Download Glossary

Glossary
In reading the four texts, you will encounter some unfamiliar terminology. Many of these are
simply things like the names of Babylonian months, but one or two terms are more
significant and are explained here.
Texts often describe a god, e.g. Bêl, leaving (or not leaving) a temple. This phrase actually
refers to statues of the gods which were carried during important ritual processions – the god
not leaving the temple means that, for some reason, the normal religious ritual was not
performed in full.
Black-headed people: The people of Babylon.
Cuneiform: Cuneiform is one of the world’s earliest writing systems. It consisted of a series
of wedge-like symbols, which could represent letters, syllables, or even whole words. All
Babylonian records were written in cuneiform on clay tablets and tens of thousands have
survived to the present day, offering a fascinating insight into Babylonian culture. Used for
almost 3000 years, cuneiform eventually fell out of use during the Roman period.
Enlil of the gods: A Babylonian expression effectively meaning ‘chief of the gods’, i.e.
Marduk.
Esagila: The main temple in the city of Babylon. This is often referred to in the cuneiform
documents because it was a hugely important place – key rituals, such as the New Year
Festival, took place here.
Ezida: The main temple in Borsippa, another major city, located near to Babylon.
Fetters: Chains, usually around a person’s ankles.
Inscription: A piece of writing which has been carved into a material – usually stone.
Ancient kings and cities put up monumental inscriptions in prominent public places to
commemorate their deeds.
Lacuna: A missing section of text, where no attempt can be made to reconstruct the
content. In the case of cuneiform tablets, this is usually because the tablet has been partially
broken.
Libation: A drink poured out in offering to a god.
Mesopotamia: The land between the River Euphrates and the River Tigris, known as the
‘cradle of civilisation’ since it was here that major cities first emerged. Babylon is located
within Mesopotamia.
Sumer and Akkad: Important places in Mesopotamia; used as a shorthand for
Mesopotamia as a whole.