Front - Line 2

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Hand drawing below by Ernst F. Weidner (1952)


ANSAGUŠAŠIGINAM2AŠŠELAGABTIRANAŠŠU2GIBGI63U.U.U2U2AŠIGI


Transliteration:

dSAG.UŠ ina IGI SIM 2 ina še-ri3 TIR.AN ina ŠU2 GIB GI6 3 sin 2 KUŠ3 ina IGI [...]

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

Saturn was in front of the Swallow. The 2nd, in the morning, a rainbow stretched in the west. Night of the 3rd, the moon was 2 cubits in front of [ .... ]

Note A

SymbolSyllablesMeanings
AN
DINGIR
ILU
 Sky, Heaven, Mars
Deity, Determinative for a deity
God
SAG.US šaqû: to raise up
kajamān: constantly
Can refer to any planet
According to F Hommel SAG.US could refer to Mars in earlier texts - P. Felix Gössman; Planetarium Babylonicum (1950) pg 124
ina 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
NAM
SIM		 šīmtu: "fixing death" a descriptive name of Mars (Source)
2 2
AŠ
DIL
DILI
RUM
ina
 one

single
ŠE Addaru: Adar, the twelfth month
barley
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
TIR.AN manzāt: rainbow
AŠ.SU2
ina SU2		 in the west
GIB kapāpu: bow
GI6
ĝi6
ku10
mi
 mūšu: night
ṣalāmu: cause to become dark, darkened, obscured
3 3
ušu3
ba3
es2
sin		 šalāšā: thirty, 30
half

the moon
2 2
U2
kuš3
 load, horn
unit
ina 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

Note C

Saturn was in front of the Swallow

According to the original translators (Rear line 5 Note G) the Southern Fish is identified with the stars nearby γ Piscium. On day 1, Saturn would have risen @ 02:55 and would have been visible until the twilight sky became brighter, it would have been visible for approximately 1 1/2 hours (nautical twilight started at 04:35)

During this short period of visibility Saturn was 09°23'08" below, and 10°47'36" behind γ Piscium, not in front as indicated on the tablet. See image below:


Note D

Night of the 3rd, the moon was 2 cubits in front of [ .... ]

What was the moon 2 cubits (04°24'00"; 04.40°) in front of?

SkyCharts

588 BC

  • BC588-05-04 19h32m25s ( +03 )
  • Moon: L: +68°19'53" B:-03°53'25"
  • δ Geminorum: L: +72°35'58" B:-00°29'53"
  • The moon is 1 cubit 23 fingers (04°16'05"; 04.26°) in front of δ Geminorum
  • This is a close match

568 BC

  • BC568-04-24 19h24m52s ( +03 )
  • Moon: L: +69°48'15" B:-01°44'47"
  • δ Geminorum: L: +72°52'31" B:-00°29'42"
  • The moon is 1 cubit 10 fingers (03°04'15"; 03.07°) in front of δ Geminorum
  • This is 1.33° difference making the match borderline
  • Mars: L: +71°46'12" B:+01°17'27"
  • The moon is 21 fingers 01°57'57"; 01.96°) in front of Mars
  • This is 2.44° difference, therefore not a good match

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