The Sumerian hymn K. 257 is in the Emne-sal dialect, which is the non-Semitic designation for a variation of Sumerian. The focus of the hymn is the goddess Belit. However, no conclusion was reached about her origin.
SKU (ISBN): 978-1-61719-033-9
Publication Status: In Print
Publication Date: Apr 30,2010
Interior Color: Black
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Page Count: 30
Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-61719-033-9
$36.00
Your price: $21.60
The Sumerian hymn K. 257 was first published in this article. This hymn is in the Emne-sal dialect, which is rather unique. Emne-sal is the non-Semitic designation for a variation of the Sumerian language. This dialect was used for penitential hymns because the Babylonian scribes found it suitable due to its phonetic softness. The subject matter of the hymn, at first glance, appears to be the goddess Belit, to whose praise the text is devoted. However, upon closer examination, it seems that the god is composite. The old Babylonian Belit, who is associated with the Persian Gulf, fights with certain deities of the mountain. This could be in reference to the house of the primitive chaos deities who sided with Tiamat, while, this usage is surprising. The inscription is possibly of Assyrian origin based on the fact that Belit is called “the daughter of Bdl”, a genealogical assertion which appears only in the Rassam Cylinder. This genealogy of Belit could also have been of Babylonian origin. No conclusion was reached on the origin of this deity. However, the great findings of hymn K. 257 are great addition to the field of Assyriology.
