Rear - Line 13

Rear Line 12 | Rear Line 13 | Rear Line 14

Hand drawing below by Ernst F. Weidner (1952)


NUIGIMEDIŠAKALDUGI62GU2NUN4U2U.U.UPAIBAB2AB2LAL2GI63SAGGI62MAŠU2


Transliteration:

NU IGI.ME 1 ILLU DU GI6 2 USAN 4 KUŠ3 sin šap MULx.MULx LAL2 GI6 3 SAG GI6 2 1⁄2 KUŠ3 [...]

Translation - by P.V. Neugebauer and E. F. Weidner (1915) edited by Hermann Hunger (1988)

were not visible. The 1st, the river level rose. Night of the 2nd, the moon was balanced 4 cubits below η Tauri. Night of the 3rd, beginning of the night, 2½ cubits [ ...]

Note

Moon position 12

the moon was balanced 4 cubits below η Tauri

MULx.MULx can refer to the whole constellation of the Bull, or the Jaw of the Bull or Mars (amongst others). - P. Felix Gössman; Planetarium Babylonicum (1950) pg 109, 23, 110. In later diaries it generally refers to η Tauri. It can also represent the brightest star in the Bull of Heaven (α Tauri) - P. Felix Gössman; Planetarium Babylonicum (1950) pg 24.

η Tauri is marked in red.

Position 11 | Position 12 | Position 13

588 BC #12 | 568 BC #12

Note A

SymbolSyllablesMeanings
NU ula: not
IGI naṭālu: (to be able) to see , to look at, to gaze ; to observe (the sky); to be visible;
ina maḫar: before (someone), in the presence, in front of - The Assyrian Dictionary, Volume 10, M, Part I, (1977) pg 106
ME
ME6		 100, be, being, silence, stiffness, battle, refine; daytime as opposed to night
Where
DIŠ Constantly, always, one, sixty,
if
A.KAL
ILLU		 Water
DU
DE6
GUB
TUM6
 go
bring
stand, sheep
GI6
ĝi6
ku10
mi
 mūšu: night
ṣalāmu: cause to become dark, darkened, obscured
2 2
GU2.NUN
USAN		 šimētān; evening, in the evening
4 4
U2
kuš3
 load, horn
unit
ušu3
ba3
es2
sin		 šalāšā: thirty, 30
half

the moon
PA.IB
šap		 šapal: under, beneath, underneath
qablu: hips, middle.
šapālu: to be low, deep ; to reach the lowest point; to stay constantly low; - The Assyrian Dictionary, Š Volume 17, Part I (1989) pg 422-423
AB2.AB2
mulx.mulx		 MULx.MULx can refer to the whole constellation of the Bull, or the Jaw of the Bull or Mars (amongst others). - P. Felix Gössman; Planetarium Babylonicum (1950) pg 109, 23, 110.
In later diaries it generally refers to η Tauri. It can also represent the brightest star in the Bull of Heaven (α Tauri) - P. Felix Gössman; Planetarium Babylonicum (1950) pg 24
LAL2 šaqālu: to be equal, in balance; planets said to be in opposition or in conjunction
hang
small
GI6
ĝi6
ku10
mi
 mūšu: night
ṣalāmu: cause to become dark, darkened, obscured
3 3
SAG Front, head
pūtu: forehead ; front side
GI6
ĝi6
ku10
mi
 mūšu: night
ṣalāmu: cause to become dark, darkened, obscured
2 2
MAŠ
BA7
BAR		 ḫuzālu: gazelle kid; ṣerru: snake, possible name for Hydra constellation; Māšu: twin, Gemini; bīru: goat
half
Nissan, first month - on VAT4956 there seems to be no distinction between BAR and MAŠ
U2
kuš3
 load, horn
unit

Note B

A. The moon observations.

15. On the evening of the night of the 2nd (Adar) The moon 4 cubits below the Pleiades held these in balance (Rs. 13). March 15, 6h evening:

  • Moon λ = 24°.4 ß = -3°.7
  • Pleiades λ= 24°.4 ß = +3°.9
Zu kakkabZappu = Pleiades see Epping, Astronomisches aus Babylon, p. 120.

TRANSLATION FROM: Paul V. Neugebauer und Ernst F. Weidner (1915) Ein astronomischer Beobachtungstext aus dem 37. Jahre Nebukadnezars II (- 567/66).

Modern Results

SkyCharts
  • BC567-03-15 18h00m00s ( +3 )
  • Moon: L: +23°26'07" (+23.43°) B:-03°51'39" (-03.86°)
  • Pleiades: L: +24°21'21" (+24.35°) B:+03°47'34" (+03.79°)
  • ΔT 18194.46s ( 05h03m14.46s )

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