DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.57036#0039
26
Bannlösung (nam-erim-bür-ru-da)
of the collapsed building lay hundreds of mostly broken clay
tablets. small and large, of wildly differing formats (Fig. I).2
These were the remnants of a Collection of scholarly texts still
unique today. Assyrian healers3 had established this collection
within their house for the practice of their profession and for
teaching and study purposes. constantly expanding upon it in
the decades prior to the fall of their city. More than 110 years
ago. in this building swiftly dubbed by the excavators the
”House of the Incantation Priest".4 the writings central to this
work had witnessed the light of day once more.
With the collapse of the Assyrian Empire and the complete
destruction of the city of Assur. the centuries-old knowledge of
the healing arts as contained in these manuscripts seemed to be
irrevocably lost. Yet. in striking contrast to documents written
upon perishable materials such as papyrus. wood. or leather.
both Fred and air-dried tablets alike remain intact even in damp
soil conditions. It is only on account of this reason that the
buried. entirely forgotten knowledge of the Assyrian healers
might be reclaimed after more than two and a half millennia.
and studied anew.
2 On the so-called House of the Incantation Priest and the tablet collection
discovered Hierein, see O. Pedersen. ALA2. 41-76 and S. M. Maul. Assur-
Forschungen. 189-228. both with further bibliographies. P. Miglus has
extensively described the archaeological context in WVDOG 93. 236-241
along with Plans 41 and 132.
3 Within scholarly Assyriological literature. the Professional title
(w)ööpu(m) is frequently translated with the term “incantation priest"
(German: “Beschwörungspriester'; French. by contrast. usually
“exorciste”). The rendering of the Akkadian word (w)äsipu(m) (and its all
but synonym masmassu) is misleading inasmuch as a(n) (w)äsipu(m) was
not a priest, even if commissioned by a temple. Thus. both here and in
what follows. the term “incantation priest" will be consistently avoided.
By means of comparison. the translation “conjuror“ rather neatly reflects
the etymology of the Akkadian word (w)äsipu(m). fumishing implicitly
thereby justification enough for its employment. Following a long period
of study, a(n) (w)ööpu(m) was understood to have acquired the power to
banish evil and invoke good with the divine speech revealed to humanity.
Yet. even if the etymology' of this Professional designation (w)öSpu(m) is
done complete justice by the German translation “Beschwörer“ (or English
“conjuror”). the Professional field termed äsipütu or masmassütu in ancient
Mesopotamia is only inadequately characterised with the conventional
German expression “Beschwömngskunst" (i.e. “art of conjouring "). In the
broadest possible sense. äsipütu or masmassütu might be designated as a
healing art encompassing all conceivable techmques by which to negate
disaster and conserve health. This extends from petitionary prayer and
exorcism to the preparation of pharmaceuticals and the medicinal treatment
of a patient. Within the so-called House of the Incantation Priest discovered
in Assur. a considerable sum of tablets was found with descriptions of
therapies and instmctions as to the preparation of medication conceived
as remedying or protecting against numerous illnesses or ailments. These
document a vital field within which the Assyrian scholars termed äsipu or
masmassu worked. These ‘averters of calamity’ and 'guardians of health'
were moreover tasked with the securing of permanent divine protection.
and the dispelling of all manners of evil. misfortune. and difficulty. In their
tablet collection could accordingly also be found prayers and instmctions
as to the placation of divine wrath. and. in tum. directions for healing
procedures eradicating psychic. social, and economic Problems from the
world. In rendering the Professional designation (w)äsipu(m) ormasmassu.
the more neutral term “healer" will be employed rather than “conjuror".
4 W. Andrae. MDOG 44 (1910). 35.
Fig. 1: Unfired cuneiform tablets in situ within the debris of the house
of the Assyrian healers (Excavation photograph S 3866
from June 1908)
Serving as an important key to this literature so vital to
intellectual history is an index widespread among ancient Near
Eastem healers ofthattime. It has the following heading: “Incipits
of the works of the healing arts (jskar äsipütilmasmassüti) proper
to study and the attaining of knowledge."5 Within the so-called
House of the Incantation Priest were to be found two exemplars
of this oft-copied Curriculum; from this list’s enumeration of
those texts deemed essential, in tum. the ancient Near Eastem
healers’ foundational intellectual and practical spheres of activity
may be discemed.6
Among many others. a work with the Sumerian title nam-
erim-bür-ru-da is therein named. The Assyrian healer
Kisir-Nabü who copied and signed one of the exemplars of this
Curriculum (KAR 44 = VAT 8275 = Ass 13955 er; see Fig. 2)
in the last third of the seventh Century BCE appended to this
Sumerian title a gloss in diminutive script: [ma-mi-t\a a-na
pa-sd-ri. “In Order to dispel a ban”.7
5 E. Ebeling. KAR 44 (VAT 8275 = Ass 13955 er) and duplicates. obv. 1. The
most recent editions of the so-called Exorcist's Manual have been prepared
by M. J. Geller (Fs. Lambert. 242-254) and C. Jean (SAAS 17. 62-82).
Some seven textual witnesses have been presently identified. all of these
having been copied in the first millennium BCE and hailing from Assur.
Nineveh. Sippar. Babylon, and Umk.
6 KAR 44 and A 366 (Find number: Ass 13955 bk; unpublished).
7 KAR 44. obv. 12 (cf. also the following lines). The Akkadian gloss is
lacking in the duplicates. Within the correspondence of the late Assyrian
kings. the procedure for the dissolution of a ban was also termed “mämiti
u pasäri" (S. Parpola. SAA 10. 308. text no. 371. rev. 9) and "sa mämTti
pasäru" (ibid.. 163. text no. 201. rev. 5'). In the Late Babylonian text
BRM 4. no. 20. 70. nam-erim-bür-ru-da is equated with Akkadian
mämitu pasäru.
Bannlösung (nam-erim-bür-ru-da)
of the collapsed building lay hundreds of mostly broken clay
tablets. small and large, of wildly differing formats (Fig. I).2
These were the remnants of a Collection of scholarly texts still
unique today. Assyrian healers3 had established this collection
within their house for the practice of their profession and for
teaching and study purposes. constantly expanding upon it in
the decades prior to the fall of their city. More than 110 years
ago. in this building swiftly dubbed by the excavators the
”House of the Incantation Priest".4 the writings central to this
work had witnessed the light of day once more.
With the collapse of the Assyrian Empire and the complete
destruction of the city of Assur. the centuries-old knowledge of
the healing arts as contained in these manuscripts seemed to be
irrevocably lost. Yet. in striking contrast to documents written
upon perishable materials such as papyrus. wood. or leather.
both Fred and air-dried tablets alike remain intact even in damp
soil conditions. It is only on account of this reason that the
buried. entirely forgotten knowledge of the Assyrian healers
might be reclaimed after more than two and a half millennia.
and studied anew.
2 On the so-called House of the Incantation Priest and the tablet collection
discovered Hierein, see O. Pedersen. ALA2. 41-76 and S. M. Maul. Assur-
Forschungen. 189-228. both with further bibliographies. P. Miglus has
extensively described the archaeological context in WVDOG 93. 236-241
along with Plans 41 and 132.
3 Within scholarly Assyriological literature. the Professional title
(w)ööpu(m) is frequently translated with the term “incantation priest"
(German: “Beschwörungspriester'; French. by contrast. usually
“exorciste”). The rendering of the Akkadian word (w)äsipu(m) (and its all
but synonym masmassu) is misleading inasmuch as a(n) (w)äsipu(m) was
not a priest, even if commissioned by a temple. Thus. both here and in
what follows. the term “incantation priest" will be consistently avoided.
By means of comparison. the translation “conjuror“ rather neatly reflects
the etymology of the Akkadian word (w)äsipu(m). fumishing implicitly
thereby justification enough for its employment. Following a long period
of study, a(n) (w)ööpu(m) was understood to have acquired the power to
banish evil and invoke good with the divine speech revealed to humanity.
Yet. even if the etymology' of this Professional designation (w)öSpu(m) is
done complete justice by the German translation “Beschwörer“ (or English
“conjuror”). the Professional field termed äsipütu or masmassütu in ancient
Mesopotamia is only inadequately characterised with the conventional
German expression “Beschwömngskunst" (i.e. “art of conjouring "). In the
broadest possible sense. äsipütu or masmassütu might be designated as a
healing art encompassing all conceivable techmques by which to negate
disaster and conserve health. This extends from petitionary prayer and
exorcism to the preparation of pharmaceuticals and the medicinal treatment
of a patient. Within the so-called House of the Incantation Priest discovered
in Assur. a considerable sum of tablets was found with descriptions of
therapies and instmctions as to the preparation of medication conceived
as remedying or protecting against numerous illnesses or ailments. These
document a vital field within which the Assyrian scholars termed äsipu or
masmassu worked. These ‘averters of calamity’ and 'guardians of health'
were moreover tasked with the securing of permanent divine protection.
and the dispelling of all manners of evil. misfortune. and difficulty. In their
tablet collection could accordingly also be found prayers and instmctions
as to the placation of divine wrath. and. in tum. directions for healing
procedures eradicating psychic. social, and economic Problems from the
world. In rendering the Professional designation (w)äsipu(m) ormasmassu.
the more neutral term “healer" will be employed rather than “conjuror".
4 W. Andrae. MDOG 44 (1910). 35.
Fig. 1: Unfired cuneiform tablets in situ within the debris of the house
of the Assyrian healers (Excavation photograph S 3866
from June 1908)
Serving as an important key to this literature so vital to
intellectual history is an index widespread among ancient Near
Eastem healers ofthattime. It has the following heading: “Incipits
of the works of the healing arts (jskar äsipütilmasmassüti) proper
to study and the attaining of knowledge."5 Within the so-called
House of the Incantation Priest were to be found two exemplars
of this oft-copied Curriculum; from this list’s enumeration of
those texts deemed essential, in tum. the ancient Near Eastem
healers’ foundational intellectual and practical spheres of activity
may be discemed.6
Among many others. a work with the Sumerian title nam-
erim-bür-ru-da is therein named. The Assyrian healer
Kisir-Nabü who copied and signed one of the exemplars of this
Curriculum (KAR 44 = VAT 8275 = Ass 13955 er; see Fig. 2)
in the last third of the seventh Century BCE appended to this
Sumerian title a gloss in diminutive script: [ma-mi-t\a a-na
pa-sd-ri. “In Order to dispel a ban”.7
5 E. Ebeling. KAR 44 (VAT 8275 = Ass 13955 er) and duplicates. obv. 1. The
most recent editions of the so-called Exorcist's Manual have been prepared
by M. J. Geller (Fs. Lambert. 242-254) and C. Jean (SAAS 17. 62-82).
Some seven textual witnesses have been presently identified. all of these
having been copied in the first millennium BCE and hailing from Assur.
Nineveh. Sippar. Babylon, and Umk.
6 KAR 44 and A 366 (Find number: Ass 13955 bk; unpublished).
7 KAR 44. obv. 12 (cf. also the following lines). The Akkadian gloss is
lacking in the duplicates. Within the correspondence of the late Assyrian
kings. the procedure for the dissolution of a ban was also termed “mämiti
u pasäri" (S. Parpola. SAA 10. 308. text no. 371. rev. 9) and "sa mämTti
pasäru" (ibid.. 163. text no. 201. rev. 5'). In the Late Babylonian text
BRM 4. no. 20. 70. nam-erim-bür-ru-da is equated with Akkadian
mämitu pasäru.