CHIEFLY FROM NIPPUR. 



35 



The brick legend on PI. 29 was already published by Pinches in Hebraica, Vol. VI, 

 pp. 55-58. I need make no apology for republishing it here, as Mr. Pinches' edition, 

 I am sorry to say, is of little use, the cuneiform text and translation offered by 

 him being unfortunately incorrect in all essential points. The legend was stamped 

 " by means of a wooden block, on the brick." The stamp, however, having been 

 carved very shallowly, the inscription, " though impressed evenly," is not very distinct 

 on any of the many hundreds of bricks which were found. 1 Besides, the surface is 

 covered "with a thin deposit, which adds to the difficulty of deciphering the in- 

 scription." Notwithstanding all this, I did not deem it necessary to mark any of 

 its cuneiform characters as doubtful. My copy was made after a long and careful 

 study of each character, and especial attention was paid to every detail. Certain 

 cuneiform characters could not be recognized distinctly on the original except in the 

 light immediately preceding sunrise, the best time for copying difficult cuneiform in- 

 scriptions. On the following points I am obliged to differ from Mr. Pinches : 



1. Pinches : "The date of this inscription is uncertain. Judging from the style 

 of the characters, it should be about 1500 B. C, but it may be as early as 2500 B. C" 

 In the present writer's opinion the inscription belongs to one of the last rulers of the 

 Cassite dynasty. For paleographic reasons it cannot be older than 1250 B. C, and 

 in fact belongs to a king who ruled c. 1165 B. O. 



2. Pinches transliterates the name of the ruler (1. 4) " Nin-Dubba," regards its 

 bearer to be a lady, and adds, the inscription " is the only text of a queen of Meso- 

 potamia known." Mi - . Pinches should have been the more careful in introducing this 

 regent as a female to Assyriologists. I read 1. 4 Mili-Shikliu (see below) and regard 

 this person as being the well-known Cassite king who ruled c. 1171-1157 B. C. 



3. The first character in 1. 5 is, according to Mr. Pinches, nin, " lady," while in 

 reality the text gives siba, " shepherd." 



4. Mr. Pinches reads (1. 0) lugal Ega, " queen of Ega," and adds, " Ega is probably 

 another name for this city [Nippur], or for a part of it." The phrase thus misunder- 

 stood by Mr. Pinches is the very common title lugal lig (?)' 2 -get, " the powerful king." 



The inscription in question reads as follows: 1. Bbw '"Ea-lil-la(l) 2. lugal hur- 

 Tcur-ra 3. lugal-a-ni-ir 4. Din ' fu ' Mili- dinai ' Shihu 5. siba she-ga-bi 6. lugal lig (?) 

 -ga 7. lugal ub-da tab-tab-ba 8. E-hur 9. e-M-ag-ga-a-ni 10. shaja al-ur-ra-ta 

 11. mu-u?i-na-ru, "To Bel, lord of lands, his lord, Mili-Shikhu, his favorite shep- 

 herd, powerful king, king of the four quarters of the earth, built Ekur, his beloved 

 house, with bricks." 



'Cf. "Table of Contents." 



* Jensen in Z. A. I, p. 396, note 4. 



