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NUMERALS 119
20. ni8, SCHEIL,ibid.,13, and CT. XI 24, 32. \Ve should have ex­
pected the word to be min-u = 2 X 10. In case the original was min-u8u
(see note 4, page 118) it may be that ni8 is to be derived from this formo
30. U8U,V R. 37 d 50, and CT. XII 24, 3. From es, 'three', and
u, 'ten', e8-u> U8U> '. The value e-eS CT. XI 24, 33 is probably the
resuIt of vowel harmony in which e has prevailed over u; e8u> ese>
e8.
40. nimin, V R. 37 a 7. Composed of ni8, 'twenty', and min,
'two'. Contracted to nin, CT. XI 24,34 = 27 obv. II 24.
50. ninnü, V R. 37 a 15; CT. XI 24, 35. Composed of nin, 'forty',
and u, 'ten'. nimin-u > ninnü.
60. The original word for 'sixty' was apparently gi8, a value
which may be assumed for the sign T = 60 2. By phonetic decay gi8
became mU83, and finally us, hence often written :rtT U8, and 1ET Ú84,
The sign 1ET has also the value es and this is in fact the reading assi­
gned to lE! = 8üsa, 'sixty', in CT. XI 24,36 (e-e8, = es). es probably
arose from gi8,ges by the apocopation of initial g. The Babylonian word
for 'sixty " süsu, sussu is a loan-word from Sumerian sus, literally '1/6 of
a circle', Le., 60 degrees, and hence sus = SUSSU(60) and sussü (1/6).
The word sus must have been current in Sumer for sixty fol' it figures
in the form fol' 216,000, 8u8-sar = 60 X 3,600.
600. The Babylonian neru may be of Sumerian ol'igin in which case
the word for six hundred was ner. The late cuneifol'm writing is t,
evidently developed from REC. 458.
3,600. sár, written ordinarily 4; the word Sár is also translated by
kissatu, 'totality', a vast number. 10 sár is pl'onounced sar-u,. 20 Sár,
1. By vowel harmony.
2. Cf. T = kes in the sign name oí ~ T = pappu.kesse·ku, and the regular
values oí lo clis, tis.
3. mu-us = 60, SBR. 92, 25.
4. Cf. PEISER, KB. IV 194. These two signs are not employed for 'sixty' in the
.classical periodo The late numerical signs T~ = 100 and