RECENT DISCOVERIES IN THE REALM OP ASSYRIOLOGY, ETC. 125 



there is no need to suppose that the article a^has been dropped 

 by the Arabs, the correct form of the name being *J Jj, 



Tell-Loh, for J Jj or ^ J>*. 



Though the name of Lagas does not occur with very 

 great frequency in the literature of Babylonia in general, yet, 

 as it was a very important place, it was often mentioned under 

 some other name, such as t^jEJ ^IhJ> Nina, ^^fff "^IT ^H!> 

 Girsu, *->^\ ^yt> Uru-asaga, and t| ^fyyy, Gisgala, the names, 

 probably, of certain districts within the city. The principal 

 name, after Lagas, was Girsu. Thus we have, in the lists of 

 the temples, s^YTTT TTT V -HIT *S=TT <IH> " the 3rd temple 

 (of Nergal) of Girsu;" b=YTTT Hh <^!T V ^TU >"^TT <ffif, 

 bet D.P. Nergal sa Girsu D.S., "the temple of Nergal of 

 Girsu;" and the temple S^TTTT HJ "£^1 Kn*' known as "temple 

 60 " (fcfyyf y) was also in Girsu. Lagas (-<££ £ V ^f <Jgf) 

 was renowned for a temple known as ''the house of the 

 great light of heaven " (s^ff -<£>£ th Hf- -4)> the 64th 

 (J^yyyy y V) on the list of Babylonian temples. The cities of 

 Lagas and Girsu are also mentioned in incantations, of 

 which one (K. 2726) reads as follows: — 



Tentative Translation. 



" spirit of his (E-girsu's ?) consort, lady whose heart is 

 exalted, she who causeth suffering to go forth from a man, 

 who perfecteth the body (?) with lordly clothing, Ban, 

 lady of Girsu, shining forth in Lagas, mayest thou exorcise 

 (the evil thing) in Nitfer.* 



* The wedge-text of this is as follows 





L 2 



