Rear - Line 6

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Hand drawing below by Ernst F. Weidner (1952)


4AKALDU4DILI.BADMAŠU2PAIBHISILA3MÁŠLAL2GI66DIŠU.U.UNUNLAGARLAGABAB2AB2GU4ANGIGIR


Transliteration:

4 ILLU DU 4 dil-bat 12 KUŠ3 šap SUḪUR.MAŠ2 LAL2 GI6 6 USAN sin TUR3 NIGIN2 MULx.MULx GU4.AN GIGIR [ina ŠA3 TUR3 ...]

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

The 4th, the river level rose. The 4th, Venus was balanced ½ cubit belowsic Capricorn. Night of the 6th, first part of the night, the moon was surrounded by a halo; Pleiades, the Bull of Heaven, and the Chariot [stood in it ...]

Note A

Pleiades, the Bull of Heaven, and the Chariot [stood in it .... ]

Moon position 9

the moon was surrounded by a halo; Pleiades, the Bull of Heaven, and the Chariot [stood in it .... ]

The position of the Moon in 587 BC is a favourite for critics because they rigidly use a much later definition of MULx.MULx to mean η Tauri which is greater than 22° away from the Moon.

Despite the view of critics, VAT4956 predates 267BC by a few centuries. The scribe could well view the modern constellation of Taurus as having several parts. Consider:

"the Stars" and "the Bull of Heaven". These two names are also given together as a pair in the micro-zodiac texts to indicate Taurus (Monroe 2016). Thus, it would seem that either or both the names "the Stars" and "the Bull of Heaven" could refer to Taurus. In the Astronomical Diaries, Taurus is usually referred to as "the Stars" (MÚL-MÚL). However, before 267 BC we find cases of the names "the Bull of Heaven" (GU4-AN) and "the Chariot" (gišGIGIR or GIGIR) where we would expect the name of the sign Taurus.
- John Steele (2018) THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BABYLONIAN ZODIAC: SOME PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS

The original translators accept that just because a constellation is mentioned in can mean that just a part is within the halo (Rearline 15 Note B). It seems that critics are holding to a criteria a few centuries ahead of it's time. Even though the criteria for #9 can be met easily the day before, the clarified understanding above allows it to be met on the day the tablet indicates too.

Position 8 | Position 9 | Position 10

588 BC #9 | 568 BC #9

Note C

SymbolSyllablesMeanings
4 4
A.KAL
ILLU
Water
DU
DE6
GUB
TUM6
go
bring
stand, sheep
4 4
DILI.BAD DILI.BAT; nebû: shining, bright, flaring; denoting the brightest star of a constellation
- The Assyrian Dictionary, Volume 11, N Part II (1980) pg 148
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
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
HI HI

DIL
DILI
RUM
ina
one

single
SILA3 SILA3
MÁŠ see rear line 3 note
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
6 6

nita
unu8
us8
fish, unit; redû: lead bring
male
stick
emēdu: to touch, lean; side, follow;
DIŠ Constantly, always, one, sixty,
if
ušu3
ba3
es2
sin
šalāšā: thirty, 30
half

the moon
NUN.LAGAR
TUR3
animal stall
LAGAB
RI3
GUR4
niĝin2
ellag
KUR4
block; excess

thick
encircle, total
bibbu: Mercury
KUR4 = ba'lu which means either ba'ālu: to be abnormally large, to become bright or shine brightly;
or ba'ūlu: great, important; - The Assyrian Dictionary, Volume 2, B (1965) pg 1, 184
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
GU4.AN only refers to "bull of heaven" on VAT4956. Not used on any other astronomical diary
GIGIR narkabtu; chariot, constellation of Auriga

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