130 THEO. G. PINCHES, ESQ., NOTES UPON SOME OF THE 



which I shall try to give will be imperfect, but 1 shall do the 

 best with the material at my command. When more is 

 known of the Akkadian language, all Assyriologists will 

 doubtless be able to do better; for, could we only translate 

 these Akkadian inscriptions with even the same certainty 

 that we can a great part of those in the Assyrian tongue, 

 the story that we should have to tell would not only be free 

 from lacunas, but also more precise, and, being deprived of 

 all element of doubt, more interesting. 



Of all the kings of that ancient line, Gudea seems to 

 have been the most renowned. Outside of his own capital, 

 it is true, no mention of him has been found. As his realm 

 was one of importance in Babylonia, however, it is to be 

 supposed that it was not seldom mentioned in the records of 

 the land, and the fact that there is no record to hand of 

 Gudea and the renown of his kingdom, must be attributed 

 to mere chance, such as often seems to rule in the domain of 

 antiquarian research. 



The inscription of which I now give a paraphrase or 

 attempted translation, covers all the plainer parts of a very 

 fine statue (headless, unfortunately) of Gudea (frontispiece), 

 and is divided into nine columns, with a total of about 

 366 lines of writing. Portions have been translated by 

 Professors Hommel and Oppert, and renderings of the whole 

 have been given by the late M. Amiaud, the most promising 

 Assyriologist of France, lately deceased. The present ren- 

 dering differs in some particulars from those already given. 



Gudea begins with a kind of superscription referring to 

 the gifts made by him to the great temple of E-girsu (the 

 god Ninip). It begins as follows j — 



"(This), in the temple of E-girsu, his king, (is) the 

 image of Gudea, viceroy of Lagas, who built (the temple 

 called) E-ninnn." 



Here follow the offerings made by him — fermented drink, 

 food (of each 1 ka), and two other things (of each half a ka). 

 The inscription then proceeds : — 



" In the day of revocation, the word of E-girsu shall 

 place the ban on the viceroy, who shall revoke them. May 

 his gifts be revoked in the temple of E-girsu — may the 

 word of his mouth be cut off! "* 



* In Akkadian : U gu-ba gallam patesi gu-nibgigia, me E-girsu-ka 

 banipld. Sad/Uga-na E-E-girsu-ka-ta g%-gibgi, gu ka-nigisir. According 

 to the syllabaries and bilingual lists, the following would be the Semitic 

 rendering : Ina Am rugumme (or pukurre) iSsakku sa inaggag (or ippal), 



