Abnu šikinšu, inscribed NA
4 GAR-''šú'', “the stone whose appearance is…,” is one of the most prominent
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...
n examples of a
lapidary
Lapidary () is the practice of shaping rock (geology), stone, minerals, or gemstones into decorative items such as cabochons, engraved gems (including cameo (carving), cameos), and faceted designs. A person who practices lapidary techniques of ...
, or “stone identification handbook.” It provides a list of the names of minerals and highlights their therapeutic or magical use. It is currently extant in six fragments: from
Sultantepe
The ancient temple-complex, perhaps of Huzirina, now represented by the tell of Sultantepe, is a Late Assyrian archeological site at the edge of the Neo-Assyrian empire, now in Şanlıurfa Province, Turkey. Sultantepe is about south of Urfa o ...
, ancient Huzirina,
[STT 108 tablet VAT 13940+]
[STT 109]
Assur
Aššur (; AN.ŠAR2KI, Assyrian cuneiform: ''Aš-šurKI'', "City of God Aššur"; ''Āšūr''; ''Aθur'', ''Āšūr''; ', ), also known as Ashur and Qal'at Sherqat, was the capital of the Old Assyrian city-state (2025–1364 BC), the Midd ...
,
[ BAM IV 378.][BAM 194 vii (=KAR 185, VAT 9587).] Kuyunjik, ancient
Nineveh
Nineveh ( ; , ''URUNI.NU.A, Ninua''; , ''Nīnəwē''; , ''Nīnawā''; , ''Nīnwē''), was an ancient Assyrian city of Upper Mesopotamia, located in the modern-day city of Mosul (itself built out of the Assyrian town of Mepsila) in northern ...
[K. 4751.] and a late
Babylonia
Babylonia (; , ) was an Ancient history, ancient Akkadian language, Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Kuwait, Syria and Iran). It emerged as a ...
n exemplar from
Sippar
Sippar (Sumerian language, Sumerian: , Zimbir) (also Sippir or Sippara) was an ancient Near Eastern Sumerian and later Babylonian city on the east bank of the Euphrates river. Its ''Tell (archaeology), tell'' is located at the site of modern Tell ...
[BM 50664.] Differences in the surviving copies indicate that more than one version was in circulation in ancient times although its listing in the
Exorcists Manual
In some religions, an exorcist (from the Greek „ἐξορκιστής“) is a person who is believed to be able to cast out the devil or performs the ridding of demons or other supernatural beings who are alleged to have possessed a person, ...
indicates its centrality in the training curriculum of the aspiring ''
ašipu
In ancient Mesopotamia, the ašipu (also āšipu or mašmaššu) acted as priests. They were scholars and practitioners of diagnosis and treatment in the Tigris and Euphrates valley (now Iraq) around 3200 BC.
Etymology
Sumerian and Akkadian r ...
'', or exorcist.
The text
The work describes the differences of stones in color, design, and function, such as “the name of the stone which looks like unripe grapes is ''abašmû''”
[ and “as a lump of salt is called stone for childbirth.”][ Some stones are associated with the heavens. ]Jasper
Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. The common red color is due to ...
(NA4-''aš-pu'') is likened to the clear heavens and a rain cloud and represents the lower heavens due to its greenish or bluish hue, the color of the sky. The stone of the middle heaven is described: "The stone whose appearance is like lapis-lazuli is named ''saggilmud''-stone,”[
The stone of the upper heavens is then described as “The stone whose appearance is red, covered with white and black patches is named (of) ''luludānītu'' stone.][ Statues representing ''šēdu'' and ''lamassu'' figures were made from specific stones to repel the evildoer. A stone described as like black obsidian was used “to dispel the wrath of the (personal) god.” The ''ḫusīgu''-stone was used in a stone charm preventing a ''ḫa'attu''-demon from attacking the person who wears it. The stone KA.GI.NA.DIB, the stone of truthfulness, “reports to ]Šamaš
Shamash (Akkadian language, Akkadian: ''šamaš''), also known as Utu (Sumerian language, Sumerian: dutu "Sun") was the List of Mesopotamian deities, ancient Mesopotamian Solar deity, sun god. He was believed to see everything that happened in t ...
what he (the wearer) says, truth as well as falsehood” and “only a pious man should wear it.”[CAD n1 p. 66.]
References to Abnu šikinšu also appear in neo-Babylonian texts, such as the colophon of a stone list[BM 38385 vi 17.] and another tablet[BM 77806.] of a similar genre which is not part of the series but preserves its name.
Inscriptions
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abnu shikinshu
Akkadian literature
Clay tablets
Gemology