Catalogue Search | MBRL
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
{{itemTitle}}
90
result(s) for
"Wasserman, Nathan"
Sort by:
The Riddle of בבת עין
We study the unique biblical Hebrew expression בבת עין and suggest that the word בבה and the expression בבת עין were borrowed from the Akkadian compound pappāt īni(m).
Journal Article
The Susa Funerary Texts: A New Edition and Re-Evaluation and the Question of Psychostasia in Ancient Mesopotamia
A group of seven short late Old Babylonian texts, written in Akkadian, found in the early twentieth century in a grave in Susa, form the focus of this paper. The texts, which have attracted much scholarly attention since their publication in 1916 by Jean-Vincent Scheil, have until now not been collated. They are presented here with improved readings, a new translation, and extensive commentary. The mention in two of the texts of an alleged chthonic “weigher” is philologically disproved: psychostasia, the weighing of souls, did not exist in ancient Mesopotamian religion. The suggestion of some scholars that these Old Babylonian Akkadian texts are witnesses to Elamite, or even Iranian, belief in the weighing of souls is methodically refuted. The nature of the seven so-called Susa Funerary Texts (SFT) is discussed, demonstrating their close contacts to two other well-known Mesopotamian genres—personal prayers and reports of oracular or prophetic visions. Finally, the question of their unusual find spot, viz., in a grave, is discussed and the possibility raised that this peculiar location is a result of the texts' magical function.
Journal Article
Most Probably: Epistemic Modality in Old Babylonian
The system that any language uses to express evaluations,
judgments, estimations, and non-real situations tends to be
complicated and poorly understood, and this has certainly been the
case, historically, for Akkadian. In this study, Nathan Wasserman
presents the fruit of 15 years of study of the epistemic modal
system of Old Babylonian, which represents one of the better-known
and best-documented periods of the Akkadian language.
As Wasserman notes, the interplay of philology, linguistics, and
psychology that are involved in understanding any modal system make
coming to conclusions a difficult enterprise. And though many
questions remain unanswered, in this clearly organized and
presented monograph, he guides the reader through a study of each
modal word/particle, its etymology, syntax, and usage, on the basis
of an examination of most of the Old Babylonian examples published
thus far. He thus arrives at a general view of epistemic modality
in Old Babylonian.
Wasserman's monograph is a work that will add significantly to
our understanding of Old Babylonian language and the interpretation
of texts and will become the benchmark for further study of verbal
modality in Akkadian and other Semitic languages.
eBook
Treating Garments in the Old Babylonian Period: “At the Cleaners” in a Comparative View
This article examines UET 6/2, 414, the Old Babylonian dialogue between a fuller and a client, commonly referred to as “At the Cleaners”, from the point of view of ancient technology. Drawing upon a wide range of Talmudic and Classical sources mentioning laundry, and based on a careful philological reading of the Akkadian text, this study offers a new understanding of the different stages of washing and treatment of luxury garments in the Old Babylonian period. It is argued that the possible humorous aspect of the text is irrelevant to the fact that UET 6/2, 414 is a unique composition in antiquity, offering a long and accurate sequence of laundry instructions. Washing procedures and ways of treating luxury garments in Mesopotamia are outlined step by step; new Akkadian terms pertaining to garments and clothing are presented; wages of laundry workers in ancient Mesopotamia are briefly discussed. The study concludes with a new edition and translation of UET 6/2, 414.
Journal Article
TREATING GARMENTS IN THE OLD BABYLONIAN PERIOD: \AT THE CLEANERS\ IN A COMPARATIVE VIEW / :ﻣﻌﺎﻟﺠﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﻼﺑﺲ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﻌﺼﺮ ﺍﻟﺒﺎﺑﻠﻲ ﺍﻟﻘﺪﻳﻢ ﻟﺪﻯ ﺍﻟﻤﻨﻈﻔﻴﻦ\ ﻓﻲ ﻧﻈﺮﺓ ﻣﻘﺎﺭﻧﺔ\
This article examines UET 6/2, 414, the Old Babylonian dialogue between a
fuller and a client, commonly referred to as \"At the Cleaners\", from the
point of view of ancient technology. Drawing upon a wide range of
Talmudic and Classical sources mentioning laundry, and based on a
careful philological reading of the Akkadian text, this study offers a
new understanding of the different stages of washing and treatment of
luxury garments in the Old Babylonian period. It is argued that the
possible humorous aspect of the text is irrelevant to the fact that UET
6/2, 414 is a unique composition in antiquity, offering a long and
accurate sequence of laundry instructions. Washing procedures and ways
of treating luxury garments in Mesopotamia are outlined step by step;
new Akkadian terms pertaining to garments and clothing are presented;
wages of laundry workers in ancient Mesopotamia are briefly discussed.
The study concludes with a new edition and translation of UET 6/2,
414. ﺗﺘﻨﺎﻭﻝ ﻫﺬﻩ ﺍﻟﻤﻘﺎﻟﺔ 414 ,6/2 UET، ﺍﻟﺤﻮﺍﺭ ﺍﻟﺒﺎﺑﻠﻲ ﺍﻟﻘﺪﻳﻢ ﺑﻴﻦ ﻣﻨﻈﻒ ﻣﻼﺑﺲ
ﻭﺯﺑﻮﻥ، ﻳﺸﺎﺭ ﺇﻟﻴﻪ ﺑﺼﻮﺭﺓ ﻋﺎﻣﺔ \"ﻟﺪﻯ ﺍﻟﻤﻨﻈﻔﻴﻦ\"، ﻣﻦ ﻭﺟﻬﺔ ﻧﻈﺮ ﺍﻟﺘﻘﻨﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﺘﻮﻓﺮﺓ
ﻗﺪﻳﻤﺎً. ﺇﺳﺘﻨﺎﺩﺍً ﺇﻟﻰ ﻣﺮﺍﺟﻊ ﺗﻠﻤﻮﺩﻳﺔ ﻭﻛﻼﺳﻴﻜﻴﺔ ﻛﺜﻴﺮﺓ ﺗﺬﻛﺮ ﺗﻨﻈﻴﻒ ﺍﻟﻤﻼﺑﺲ
ﻭﺗﻘﻮﻡ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺃﺳﺎﺱ ﻗﺮﺍﺀﺍﺕ ﻟﻐﻮﻳﺔ ﻟﻠﻨﺼﻮﺹ ﺍﻷﻛﺪﻳﺔ، ﺗﻘﺪﻡ ﻫﺬﻩ ﺍﻟﺪﺭﺍﺳﺔ ﻣﻔﻬﻮﻡ ﺟﺪﻳﺪ
ﻟﻠﻤﺮﺍﺣﻞ ﺍﻟﻤﺨﺘﻠﻔﺔ ﻟﻐﺴﻴﻞ ﺍﻟﻤﻼﺑﺲ ﻭﻣﻌﺎﻟﺠﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﻼﺑﺲ ﺍﻟﻔﺎﺧﺮﺓ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﻌﺼﺮ ﺍﻟﺒﺎﺑﻠﻲ
ﺍﻟﻘﺪﻳﻢ. ﻭﻳﻌﺘﻘﺪﺃﻥ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﺣﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﻔﻜﺎﻫﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﺤﺘﻤﻠﺔ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﻨﺺ ﻟﻴﺲ ﻟﻬﺎ ﻋﻼﻗﺔ ﺑﺤﻘﻴﻘﺔ
ﻛﻮﻥ UET 6/2, 414 ﻫﻮ ﺇﻧﺸﺎﺀ ﻓﺮﻳﺪ ﻗﺪﻳﻢ ﻳﻌﺮﺽ ﺗﺴﻠﺴﻞ ﻃﻮﻳﻞ ﻭﺩﻗﻴﻖ ﻟﺘﻌﻠﻴﻤﺎﺕ
ﺗﻨﻈﻴﻒﺍﻟﻤﻼﺑﺲ. ﻓﺈﺟﺮﺍﺀﺍﺕ ﺍﻟﻐﺴﻴﻞ ﻭﻃﺮﻕ ﻣﻌﺎﻟﺠﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﻼﺑﺲ ﺍﻟﻔﺎﺧﺮﺓ ﻓﻲ ﺑﻼﺩ ﻣﺎ ﺑﻴﻦ
ﺍﻟﻨﻬﺮﻳﻦ ﻣﺤﺪﺩﺓ ﺧﻄﻮﺓ ﺑﻌﺪ ﺧﻄﻮﺓ؛ ﻭﺗﻌﺮﺽ ﻣﺼﻄﻠﺤﺎﺕ ﺃﻛﺪﻳﺔ ﺟﺪﻳﺪﺓ ﺗﺘﻌﻠﻖ ﺑﺎﻟﻤﻼﺑﺲ؛
ﻛﻤﺎ ﺗﻨﺎﻗﺶ ﺑﺎﺧﺘﺼﺎﺭ ﻣﻮﺿﻮﻉ ﺃﺟﻮﺭ ﻋﻤﺎﻝ ﺗﻨﻈﻴﻒ ﺍﻟﻤﻼﺑﺲ ﻓﻲ ﺑﻼﺩ ﻣﺎ ﺑﻴﻦ ﺍﻟﻨﻬﺮﻳﻦ.
ﻭﺗﺨﺘﺘﻢ ﺍﻟﻤﻘﺎﻟﺔ ﺑﻌﺪﺩ ﻭﺗﺮﺟﻤﺔ ﺟﺪﻳﺪﺓ ﻟ 414 ,2/UET 6 .
Journal Article
ON WOLVES AND KINGS. TWO TABLETS WITH AKKADIAN WISDOM TEXTS FROM THE SECOND MILLENNIUM B.C
The lair of the wolf is his refuge,
and where he has made him his home,
Not even the head wolf may enter,
not even the council may come.
Rudyard Kipling,
The Law of the Jungle
In this paper two Akkadian wisdom texts are edited and discussed. BM 13928 is an unpublished Old Babylonian list of proverbial sayings and admonitions concerning a wolf and a king. CBS 14235 is a Middle Babylonian tablet which describes the royal life and contrasts it to the behavior of wild animals. The two texts add to the growing corpus of Akkadian wisdom literature of the second millennium b.c. and offer a new angle to our understanding of royal ideology of the period.
Journal Article