The Cuneiform inscriptions and the Old Testament; - The Search For ...

104 THE VVNEIFOBM INSCRIPTIONS AND THE 0. T.
The pronunciation with m (mi) on the one hand, and of
ng on the other arises from dialectical variety. The former
was the pronunciation of the Sumlrlans living in South-
Babylonia, the latter was that of the Akkadians who were
settled to the North of them. It is from the latter that the
Hebrews derived their pronunciation of the name.* It is
not quite clear what was the definite extent of the term
Sumlr-Shlnar. In particular it might seem doubtful accord-
ing to the inscriptions whether, as the Bible certainly leads
us to suppose , the city of Babel also belonged to Sumfr.
While we find in the inscriptions that the land of Kardunias
i. e. the district of the city of Babylon with the surrounding
country was, strictly speaking, separated from Sumir as
well as from Akkad, we find just as indubitable proof that
the Assyrians, on the other hand, regarded Babylon as
belonging also to Akkad and therefore to North-Babylonia;
for in one case they put ''Akkad" for the expression used
in other cases "Sumir and Akkad", Keillnsch, u. Gesch.
p. 59 inf. Comp. also the references pp. 533 foil, as well
as the subscriptions to the cylinder of Asurbanipal discovered
by Rassam (cyl. Rm.), to cyl. A and also to another cylinder
* Compare on this subject F. Lenormant, Etudes Accad. II. 3 p. 70
my remarks in Monatsberichte der Berlin. Acad, der Wissenschaften
p. 92: Fr. Delitzsch Parad. pp. 198 foil.; P. Haupt in Nachrichten von
der Gott. Ges. d. Wiss. 1880 p. 526 foil. For the division of Babylonia
into North-Babylonia = Akkad, and South-Babylonia = Sumer, see Keil-
insch. u. Gesch. pp. 296, 533 foil. Respecting the preliminary question,
whether the Akkado-Sumirian was a language and what was its character,
see the essay of the present writer "Is the Akkadian of the cuneiform
inscriptions a language or a system of writing?" in Zeitsch. der Dent.
Morg. Gesellschaft XXIX. 1875 pp. 1—52. Consult also P. Haupt 'The
Suraero-Akkadian language' in the Transactions of the Berlin Oriental
Congress I No. XI pp. 249 foil, and the author's recent essay : "Zur
Frage nach dem Urspruuge der altbabylouischen Cultur" (Abhandlungen
der Kon. Preufs. Akad. der Wiss. of the year 1883) Berl. 1884.
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