26 



OLD BABYLONIAN INSCRIPTIONS 



of the text as given in the first and second editions of IV R., 1 I transliterate and 

 restore the passage as follows : Shar-ge-na slia ina SHIR an-ni-i Kisli-shu ['"-] 

 BdUlu ,u i-[sM-f slium-ma epre sha {i shal-la bdbu TU-NA i] is-su-hu-ma .... 

 [ina limefytu A-ga-de H dlu i-bu-shu-ma [UB-DA] 5 -" shum-slw im-bu-u . . . . 

 [ma lib-] bi u-slie-shi-bu, "Sargon, who under this omen brought sorrow upon Kish 

 and Babylon, tore away the earth of ... . and built a city in the vicinity of (or 

 "after the pattern of"?) Agade, called its name 'place (city) of the world,' and 

 caused the inhabitants of Kish and Babylon (?) to dwell there." 



I infer from this (a) that Kish and Babylon existed as prominent cities already 

 in the time of Sargon I, as this great ruler deemed it necessary to render them harm- 

 less ; (6) that the dynasty of Kish was overthrown by Sargon I, 6 and that therefore 

 Alusharshid and Manishtusu are to be placed before Sargon I; 7 (c) that the reason 

 why the vases of Alusharshid, all badly broken, were found lying close by the com- 

 paratively well-preserved monuments of Sargon, but not by those of JSTaram-Sin, is 

 that Alusharshid apparently ruled before Sargon, not after Karani-Sin. 



The question arises, Which city corresponds in later times to that built by Sargon 

 " in the vicinity (?) of Agade," and with which the title " king of the four quarters 

 of the world " 8 was associated ? There are reasons for identifying it with Kutha, 

 as Winckler 9 does. But stronger arguments seem to point to Ursagkalama 10 with its 

 famous temple, " the mountain of the world," (always mentioned in close connection 

 with Kish, the probable seat of the sliarrut MsJishati), as being identical with " the 

 city of the world " u founded by Sargon I. 



1 This important text seems to have suffered still more since its first publication by George Smith in IV R. 1 , as a 

 comparison with Pinches' new edition clearly shows. Had all the differences between the first and second editions of 

 the text, brought about by a decomposition of the tablet, been carefully noted, it would have been of great value, as 

 the first edition is not always accessible to students. 



2 Cf. V R. 12, No. 6, 50 ; II R. 52, 67 c : Ei-shu (cf. above, p. 24, note 2). Perhaps ki is wanting, and u, " and," 

 is to be substituted. 



3 This is the most probable reading, according to the traces in IV R.-. Cf. E. 3657, col. I, 9 (i-s7m-ush), and IV 

 R. 2 1,*42, a, "the sickness which brings woe upon the country" (j,-ash-shashu). 



4 These five characters are not quite clear to me, though it is evident that Sargon purposely destroyed something. 



6 The two wedges beginning the character UB are clearly to be seen in IV R. 1 , and the last two wedges of DA 

 still remain in IV R.'-'. More than two characters cannot have stood there. For the meaning of UB-DA, without 

 arba'i, cf. Jensen, Eosmologie, p. 167. 



6 For various other reasons the city kingdom of Kish cannot be placed after Sargon I. 



' Paleographical reasons also favor this chronological arrangement of the two dynasties. I reached my conclusion 

 after the plates in question were printed. PI. 4-5 and III-V are to be placed before those of Sargon I and Naram-Sin. 



s It is quite possible that monuments of Sargon may yet be found, on which he calls himself "king of the four 

 quarters of the earth." 



s e. g., 6esc?i., pp. 31, 33. 



10 For this reading cf. Jensen in Sehradei''s E B. Ill, Part 1, p. 23, note 5. 

 11 Cf. Winckler's remarks, I. c, p. 33, iu connection with " Gharsagkalama." 



