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Babylonian Scholars Working for Ashurbanipal’s Library? Some Colophons with Cryptography and Learned Writings
 
PIIS086919080030027-6-1
DOI10.31857/S086919080030027-6
Publication type Article
Status Published
Authors
Natalie Naomi May 
Occupation: Colophons and Scholars Project, Principal Investigator
Affiliation: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Address: Jerusalem, Mount Scopus
Journal nameVostok. Afro-Aziatskie obshchestva: istoriia i sovremennost
EditionIssue 2
Pages189-210
Abstract

The article explores evidence for Babylonian scholars working for Ashurbanipal’s library. The colophons of Ashurbanipal’s library tablets are usually highly standardized and, as opposed to the colophons of private or temple libraries, do not contain any information about copyists. The colophons on Babylonian tablets found at Nineveh normally are very short and provide only theinformation about the original tablet. The colophons of the two scions of the prominent family of lamentation priests, descendants of Šumu-libši, the lamentation priest of Mardukat Esagil, contain their names written cryptographically. The article suggests the decipherment of this cryptography. Analysing this cryptography and juxtaposing it with the other Šumu-libši-related colophons on the tablets found in Assyria sheds light on the input of Babylonian scholars in creating the library of Ashurbanipal.

KeywordsAshurbanipal’s library, colophons, cuneiform cryptography, lamentation priests, Babylonian scholarship, Nineveh, Assyria, Šumu-libši
Received19.02.2024
Publication date05.05.2024
Number of characters56130
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Table of contents

Šumu-libšis in Assyria
Šumu-libši’s Assyrian Descendants and Tablets
Tablets of Šumu-libši’s in Babylonian Script Found at Nineveh
Comparative Table of Babylonian Tablets by Marduk!-šumu-ibni and Marduk!-zēru-ibni in Ashurbanipal’s Library
Assyrianisms and Further Peculiarities in the Colophons of Marduk!-šumu-ibni and Marduk!-zēru-ibni and Other Nineveh Babylonian Tablets
Personal Handwritings Features of Marduk!-šumu-ibni and Marduk!-zēru-ibni
Summary
Appendix: The Colophons63
  • 1881-2-4, 306
    • 2. K. 3238 +
    3. K. 4240 +
    4. K 20627 + K 20682 + K 20861
    5. Su 1951, 27
    6. K. 3054 (+ K. 9398 + K. 21396)
    7. K. 2294
    8. K. 2848 (+ Sm. 1088 + Sm. 1531)
    9. 1881-2-4, 202
    10. K. 6145
    11. (K. 2285 + K. 3717 + K. 12709 (+) K. 2719) + K. 3014 ((+) K. 3856 + K. 10467)
    12. (K. 2542 + K. 2772 + K. 2991) + K. 3300 + (K. 6030 + K. 10223 + K 13382 + DT 85 + DT 170)
    13. K. 2246 +
    14. K. 5168 + (K. 5171 + K. 5189 + K. 5354 + K. 6099 + K. 8728 + K. 10728 + K. 11219 + K. 13412 + K. 13935 +) K. 13949 (+ K. 16931)
    15. K. (5174+) K. 10595 (+ K. 11174 + K. 13941 + K. 14110 (+) K. 18655)
    1 The colophons of tablets written in Babylonian ductus and found in Nineveh shed light on work of Babylonian scribes for the Ashurbanipal’s library enterprise.1 It is well known that Ashurbanipal ordered Babylonian scholars to copy tablets for his library and apparently generously rewarded them for their work.2 But there were also Babylonian scribes who worked at Nineveh, as is clear from the colophon of K. 10129, which states Nineveh(ninaki) for the place of writing of the tablet [May, 2022, p. 160] and from SAA 11 156, which reports on Babylonians copying scholarly texts.3 1. All the abbreviations in this article are taken from Reallexikon der Assyriologie und vorderasiatischen Archaologie.

    2. BM 28825: 24-36 [Frame and George, 2005, p. 274].

    3. ABL 447 = SAA 11 156 is a list of scholars working for the royal library. Although S. Parpola [LAS II, p. 458 and SAA 11: XXIX] dates this letter to the reign of Esarhaddon (ca. 670), but this is evidence of employment of Babylonian scholars at the Nineveh court, which gives a picture of arrangement of their work for a royal library. One of them, Ninurta-gimilli, son of šandabakku was put in irons. Typically, all the texts mentioned in this letter are healing texts. S. Parpola [1972, p. 33] discussed the matters of compulsory work and indoctrinated education of Babylonians at the Assyrian court.
    2 Of all the tablets written in Babylonian ductus and found at Nineveh, which might belong to the library of Ashurbanipal very few—only 93—have some kind of a colophon.4 Eight among these 93 have various types of the so-called “Ashurbanipal’s library colophons.” Most of the rest 85 colophons are reduced to captions only. Sometimes the catchlines are followed by the statement that the tablet was copied “in accordance with its original” more rarely specifying the kind of this original, but nothing else.5 Indeed very few—39 colophons on Babylonian tablets from Nineveh—bear some information beyond captions and reference to their originals and contain names of their copyists or owners, scribal professions, formulas etc.6 4. This number does not include the colophons of astronomical and extispicy reports and naturally not five tablets dated to the reign of Sennacherib, among them two from the private collection of Nabû-zuqup-kēnu.

    5. All these are treated in this article in one way or another. See below, pp. 17-18, 20.

    6. This number includes also colophons with traces of names.
    3 Among these few colophons with names of the scribes a group of seven colophons stands out, since these seven not only name their copyists, but these names are written cryptographically. These seven tablets belong to two descendants of Šumu-libši at Nineveh: DN-šumu-ibni and DN-zēru-ibni.
    4 Šumu-libši family was the most prominent kalû family in Babylon. One of the descendants of Šumu-libši, Šumu-uṣur, the kalû, is the scribe of a kudurru-grant given by Marduk-zākir-šumi I to Ibni-Ištar//Ḫunzu, kalû of Ištar of Uruk and scribe of Eanna in the second regnal year of this king (856 BCE).7 Besides, there are seven NB colophons on tablets deriving from Babylonia that mention Šumu-libši, mostly as an ancestor [HES I, p. 247, 273-274]. 7. AO 6684 [see Thureau-Dangin 1919].
    5

    Šumu-libšis in Assyria

    6 The ancestor Šumu-libši (written in Sumerian—mMu-na-ti-la) appears in the Nineveh list of names [Lambert, 1957, p. 12]. Scholarly activities of descendants of Šumu-libši are probably attested in Assyria better than in Babylonia.8 Babylonian scholars could have been brought to Assyria as prisoners of war and some of them had to write tablets for the royal library as palace slaves.9 Among these POW were also kalûs, including some descendants of Šumu-libši. The kalû Itti-Marduk-balāṭu, descendant of Šumu-libši (his father, grandfather and address are mentioned as well), was dedicated to Bēl by Nabû-bēlšunu together with four other prominent Babylonia scholars [SAA 11 153 = K. 6]. Professions are indicated only for him and the exorcist, both heading the list. The manumission is written in Assyrian ductus and the manumitter is either Nabû-bēlšunu of the N4 library or his namesake, the palace scribe.10 8. Although they are well attested in Babylonian documents [HES I, p. 241 n. 132; Nielsen, 2015, p. 380].

    9. See above p. 2, fn. 3.

    10. SAA 11 140, the list of four soldiers.
    7

    Šumu-libši’s Assyrian Descendants and Tablets

    8 Some Babylonian scholars came to Assyria voluntary and were apparently even invited by kings. They made remarkable carriers at the court.11 The family of descendants of Šumu-libši at least at the beginning was affiliated with Ḫarrān, a city that had a special significance for Esarhaddon [May 2017, p. 518-520]. Nabû-zēru-iddina, the kalû of Sîn and the king, son of Urdu-Ea kalamāḫu of Sîn of Ḫarrān, left six kalûtu texts, written in Assyrian ductus.12 Both Nabû-zēru-iddina and Urdu-Ea corresponded with Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal on matters related to their profession.13 We do not have scholarly tablets written by Urdu-Ea, but all tablets by Nabû-zēru-iddina were found at Nineveh. Colophons of two texts of Nabû-zēru-iddina indicate that they were copied from the tablets of the “house” of Šumu-libši, kalamāḫu of Esagila.14 This claim points out that the Ḫarrānean Šumu-libšis brought from Babylon some of their ancestral library. Nabû-zēru-iddina heads the group of kalûs in the list of experts, SAA 7 1. 11. The first known dynasty of Neo-Assyrian royal scholars originated from Dēr, including Issarān-mudammiq, the saggamaḫḫu of Ashurnasirpal II, and the ummânu of Adad-nērārī III (name lost). Nick name of one of them was Babilāja [see May, 2015, p. 92, n. 71 for details].

    12. Nos. 1-4. Other two tablets are K. 14576 and Sm. 80, both flakes of colophons [see also HES I, p. 254-255].

    13. SAA 10 338-346. Urdu-Ea is also mentioned in SAA 10 29, 238, 240, 287, 377 and co-authors SAA 10 1, 25, 212.

    14. Appendix, nos. 1 and 2. The “house” here indicates that the composition on the tablet was created by Šumu-libši or his descendants, and not that it was just a part of his library. Cf. bultu bīt Dābibī, “prescriptions of the house of Dābibī”.
    9 Only two kalûtu tablets were found at Ḫuzīrīna [STT 232]. One of them is a copy of the tablet of Šumu-libši (no. 5). This is the only tablet related to Šumu-libši among those discovered in Assyria, which does not originate from Nineveh. It belonged to Nabû-ēṭir-napšāti, son of Ḫarriri, the lamentation priest(?) of Marduk.15 Not only the original of this tablet is said to be of Šumu-libši’s, but there are some common features in the colophon of no. 5 and the colophons of Nabû-zēru-iddina (nos. 1-4). These similarities prove that Nabû-ēṭir-napšāti studied in the same school as Nabû-zēru-iddina and most probably himself was a descendant of Šumu-libši. But unlike the latter’s Ḫarrānean descendants, he (or his father) was the lamentation priest(?) of Marduk as well as Šumu-libši himself. This is the only attestation (if at all) for a lamentation priest at Ḫuzīrīna. The tablet, however, was most probably not written there but purchased in some way by this library owners. 15. mdpa—kar-ir—zimeš a mḪar-⸢ri⸣-ri (see no. 5). In Assyria “A” not followed by -šu šá still means just “son,” for instance in the colophons of the same Nabû-zēru-iddina [Sm. 80, 1881-2-4, 306, K. 20627, K. 3238], and not descendant like in Babylonia. Assyrians normally wrote “descendant” as šà.bal.bal.

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    Fig. 1. Name, ancestral name and the title (lúSAMÁN.LÁ ⸢MAŠ.MAŠ!⸣ [a-g]a-aš-gu-ú) of Marduk1-zēru-ibni (no. 12, K. 2542 + ) (May_Babylonian_Scholars_Fig._1.tif, 411 Kb) [Download]

    Fig. 2a. dKUR.GAL by Marduk1-šumu-ibni (no. 8, K. 2848 + ) (May_Babylonian_scholars_Fig._2a.tif, 84 Kb) [Download]

    Fig. 2b mdKUR.GAL by Marduk1-zēru-ibni (no. 11, K. 2285 + ) (May_Babylonian_scholars_fig._2b.tif, 108 Kb) [Download]

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