DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.57036#0045
32
Bannlösung (nam-erim-bür-ru-da)
originale from the Old Palace and other contexts in Assur,49 from
the Temple of Nabu in Kalhu.50 from Huzinna.51 from a further
location in Assyria which can no longerbe identified.52 from the
royal libraries which Assurbanipal established in his palace in
Nineveh in the mid-7th Century BCE.53 and finally from Sippar.54
While the vast majority of the texts comprising the third type
is known from the Erst millennium BCE. a Middle Assyrian
example55 and a few textual witnesses from the early Neo-
Assyrian period56 demonstrate that it must have possessed
textual predecessors from earlier periods.57
The cuneiform tablets with the Compilation of nam-erim-
bür-ru-da recitations were transmitted for the most part upon
single-column tablets. Versions written upon two-column tablets
have beenfound in Assur.58 Kalhu.59 Nineveh.60 and Sippar.61
2.2.3. Further Descriptions ofProcedures for dispelling aBan
and related Texts (Texts nos. 48-69)
Further writings documenting procedures for dispelling a ban
are known from the royal libraries of Assurbanipal in Nineveh.62
and from Assur.63 Within this book. these are presented in a
separate section as it remains unclear as to whether their ‘Sitz
im Leben’ was to be found in the treatment procedure prescribed
by the ‘guide’ for the performance of the therapy termed nam-
erim-bür-ru-da. or as to whether they were integrated into
fundamentally different contexts as. for example. those dicenda
known from the curative treatment Surpii. This is the case for
the edition of recitations presented here as Text no. 48-51. This
belonged to the ritual cycle called hit rimki, even if it might
also have had a place within the curative treatment known as
nam-erim-bür-ru-da ,64 While little doubl might exist that the
dicenda known from Texts nos. 52-54 should be recited within
the realms of a procedure for dispelling a ban. any indication as
to their placement within the events of the therapy is currently
lacking. Texts nos. 55-64 display close parallels to the texts on
the dispelling of a ban without it being possible to demonstrate
their actual belonging to the ban dispelling procedure.
Finally. also included within the present volume as Texts
nos. 65-69 are a few additional tablet fragments evidencing great
affinity in their formulation to those descriptions of procedures
for the dispelling of a ban already showcased.
49 The late Middle Assyrian Text no. 46. Neo-Assyrian textual witnesses
from Assur of unknown context are Texts nos. 16. 19 with additional
fragments. 23 and 24.
50 Texts nos. 34. 39. 40. and 42; see also Text no. 10.
51 Text no. 20.
52 Text no. 36.
53 Texts nos. 21. 27. 28. 29. 31. 33. 37. and 45.
54 Text no. 38.
55 Text no. 46 from the Old Palace in Assur.
56 Texts nos. 36. 39. 41. and 47. It is unclear as to whether Text no. 45 also
stems from the early Neo-Assyrian period or is of a later date.
57 On the intimations that dicenda from the procedure for dispelling a ban
were already textually formalised. see above fn. 36.
58 Text no. 41 (early Neo-Assyrian).
59 Text no. 39 (early Neo-Assyrian).
60 Texts nos. 28. 29. and 33 (all late Neo-Assyrian).
61 Text no. 38.
62 Texts nos. 48-53.
63 Text no. 54.
64 On this. see the commentary on Text no. 1-2. 8'.
2.3. Prescriptions for the Preparation of Medicine for the
Heuling of the Aihnents born of a Ban (Texts nos. 70-80)
The ancient Near Eastem healers seeking to eliminate those
causes of the illness beyond the bodily realm by means of the
procedure for dispelling a ban nevertheless also possessed
medicine and healing remedies at hand with which they might
battle the bodily complaints specific to the ban-illness. Among
the numerous healing compendia with cuneiform instructions as
to the preparation and application of medicine and remedies.65
not a single one dedicated solely to physical pains born of the
impact of a ban has presently been identified.66 Nevertheless.
numerous healing instructions conceming the “ban” or “hand of
the ban” are known from collections of prescriptions centring
upon stomach and bowel complaints (Texts nos. 70-72.
nos. 76-80).67 Moreover. quite a few prescriptions for the
preparation of universal medicines are preserved which could
be implemented against not only the corporeal Symptoms of a
ban. but also against a plethora of further ailments and. indeed.
“against every illness” (Texts nos. 73-75; no. 78. 18-32 and
45-53).
The pursuit of any completeness in terms of textual sources
would have well exceeded this present work’s remits. Hence.
this textual edition provides only representative examples. The
collections of prescriptions here selected hail in their entirety
from Assur. The greater part of these originale from among those
tablets discovered within the so-called House of the Incantation
Priest.68
The colophons of these texts do not leave the slightest doubl
that the medical-pharmacological treatment of patients suffering
from the ban-illness and the therapy called nam-erim-bür-
ru-da were performed by the same individuals.69
2.4. Instructions for preventative Measures (Text no. 81)
The medical goal of dispelling a ban was further reflected
within instructions of a prophylactic character. As of yet. these
are essentially only known from a single clay tablet discovered
at Nippur and inscribed in the Middle Babylonian period. This
65 The vast majority' of these texts provenance from Assur (see. above
all. F. Köcher. BAM I-IV [1963-1971]) and from Nineveh (see most
prominently R. C. Thompson. Assyrian medical texts. London 1923
[AMT] and F. Köcher. BAM V-VI [1980]).
66 Within an index within which the incipits of predominantly medical-
therapeutic texts are compiled in a serial Order, the so-called Assur
Medical Catalogue, mention may be found of texts potentially conceming
the “dispelling of a ban” within one entry (1. 86): NIGIN 4 DUB.MES
ana DIB d[.l-n/m BÜR EN? U§U/NÄM.ERIM.BÜ]R.RU.DA.KÄM
(see U. Steinert in U. Steinert [ed.]. Assyrian and Babylonian scholarly
text catalogues. 216 with the appurtenant commentary on p. 255f ). It
unfortunately remains unclear as to whether behind the entry "bul-ti ...
SU.NAM.ERIM.MA” (“Cure ... for the 'hand of the ban'”) within the
previously cited Curriculum of the Healers KAR 44 (therein rev. 12f.) lay
a medical compendium or even a clay tablet series of this title, or as to
whether the entry rather merely refers to a ty pe of instructions as to the
preparation and application of remedies and pharmaceuticals.
6 7 The description of the appearance of the appurtenant illness very frequently
precedes the instructions as to the preparation of medication.
68 Texts nos. 71 and 73-80.
69 Cf., for example. the colophons written by Kisir-Assur to Texts nos. 1. 4.
and 5 with those of Texts nos. 73 and 80. It follows therefrom that Kisir-
Assur had copied down not only the Guide' to the performance of the
curative treatment termed nam-erim-bür-ru-da (Text no. 1). but also
the Collection of prescriptions known from Text no. 73 “in Order to prepare
himself for the (medical) treatment (of his patient)” (Akkadian: ana sabät
epesi).
Bannlösung (nam-erim-bür-ru-da)
originale from the Old Palace and other contexts in Assur,49 from
the Temple of Nabu in Kalhu.50 from Huzinna.51 from a further
location in Assyria which can no longerbe identified.52 from the
royal libraries which Assurbanipal established in his palace in
Nineveh in the mid-7th Century BCE.53 and finally from Sippar.54
While the vast majority of the texts comprising the third type
is known from the Erst millennium BCE. a Middle Assyrian
example55 and a few textual witnesses from the early Neo-
Assyrian period56 demonstrate that it must have possessed
textual predecessors from earlier periods.57
The cuneiform tablets with the Compilation of nam-erim-
bür-ru-da recitations were transmitted for the most part upon
single-column tablets. Versions written upon two-column tablets
have beenfound in Assur.58 Kalhu.59 Nineveh.60 and Sippar.61
2.2.3. Further Descriptions ofProcedures for dispelling aBan
and related Texts (Texts nos. 48-69)
Further writings documenting procedures for dispelling a ban
are known from the royal libraries of Assurbanipal in Nineveh.62
and from Assur.63 Within this book. these are presented in a
separate section as it remains unclear as to whether their ‘Sitz
im Leben’ was to be found in the treatment procedure prescribed
by the ‘guide’ for the performance of the therapy termed nam-
erim-bür-ru-da. or as to whether they were integrated into
fundamentally different contexts as. for example. those dicenda
known from the curative treatment Surpii. This is the case for
the edition of recitations presented here as Text no. 48-51. This
belonged to the ritual cycle called hit rimki, even if it might
also have had a place within the curative treatment known as
nam-erim-bür-ru-da ,64 While little doubl might exist that the
dicenda known from Texts nos. 52-54 should be recited within
the realms of a procedure for dispelling a ban. any indication as
to their placement within the events of the therapy is currently
lacking. Texts nos. 55-64 display close parallels to the texts on
the dispelling of a ban without it being possible to demonstrate
their actual belonging to the ban dispelling procedure.
Finally. also included within the present volume as Texts
nos. 65-69 are a few additional tablet fragments evidencing great
affinity in their formulation to those descriptions of procedures
for the dispelling of a ban already showcased.
49 The late Middle Assyrian Text no. 46. Neo-Assyrian textual witnesses
from Assur of unknown context are Texts nos. 16. 19 with additional
fragments. 23 and 24.
50 Texts nos. 34. 39. 40. and 42; see also Text no. 10.
51 Text no. 20.
52 Text no. 36.
53 Texts nos. 21. 27. 28. 29. 31. 33. 37. and 45.
54 Text no. 38.
55 Text no. 46 from the Old Palace in Assur.
56 Texts nos. 36. 39. 41. and 47. It is unclear as to whether Text no. 45 also
stems from the early Neo-Assyrian period or is of a later date.
57 On the intimations that dicenda from the procedure for dispelling a ban
were already textually formalised. see above fn. 36.
58 Text no. 41 (early Neo-Assyrian).
59 Text no. 39 (early Neo-Assyrian).
60 Texts nos. 28. 29. and 33 (all late Neo-Assyrian).
61 Text no. 38.
62 Texts nos. 48-53.
63 Text no. 54.
64 On this. see the commentary on Text no. 1-2. 8'.
2.3. Prescriptions for the Preparation of Medicine for the
Heuling of the Aihnents born of a Ban (Texts nos. 70-80)
The ancient Near Eastem healers seeking to eliminate those
causes of the illness beyond the bodily realm by means of the
procedure for dispelling a ban nevertheless also possessed
medicine and healing remedies at hand with which they might
battle the bodily complaints specific to the ban-illness. Among
the numerous healing compendia with cuneiform instructions as
to the preparation and application of medicine and remedies.65
not a single one dedicated solely to physical pains born of the
impact of a ban has presently been identified.66 Nevertheless.
numerous healing instructions conceming the “ban” or “hand of
the ban” are known from collections of prescriptions centring
upon stomach and bowel complaints (Texts nos. 70-72.
nos. 76-80).67 Moreover. quite a few prescriptions for the
preparation of universal medicines are preserved which could
be implemented against not only the corporeal Symptoms of a
ban. but also against a plethora of further ailments and. indeed.
“against every illness” (Texts nos. 73-75; no. 78. 18-32 and
45-53).
The pursuit of any completeness in terms of textual sources
would have well exceeded this present work’s remits. Hence.
this textual edition provides only representative examples. The
collections of prescriptions here selected hail in their entirety
from Assur. The greater part of these originale from among those
tablets discovered within the so-called House of the Incantation
Priest.68
The colophons of these texts do not leave the slightest doubl
that the medical-pharmacological treatment of patients suffering
from the ban-illness and the therapy called nam-erim-bür-
ru-da were performed by the same individuals.69
2.4. Instructions for preventative Measures (Text no. 81)
The medical goal of dispelling a ban was further reflected
within instructions of a prophylactic character. As of yet. these
are essentially only known from a single clay tablet discovered
at Nippur and inscribed in the Middle Babylonian period. This
65 The vast majority' of these texts provenance from Assur (see. above
all. F. Köcher. BAM I-IV [1963-1971]) and from Nineveh (see most
prominently R. C. Thompson. Assyrian medical texts. London 1923
[AMT] and F. Köcher. BAM V-VI [1980]).
66 Within an index within which the incipits of predominantly medical-
therapeutic texts are compiled in a serial Order, the so-called Assur
Medical Catalogue, mention may be found of texts potentially conceming
the “dispelling of a ban” within one entry (1. 86): NIGIN 4 DUB.MES
ana DIB d[.l-n/m BÜR EN? U§U/NÄM.ERIM.BÜ]R.RU.DA.KÄM
(see U. Steinert in U. Steinert [ed.]. Assyrian and Babylonian scholarly
text catalogues. 216 with the appurtenant commentary on p. 255f ). It
unfortunately remains unclear as to whether behind the entry "bul-ti ...
SU.NAM.ERIM.MA” (“Cure ... for the 'hand of the ban'”) within the
previously cited Curriculum of the Healers KAR 44 (therein rev. 12f.) lay
a medical compendium or even a clay tablet series of this title, or as to
whether the entry rather merely refers to a ty pe of instructions as to the
preparation and application of remedies and pharmaceuticals.
6 7 The description of the appearance of the appurtenant illness very frequently
precedes the instructions as to the preparation of medication.
68 Texts nos. 71 and 73-80.
69 Cf., for example. the colophons written by Kisir-Assur to Texts nos. 1. 4.
and 5 with those of Texts nos. 73 and 80. It follows therefrom that Kisir-
Assur had copied down not only the Guide' to the performance of the
curative treatment termed nam-erim-bür-ru-da (Text no. 1). but also
the Collection of prescriptions known from Text no. 73 “in Order to prepare
himself for the (medical) treatment (of his patient)” (Akkadian: ana sabät
epesi).