252 OLD BABYLONIAN INSCRIPTIONS 



standing in close proximity to each other frequently enter into a combination, forming 

 so-called ligatures. 1 Cf. No. 86, 5 Var. (ma-na), 8 (tab-ba, cf. also Variants), 15 

 Tar. (M-gub) ; Part I, PI. 14, 2 (du-du) ; No. 87, col. II, 9 (ma-shu), 20 Var. (da- 

 ga), 34 (ki-ag), 45 (da-gi, cf. Var. gi-gi), 2 col. Ill, 21 (ba-dag)* 34 (PA [first half 

 of the character sibf-gal) ; ."No. 93, 7 (Shul-pa) f No. 94, 1 (Ma-din-dug (?) ) j" 1 No. 98, 

 2 (dam-dumu) ; No. Ill, 6 (na-da)j On the monuments of Tello this tendency to 

 unite two characters into one is almost entirely confined to the inscriptions of Ur- 

 Nina. 8 The best illustration is afforded by the writing of the name of his son, Nina- 

 shu-banda. The four signs which compose the name are contracted into one large 

 sign, the earliest example of a regular monogram in the history of writing (De Sar- 

 zee, I. c, PI. 2 bis , No. 1). A number of signs which occurred always 9 in the same 



d'Assyriologie III, p. 31, 1-5, 9, 11, 14 f.); Entemena (De Sarzec, I. c, PL 5, Nos. 2, 4'and 5 ; PL 31, No. 3, col. I, 

 2, 4, 5, col. II, 3 ff ; Revue d'Assyriologie II, p. 148, col. I, 1-6, etc.) ; Eiianatimia II (De Sarzec, I. c, PL 6, No. 

 4, 2-5, 7 f.) For other examples of Enternena's text in the present work, cf. Nos. 115-117. Apparently Dr. Jastrow 

 had not seen a Tello inscription when he wrote his remark in Z. A. VIII, p. 217. 



'In a limited measure the same peculiarity occurs in several Assyrian inscriptions, c. 3000 years later. Cf., e. g., 

 i-na, in the inscription of Tiglathpileser I (I B., 9 ff.), inapa, Sain. Obel., 1. 160, 176 (Hilprecht, Assyriaca, p. 27, 

 note), etc. 



2 Col. II, 43. ki-nin UnugM-ga, 44. ganam-gad-sTiakir-a-dim, 45. sliig mu-da-gi-gi. The last character in 1. 38, 

 which remained unidentified for such a long time (cf. Amiaud et Mechineau, Tableau Compare, No. 122, Jensen in 

 Schrader's K. B. Ill, part 1, p. 16, note 4 ; Scheil in Beeueil XV, p. 63 ; Hommel, Sumerische Lesestucke, p. 32, No. 

 376) is identical with Briinnow, List 5410. It has in the ancient inscriptions the two values ga and ma (for the latter 

 cf , e. g., No. 87, col. II, 19 (kalam-ma), 29 ( UrumM -ma) ). On PL 50, col. II, 4, read NA-GA = islikun (and col. Ill, 

 4 f., KI-GAL (= kigalla) ish-pu-uk, against Scheil in Beeueil XV, 62 f.). 



8 Col. Ill, 19. nam-ti-mu, 20. nam ti, 21. ga-ba-dag-gi — "unto my life he may add life." 



'PA-gal LO sag gud, read sib (PA-LU sag-guda-gal, "the shepherd having the head of an ox" = "the ox- 

 headed shepherd," a synonym of king, according to Jensen. 



5 On the god Shul pa-ud-du, cf. Jensen, Eosmologie, pp. 126 f., and in Schrader's K. B., Ill, part I, p. 65, note 11 

 {Umun-pauddu). Oppert read Dun-pa-e. 



6 "The goddess who destroys life," an ideogram of Bau or Gula (Briinnow, List 11084, cf. Ill B., 41, col. IT, 

 29-31 ; III B., 43, col. IV, 15-18, and the present work, PL 67, col. Ill, 1-5). The same deity is mentioned No. 95, 1, 

 No. 106, 1, No. Ill, 1. On the value of dug cf. Hommel, Sumerische Lesestucke, p. 5, No. 55, and p. 12, No. 145. 



' Cf. No. 99, 5. 



8 Cf. Bevue d'Assyriologie II, p. 147, col. Ill, 6 and 7, col. V, 1, 3, 6. 



9 Cf. No. 87, col. I, 5, 40, 42, etc. The linear sign is composed of e (canal) + gi (reed) and originally denotes a 

 piece of land intersected by canals and covered with reeds (cf. No. 87. col. Ill, 29). The land par excellence with 

 these two characteristic features was to the Babylonians their own country, which therefore was called by the oldest 

 inhabitants Ki + e -f gi — Kengi, "the land of canals and reeds." From this correct etymology of Kengi and its use 

 in the earliest texts {bur bar Kengi, No. 87, col. II, 21, and Enshngsagana en Kengi, No. 90, 3) it follows that the name 

 does not signify "low-lands" or ■" Tiefebene " in general in the ancient inscriptions, which alone have to decide its 

 meaning (against Winckler in Mitteilungen des Akademisch- Orientalistischen Vereins zu Berlin, 1887, p. 12), but that it 

 is the geographical designation of a well-defined district, Babylonia proper. As, however, Babylonia and low- 

 lands are equivalent ideas, Kengi could also be used in a wider sense for "low-lands " (malu) in general. 



