(1904)70,72, 74. rzt'1BAM 6 575II 54_5. tzzl BAM 4 3911' GCCI il 394. d. tztl BAM 5 515 II 33-35;seenby R.c. Thompsonin pRSM lg (1926)32 note 8. cf. M. stol, P h o e n i 3 l ' 2 ( 1 9 8 5 ) 5 6 , " z w a l u w k r u i d " . T h e S y r i a n r e c i p e i s a l s o f o u n d i n R . G o A Oe i 2,0 ( l g g g ) x J tth S l 202529. tz+1 BAM 6 578 IV 4. Cf. the prescription againstjaundice of the eyes,to tie threadsof red wool around the right hand - also inspiredby popular magic?- seeR. Borger,Liian mithurti (1969)S $ XVII' The sametherapeutic text, speaking jaundice, of saysto tie something the handwith red wool, on BAM 6 578IV 13.- A goldenfingerring is usedin BAM 5 4g4IV 6, cf. iII 70. tzsl AMT 74 lI 26;29-31: 15,3:10-l cf. l. rza) BAM I 52: 88 (x x KA), 9l (ana KA SAR) (?); 3 240:10 (a-<gan>_nu_u pi_i tup_p[i),16(aid

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"hear-say") is couchedin non-literarylanguagel2?). Only one elaborateprescrip "if tion is written in the Assyriandialect;herethe doctor is allowedto do otherwise he wishes"(iummal3adiata)L28). Elsewhere, doctor'sfreedomis againexpressed the in Assyrian(mala sa-bu-ti "as much as you wish";rzo;. Furthermore,only the therapeutic textsgive us the popular namesof diseases, especially skin diseases. of For the conjurer, they are theologically irrelevant. He wishes to recognizeonly Handsof gods13o). The only real expertin practicalmedicinewas the doctor, asL.We should not underestimate him. Colophons name him as the owner of medical tablets. A Middle-Assyrian medicaltext introducesevery entry with "If the A.ZU ..."t3r). One expects that he could read this text and his prescribed activitiesare manifold (nasdhu- palAru - kagdru - iu;tt - nu[[u). The asrls at the Assyrian court were educated men. Telling is the innocent remark in a letter of this time: "NN, the diviner,is ill. Let the king order that a A.ZU comesto seehim"132).The doctor is the man you needin the first place. Now, what about the conjurerwith his DiagnosticHandbook?The therapeutic textshardly usehis insightsabout the divinecauses ofdisease and its prospectsl33). They show that one can heal patients without knowing anything about those Hands.But, as we have seen, few timesthe Handbook is quotedwith reverence. a This Handbook was a kind of Bible, or, rather, Catechism, the backgroundof in therapy.I suggest that this is due to the preoccupation Babylonianscience of with the future. He who knows the outcomeof disease the real scholar.Occasionally, is the therapeutictexts also quote lines from other handbookswith forecastsas authoritativestatements. But theremay be more behindthis than Babylonianscience alone.Here,we can learn something from the attitudeof "primitive" peopletowardsthe medicine man. In cultural anthropology, one discerns two levelsof causality illness:the efficient in (the supernatural natural beingon whom the ultimateresponsibility cause or rests),
gan-nu-u ium-'-ut-tit); BAM 5 494138 (beginning: ia idKA tup-pi,then:)DIS NA SAG.DU-sr sa-mara DIB-ir): cf. BE 31 60 ll 7. tztl BAM 3 240:ll-15 (aboutpregnant women). 128)AMT 41,4: BAM 6 579IV 33-43(and dupls.);for the Assyriasms, G.Meier,ZA 45 (1939) see rze| BAM 4 415rev. I l. r3o) Hands of particular gods are abundantly presentin the Diagnostic Handbook, as diagnosis. They are far fewer but still frequent in the predictions of Swama r{/u. Elsewhere,theseHands are rarely attested. t 3 L )B A M 2 l 7 l . ttzl RMA l8 rev. 3-6.Similaris ABL 341. r::; R.D. Biggs,RlA, article "Medizin" $ 2, also stresses isolatedposition of the Diagnostic the Handbook and writes: "We do not know to what extent exorcistsin fact used the texts of SA.GIG in their practice,but it could havebeenusefulin determiningwhat action 1s trke (for example,which deity should be addressed prayer)"; RIA VU7-8 (1990)624b. in

2ts.

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The and the instrumentalor immediatecause(the instrumentor technique)134). man is expertin finding out the ultimate "efficientcause"."The shaman medicine by or witch doctor diagnoses means of trance, or other divinatory techniques. Diagnosis to find out who and why - is the primary skill that the patientseeks from his curer. Treatment of the instrumental cause,while important, is of secondary concern(...). The primary role of the shamanor the witch doctor is in diagnostic"ltt).We recognise this man our aiipu and quote somewell-phrased van der Toorn: "A 'natural' illnesshas a 'supernatural' madeby Karel statements proximae" - "The 4at DN [: cause,a causaremotalooming behind the causae Hand of god NN] constructions, then, intend to localizethe sourceof the signs the nature and causeof the rather than to give the a definiteanswerconcerning "After the who and why have been The disease"136). anthropologistcontinues: by treatmentfor the immediatecausemay be administered the same determined, person,or the task may be turned over to a lesser curer,perhaps herbalist"137). an This "lessercurer" is in principle the asA although we know that under some into the realm of magic. he circumstances could broadenhis knowledge and occasioHippocrates, like the Babylonianhemerologies extispicytexts138), patient(epicheirein, Mijri encheirein). nally recommends doctor not to treat the the "Das einheitlicheFesthaltendes" suspects pre-rational attitude behind this: a Begriindungen den einzelnenSchriften in Gebotesund seine verschiedenartigen dass lassen vielleicht darauf schliessen, wir esmit dem Resteinervor-medizinischen die zu Einstellung tun haben.Die Haltung primitiver Volker Kranken gegeniiber, Anerkennungeiner Macht, die den Kranken tiberwdltigt und ihn menschlicher Medizinmiinnergeregelthaben. Hilfe entzieht,mag auch die Praxis griechischer wissenschaftliche Davon ragt nun noch (...) ein Teilsttickin die durchrationalisierte Bindung,die die Arzte geltenlassen, aber von Medizin hiniiber: eine iiberlieferte aus verschieden und ihrem eigenenWissensbestand von ihrer eigenenBerufslage The expertise the conjurerfits this. of begriinden"l3e). Practicein Assyria and Babyloniawas different.however.High-levelconjurers One and the samepersoncould be an expertin and doctorsmust havecooperated. library of the conjurer Kisir-A5Surwas full of therapeutic both fields.The large textsbut that no singlecopy of the DiagnosticHandbook has beenfoundlao).

t:+) G.M. Foster, p. 778 in his article "Disease etiologies in non-Western medical systems", American "personalistic" "naturalistic" systems is Anthropologist 18 (1976) 773-782. His distinction between and not relevant to us. rss; G.M. Foster, p. 779. Cf . Peter Morley and Roy Walhs, Culture and curing (1980) 77. rso; Van der Toorn, Sin and Sanction 70,78. 1 3 7 . ;F o s t e r . 7 7 8 . b e l o w . 138) I.Starr, Queries to the Sungod (1990) 295 no. 317:5-6, and dupls. 13e) W.Miiri, GriechischeStudien (1976) 57-63; p. 6l quoted. Originally published in 1936. 1a0) O.Peders6n, Archives and libraries in the city of Assur II (1986) 48, below, 50 f.

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Interplay in skin diseases As a matter of fact, Hands of particulargods are extremely rare in therapeutic textslal) and every instancewhere they are named requiresan explanation. This writer has the impression that they are mainly attestedin texts on skin diseases. Any affiictionof the skin - wounds,eruptions is calledsimmuin Akkadian1a2). It is a handicapfor the Assyriologist that the Sumerogram GIG standsboth for mursuand simmu,"interior" and "exterior" disease, with someexperience is but it not difficult to determinethe cases wheresimmuis meant (for example,when a GIG "comes out", asfi,it refersto simmu). One of those Hands in therapeutictexts is the Hand of Ningestinanna the in remarkable text BAM 6 580.The fragmentary incantationin column II tells us that skin affiictions(simmu)originate from the gods who are able to heal them by asfituL43). column III, againbadly broken,givesthe popularnames skin diseases of "l..lx-nu (,r MU.NI) but openswith the exceptional is its name;Hand of Nin.[..]',. The next line starts with "[..] Hand of Ningestinanna you shall not make a prediction", and two sets of alternative symptoms, entailing either death or recovery,so it seerns, follow. In caseof recovery,"you shall make a prediction about his recovery; order to eradicate in (the disease), shall" (therapyfollows). you clearly, the writer of the text wishedto combinethe popular diagnosis the asl by ("x is its name") with theologicalinsights of the diipu on supernatural causes ("Hand of DN"), in a way basedon the incantationin cor. [I. Further on in columnIII, we find "x is its name;a wind hassweptupon him and [so!]overthrow by the god Pabilsag Mastabba;you shallmake a prediction;in order ro eradicare / (the disease), you shall" (an unusualtherapyinvolving surgeryfollows)1aa). only heredo we read of an overthrow (si[iptu) by a god; was this expression usedonly "iaddnu is for skin diseases? Elsewhere come acrossthe skin disease we its name; Touch (liptu) by Marduk and Ninurta"l4s). Again, two definitions.Another rext on skin diseases offers "'ox fat' is its name; Hand of Ningal, you shall make a tou). In still another text on skin diseases, "Hand prediction" of Samas" is the "Hand of diagnosis white boils, for sin - oath (mamltn)has seized him - Hand "[x] is its name; of I5tar" for red boilsla?).A fragmentary text speaks of Hand of Adad"; the reverse the line "you put [...] on the wound Qtdnsimmi)" - is this has
141)Well attested,on the other hand, are the Hands of Mankind, Sorcery,Cutting-otr-Life,a Spirit, an Oath, the/agod or goddess (mainlyamongother Hands). r+z; We fully agree with J.-M. Durand,AEM lll (1988)552. 143)Translationby R.C. Thompson, ,/SOR 15 (1931)59 no.2l9 (: AMT 84,4 ID, in his article "Assyrian prescriptions for ulcersor similar affections".Seealso CAD S 277f. 144)III 16-17, 2l-22: Iam-;a-atfii-la-a-tilteNITA/SAL MU.NI IM ii-bit-su-ma sihi-ip-tiIpA.BIL.SAG dMAS'TAB.BA DUG4.GA qr-ba GAR-an / ana zl-i{t GrG ia-tu (...) te-n6-[e;-;e)itu-na-kap-iu. I ' ' r+s) BAM 4 409:35 f. t+c'1 BAM 4 417l.15. rev. 11. cf. 147\BAM 6 584ll 29.26.

JAARBERICHT *EX ORIENTE LUX" 32 _ I99I-92

"you shall a text on skin diseases? One sectionhas the recommendation make a "Hand of Sin" and prediction"l+a;. a few other Hands are mentioned in a 1ae). fragmentprescribing salves The examples Handsof godsin therapeutic for textson other diseases than those of the skin are these:Hand of 5ama5, followedby "you shall make a prediction", twicein a passage a muscledisease on (sagallu)Lso); Hand of Sulpaea and Hand of I5tar as causeof diminished eye-sight151). As the readercan see,the references Hands of gods in therapeutic for texts are only a handful. The conjurerreckonsonly with divine Hands,the doctor usesthe popularnames for an illnessin his diagnosis. sometimes We find thosein the therapeutic texts,in the formula "x is its name" (iumiu, writqenMU.NI, MU.NE, MU-jr). We list them here. a[[azu (BAM 578 IV 26), a jaundice. (ibid., III 7), a jaundice. amurriqdnu (BAM 4 409:18,20), the skinls2). harasu of kirbdnu(BAM 6 583 I 4), literally "clod" (cf. rutibtum,below)"ef the skin. lam;at bilati zikari I sinniiti (BAM 580 III 16,21),of the skin. lipi alpim (BAM 4 417:15, rev. l l ; written i.UOU GUD), literally "ox fat", of the skin. NE (: pendft ?ts3))(BAM 3 264II 23; R.Labat,RA 53 14 rev. l5), of the skin? rutibtum Kl-lu-tum(AMT 74 II 32,34),literally"...1's4) clod", an eruptionon wet the foot. (AMT 74 III 13; written PA-ba-nu; note fsaf-ag-ba-nu-urn, of the foot, sagbanu 26), a muscledisease. iadanu(BAM 4 409:28,35), the skin. of i a i i a t u( B A M 2 l 2 9 M ) , a m u s c l e i s e a s e . d ,.sweeping iibit iari (BAM 6 580VI 8, with Kocher,p. XXXI, K.3526),literally by the wind", of the skin. umurru(BAM 5 494:30, dupl. CZ 23 50:5),of the skin. ziqtum(AMT 30,2:9,10,11), literally"sting"; pocks(?) affecting facelss). the
ual BAM 4 418:3,cf. rev. 9; qi-ba GAR-an in line 8. The Hand of Adad is also mentionedin the botanical handbook Sammuiikiniu, STT | 93:60; BAM 4 379ll 55. rtol BAM 4 402:3;cf.2,6. rsol cr23 12III 50 (dupl.(?) AMT 19,8:3, dupl. (?),BAM 4 415rev.2); IV 8. "Hand of samai" asa muscledisease confirmed by a lexical text equating this Hand with sagbanu; is MSL 14 (1979)505 Aa VIII/2 comm., 24. The latter word occursamong musclediseases; CAD S 22a. see rstl BAM 6 516II 19-24. Glossto Hand of Sulpaea:dIM.ic f,IAR. rsz; Cf. M. Stol,BiOr 46 (1989) 130. 1s3)Inspiredby B. Landsberger, OLZ 17 (1914)263. lsa) K. van der Toorn, SinandSanction f .; MSL 9 (1967) f . Ritibtu 82 82 is a variantof kirbanuin BE 6129:ll, caseand tablet. Note that BAM 2 124ll35 oflers ru-ium-tu insteadof rz-rD-ta in dJlpl.AMT 7 3I I l l . rss) Cf. J. Nougayrol,RA 65 (19'71)73:38, ziqtu(Jlftsrz preceeds) the liver predicts skin disease on the girgKiu. Seealso R. Labat, RA 53 (1959)14 rev. 12,with note 6. - Ziqtu has more meaninssin medical

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Unusualwording: pendfiBABBAR ia ga-ra-buiqabbi @AM 6 580 V l7), of the skinls6).Omitting"its name": Sin-lurmd (BAM 6 516 II 30-1),"night/day-blindness". Uncertain: (of AMT 22,4:2,4; BAM 4 418:3 the skin?); 580III 2;HAR-ri-iit 6 1...1, MU.NlIl, IV 4 (all of the skin). The preponderance these popular names in skin diseases of include that the exceptions here again are .yaundice is strikingttt). Is it a coincidence (sagbdnu, muscleand eye diseases iassatu, Sin-lurmd),just as the Hands of Sama5 (sagallu) and Sulpaea and I5tar (diminished eyesight) appeared be? to "x Let us restrictourselves the skin diseases. sequence is its name;Hand to The of / Overthrowby / DN; you shall (not) make a prediction". showsthat in these cases doctor is obligedto take into accountthe higherknowledge Handsof the on the conjurer.I seeonly one explanation this unusualinterplaybetween for doctor and conjurer:skin diseases werea special casehause according popular belief to they can originatefrom gods,and man has to withdraw in somecases. Lepros;is the best known examplels8). This is why the texts are so precisein giring their popular names(sometimes followed by "he will die"15e))and can relarerhem to Handsof gods:the theologian has to decide what is to be done.Of course. this rxill immediately remindus of the carefuldifferentiations skin eruptionsmadeby the of priest in Israel (Leviticus l3). Note that one of the Babylonian texts tells the patient,after a ritual: "May you be clean;may that man be clean(zakfi;"rcoy A closer study of skin diseases the Babylonianmedical texts is a desidein ratum161); they can be contrasted with physiognomic texts162).
texts.The sting by a poisonous animal; in a Mari letter it is an ailment startingin the foot; J.-M. Durand,AEM lll (1988)553,on no. 266(p. 567).Its relationwth zaqdtu explicitin the cornmentary is A.R. George, 85 (1991) Rl 150:36. "o) SeeM. Stol, BiOr 46 (1989)129f .; JEOL 30 (1987-88) f. 29 1s?)Note "miqtumis its name", said of a "leprosy" of walls,in SummaAtu, CT 40 17:55-67. For miqtuasasimmu, I/OS ll29:l-3;K.6057inC. Bezold, see Catalogue 759;cf. fOS 10 18rev.54with II (1989)107. U. Jeyes, Babylonian Old extispicy 1s8)Van der Toorn, 72-75;cf. Stol, 28 ff. tsel AMT 73 II l0- I I (Oathand rutibtu BAM 6 578III 4-6,IV z14-46 jaundice) 580III (developing ); ; 4 (Hand of Ningeitinanna). rco1BAM 4 417:23. The verb ebEbu alsorefersto his purity; seeCAD E 4-5 and BRM 4 24 ll 26f., citedbyR.Labat, Uncalendrierbabyloniendestavauxdessignesetdesmois(1965)74 note2(leprosy). Both verbszakt and ebCbu also usedfor cleaninggarments:leprosyand other skin diseases are coverthe body like a garment; cf. T. Abusch, Babylonian Witchuaft Literature (1987) 68-73. - The other a d j e c t i v e f o r c l e a n n e s s , e / / a , s t a n d s f o r s e x u a l p u r i t y , a s f a r a s l s e e ; W . FD ( 1 9 7,7 ) 3 3 : 8 4 - 8 8 ; BI arber 2 STT2280 I24, with Biggs,Sd.zi.ga R. Labat, Semitica (1950)1l II 13 (impurewoman);CI 44 66; 3 45:28,16; cf. BBR24:30(divinerid za-ru-iu/a KU). 161)Provisional of texts:AMT 16,5:l'l,5: 17,8;31,7; 52,3:, list 77,6:84,6:BAM 3l-35; 152l; 264: 2 9 ' l : 3 8 3 : 3 9 1 : 4 0 9 : 4 1 7 ; 4 9 4 ; 4 9 7 ; 5 l l ; 5 8 0 - 5 8T M 3 6 ; R . L a b a t , l 5 3 ( 1 9 5 9 l)- 1 8 ;G . B e c k m a n , C 4; n (Studies (1988)l9 no. 18. B.R. Foster,A Scientific Humanist A.J. Sachs) roz; F.R. Kraus,MVAeG 4012 (1935) 39-45;TBP p.5 sub 5. New are YOS l0 54 (DUB), 55; UVB 2l (1965) Tafel 16,g W.20851and BM.64513(both SE); photo of the reverse Tomoo Ishida, Studies in in (Tokyo 1982)353; cf. J.V. Kinnier Wilson, ib., 351note theperiod of David and Solomon and otheressays 56.