Kassite Exercises: Literary and Lexical Extracts

Abstract

The development and transmission of cuneiform literature between the Old Babylonian period and the first millennium is still inadequately known and understood. The group of tablets presented here provides a small window on the riches of the literary and lexical texts used in Kassite period education. In addition to lexical extracts, the exercises include a surprising variety of texts and genres in both Akkadian and Sumerian: myths (Inana's Descent; Enlil and Sud), proverbs, riddles(?), Code of Hammurabi, omens, and incantations. A typical Middle Babylonian exercise tablet is pillow-shaped, and measures about 7 x 4 cm. Obverse and reverse are inscribed in different directions. The obverse has a literary extract in landscape format. The reverse contains a few lines from a lexical text and is in portrait format. In many cases only the obverse or only the reverse is inscribed. Occasionally, the anepigraphic side still shows evidence of previous writing and erasure. This text type is known in numerous exemplars from Nippur and Babylon, as well as in a few exemplars from Kish (MSL SS 1 23), Ur (UET 6/2 400), Qala'at al-Bahrain (Eidem 1997: 79:319), I wish to thank Leonhard Sassmannshausen, who drew my attention to several relevant tablets in the Philadelphia collection and beyond and made many valuable suggestions. Dr. Philip Jones contributed to the decipherment of UM 2916-606, and obliged me with a number of poignant observations. My thanks are due to both. Responsibility for all readings and interpretations remains entirely mine. and perhaps Sippar (CT 58 61 = BM 81700), all represented by one example each. In addition, there are two or three unprovenanced exemplars known to me.1