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An Assyrian Dental Diagnosis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

B. R. Townend
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Extract

Among the Assyrian letters of the Quyunjiq Collection of about the end of the eighth century, or first half of the seventh century B.C., of which the texts were published by R. F. Harper (Assyrian and Babylonian Letters), and the translations by Leroy Waterman (The Royal Correspondence of the Assyrian Empire), No. 586, K. 1102, is peculiarly interesting. Dr. R. Campbell Thompson, at my suggestion, has re-examined the tablet and has made a few slight alterations in Professor Waterman's translation. The tablet would appear to run as follows:

‘[Greetings, perhaps covering seven lines, broken away, but certainly addressed to the King] … peace to the overseer (or, arrangements) of Ishtar of Commands.

‘Concerning that which the King (my) lord sent me, thus “Of thy certainty send (answer)”. I will tell the final (decision) to the King, my lord.

‘The inflammation wherewith his head, his hands (arms), feet (legs) are inflamed, is due to his teeth. His teeth must be drawn: it is on this account that he is inflamed; he will reduce (it(?)) through internal (channels)( ?). Then will all be well…’

Type
Research Article
Information
IRAQ , Volume 5 , Issue 1 , Spring 1938 , pp. 82 - 84
Copyright
Copyright © The British Institute for the Study of Iraq 1938

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References

page 82 note 1 I have re-examined the tablet at the British Museum, through the courtesy of Mr. Sidney Smith, the Keeper of the Department of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities. Harper's copy is admirable: I think I may add, however, that there are perhaps seven lines of the beginning of the obverse, and also of the end of the reverse lacking, so that the greeting is longer than he gives it. The end of rev. 9 would appear to be certainly … -niš-šú. I trust Professor Waterman will forgive my differing a little from him in his translation; it is always easy for a subsequent translator to make some small additional amendment. The chief alteration I would suggest is to read the sign laḫ as riḫ (a well-known value) in rev. 5, making the whole word ittaṣriḫ instead of ittaslaḫ, and so getting rid of the difficulty of ‘sprinkling the residence’. As for bitanuššu in rev. 6, bitanu is usually taken to mean ‘internal part’; I am in doubt about the translation here, but it does not affect the general sense. For convenience I append the transliteration of the letter.

[Top broken, containing perhaps seven lines. I have retained Harper's numbering].

Obverse. (4) [šu]l-mu a-na pi-qit-te (5) [ša] (ilu) Ištar par-ṣt (6) [ša] šarru bēli iš-pur-an-ni (7) ma-a ina kit-ti-ka (8) šup-ra ki-e-tu (9) itti šarri bēli-ia (10) a-da-bu-ub ṣa-ra-ḫu (11) ša qaqqad-su (12) idāti (ii, pl.) -šú (13) šepā (ii, pl.) -šú

Reverse, (I) i-ṣar-ḫu-u-ni (2) ištu pa-an šinnē (pl.) -šú (3) šinně (pl.) -šú a-na ú-ṣi-e (4) ištu pa-ni šu-u (5) it-ta-aṣ-riī (6) bi-ta-nu-uš-šu (7) ú-sa-pi-il ú-ma-a (8) šul-mu a-dan-mš (9)…-niš-šú.

Mr. Sidney Smith, Keeper of the Department of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities, British Museum, has been so good as to give permission for the use of the photograph of the actual tablet herein. [R. C. T.]

page 83 note 1 Ruffer, Armand Sir, Study of Ancient Egyptian Teeth (Amer. Journ. Phys. Anthrop. III, No. 3, 358, 377)Google Scholar.

page 83 note 2 Smith, G. Elliot, The Royal Mummies, Cairo, 1915. 50 Google Scholar.

page 83 note 3 Leroy Waterman, op. cit., Part iv, 35–6.