Notes on the Lexical Texts from Abū Salābīkh and Ebla

Author(s): Francesco Pomponio

Source: Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 42, No. 4 (Oct., 1983), pp. 285-290
Published by: The University of Chicago Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/544541
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 NOTES ON THE LEXICAL TEXTS FROM ABU SALABTKH AND EBLA

Francesco Pomponio, University of Rome

IN his synopsis of the several manuscripts of the Aba SaldbTkh and E

geographical lists, G. Pettinato considered the following passages to be parallel
citing these passages I use the same sigla for the sources as he: a for the Ebla ve
with the Ab5 SalbTikh sources indicated by capital letters, using the same letters
R. D. Biggs, Inscriptions from Tell Abai SaldbTkh, OIP 99 [Chicago, 1974] [hereaf
cited as IAS].)

a obv. ii D (IAS no. 92) ii'

2 a-di-dumki 1' a-diki

3 bar-sa-ma-nuki 2' bar-sa-ma-nuki A (IAS no. 94) i'
4 ba-ra-muki 3' ba4-ra-muki
5 ra-haki 4' ra-hiki 1' ra-rhil[ki]
6 ba-na-a-za-liki omittit
7 UD.NIki T (IAS no. 105) ii' omittit
8 z'i-mu-darki 1' [ ]-mu-dark' omittit
9 7i-da-ga-nuki 2' adx(Lu?XBAD)-ga-nuki omittit
10 dra-sa-apk 3' ra*-sd[ki] 2' ri:[s]a(?):pgtki
Considering that the sign in A ii 2', read as [s]a(?), in fact consists of only a vertical
wedge-probably the final one-I consider it preferable to connect A ii 1' (to be read
ra-Fsd1[ki]) with a obv. ii 10 (dra-sa-apki) and T ii' 3' (ra-sd[ki]).2 Besides the uncertain-
ties in reading the sign in A ii 2', two inconsistencies would be eliminated: 1) the
vocalic interchange (ra-sd[ki] of T and ri:[s]a(?):piki of A), not attested elsewhere3
among the names in the manuscripts of the geographical list from Abt SalbTikh; and
2) the long and unique sequence of toponyms omitted in the principal manuscript of

the list
two fromin
versions Abi Sal.bikh
the passagecompared with
in question the then
would Ebla tablet.
consistThe
onlydifference between
of the lack of one the
place name: pt-rxi-riki in the Ebla source.

I G. Pettinato, "L'Atlante geografico del Vicino 2 As Professor Biggs kindly informs me (personal
Oriente Antico attestato ad Ebla e ad AbF Salabikhcommunication, 9 December 1982), there is insuf-
(I)," Or. n.s. 47 (1978): 64 and idem, Testi lessicali
ficient room for an additional long sign like ap in A
monolingui della Biblioteca L.2769, Materiali ii Epi-
1' and in T ii' 3'. For another example of apocope
grafici di Ebla 3 (Naples, 1981), p. 230. between the Ebla and Abo Salbilkh manuscripts,
see la-sa-adki//la-sdki (MEE 3, p. 231, line 43).
3 The first sign in the place name in fragment E
[JNES 42 no. 4 (1983)] (IAS 96) i' 7', transliterated [k]i:mjki in MEE 3,
@ 1983 by The University of Chicago. p. 232, line 83 and corresponding to ka-mu of A iv
All rights reserved. 4', consists simply of a small oblique wedge, as
0022-2968/83/4204-0005$ 1.00. copied in IAS.

285

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 286 JOURNAL OF NEAR EASTERN STUDIES

The other most remarkable series of omissions resulting from a co

the manuscripts from Aba SalbbTkh and Ebla concerns three lin
tinato's synopsis (see MEE 3, p. 235, 11. 162-64). The related pass

a obv. vii B (IAS no. 91) obv. vi

22 tar-lum-si-gaki 3 tlki
23 tar-ri-ma-kiki 4 tar-ri-meki

viii

I ti-lumki omittit
2 a-ri-ga-at ki omittit
3 bar-dibki omittit
4 bil-lumki 5 bil*-rlum*jki

But this reconstruction may be modified as follows:

a obv. vii B obv. vi

22 tar-lum-si-gaki 1 [ ]ki
23 tar-ri-ma-kiki 2 [ ]-ma [ ]

viii

1 ti-lumki 3 tilki

2 a-ri-ga-atki 4 tar-ri-gatx(ME)ki4
3 bar-dibki omittit
4 bil-lumki 5 bil*-rlum*1ki

Thus in this passage there would also be only one omitted lin
text A+B: bar-dibki
On the whole, according to Pettinato's reconstruction of the geographical list, ten
toponyms (lines 29-32, 62, 120, 162-64, and 249 of the synopsis) occur in the Ebla

manuscript
appears and not
exclusively inin those
the from
second textAbi Sal.ibikh,
(line 29a). On whereas
the otheronly one
hand, if place name
the above-
proposed modifications are correct, there would be four omissions: ga-rul2-wuki (line
62), pi-sa-anki (line 120), bar-dibki (line 164), sa-Uaki (line 249) and two: pt-rx1-riki
(line 33) and nu-riki (line 39a), respectively. Moreover, the broken line of B v (= A+B
vii) I would be omitted in the Ebla version as can be seen from the following:

4 For the value qatx of ME that must be assumed to admit the fall of the initial consonant in a-ri-ga-
for the ga-at of the Ebla tablet, see R. Labat, Man- atki. For other examples of apheresis in the names
uel d'dpigraphie akkadienne, 5th ed. (Paris, 1976),in the geographical list, see ni-i-nuki inuki (MEE3,
p. 266: qat4 = ME. Besides, in order to reconcile the p. 231, line 40) and ba-ga-ga-ankil/ra"-gaganki
(ibid., line 54).
two versions of this line of the list, we are compelled

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 NOTES ON THE LEXICAL TEXTS FROM ABt SALABIKH AND EBLA 287
a obv. vi A+B obv. vi

23 6s-st-unx(UD)ki 23 s-sta[n]ki
vii

omittit 1 [ ]
vii

1 su-da-anki 2 st'dki

It follows that four toponyms in a seem to be missing in the surv

and three toponyms of A+B appear to be omitted in a. Thus, w
the full tablet from Ebla lists 289 place names, one may assume
existed in the Abi! Salbbikh version. Besides, each column of the obverse of the Ebla
version is composed of twenty-three lines. As it is possible to reconstruct for the first
six columns of A+ B (those that preserve their respective final lines) and columns vii-
viii, some initial lines of which are still legible, each of the first eight columns of the
main manuscript of Abo Salbikh must list twenty-three place names. This may also
be true for the remaining two columns of the obverse (ix-x) because of the regularity
with which the scribe subdivided the whole surface of the tablet by vertical and
horizontal rulings.5
In any case, the structural comparison of columns and lines between a and A+B
may be proposed for the first eight columns as follows:

a (Ebla) A+B (Abi SalabTkh)

col. i 1-23 (of the synposis) 1-23

ii 24-46 24-44 (+ pt-rxL-riki and nu-riki)
iii 47-69 45-68 (- gu-rul2_wuki)
iv 70-92 69-91
v 93-115 92-114

vi 116-38 115-38 (- pt -sa-anki)

vii 139-61 139-60 (+ [ ] )
viii 162-84 161-84 (- bar-dibki)

Thus, at the end of the eighth column the two manuscripts should
The place name sa-haki which afterwards (a obv. xi 19) is omitte
been replaced by another toponym now lost in the large gap in f
it should be noted that rev. i of a lists twenty-four place names, as
three of the preceding columns. More generally, the reverses of bot
and the Ebla manuscripts do not appear to be as regular in the

5 In the whole upper part of the obverse

A) the(= B) the
slight differences do not allow us to su
variations
cases have the same height; also in the in the
lower part (= number of the lines.

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 288 JOURNAL OF NEAR EASTERN STUDIES

lines in the columns as on the obverse, perhaps because of the pres

in the last column.

II

Another-and far less important-link between the lexical documents of Aba Sali-
bTkh and Ebla may be represented by two "school texts," published in MEE 3 and by
R. D. Biggs and J. N. Postgate.6 The obverse of the latter exercise tablet (IAS 523),
much smaller than the former, lists the name of the god Enlil in its three surviving
lines; the reverse reads as follows (beside each line the possible parallel from MEE 3,
no. 68 is indicated):

rev. i(?) 1 SAGXGAR(?) SAGXGAR(?) (obv. i 7)

2 SAGXKID igx-SAGXKID-d07 (obv. ii 3)
3 2-sag
4 sig4-?e ge-sig4-ge-sig4 (obv. iv 4)
5 di-sag
6 [ ]-sag
ii(?) 1 ki-sag sag-ki (obv. iii 2)
2 zi-pa zi-pa (rev. iii 4)
3 kun-bar igi-kun (obv. iv 3)
4 naga-di
5 rba18-mul
6 en-rnun(?)'-[ ]

Compare also the three examples of sag in IAS 523 rev. i 3. 5-6 with the sag-/:(x)
of MEE 3, no. 68 obv. i 1 and rev. ii 3-4. It is possible that MEE 3, no. 68 and the
reverse of IAS 523 are different copies of the same model text which was available in
the schools of Ebla and Abl Salabikh. The model text in question may be an excerpt
from the Eblaite monolingual list aS-bar unken' and, consequently, from the bi-
lingual vocabulary of Ebla.'o See the following correspondences between IAS 523 and
the Sumerian words of the vocabulary of Ebla (VE = MEE 4, pp. 197-343):

IAS 523 VE

rev. i(?) 1 SAGXGAR(?) SAGXGAR+AKA (261)

2 SAGXKID SAGXKID (260)
3 2-sag 2-sag-s i (259a)

6 MEE 3, pp. 262-63, line 68; R. D. ?ubaxBiggs and see M. Civil, "Studies on Early
of LAM.SAG,
J. N. Postgate, "Inscriptions from Abfi Dynastic Lexicography I," Oriens Antiquus 21
Salibikh,
1975," Iraq 40 (1980): 112, no. 523. (1982): 19-20.
7 i?,(LAM)-sag-d6i occurs as a personal 8 Forname in of this sign and the related paral-
the reading
the Early Dynastic III texts from Fara lel ( WF
with65 obv. I am indebted to Professor
?e-ba-mul
iv; 71 rev. vi) and from Laga? (see CT M. 50, 28 obv. iv
Civil.
4; 32 rev. i 1; J. Bauer, Altsumerische Wirtschafts- 9 See MEE 4, pp. 118-30.
texte aus Lagasch, Studia Pohl 9 (Rome, 1972), t0 Ibid., p. xviii.
no. 176 obv. ii 12; DP 59 rev. i 16). For the reading

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 NOTES ON THE LEXICAL TEXTS FROM AB3 SALABIKH AND EBLA 289

4 sig4-?e ge-sig4 (664a)

5 di-sag [sa]g-di (251a)
6[ ]-sag
ii(?) 1 ki-sag sag-ki (251b)
2 zi-pa ni-zi-pa:zi-pa (120)
3 kun-bar
4 naga-di naga-di(1228)
5 rbal:mul ge-ba-mul (673b)
6 en-rnun(?)'-[ ] en-nun-aka (908)

Note also the correspondences between MEE 3, no. 68 and VE:

MEE 3, no. 68 VE

obv. i (x(?))-sag
2 e-sag cf. e-sag (EV 063 = MEE 4, p. 352)
3 sag-a-gu4
4 DIMXKAK-sag cf. sag-DIMXNI (EV 0325 = MEE 4, p. 369)
5 SAGXNI SAGXNI (264. 266d)
6 SAGXNI-gid SAGXNI-gid (266b)
7 SAGXGAR(?) SAGXGAR+AKA (261)
ii 1 'SAGXX1

2 si-diu si-di (l116)

3 iSx-SAGXKID-d! iSx-di (1115)
4 gii-dim
5 ti-li-NE ti-li-NE (903)
6 ti-li-NE-(?) ti-NE-li (1391)
iii 1 (x)-d i
2 sag-ki sag-ki (251b)
3 6? 6 (341)
4 igi igi(738)
5 SAGXIGI SAGXIGI (265b. 267)
6 sig7-gi:zi sig7-gi-zi (1204)
7 sig7-sag-k6gda sig7-ka-kI6da (1203)
8 sig7(-?) sig7-gur8 (965a)?
iv 1 (x-)ub igi-ub(729)
2 igi-gur4 igi-gur4 (736)
3 igi-kun
4 e-sig4-?e-sig4 e-sig4-?e-sig4 (664b)
5 ge-sig4-NE.NE ge-sig4-NE.NE (665)

rev. i 1 sag sag (247. 268)

2 &-nag(ar)
3 sag-(x)
4 sag-(x)
5 sag-bi KA-bi (187)

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290 JOURNAL OF NEAR EASTERN STUDIES

6 igi-(x)
7 igi-(x)
ii 1 igi-dar igi-dar (715)
2[ ]
3 rtel te (1024)
4 i-sar i-sar (1134. 1442)
5 ui-sar-[aka(?)] ui-sar-aka (1135. 1440)
6 nu nu (1147)
7 eme-(x x) eme-(ir/bala/IA) (178-80)
iii 1 sag-dar sag-dar
2[ ]
3 ge-mar ge-mar (659)
4 zi-pa ni-zi-pa:zi-pa (120)
5 gin gin-/:dilmun (754) ?
6 KAXKID cf. KAXKID (EV 0174 = MEE 4, p. 360)
7 KAXKID-Sar KAXKID-sar (200)
8 KAXKID-d1 KAXKID-d' (199)
9( )
iv 1( )
2[ ]
3 zi zi (1050. 1315)
4 sa-g6 sa-gti (311)
5 gti-tar (phonetic writing ?) gfi-tar (195
6 gti-har (phonetic writing ?) gi-bhar (20
7 sag-ui KA-6 (184)
8 6-x

v 1 ki-rxl-df
2 kfi-dfi-sfi
3 kfi ki (85. 156)
4 sig-sag (phonetic writing ?) sag-sig (240)
5 (x)-dub

Therefore, on the whole, even if in different order of citation, 8 words out of 9 from
IAS 523 and 37 words out of 45 from MEE 3, no. 68 seem to have correspondences in
VE and EV. If my considerations on the parallels between IAS 523 and MEE 3, no. 68
and these exercise tablets and the monolingual list of Ebla are correct, it follows that
the text 6 -bar unken or at least some extracts from it were known to the scribes at
Abfi Saldbikh.

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