Principles of Akkadian Textual Criticism

Principles of Akkadian Textual Criticism......Page 4
Preface......Page 8
Contents......Page 14
Abbreviations......Page 20
1 Introduction......Page 26
1.1 Notes on nomenclature and conventions......Page 29
1.2 The transmission of Akkadian scholarship and literature......Page 30
1.2.1 Transmission through copying......Page 31
1.2.2 Transmission through dictation......Page 32
1.2.3 Transmission through learning by heart......Page 38
1.2.4 Differences in transmission between the second and first millennia?......Page 40
1.3 Transmission as a source of textual change......Page 41
1.4.1 Ancient notions of fidelity......Page 45
1.4.2 Non-restoration......Page 47
1.4.3 Restoration......Page 48
1.4.4 The use of multiple exemplars......Page 49
1.4.5.1 hepi  it is broken and similar......Page 50
1.4.6 How did transmitters deal with (perceived) obscurities?......Page 52
1.5 The problem of apprentices......Page 53
1.6 Attitudes to manuscripts among Akkadianists......Page 57
1.7 Potential rewards deriving from the study of textual change......Page 63
2.1 Problems pertaining to authors and Urtexts......Page 66
2.2 Problems in dealing with errors......Page 69
2.2.1.1 Oddities of grammar and orthography......Page 70
2.2.1.2 Oddities of style......Page 71
2.2.1.3 Oddities of sense......Page 72
2.2.1.3.1 A two-line incongruity: Gilgameš I 298-299......Page 77
2.2.2 Linguistic and orthographic oddities, and problems in explaining them......Page 79
2.2.2.1 Orthographic conventions and the problem of normativity......Page 80
2.2.2.2 Error or phonetic spelling?......Page 83
2.2.2.3 Ignorance or inadvertence?......Page 85
2.2.3 Problems in dealing with oddities: summary......Page 88
2.3.1 The 'courier effect'......Page 89
2.3.2 Variability and the 'chameleon effect'......Page 90
2.3.3 The caveat of somnolence......Page 93
2.4 Evidence for relations between manuscripts......Page 95
2.4.1 Judging whether anomalies are diagnostically significant......Page 97
2.4.2 The problem of orthographic 'convergence'......Page 100
2.4.3 Examples of relations at the same scribal centre......Page 101
2.4.4 Examples of relations between different scribal centres......Page 103
2.4.5 Stemmata......Page 105
2.5 On the role of quantification in the study of a corpus language......Page 107
3.1 The importance of a typology of scribal errors......Page 113
3.2 A typology of Akkadian scribal errors......Page 115
3.2.1 Errors of sign similarity......Page 117
3.2.1.1 Errors of sign identification......Page 118
3.2.1.2 Lapsus styli and errors of tactile memory......Page 120
3.2.2 Errors of sign interpretation......Page 121
3.2.3 Errors of phonetic similarity......Page 123
3.2.4 Saut du même au même......Page 128
3.2.6 Lipography......Page 129
3.2.7 Haplography......Page 130
3.2.9 Incomplete signs......Page 131
3.2.10 Polar errors......Page 132
3.2.12 Errors of attraction......Page 134
3.2.13 Errors of syllable inversion......Page 136
3.2.16 Errors of sign metathesis......Page 137
3.2.18 Errors of 'cut and paste' and interpolation......Page 138
3.2.18.1 Spellings as evidence for different entries' separate origins?......Page 139
3.2.19 Hypercorrection......Page 140
3.3 Transmitters misunderstanding their exemplars......Page 141
3.3.1 Examples of misunderstanding in medicine......Page 143
3.3.2 Examples of misunderstanding in literature......Page 144
3.3.3 Examples of misunderstanding in Neo-Assyrian royal inscriptions......Page 146
3.3.4 How well did transmitters know the compositions?......Page 150
3.4 Transmitters making conscious changes......Page 152
3.4.1 Sennacherib Rassam, MSS A and FF......Page 153
3.4.2 Assurbanipal B/D VIII......Page 157
3.4.3 Šalmaneser III 44 (and 45)......Page 158
3.4.4 Two manuscripts of the Diagnostic Handbook XVII......Page 160
3.4.5 Glosses?......Page 163
3.4.6.1 Examples of correction......Page 165
3.4.6.1.1 Hypercorrections on Assurbanipal MS A21......Page 167
3.4.6.2 An example of non-correction......Page 169
3.5.1 Adad-nērārī II's kisirtu......Page 171
3.5.2 Sennacherib's 'Walters' inscription......Page 172
3.5.3 Assurnaṣirpal II 17......Page 174
3.5.4 Assurnaṣirpal II 19......Page 175
3.5.6 eli mahrê and eli ša mahri 'than the previous one'......Page 176
3.5.7 Spelling patterns in a compendium of oracle questions......Page 177
3.6 Errors of sign similarity by stonemasons......Page 179
3.6.1 Some simple examples of stonemasons' errors......Page 180
3.6.2 Two cruces......Page 181
3.6.3 How were stone inscriptions produced?......Page 183
3.7 Assyrians transmitting Babylonian......Page 185
3.8 Conclusions......Page 187
4.1 Introduction......Page 189
4.2 Issues of orthographic consistency and convention......Page 192
4.3 'Soft' auto-corrections......Page 193
4.4 Sounds and spellings at word boundaries......Page 199
4.4.1 'Split' sandhi spellings......Page 202
4.4.2 'Enriched' sandhi spellings......Page 203
4.4.3 'Truncated' spellings......Page 206
4.4.4 Spellings involving the conjunction u......Page 208
4.4.5 Sandhi spellings across determinatives......Page 210
4.4.6 Sandhi spellings mingling with sumerograms......Page 211
4.4.7 A 'trap'......Page 213
4.4.8 Glides between i-Auslaut and vocalic Anlaut......Page 214
4.5 The 'honorific' nominative......Page 215
4.5.2.1 Assurnaṣirpal II 26......Page 218
4.5.2.2 Adad-nērārī III 1 and 2......Page 219
4.5.2.5 Assurbanipal......Page 220
4.5.3 Likely examples in the Assyrian royal inscriptions......Page 221
4.5.5 Further discussion......Page 222
4.6 The destabilisation of case concord......Page 223
4.7 Analyses of case markers on individual manuscripts......Page 225
4.7.1 Gilgameš I MS B......Page 226
4.7.1.1 Enkidu as an axe of meteoric iron......Page 229
4.7.2 Gilgameš VI MS a......Page 234
4.7.3 TCL III+......Page 240
4.8 The distribution of pairs of interchangeable signs......Page 241
4.8.1 Orthographic flourishes: man vs lugal......Page 242
4.8.2 Consistent use of šá......Page 243
4.9 Orthography as evidence for pseudepigraphy......Page 245
4.10 Plene spellings in feminine plurals......Page 247
4.10.1.1 TP I 1, MSS 1-5......Page 248
4.10.1.2 Sargon's 8th Campaign (TCL III+)......Page 250
4.10.1.3 Asb Prism A, MS A1......Page 251
4.10.1.4 Gilgameš VI MS a......Page 253
4.10.2 Glimmers of the situation in Babylonian......Page 254
4.10.3 Phonological interpretation......Page 257
4.10.4 What about -ūt-?......Page 259
4.11 Spellings of verb-final contracted vowels before -ma......Page 260
4.12 Conclusions......Page 264
5 How easily were scholarship and literature sight-read in the first millennium?......Page 266
5.1 Previous statements......Page 269
5.2.1 Issues of exposure and familiarity......Page 273
5.2.2 The relevance of unfamiliar manuscripts......Page 276
5.2.2.1 Allochthonous exemplars at Nineveh......Page 279
5.2.3 Issues of textual typology......Page 280
5.3 Potential obstacles to smooth sight-reading......Page 282
5.3.1 Excursus on spacing and punctuation......Page 286
5.4 Spellings calculated to assist readers in decipherment......Page 289
5.4.2 Plene spellings as aids to reading......Page 290
5.4.2.2 Disambiguatory plene spellings......Page 291
5.4.4 ša1 vs šá......Page 294
5.4.4.1 always šá, except ša1 for disambiguation......Page 295
5.4.4.2 ša1 for the word, šá for the syllable......Page 296
5.4.4.3 šá for the word, ša1 for the syllable......Page 302
5.4.4.4 šá for the syllable, the word written with both signs......Page 304
5.4.5 -tum as a marker of singular word ends......Page 305
5.4.6 -tu as a marker of nom./acc. singular......Page 307
5.4.7 The use of meš to mark sumerograms......Page 309
5.5 Recapitulation on ancient misreadings in § 3.3......Page 312
5.6 Towards a model of ancient sight-reading......Page 313
6.1 Choosing between variants......Page 317
6.1.1 Codex optimus......Page 318
6.1.2 Eliminatio codicum descriptorum......Page 319
6.1.3 The 'majority text'......Page 320
6.1.4 Treacherous duplicates......Page 322
6.2 Formulating conjectures......Page 323
6.2.2 The conjectural aspect......Page 324
6.2.3 Lectio difficilior potior?......Page 326
6.2.4 Enkidu as a powerful king......Page 328
6.2.5 Ea, the wall and Ūta-napišti: who talks to who?......Page 330
7 Summary......Page 334
8 References......Page 335
Alphabetical index (selective)......Page 360
Index locorum......Page 372