Volume 47, Issue 1

The present paper discusses the issue of Serial Verb Constructions (SVCs) in Biblical Aramaic within the dynamic grammaticalization-based model of verbal serialization – a recent modification of a prototype-driven approach to SVCs used in linguistic typology. Having analyzed the entire corpus of Biblical Aramaic, the authors conclude the following: (a) verbal serialization constitutes an integral part of the verbal system of Biblical Aramaic; (b) pre-canonical SVCs are more common that canonical SVCs, and no cases of post-canonicity are attested; (c) Biblical Aramaic is a semi-advanced serializing language. Overall, the research corroborates the tendency of Semitic languages to gradually increase their serializing profile; a tendency that is often – albeit not without exception – correlated with the languages’ relative chronology.

The Amarna corpus contains several references to maritime conflict and related activities in the 14 th century BCE, including blockades, the movement of troops, the capturing of ships at sea, and seaborne evacuation. While most of these are encountered in the context of conflicts between Levantine polities, there are clear references to what might on the one hand be called piracy, but on the other hand either acts of naval warfare or naval elements of a larger war effort, on both land and sea. This paper considers the martial maritime activities discussed in the Amarna letters, with particular emphasis on two uniquely controversial groups mentioned in this corpus in the context of maritime violence: the ‘ships of the men of the city of Arwad’ and the ‘ miši -men.’ While the men of Arwad are identified with a polity on the Phoenician coast, they are referred to only by this collective term, even when mentioned in lists that otherwise contain only rulers. The miši , on the other hand, are not associated with any specific name or toponym. The purpose of this study is to identify just what can be determined about the roles and affiliations of these two groups in their Amarna context in this period.

This article suggests that the hitherto uninterpreted Hurrian word immarde is a term connected with extispicy performed on sacrificed sheep. This interpretation is supported by textual evidence from both the Hurrian texts from Emar and Hattusa.

This paper publishes a praise poem of Warad-Sîn, king of Larsa. The manuscript, a one-column tablet, comes from a private collection and is unprovenanced. The text might be an excerpt from a longer composition. Its 20 lines long text praises first Nippur, the city of Enlil, then Warad-Sîn speaks in the first person about the commission given to him by Enlil, about his deeds to the city, and about their permanence. The author of this text appears to be familiar both with the literary corpus and the royal inscriptions of the early Old Babylonian period.

The article presents an edition of a new manuscript of the Old Babylonian Sumerian myth Ninĝišzida’s Journey to the Netherworld from the Louvre museum. The article deals with the complex literary transmission of this composition, known in different versions with much variation. The myth, lamentful in tone, and including Emesal vocabulary and litanies, is compared to the corpus of Emesal prayers, especially the laments over Damu. The myth is also examined in light of an Old Babylonian Akkadian myth on Ninĝišzida’s descent to the netherworld.

The Hittite royal funerary ritual šalliš waštaiš prescribes gold pieces to be placed on the eyes and mouth of the deceased. This is consistent with the manner in which thin sheets of hammered gold are reported to have been found on the faces of occupants of in-house graves in the Lower Town of Kültepe, ancient Kaneš. Mouth-pieces of unmistakable similarity have also turned up in great numbers in Late Bronze Age graves on Cyprus, most notably at Enkomi. Beyond comparison with the šalliš waštaiš text, gold eye- and mouth-pieces from Kaneš have received little attention. This contribution offers the first comprehensive study of these objects specifically as a class of funerary paraphernalia. It provides a catalogue and typology of gold sheets, and explores their archaeological context before turning to their social and symbolic significance against the backdrop of the cosmopolitan Kanešean households. The discussion considers hybridity in terms of a compatibility between funerary practices across different cultural settings, also noting chronological implications.

In this paper, I will address the issue of the use of the Glossenkeil as a mark of indented line in Hittite texts, based on a complete collection of the occurrences of this practice found in the texts published so far. After outlining the main functions of the Glossenkeil in Hittite texts and establishing a typology of line indentations, I will argue that the Glossenkeil should not be properly regarded as a mark of indentation, but as a mark of the beginning of the line, which pointed out that indentation was merely accidental, and should not have been reproduced in future copies of the text. Furthermore, the case of some Hittite words unexpectedly marked by the Glossenkeil will be reconsidered based on the non-lexical functions of this sign. Finally, I will show how the analysis of this scribal practice can be useful for the identification of the hands of the scribes, and, based on it, I will suggest that two manuscripts of the funerary ritual, KUB 30.24+ and KUB 39.7+, were drafted by the same scribe.