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ARKADIUSZ SOŁTYSIAK The Birthday of Asakku WIGGERMANN, F.A.M., 1992. Mesopotamian Protective Spirits. The Ritual Texts. Series: Cuneiform Monographs, 1. Groeningen: Styx Publications. WISEMAN, D.J., 1969. A Lipšur Litany from Nimrud. Iraq 31, 175-183. Received: 1 November 2007; Revised: 29 July 2008 ASAKKU GIMTADIENIS Arkadiusz Sołtysiak Santrauka Dievui Ašurui skirtame laiške Asirijos karalius Asarhadonas (Esarhaddon) informuoja savo dievą apie žygį prieš nedidelę Šubrijos (Šubria) valstybę, buvusią kalnuose, šiauriau Asirijos. Kai Asirijos kariuomenė apgulė Šubrijos valstybės sostinę Upumę (Uppume), nakties gūdumoje „21 Kislimo ir Asakku gimtadienio dieną“ gynėjai bandė sudeginti asirų pylimo konstrukciją; tai buvo vienintelė Šubrijos gyventojų sėkmė, kadangi neilgai trukus jie buvo nugalėti savo priešų. Labiausiai dominantis motyvas šiame pasakojime yra paties įvykio data, kuri, pasak laiško autoriaus, nebuvo atsitiktinė. Ji aiškiai įvardijama kaip uhulgalû (akadų kalba tai reiškia „nepalanki diena“). Posakis „Asakku gimtadienis“ kituose šaltiniuose neminimas, bet jo svarba tikriausiai gali būti paaiškinta Asirijos hemerologijos, astromantijos ir astralinio simbolizmo kontekste. Pirma, tai buvo 21-oji mėnesio diena, trečio Mėnulio ketvirčio diena ir viena iš penkių pačių pavojingiausių mėnesio dienų, kai atitinkami ritualai galėjo būti atliekami tam, kad užkirstų kelią padidėjusiam demonų aktyvumui. Antra, žiemos solsticijai artimas Kislimu mėnuo buvo priskiriamas Nergalui (Nergal), požemių karalystės dievui ir didžiajam kariui. Ryšys tarp šios datos ir Asakku – akmeninės pabaisos tradiciniame šumerų tikėjime bei rytinių kalnų demono asirų tradicijoje – buvo gerai pagrįstas šiuolaikinėje spekuliatyvioje teologijoje, kurioje dievo-kario kova prieš Asakku yra siejama su žiemos audromis. Visa svarstyta įvykių eiga, atrodo, buvo sąmoningas bandymas pagrįsti žygį prieš Šubriją platesniame kosmologiniame kontekste, kuris tuometinių išsilavinusių asirų būtų lengvai atpažįstamas, remiantis visuma astronominių ir kalendorinių simbolių, paplitusių Naujojo – Asirijos – laikotarpio metu tarp dvasininkų-astronomų. Vertė Algirdas Girininkas, Jonas Vaiškūnas 56
Uncovering Seshat: new insights into the stretching of the cord ceremony NOEMI MIRANDA, JUAN A. BELMONTE, MIGUEL ANGEL MOLINERO Abstract The antiquity of the Egyptian ritual of the “stretching of the cord” can be traced back to the 1st Dynasty, although the possibility that it was even older can not be absolutely discarded. Right up until the latest representations of the ceremony, which date to the Roman period, one goddess always appeared in it: Seshat. The iconography of the ritual retained throughout several features that are present in the earliest scene known, dating to king Khasekhemuy. We know that the “stretching of the cord” was used for the orientation of Egyptian constructions and that the scenes represented in several temples were accompanied by texts with astronomical references. During the Ptolemaic period, these texts referred to the constellation Meskhetyu. However, it is the question of the iconography of the goddess, and especially of her hieroglyphic sign, that has moved us to propose a new hypothesis for the technique developed and used during the foundation ceremony. Despite many theories, there is no definitive explanation of the sign held by Seshat over her head. The hypothesis we consider here takes into account the apparent similarities that exist between the depiction of Roman gromae and the hieroglyph of the goddess. The fact that they are both associated with building orientation leads us to suggest that the sign was not only used as an identification of the goddess, i.e. her emblem, but also represented an actual topographic instrument, similar to a groma, that would have served to orientate the buildings according to certain rules that are referred in the hieroglyphic texts. Key words: Egyptian astronomy, Seshat hieroglyphic sign, Roman groma, Egyptian aspective, stars of Meskhetyu. Introduction We do not have any information from the oldest periods of Egyptian history about how sacred structures (i.e. temples, pyramids, tombs, etc.) were orientated. However, we do have some important texts from the Greco- Roman period that mention how the foundations of a temple were established. In particular, the temple axis was laid out by stretching a rope between two stakes or poles in a ceremony known as the “stretching of the cord”. As shown in Fig. 1, this is frequently depicted on temple walls as early as the 2nd Dynasty (Miranda, Belmonte and Molinero 2007), where the pharaoh and the goddess Seshat, with her hieroglyphic sign over her head, are represented holding up the two poles. But let the king speak to us (Zaba 1953): I have grasped the stake along with the handle of the mallet. I take the measuring cord in the company of Seshat. I observe the progressive movement of the stars. My eye is now fixed upon Meskhet(yu). The god of timekeeping stands by me, in front of his merkhet. Then, I have established the four corners of the temple. This text is written on the walls of Horus’ temple in Edfu, whose foundations were laid in 237 BCE. The astronomical target observed in order to lay down the temple axis is the constellation of the Bull’s Foreleg, Meskhetyu, in the present day the Plough. Some additional information can be obtained from another text (Zaba 1953) associated with the stretching of the cord, in this case at the temple of Dendera, a further 150 km to the north of Edfu: The king stretches the rope in joy. With his glance toward the Akh of Meskhet(yu), he establishes the temple of the Lady of Dendera, as took place there before. Here the text mentions the Akh of the Plough. This term, plural akhu, is mentioned in the Pyramid Texts and has been translated as “spirit”, “brilliant” or “blessed”. Hence, we might translate it as “the brilliant (star) of the Plough”. However, bearing in mind that the seven stars of the Plough are almost of the same brightness, we could consider, as Krupp (1983) has already suggested, that Akh “most likely refers to a particular position and orientation of the Plough in its circular course around the Pole”. This idea will be relevant for our proposal. The earliest representation of a stretching of the cord ceremony is found in the Palermo Stone: it refers to the reign of an unknown king of the 1st Dynasty (ca. 3000 BCE), presumably Den (Wilkinson 2000). Here, the sign of Seshat is written in a way more similar to the Old and early New Kingdom depictions (see for example, Fig. 2) than to those of the Greco-Roman period, i.e. (ancient form) instead of (modern form). ARCHAEOLOGIA BALTICA 10 II II. ASTRO- NOMICAL AND COSMOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE IN MYTHOLOGY AND RELIGION 57
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ARCHAEOLOGIA BALTICA10 Astronomy an
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UDK 902/904 Ar 46 Volume 10 Editori
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Page 8 and 9: PREFACE Jonas VaiškūnaS Preface T
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Page 14 and 15: List of Contributors Dimitar Kolev
Page 16 and 17: List of Contributors 16 Dainius Raz
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Page 22 and 23: THE MILKY WAY AND ITS STRUCTURING F
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Page 26 and 27: CECILIA PAULA GÓMEZ Venus And The
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Page 30 and 31: Astronyms in Belarussian Folk Belie
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Page 40 and 41: A Solar Calendar from Latvian Daina
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Page 46 and 47: Mesopotamian Influences on Persian
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Page 72 and 73: The Mythological Moon Horse as Refl
Page 78 and 79: The Visual and the Mythical- Poetic
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Page 88 and 89: JONAS VAIŠKŪNAS Some Peripheral F
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A new attempt to date the Xia, Shan
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GÖRAN HENRIKSSON A new attempt to
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Eleventh-Century Supernovae: Anothe
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Eleventh-Century Supernovae: Anothe
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The Date of Purim and Calendars in
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L’abbé Jean Lebeuf, (1687- 1760)
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Orientations at the Minoan Peak San
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GREGORY E. MUNSON, BRYAN C. BATES,
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Reading, Writing, and Recording the
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Reading, Writing, and Recording the
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David W. Pankenier, Ciyuan Y. Liu,
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The Xiangfen, Taosi site: a Chinese
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On the Origin of the Roman Idea of
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GIULIO MAGLI On the Origin of the R
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On the Origin of the Roman Idea of
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The Nuraghic Well of Santa Cristina
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ARNOLD LEBEUF The Nuraghic Well of
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ANDREI PROKHOROV Images on the Ston
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Images on the Stones at Scebiaraky
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Images on the Stones at Scebiaraky
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Thracian Dolmens and their Orientat
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Antonio César González García, V
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Thracian Dolmens and their Orientat
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JOHN MCKIM MALVILLE, MICHAEL ZAWASK
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JOHN MCKIM MALVILLE, MICHAEL ZAWASK
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Cosmological Motifs of Peruvian Hua
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Cosmological Motifs of Peruvian Hua
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MARCELLO RANIERI A Geometrical Anal
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A Geometrical Analysis of Mesoameri
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LUCILLA LABIANCA, IDA SCIORTINO, SI
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An Archaeoastronomical Study of the
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Some Cosmological Aspects оf Catho
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RIMVYDAS LAUŽIKAS Some Cosmologica
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Fig. 1. Distribution of the graves
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Basatanya revisited: two periods of
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The Pythagorean Geometry of the Atr
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The Pythagorean Geometry of the Atr
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Measurement Systems for Mathematics
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Measurement Systems for Mathematics
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Integrating Archaeoastronomy with L
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LIONEL SIMS Integrating Archaeoastr
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Integrating Archaeoastronomy with L
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From Umm Al Qab to Biban Al Muluk:
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Juan Antonio Belmonte, Antonio Cés
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Juan Antonio Belmonte, Antonio Cés
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From Umm Al Qab to Biban Al Muluk:
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The Orientations of Central Alentej
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Cardinal and Lunisolar Alignments a
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Cardinal and Lunisolar Alignments a
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Searching for the Astronomy of Abor
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Alternative Archaeoastronomies - An
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Alternative Archaeoastronomies - An
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THE CASE STUDY OF THE BOORONG The C
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The Case Study of the Boorong JOHN
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The Case Study of the Boorong JOHN
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Nationalism and Politics in the Rec
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Nationalism and Politics in the Rec
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Cosmic Catastrophes and Cultural Di
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In Memoriam Izold’s interests wer
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Klaipėdos universiteto leidykla AR
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Plates 2 6 1 3 Plate II. Antonio C
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Plates 12 11 10 9 8 7 Plate IV. IV
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Plates 1 11 Plate VI. VI Antonio C
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