Mesopotamian (Technical Remarks)

The Mesopotamian Dictionary of names of stars and constellations is the first one of its type. The first one was published in 1950, handwritten in German by Felix Gössmann and entitled "Planetarium Babylonicum". An updated and enriched edition of it was published by Gennady Kurtik (2007) in Russian. Here we present a revisited English translation of it, for the first time enriched with images and star maps.

• 
  Gössmann (1950)
• 
  Kurtik (2007)

Technical Remarks on Assyriology

References

The page hyperlinked in the header is a separate page with all references given by Kurtik himself. The list is largely published by him in Kurtik (2007) but as he had been reworking his material in preparation of new (revisited) edition, some references in his list might be incomplete. The material was handed to us by his family after his death in early 2023.

For the time being, as long as we are still working on it, we keep his original page structure in the presentation of his references.

Above the tables of his references, we add others (e.g. newly appeared literature after his publication).

Abbreviations

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Month Names

	Sumerian	Sumerian (alternate)	Akkadian	Hebrew
Month I	ITIBARA2.ZAG(.GAR) Month (images) placed by throne	ITI.BAR(.SAG.SAG)	Nisānu	Nisan נִיסָן
Month II	ITI(EZEM.)GU4.SI.SU Month horned oxen marched forth	ITI.GU4(.SI.SÁ)	Ayyāru	Iyar אִייָר‎
Month III	ITISIG4.U5.ŠUB.BA.GÁ.GAR Month the brick is placed in the mold	ITI.SIG4.A	simānu	Sivan סִיוָן
Month IV	ITIŠU.NUMUN Month preparing seed	ITI.ŠU(.NUMUN.A/NA); ITI.ŠU.GAR.NUMUN.NA	Dûzu	Tammuz תַּמּוּז
Month V	ITINE.IZI.GAR Month braziers are lit	ITI.NE(.NE.GAR)	Abu	Av אָב
Month VI	ITIKIN.dINANNA Month of rectification of Inanna	ITI.KIN	Ulūlu / Elūlu	Elul אֱלוּל
Month VII	ITIDU6.KÙ Month of Sacred Mound	ITI.DU6/DUL(.KÙ)	tašrītu	Tishrei תִּשְׁרֵי
Month VIII	ITI(GIŠ)APIN.DU8.A Month the plow is let go	ITI.APIN(.DU8.A)	Arahsamnu	(Mar)Cheshvan מַרְחֶשְׁוָן/חֶשְׁוָן
Month IX	ITIGAN.GAN.(MU.)E3 Month when the clouds(?) come out	ITI.GAN(.GAN.NA)	Kisilīmu	Kislev כִּסְלֵו
Month X	ITIAB.E3 Month of the father	ITI.AB(.BA.È)	ṭebētu	Tevet טֵבֵת
Month XI	ITIZIZ2.A Month for emmer	ITI.ZÍZ(.A.AN)	Šabāṭu	Shevat שְׁבָט
Month XII	ITIŠE.KIN.KU5 Month of the cutting of barley	ITI.ŠE(.KIN.TAR)	Ad(d)aru	Adar אֲדָר
Intercalary Month XIII	ITIDIRI.ŠE.KIN.KU5 Additional harvest month	ITI.DIRIG.ŠE(.KIN.TAR)	Adaru arkû	Adar II אֲדָר שֵׁנִי