AGA A-nim

Authors: Gennady E. Kurtik, Euin Choung Kim, David Hilder, Susanne M Hoffmann, Wayne Horowitz, Hermann Hunger, Jan Safford

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The Pleiades (top left) and the Hyades at the bottom right. Overlapping them in the projection is Aldebaran, an orange giant clearly identifiable in the photograph near the lower right corner. Near the upper right-hand corner is the star λ Tauri. Also recognisable near the lower edge of the image is the open cluster NGC 1647 (CC0, by Giuseppe Donatiello)

AGA ^dA-nim (𒂇𒀭𒀀𒉏) is a Babylonian asterism, usually identified with the Hyades star cluster in Taurus.

Victory Stele of Naram-Sin, CC-BY Rama 2007

The Crown of Anu consists of the front part of classical Taurus = Mesopotamian ^mulGU₄.AN.NA, and includes Akkadian is lê, ‘the Jaw of the Bull,’ which consists of α Tauri (Aldebaran) and the Hyades, and horns extending outwards from the crown. Ancient Mesopotamian royal crowns typically include a horned head-piece.  See e.g. The Victory Stele of Naram-Sin (figure = Crown of Naram-Sin on Victory Stele of Naram-Sin).

Concordance, Etymology, History

Variant designations:

• ^mulAGA.AN.NA/NE,
• ^mulAnu AGA,
• AGA AN-nim,
• ^mulAN.NA AGA,
• ^mulAG₂.AN.NA_x(BUR₂),
• ^mulAG₂.AN.NE; = "Crown of Anu"; one of Hyades’ names [BPO 2, 10; Gössmann 1950, 25], see also a10.

Sources	Identifications
EAE See [BPO 2, VI 3].
Three Stars Each (Astrolabe Group) Astrolabe B. Menology (Horowitz 2014: 61-64) (1) In the menologies: itisig4 mulgu3.an.na aga?(in the text: IL2).an.na.keˆ // itisig4 is le-e a-ge da-nim "The month of Simanu, Bull of Anu (Akk.: Jaw of the Bull), Crown of Anu" (Section A i 26, 32); parallel [Çağirgan 403:12]; for transcription see [BPO 2, 151-152; CAD I, 188]. (2) Star-Catalogues (Horowitz 2014: 103, Ea 3) mul ša egir-šu(bi) gub-zu / mulIs le-e a-ge dA-nim "The asterism that stands behind it (i.e. behind MUL.MUL), Jaw of the Bull, Crown of Anu" (Astrolabe B Section II i 7-8) [KAV 218; Horowitz 2014]. Parallels: MUL KI.MIN mulGU4.AN.NA AGA AN-nim (B = HS 1897: 5), "The stars (that stands behind it) is the 'Bull of Heaven' Crown of Anu; [MUL ša2 EGIR-šu2 GUB-zu mulis le]-e! AGA d[A-nim] (C = BM 55502: 7] "The star that stands behind it (i.e., behind MUL.MUL) is the “Jaw of the Bul]l, Crown of Anu.
"Catalog of 30 Asterisms" (A) MUL KI.MIN mulGU4.AN.NA AGA AN-nim, (B) [MUL ša2 EGIR-šu2 GUB-zu mulis le]-e! AGA d[A-nim] "The star that stands behind it (i.e., behind MUL.MUL) is the “Bull of Heaven” (B: Bull's Jaw), the Crown of Anu." [Oelsner and Horowitz 1997-98, Ea 3; Horowitz 2014].
"Reports." See. [SAA 8 68:2, 298 r. 1, 364 r. 2].
MUL.APIN. In the list of stars of Anu (no. 7): mulGU4.AN.NA dis le-e AGA dA-nim "Bull of Heaven, Jaw of the Bull, Crown of Anu" (I ii 1).
"The Great Stars List and Miscellanea" mulag2.an.bur2 ana bala til.lum nap-šur-tum gam-lum [Mesop.Astrol., App. B:161]; meaning is unclear, cf. [Weidner 1959-60, 107-108, Z. 23].

Previous Identifications.

         = Hyades [Gössmann 1950, 25];

         = α Tauri + Hyades [BPO 2, p. 8; Hunger and Steele 2019, 134; Hunger and Pingree 1999, 271];

         = α, θ₁₂, γ, δ, ε Tauri [Koch 1989, 79].

Astrology.

         (1) [^mulA]G₂.AN.NE ana BALA TIL.LA "Crown of Anu for (predicting) the end of a dynasty." [BPO 2, VI 3 + Parallels];

         (2) DIŠ 30 TUR₃ NIGIN-ma / ^mulA-nu AGA (gloss: a-gu-u) īna ŠA₃-bi-šu₂ GUB-iz / [LUGAL] ša₂-lim! kit-[tu₂ u mi-ša₂-ru] ina KUR GAL₂-ši "If a halo surrounds the moon, and the 'Crown of Anu' stands in it: [the king] is well; there will be right[eousness] and justice in the land." [SAA 8 68:1-3]; parallel [ibid. 298 r. 1-3; 364 r. 2-3].

See also (Kurtik g11) GI.GI, (Kurtik g33) ^mulGU₄.AN.NA, (Kurtik i15) Is lê, (Kurtik z10) Zibānītum, VI 13.

List (12´3) = KAV 218 (Astrolab B): not astrology! (already quoted above)

• mul ša egir-šu(bi) gub-zu / ^mulIs le-e a-ge ^dA-nim
• "The asterism that stands behind it (i.e. behind MUL.MUL), Jaw of the Bull, Crown of Anu" (Section B i 7-8)

Historical Dictionaries

Kurtik (2022, a12)	Gössmann (1950)
вар. обозначения: mulAGA.AN.NA/NE, mulAnu AGA, AGA AN-nim, mulAN.NA AGA, mulAG2.AN.NAx(BUR2), mulAG2.AN.NE; = «Корона Ану»; одно из наименований Гиад (Hyades) [BPO 2, 10; Gössmann 1950, 25], см. также a10. I. Источники. EAE. См. [BPO 2, VI 3]. «Астролябии». Astrolabe B. (1) В менологиях: itisig4 mulgu3.an.na aga?(в тексте: IL2).an.na.ke4 // itisig4  is le-e a-ge da-nim «Месяц симану, Бык Ану (акк.: Челюсть Быка), Корона Ану» (Section A i 26, 32); параллель [Çağirgan 403:12]; транскрипция см. [BPO 2, 151–152; CAD I, 188]. (2) Список (12´3): mul ša egir-šu(bi) gub-zu / mulIs le-e a-ge dA-nim «Звезда, что позади него стоит (т.е. позади MUL.MUL), Челюсть Быка, Корона Ану» (Section B i 7-8) [KAV 218; Horowitz 2014]. «Каталог 30 звезд». (A) MUL KI.MIN mulGU4.AN.NA AGA AN-nim, (B) [MUL ša2 EGIR-šu2 GUB-zu mulis le]-e! AGA d[A-nim] «Звезда, которая стоит позади него (т.е. позади MUL.MUL), это “Бык Небес” (В: Челюсть Быка), Корона Ану» [Oelsner–Horowitz 1997–98, Ea 3; Horowitz 2014]. «Рапорты». См. [SAA 8, 68:2, 298 r. 1, 364 r. 2]. MUL.APIN. В списке звезд Ану (№ 7): mulGU4.AN.NA dis le-e AGA dA-nim «Бык Небес, Челюсть Быка, Корона Ану» (I ii 1). «Большой список звезд». mulag2.an.bur2 ana bala til.lum nap-šur-tum gam-lum [Mesop.Astrol., App. B:161]; смысл неясен, см. [Weidner 1959–60, 107–108, Z. 23]. II. Отождествление. = Hyades [Gössmann 1950, 25]; = α Tauri + Hyades [BPO 2, р. 8; МА, 138; Hunger-Pingree 1999, 271]; = αθ12γδε Tauri [Koch 1989, 79]. III. Астрология. (1) [mulA]G2.AN.NE ana BALA TIL.LA «Корона Ану для (предсказания) конца династии» [BPO 2, VI 3 + Parallels]; (2) DIŠ 30 TUR3 NIGIN-ma / mulA-nu AGA (глосса: a-gu-u) inа ŠA3-bi-šu2 GUB-iz / [LUGAL] ša2-lim! kit[tu2 u mi-ša2-ru] ina KUR GAL2-ši «Если Луна окружена гало, и “Корона Ану” стоит в нем: [царь] будет благоденствовать; в стране будут прав[да и справедливость]» [SAA 8, 68:1–3]; параллель [ibid. 298 r. 1–3; 364 r. 2–3]. См. также g11 GI.GI, g33 GU4.AN.NA, i15 Is lê, z10 Zibānītum, VI 13.