Cuneiform sign list, classifiers/determinatives

Subsection of Chapter `Cuneiform' of John Heise's `Akkadian language'.

The sign list contains at least three items:
--a number from Borger's book `Assyrische-babylonische Zeichenliste'
--the cuneiform sign in New Assyrian orthography
--the name of the sign or one of its values.

Signs used as a determinative

(see function as determinative)
These signs could appear either before or after a name.
Note that these signs are also used other than determinative, as phonogram or as logogram.
Determinatives may follow another determinative:
the landlord of a pub is written as lú, determinative for a profession, followed by é, determinative for a house, followed by the logogram ka for `beer'.

(before) leather items

meaning: Sum. ku, Akk. maku(m) `skin'
for phonetic values and logograms, see sign list 1

DINGIR
(before) deities

meaning: Sum. dingir `god', Akk. ilu(m) `god'
examples:

^den.líl ^dEnlil sky god, with Anum the supreme gods

^dutu, ama , sun god
for phonetic values and logograms, see sign list 1

URU
(before) cities, often in combination with

KI after city names.
Cities are often indicated with their Sumerian names (Akkadian logograms)

meaning: Sum. uru `city', Akk. alu(m) `city'

examples:

	`^urunun^ki`,	Eridu,	the city Eridu, home of the water god Ea
	`^uru e .unug ^ki`,	Ur,	the city Ur, important port in South Mesopotamia home of the moon god Sîn

for phonetic values and logograms, see sign list 2

EN, (HU)
(after) bird names

for phonetic values and logograms, see sign list 3

129a

MUL
(before) stars and constellations.
The sign consists of three times

an `heaven', which itself derives from a simplification of an asterix like pictogram for a star

meaning: Sum. mul `star', Akk. kakkabu(m) `star'
examples:

^mulban qatu `bow-stars', to which Sirius and part of the Orion-stars belong
for phonetic values and logograms, see sign list 6

229

NA₄
(before) stones

meaning: Sum. na₄, Akk. abnu(m) `stone'
examples:

na₄.ru.a, narû, stela
for phonetic values and logograms, see sign list 8

296

(before) wooden items (weapons etc.)

meaning: Sum. gi , Akk. iSu(m) `wood', `tree'
examples:

^gi tukul kakku(m) `weapon',

^gi ban qatu `bow', a weapon
for phonetic values and logograms, see sign list 9

297

GU₄
(before) cattle

for phonetic values and logograms, see sign list 9

309

DUG
(before) pottery

for phonetic values and logograms, see sign list 9

318

Ú
(before) name of plants

meaning: Sum. ú, Akk. ammu `plant', `grass', `hay', `fodder', `herb', `medical plant'
examples:

^ú ak-tam aktam `castor oil'
for phonetic values and logograms, see sign list 9

324

É
(before) buildings (tempels).
temple names are always given with their Sumerian names (Akkadian logograms).

meaning: Sum. é, 'house', `temple'; Akk. bït(m) `house', `temple'

examples of houses:

`é.ad`	bït abi	("house of father") `family', `offspring' ( `ad` `father')
`é.a.ba`	(same as `é.ad`)
`é.ka`	bït sïbim	`taverne' (beer house)

examples of tempels:

`é.an.na`	'Eanna-temple'	(tempels of the sungod Shamash)
`é.kur`	("house mountain") `Ekur-temple'	(famous temple of Enlil in Nippur)
`é.abzu`	`Apsû-temple'	(temple of Enki/Ea in Eridu)
`é.babbar`	("house white") `the White House'	(tempels of the sungod Shamash)
`é.mah`	("house most high") `Emah-temple'	(20 tempels have this name)
`é.sag.ilá`	`Esagila-temple'	(tempel of Marduk in Babylon)
`é.ud.gal.gal`	("house great storms") `E-udgalgal-temple'	(tempel of the storm (weather) god Adad in Karkara `ud` `day', also `storm' `gal` `great'
`é.ul.ma`	`E-ulma-temple'	(tempel of the god Itar in Akkad)

for phonetic values and logograms, see sign list 9

330

LÚ
(before) professions; makes an (abstract) noun of the following logogram

meaning: Sum. lú, Akk. amëlu(m), Old Bab. awïlum 'man'

examples:

`^lú a.ba`,	Tuparru,	`writer'
`^lú ban`,	qatu,	`archer', using the bow as weapon
`^lú kúr`,	nakru,	`enemy', with `kúr` adj. `hostile'
`^lú shab.tur` ,	umallû,	`pupil', 'junior writer'; In colofons of clay tablets, indicating a text copied by a student.

for phonetic values and logograms, see sign list 10

331e

SAR
(after) herb names, vegatables and medicaments

meaning: Sum. ^úsar, Akk. (w)arqu(m) `plant'
examples:

sum ^sar , ümu, `garlic', `onion'
for phonetic values and logograms, see sign list 10

461

KI
(after) city names, often in combination with

URU before city names.
Cities are often indicated with their Sumerian names (Akkadian logograms)

meaning: Sum. ki, Akk. alu(m) `city'

examples:

`^urunun^ki`,	Eridu,	the city Eridu, home of the water god Ea
`en.líl ^ki`,	("city of Enlil") Nippur	Nippur is a religious center, home of the supreme god Enlil
`e .unug ^ki`,	Ur,	the city Ur, important port in South Mesopotamia home of the moon god Sîn

for phonetic values and logograms, see sign list 13

480

(before) (male) personal names, often transcribed with an index ^p.

for phonetic values and logograms, see sign list 14

532

ME
(after) to indicate plural (short for ME

)

for phonetic values and logograms, see sign list 14

533

(after) to indicate plural. this sign has some variants, e.g. with three short horizontal strokes.

examples:

dingir.me , ilü `(the) gods'
examples in New Assyrian orthography:
DINGIR.ME ilü '(the) gods'
DINGIR.ME ilü '(the) gods'
for phonetic values and logograms, see sign list 14

554

MUNUS, MÍ
(before) (female) names; feminine professions and female gender (often abstract nouns)

meaning: Sum. munus, Akk. sinnitu `woman'

examples:

`^mí hul` ,	lemuttu	noun: `evil' (with `hul` adj. `bad', `wicket')
`^mí kala.ga` ,	dannatu (fem. to dannu)	noun: `distress', `fortress' (dannu `strong')
`^munus lukur` ,	nadïtu	kind of priestess

for phonetic values and logograms, see sign list 15

570

MIN, roman number II
(after) to indicate dual (pairs, mainly body parts).
Often also the plural sign ME

is used

meaning: 2 vertical strokes for `two'
examples:

u ^II , qätü `hands'
for phonetic values and logograms, see sign list 16

John Heise
Nov 15 1996

lú.shab.tur shumallû `pupil'

	`^den.líl`	^dEnlil	sky god, with Anum the supreme gods
	`^dutu`,	ama ,	sun god

	`^gi tukul`	kakku(m)	`weapon',
	`^gi ban`	qatu	`bow', a weapon