[ahtimeline-event-heading]
When Henry Layard began to excavate at Nineveh, he came upon a large number of tablets. At that time, the tablets were still unreadable. Who could tell what secrets they contained?
Over 1600 of the tablets were shipped to the British Museum and with time scholars were able to decipher their contents.
These tablets, it was discovered, were part the first known library, established by last great king of Assyria, Assurbanipal, in his capitol at Nineveh. In one of these tablets, Assurbanipal claims to have been trained by the gods in the art of reading and writing. Instructively, the principal value in learning to read and the ability to learn how to interpret omens.
The god Marduk, the sage among gods, offered me as a present vast understanding and profound intelligence. The god Nabu, scribe of the universe, gave me as a gift the precepts of wisdom… I studied the art of the sage Adapa, the hidden knowledge of the entire art of the scribe. I know the ominous signs of heaven and earth. I can discuss them in the assembly of scholars. I am able to debate the series “If the liver is the reflection of heaven” with the expert diviners…
Marduk’s role as a god of wisdom and magic is already discernable in the Enuma Elish, where he is depicted not only as the creator god but also as a powerful magician. When Marduk battles Tiamat, he goes into battle with a magic plant clamped between his teeth. For Tiamat was herself a powerful sorceress.
Omens
The general idea behind magic is that all of us, gods and humans alike, are connected sympathetically to an underlying reality that is the source of life and power. This underlying reality may be tapped into by special individuals who have natural ability combined with secret knowledge, be they gods or men.
These signs are created by the gods and may be interpreted by men in order to avert disaster or to make plans. Since virtually anything could be a sign, scribes were continually compiling lists of natural phenomena and commenting on whether these were favourable or unfavorable.
Some of these lists, the Shuma Alu, ran for at least 107 tablets and possibly more. The title is derived from the first line of the first tablet “If a city is situated on a hill…” The series deals with the behavior of insects, snakes, lizards, scorpions, domesticated animals, etc. What is the meaning of the birth of a malformed child? How is one to interpret a marking on a man’s face? Virtually every natural phenomenon had some meaning that could be interpreted by those with the knowledge to do so.
Th
The Liver
In addition to those seemingly happenstance occurences with which a man is likely to meet throughout the day, there were other means to divining the future. These methods were carried out by a priest trained in the art. The method could involve inspecting how drops of oil spilled on water spread to the edge of a bowl, the shape made by the smoke of an incense burner, or perhaps most distinctively, the inspection of the liver and intestines of an animal. This latter form of divination has very ancient origins. Remarkably, it has continued in use until recent times in such places as Papua New Guinea. The diviner looks for unusual markings, the configurations of intestines, etc. before making his pronouncement. Would the campaign be successful? What the new king preside over a prosperous kingdom?
[ahtimeline-event-heading]
When Henry Layard began to excavate at Nineveh, he came upon a large number of tablets. At that time, the tablets were still unreadable. Who could tell what secrets they contained?
Over 1600 of the tablets were shipped to the British Museum and with time scholars were able to decipher their contents.
These tablets, it was discovered, were part the first known library, established by last great king of Assyria, Assurbanipal, in his capitol at Nineveh. In one of these tablets, Assurbanipal claims to have been trained by the gods in the art of reading and writing. Instructively, the principal value in learning to read and the ability to learn how to interpret omens.
The god Marduk, the sage among gods, offered me as a present vast understanding and profound intelligence. The god Nabu, scribe of the universe, gave me as a gift the precepts of wisdom… I studied the art of the sage Adapa, the hidden knowledge of the entire art of the scribe. I know the ominous signs of heaven and earth. I can discuss them in the assembly of scholars. I am able to debate the series “If the liver is the reflection of heaven” with the expert diviners…
Marduk’s role as a god of wisdom and magic is already discernable in the Enuma Elish, where he is depicted not only as the creator god but also as a powerful magician. When Marduk battles Tiamat, he goes into battle with a magic plant clamped between his teeth. For Tiamat was herself a powerful sorceress.
Omens
The general idea behind magic is that all of us, gods and humans alike, are connected sympathetically to an underlying reality that is the source of life and power. This underlying reality may be tapped into by special individuals who have natural ability combined with secret knowledge, be they gods or men.
These signs are created by the gods and may be interpreted by men in order to avert disaster or to make plans. Since virtually anything could be a sign, scribes were continually compiling lists of natural phenomena and commenting on whether these were favourable or unfavorable.
Some of these lists, the Shuma Alu, ran for at least 107 tablets and possibly more. The title is derived from the first line of the first tablet “If a city is situated on a hill…” The series deals with the behavior of insects, snakes, lizards, scorpions, domesticated animals, etc. What is the meaning of the birth of a malformed child? How is one to interpret a marking on a man’s face? Virtually every natural phenomenon had some meaning that could be interpreted by those with the knowledge to do so.
Th
The Liver
In addition to those seemingly happenstance occurences with which a man is likely to meet throughout the day, there were other means to divining the future. These methods were carried out by a priest trained in the art. The method could involve inspecting how drops of oil spilled on water spread to the edge of a bowl, the shape made by the smoke of an incense burner, or perhaps most distinctively, the inspection of the liver and intestines of an animal. This latter form of divination has very ancient origins. Remarkably, it has continued in use until recent times in such places as Papua New Guinea. The diviner looks for unusual markings, the configurations of intestines, etc. before making his pronouncement. Would the campaign be successful? What the new king preside over a prosperous kingdom?