Assyrian Grammar With Chrestomathy and Glossary 9780231878678

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ASSYRIAN GRAMMAR WITH

CHRESTOMATHY AND GLOSSARY BY

SAMUEL A. B. MERCER PROFESSOR OF HEBREW AND OLD TESTAMENT IN THE WESTERN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, CHICAGO RECTOR OF THE SOCIETY OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH AND EDITOR OF ITS JOURNAL EDITOR OF THE ANGLICAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW

AMS PRESS, INC. NEW YORK, N.Y. 10003 1966

Copyright 1921 All Rights Reserved

Reprinted with the permission of the original publisher AMS PRESS, INC. NEW YORK, N.Y. 10003 1966

Manufactured in the United States of America

TO FRITZ

ΗΟΑΛΕί.

SCHOLAR TEACHER AND FRIEND THIS LITTLE BOOK IS DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR

ν

PREFÄCE Experience in teaching Semitic languages has taught me that the beginner needs a text-book which is both simple and also well supplied with exercises. Hitherto no such book for the study of Assyrian has appeared in any modern language. There are books in English, French, German and Italian for beginners, but none of them are provided with exercises. T h e larger grammars are reference books and unsuited for the use of beginners. The book most generally used in the study of the Assyrian language is DELITZSCH'S Assyrische Lesestücke. But everyone complains of its difficulty for the beginner. Assyrian is difficult. Nor have compilers of Assyrian grammars done much to make it attractive to the student. It is with this in mind that I have prepared this little book. I have divided the grammar and syntax into chapters or lessons, and supplied each chapter with copious exercises. I am sure that if the student works through these lessons with care and diligence he will have no trouble with the reading exercises which follow.

Syllables. The beginner should first memorise the Simple These are fundamental and occur most frequently in all cuneiform texts. H e should read chapter two with care, and so acquaint himself with the Ideograms as to b e able easily to refer to them in his later work. Chapter three should also be read with care, looking up each sign in the S i g n List at the end of the book. Chapter four is for further practice in the Sign List. T h e aim thus far has been to acquaint the student with his signs. A careful

VI reading of chapter five is all that is necessary. But the pronouns, verbs, nouns, adjectives, numerals, adverbs, prepositions and conjunctions, chapters six to twenty - seven, should be committed to memory, and the exercises on each lesson should by carefully read. Read the Syntax carefully and do the exercises with diligence. A f t e r the Chrestomathy is finished the student should read some of the longer passages in DELITZSCH'S Lesestücke (which he should own), and then he will be prepared, with the assistance of BRÜNNOW, A Classified List, Ley den, 1889, and DELITZSCH'S Assyrisches Handwörterbuch, Leipzig, 1896, for independent reading. The author's object has been to make this book as brief and concise as possible. H e warns students against thinking that they can acquire an adequate knowledge of Assyrian without much memory-work. If the above directions are followed, the author feels that the object for which the book has been prepared will be attained — namely, to add to the number of students interested in the study of Assyrian. It remains only to thank my pupil, Mr. KELLER, for arranging the vocabulary, and to express my appreciation of the excellent work done by the Akademische Buchdruckerei F. Straub, Munich. For many hints I have to thank my former teacher, Professor HOMMEL, who also very kindly read the proof.

Samuel Λ. B. Mercer Hibbard Egyptian Library, Western Theological Seminary, Chicago. May 10, 1921.

VII

CONTENTS GRAMMAR CHAPTERS

SECTIONS

Ch. I, ,. II,

§ ι § 2—4 § 5—9

Introduction . . . . . Simple Syllables . . . . Other Syllables, Ideograms and minatives . . . .

„ III,

§ 10—II

Sign List

13

„ IV, V, „ VI,

§ 12—15 § 16—19 § 20—24

Syllabaries Phonology Personal Pronoun . . .

16 18 20

„ „ ,, ,. ,.

§ § § § §

Other Pronouns The Strong Verb Verbs with an initial η • Verbs with a weak initial letter Verbs with a weak medial letter

VII, VIII—XII, XIII, XIV, XV,

25—30 31—46 47—49 50—52 53—55

PAGE

.

,. X V I , ,. X V I I ,

§ 56—58 § 59—61

Verbs with a weak final letter Other irregular verbs .

„ „ „ „ „ „ „ „

§ 62—63 § 64—75 § 76—78 § 79—82 §83—87 § 88—96 § 97—99 § 100—102

The Verb with Suffixes The Noun Nouns with Suffixes . The Adjective Numerals Adverbs Prepositions Conjunctions

XVIII, XIX—XXI, XXII, XXIII, XXIV, XXV, XXVI, XXVII,

. . Deter.

. .

· .

. .

ι 3 6

.

21 23 34 35 38

.

40 41

·

. .

42 44 49 50 51 53 56 57

SYNTAX Ch. „ „ ,.

XXVIII, XXIX, XXX, XXXI,

§ § § §

103—107 108—hi 112—115 116

The Noun, Adjective and Numerals . Verbal Nouns and the Finite Verb . The Simple and Compound Sentence . Model Analysis (Asurb., Rassam Cyl. I, 57-68)

59 61 62 64

VIII PAGE

CHRESTOMATHY I II III

Titles and deeds of Hammurabi . . . The siege of Damascus and the tribute of Jehu (Shalmanesser III) . . . . . . ASurbanipal's first Egyptian campaign (Rassam Cyi. 1 , 5 2 — 2 , 2 7 )

Accession Prayer of Nebuchadrezzar I I to Marduk (Rassam Cyl. 53, Col. I 55—72) . V From Istar's Descent into Hades (Rassam Cyl. 3 1 ) VI A Lamentation ( K 4931) V I I A n Observation of the Moon (K 716) . . V I I I Assyrian Letters

69

69 70 71

IV

78 79 80 81 81

SIGN LIST

84

GLOSSARY

116

CORRIGENDA

122

I

GRÄMMÄR INTRODUCTION ι.

Assyrian belongs to the northern group of Semitic languages, and is closely related to the Hebrew. Its differences from Babylonian are only dialectical. The AssyroBabylonian language was used as early, at least, as 3000 B.C. and continued in vogue until the first century before the Christian era. From that time until 1835 A.D. when Sir HENRY C. RAWLINSON made the first partial translation of an Assyrian text, the Assyrian language was quite unknown. Since then thousands of inscriptions on stone and clay have been excavated from the buried cities of the Tigris-Euphrates valley. The literature of the Assyro-Babylonian inscriptions is voluminous, and much more awaits the industry of the archaeologist. A l l types of literature are represented. There are poetry and prose, prayers and hymns, incantations and magical charms, chronology and history, precepts and laws, and legal and commercial transactions. Thousands of texts have been translated, and there still remain thousands untranslated in published or unpublished form. Work upon these texts is still in its infancy. Fuller sign lists must be made, better dictionaries must be written, and new grammatical points remain to be investigated. All this must be done in order that the student of history, religion, morals, politics, science, and social institutions may have the means

2

of defining the slow developement of Semitic ideas throughout the centuries. Every student of Assyrian should read an account of the decipherment of the script and of the reconstruction of the language, and no more fascinating story of that great achievement can be found than that in R . W. ROGER'S A History of Babylonia and Assyria, Vol. I, pp. ι—353.*) Of translations of texts there are numerous volumes, but so far there is no complete corpus of Assyro-Babylonian literature, nor can there be such for many years to come. The most complete at present is the Vorderasiatische Bibliothek, published by HLNRLCHS in Leipzig. It was begun in 1907 and is still in progress. There is nothing similar to this in any other modern language, although the Yale University Press have in view a corpus which will be complete to date. Of individual books in which translations of Assyro-Babylonian texts are published there are many, which can be found in any good university or seminary library. *) See also FRITZ HOMMEL, Geschichte Babyloniens und Assyriens, Berlin 1885, p. 5 8 — 1 3 4

and Η . V . HILPRECHT, Explorations in Bible Lands during

the 19th century, Philadelphia 1903, p. 3 — 5 7 7 lation: D i e Ausgrabungen D e Sarzec's, Leipzig 1904).

in Assyrien

(p. 3 — 2 1 3 also in German trans-

und Babylonien, I., Bis zum Auftreten

3

CHAPTER I SIMPLE S Y L L Ä B L E S § 2.

The name whereby the script of the Assyrian language is known is cuneiform. The word is derived from the Latin, cuneus, a wedge and forma, a form, wedge-form. The script was originally pictographic and was handed on by the Sumerians to the Semites who lived in the Tigris-Euphrates valley. In later times it was used by many peoples other than the Assyro-Babylonians, and was at last highly simplified and used by the Persians. The Assyro-Babylonians never developed an alphabet. There are a few vowel signs, but the script is mostly syllabic. The signs are written from left to right. In this first lesson, about a hundred of the simplest syllabic signs are arranged according to the order of the Hebrew alphabet. This is the order in which the transliterated words occur in all Assyrian glossaries and dictionaries. On the left-hand side syllables beginning with a consonant are arranged, those with a final a being placed in the first column, those with i or e in the second and those with u in the third. On the right-hand side syllables beginning with a vowel are recorded, first those with a, secondly those with i or e and thirdly those with u It is very important that all these signs with their values be thoroughly committed to memory. In section 4 these same syllabic signs are arranged in the order in which all these and other signs are found in all sign lists. This exercise should be carefully studied. The signs should be read and repeatedly written until they are as well known as an alphabet. I*

4


a a

1 «ί KS "Ί a

·£

:§

ιζ «? a

I

« a

« a

3

« 'C 3

« "5

«

δ

Ϊ

3

3

ä 4

"a

">»'

3

3

-S 4

rS

ι«.

^

^

^

?

§

ξ

ä

3? is a

λ

^ I

3

3 a

»4

·*>.

"Si a

a

a

·*·

-S

•g a

ϋ a

a

* «

$ ν

4 β

a a

a

"3 5»

ft

(Λ Ζ
hH 5 w fc

s

3

^ «

$

ί

$

36

u

Φ 43




Φ

•3

£

Λ

«1 C C

u Ο

. Φ A > , 43 •VI -Μ S 3

Η pi «I PH

5 fct a

39 The other forms of verbs with a weak medial are easily identified. The verb ia'älu has for a middle radical the equivalent of the Hebrew letter X, and is called medial N,; känu has for a middle radical the equivalent of the letter and is called medial K6; and tabu has for a middle radical the equivalent of \ and is called medial X7. There are verbs which have for a middle radical the equivalent of the Hebrew letters Π, Π, J?, and of the Arabic letter f . They are called medial K2, Ns, K4, and K5, respectively. Examples of these are, märu to send, rämu to love, belu to rule, and bau to seek. Their forms will occasion no difficulty. Vocabulary. — to ask = to be good — to die

ia'älu tabu mätu

känu = to stand ma'adu — to be many belu — to rule

Exercises.

W

If If Μ .

& EI

&

^ 1 1 If I i Μ .

a i . if

» m ,

ϊ£ΤΤΤ --Τ sr. A 4 sHTT ^Τ A 4 ET £ΕΤΤ, t^TTT κ=Τ ^ ÜT Hk ^Τ - Τ ^ ET ε=ΤΤΤ& Τ tt] ET Τΐ tTTte £ΤΤΤ ^ - τ ^

ttTTT

£ Α

^

£ΤΤΤ

SF= - ε , Ϊ^ΤΤΤ

^Τ Tf HI ^Τ If A 4 A 4

^

-Ε,

If ^

jr

~

- f

s s - i i f - E T ( s ) if ^ i

fTi —TT t o s eek (see bail) ullänu, without ultu, out of umä, so ummänu, people, plu. troops timmu, mother iimii, day ümu, ina umeiuma, at that time umussu, daily

urjiu, road urfritu, green herb urrufiii, quickly ulmänu, camp uznu, ear β ba'ü, II[ to seek bäbu, gate baiü, to weep balätu, live, spare balkätu, ΠΙ 1 to tear down ba/fu, alive banat, mother banü, to found, to build, to make baSfi, to be, to happen, I I I j place battibatti, in the neighbourhood belu, to take possession of, to rule; lord beltu, lady biltu, present bilu, to take possession of, see belu birinni, between us birttu, bond birmi, variegated (stuffs) bitfiallu, saddle-horse bitu, house bubutu, bread G gamru, gappu, gaiilu, giblu, gimru, girru,

complete feather stake multitude all expedition D

dabäbu, to device dababtu, device dagälu, to see dagälu pan, to be subject to dakü, to muster däku, to kill

118 dal tu,

door

tabu, to approach

damälfu,

to be favourable

tefou, to draw near, to approach

dami&tu,

favour

(emu, understanding, news

damkaru, dam£u,

name of a profession favourable

danänu,

clay

fubbu, j o y , health

might

dannu,

Κ

mighty, strong

dannütu,

fortress

daru, ana därätim, diiü,

continuously, for ever

kabattu,

liver

kabittu,

mind

assemble

kakku,

tears

kalalu,

dimtu, dttiu,

(iftu,

judgement

dum£u,

mercy

dunku,

favour

düru,

weapon, arms to fulfil

kalbu,

dog

kalmatu,

wall

kamäsu, katnü, Ζ

za'änu,

kanäiu,

zafcäpu,

to set up (and II,)

karäbu,

zakäru,

to address, to speak

käru,

to send rain

kaSadu,

name

zummu,

to stand be propitious, bless, be gracious wall capture, approach,

ik-Sü-us-su-nu-ti

man

zikru,

deprived Η plunder

iatämu,

cover plu. kibräti,

haläbu,

cover

liamat,

aid

fiamtu,

fyantu,

fcarädu,

swift fiaranu)

plunder

huräsu,

gold

bank of a river hosts

kiitu,

wood

kitru,

assistance, aid

kurmatu, iuier,

fcafu, to sin sin

midst park, plantation

kiilatu,

fraru, to dig out

frubtu,

governor

iilädu,

path, w a y (and

hifitu,

according to, like

kipu, kirü,

be victorious (?)

foarränu,

kima,

nourishment

becoming Ζ

Τ

labäru,

to be old

labäSu,

to clothe

lapan,

before

libbu,

heart

tabu, to be pleasant, to be good

limttu.

evil

tabu,

limuttu,

täblu,

the good good

evil

conquer;

ik-Su-ud-su-nu-ti

region

protection

kirbu,

fradü, to rejoice

for

kibratu, kidinu,

liabätu,

to take one's stand

to prostrate, to submit

känu,

zanänu,

kamäru,

to conquer, to take

to adorn (see fänn)

zikaru,

insect

kam, after ordinal numbers

itg tiSänu, tongue, speech

migru,

lubultu,

milammu,

clothing

darling

milku,

mini, how ?

Μ ma'adis,

ana ma adit, in great numbers

mi$ru,

ma'adti,

much

mitiku,

ma'ädu,

to swarm, to be many

mttu,

ma'diS, magäru,

progress (comp,

to favour,

to obey

top part

nmiarkis,

doer (from

mulpalu,

depth

m a g ä r u , to receive

müfu,

mafoäfu, to smite, I 2 irndahfais, to fight

mu!u,

night

mahazu,

city, fortified-city

mütu,

death

mahfiur,

forward to fall, I 2 (i-tu-fcut for imtakut)

X nabalu,

dry land, island

nabalu,

to destroy

mala, as many as

nabnttu,

creation

maläku,

nabu, to call, name

idem, IIIj to overthrow

malü,

to counsel to fill

raiäsu)

an exit

mafyru, first, former makatu,

metiku)

the dead

mufijiu,

tribute to be favourable

territory

mü plu. me, water

much

mada(t)tu,

lustre

counsel

nadänu,

to give

mama, any

nadü, cast down

mamitu,

oath

nakaru,

tnana, maneh

nakäru,

destroy, lay waste

mandatu,

naiäsu,

to cut down

nakiru,

enemy

manma, manü,

gift any

to number, to count

mariasu, marfu, märtu,

cord

nalbalu,

garment

namäru,

to be bright

sick

namriru,

daughter

napiltu,

IIj to send

narämu,

märu,

son

naräru,

a guard, watchman, observation

narkabtu,

maläru,

II, to leave

näru,

maiiu, maltitu,

skin a drink

mafü, to find

beloved help

mafartu,

station, place

brilliance life

tnäru,

matkanu,

foe, enemy

plu. chariot

river, canal

nasä/iu, drive away naläfru, to kiss nafäru,

to keep, observe, keep watch,

guard

matii, to forget

naiäSu, to move (?) p. 80, line 23

motu,

to die

natu,

mätu,

land

nazaztt,

to lift up to stand (still), to station

me, enclitic particle

nihu,

metiku,

nindaggara,

course (comp, eteku and mitihu)

peaceful, fem. see

nihtu

magäru

120 nirut yoke nitu,

i

people, m e n

nüru,

fabätu, to take, to grasp, to set forth

light

fade kidinni,

S safaapu, to cast down safyaru, I l l g to surround sakäpu, to cast down salü, to pray sapänu, to overcome sikkuru, bolt stmiu, insignia sippu, threshold IM», horse sitta, rest süku, street surralu,

sedition

way

command

paru, mule parzillu, iron palähu, be at rest paiäru,

to a n n u l

patäru,

to release

pafru, dagger petti, porter pifoätu,

prefect

pifrittu,

appointment

pitü, to open pü, mouth puluhtu, fear purussu,

\ $arähut fättt,

I V , was angry

Um fi'äie,

fe/teru,

d a y s of

decision

puta, face, entrance

old

to b e y o u n g

Silj.ru, s m a l l siru,

a plain

}iru, noble firuSSun, against them }ubätu,

garment

!

pagru, corpse pafcidu, to grant, to appoint palalfu, to fear palu, year of reign pattü, face, former parfu,

I j I !

temple-servant

fäbu, warrior, servant, soldier, man }aimu, image fa/u, II, beseech fatnädu, to yoke sänu, II, to adorn, to favour (or za'änu)

i Ρ

padanu,

S

κ

j kabal

tämtim,

; tiablu,

! j ! j

m i d s t of t h e

sea

fight

iabü, hihu, to speak, utter, say fcafciadu, head kakliaru, place, ground frapädu, to plan

: käpu,

to entrust to

ι iaräbu,

to draw near; a battle

kaiu,

to present

katu,

hand·

iibitu,

to c o m m a n d

kibü, to s p e a k R

rabü, great rakäbu, to ride rakäsu, to bind (and comp, muiarkis) rakbu, messenger ramäniSu,

himself

ramü, to place rämu, to love, ΓΠ/ΙΙ, incline unto com passion rapiu,

broad

raiü, to giant, show raiubtu,

might

121 riSu, head, summit rtmu, grace riksu, bond rittu, hand ruby,, prince, fem. rubätu, rüku, distant rukübu, carriage

princess

V

Ja, as (it appeareth), who Sa'älu, to ask Sabiru, to shatter Sadü, satu, mountain Safjafu, to strip Sakänu, to set, to place Saknu, governor Satu officer, see Supäru Salälu, to carry off, to plunder ialämu, to be well, to prosper Saläfu, to pierce Sallatu, spoil, booty Salmi}, peacefully Salpütu, misfortune Samü, heaven Sanitu, time, repetition ία»», another Sanü, declare, I I j to inform Sapafiu, to spread lapäru, sapäru, to send Saplw, lower Sarafu, to grant Saräpu, to burn Sarratu, queen Sarru, constr. iar, king Sarrütu, royalty iaSmu, battle iafäru, to write Satü, to drink Selibu, fox

Setnü, to hear (and Sim») Sepu, foot Sibbu, girdle Simtu, fate Simiru, a ring Simü, to hear, see Semii iipru, a dispatch Siptu, incantation Sipu, foot (see Sepu) Siru, flesh (heart), body Subtu, constr. Subat, dwelling, seat Suialulu, to swing Sulmu, peace, safety, well Summa, if Sumu, name SuparSaiu (or better iÜt-Sabi), general Supäru, ruler Surbü, exalted Süru, ox Sütu, belonging to, see Supäru Süturu, mighty (comp, atäru) Τ tabäku, to pour out tafrazu, battle tafrtü, overthrow takälu, to trust tamäfcu, to seize, to hold tamartu, gift tamtu, timdu, sea täru, return, to turn, to fall; II, add teniSetu, mankind tislitu, teStiiu, prayer libit, to rise, to come tibütu, the advance tidüku, warrior tillu, pit tukultu, help

122

CORRIGENDÄ Page 14, 1. I i , for jjHJ? read 15, 1. 9, for

ttny.

read

16, § 16, I. 6, for contraction read harmony. 19, § 19, 1. 8, for

read

1. u , for

for

read ^ f a ^ J ! '·

23, 1. 3, for

read

I2

> f°

r

read

h

24, 4, 1. i, for in read is.

3 1 , 1. 2, for

37. ·· 9.

read CT^

read

^ f j . ΗτΤ

39. § 55, 1- 5. for £ J < J read 42, § 61, 1. 9, for

feJT

4 3 , 1. 2 4 , for ibnikunä

44, 1. 3, for

tbnikunu.

read

49, § 78, 1. 1 1 , for 53. 1· 4. for

read" ^ J J .

read

read read

55. § 96, 1. 5. before

insert

62, 1. 4, for » - j l V · read 64, 1. 2, for

read » - j y ^ ·

67, 1. 29, for left read lift.

read

for

read ^ ^ J ; 1. 4, for ^ J J

33. '· 6. for for

read

and

transscription read transcription.

also 1. 4.

26, § 37, 1. 12, for

^ J J :

read