A reading, published with its checks still open. A Vigslist translation.
The mugib sings the lady of heaven — an Inanna hymn. From Sippar; copy only (CT 58 no. 36). “You are the one who destroys the mountain; you are the princess of Zabalam.”
Published as a reading. No first-translation claim is made for this piece. The checks that would settle such a claim are named in the notes below and are still open; the wording on this page claims nothing they have not settled.
copy only (CT 58, no. 36); no edition or published translation of it was found in any source checked. The refrain of the obverse names the mugib, the song-priestess; the reverse answers in Inanna's own first person. A different text from the Sippar mugib witness built in wave C3 (VS 10, 167) — same office, same city, different song; the kinship is stated here, the texts are not merged.**
Built 2026-10-22 from a fresh live eBL fetch (saved in ).
One joined pair: BM.54323 + BM.59692 (the partner serves no lines of its own; the joined text rides on this record), from Sippar, Old Babylonian script, British Museum. CDLI number on the live record: P469275 (the sweep's catalogue row carried a legacy number — discrepancy printed, not smoothed, per the A4 audit). Photograph on the record.
The obverse is a song for the mugib: "A song for the mother, the mugib" — and then the mugib is praised into Inanna herself: the maiden Inanna; the sister, the only one, who is Utu; the mugib, Gašan-anna, lady of the far heaven, wearing the broad crown, the quality of ladyship heaped up. The reverse turns the voice around: now the goddess speaks in the litany of me-en, "I am / you are for me" — "You are Gašan-anna for me, you are Sumer for me; you are the one who destroys the mountain for me; you are the princess of Zabalam" — and the tablet closes under a refrain said eight times, "they have released […] for you," ending on "the house, my beloved place."
Transliteration exactly as the record serves it. Counts: 35 line-units — 0 whole, 14 part, 21 fragments, 0 invented. The refrain word at rev. 13–20 is printed as the record prints it: du₈-mu-e-SU₈-eš, the sign SU₈ being the record's unassigned reading — rendered "they have released […] for you" from du₈, "to release," with the unread sign carried openly.
1. %es i-lu ama mu-gi₁₇-ib x […] "A song for the mother, the mugib […]"
2. %es u₅ aĝ₂-sikil-lu e x […] "Mounted(?) on the pure […]" (reading uncertain)
3. %es ki#-sikil {d}inana […] "The maiden Inanna […]"
4. %es unu₂-la₂ šuba la₂ […] "… bound with the shining […] in the cow-pen […]"
5. %es nin₉ dili {d}utu-am₃ […] "The sister, the only one, is Utu […]"
6. %es an-dul₃#-e lugal-la x […] "… who is protection for the king […]"
7. %es mu#-gi₁₇#-ib NE# bar-bar x […] "The mugib … […]" (traces)
8. %es mu#-gi₁₇-ib {d}ga-ša-an-an-na x [x (x)] "The mugib, Gašan-anna […]"
9. %es mu-gi₁₇-ib an su₃#-ud-ra₂#-aĝ₂ ga-[ša-an (…)] | gu₂ x-[(x)] "The mugib, the lady of the far heaven […]"
10. %es mu-gi₁₇-ib {d}ga-ša-an-an-na ga-ša-an x [(x)] "The mugib, Gašan-anna, the lady […]"
11. %es mu-gi₁₇-ib aga# dagal-la na-aĝ₂-ga-ša-an#-e | il₂-la "The mugib, wearing the broad crown, the quality of ladyship heaped up"
12. %es [mu]-gi₁₇-ib ga-ša-an-an-na na-aĝ₂-ga-ša-an-e il₂#-la "[The mugib], Gašan-anna, the quality of ladyship heaped up"
13. %es [u₃]-li-li mu-gi₁₇#-ib an-za₃#-ga ki i[b₂?-x (x)] "[The uli]li-song — the mugib at the edge of heaven […]"
14. %es [šu]ba? la₂ an-ur₂ za₃-ga an-pa x [x x x] "Bound in the shining […] at the base of heaven, at the edge, at the zenith […]"
15. %es [(x)] x gu₂# x x [x x x x] (bottom) (traces only)
1. %es [x] zi?#-me-en ki-en-g[i₄-ra-me-en] "[…] you are life(?) for me; you are [of S]umer for me"
2. %es [x] DU₃ gudu₄/su₃ e#-ne ga-[x me-en] "[…] the gudu-priest … you are […] for me" (traces)
3. %es ma-ni₉-gar-ta mu-gi₁₇-bi šub?# x [me-en] "From what was laid on the neck(?), the mugib … [you are] for me" (traces; the phrase is uncertain)
4. %es ga-ša-an-an-na-me-en ki-en-gi₄-ra#-me#-en# "You are Gašan-anna for me; you are Sumer for me"
5. %es kur gul-gul-me-[e]n ki-en#-<gi₄-ra-me-en> "You are the one who destroys the mountain for me; you are Sumer for me"
6. %es egi₂ zabalam{ki}-me-en ki-en#-gi₄#-ra#-me#-en# "You are the princess of Zabalam for me; you are Sumer for me"
7. %es me uš₁₁?-bi-me-en ki#-en#-gi₄#-ra#-me#-en# "You are the one whose divine powers are uš₁₁(?) for me; you are Sumer for me" — the word is queried on the record itself; see the flag note below.
8. %es egi₂-re ul gur₃-ru ul# gi# x [(x) me-en] "Princess, laden with radiance, laden with […] — [you are] for me"
9. %es ga#-ša#-an-me-en za gur₃#-ru# za gi?# [x-me-en] "You are the lady for me, laden with radiance, laden with […]"
10. %es [k]u₃?-sig₁₇# za-gin₃-na mul-mul A [x x x] "Gold, lapis lazuli, shining […]" (traces)
11. %es [x (x)] x {giš}eren-na-ka šu?# mi?#-i[n?-x x (x)] "[…] in the cedar […]" (traces)
12. %es [x x] x nin? mah na-ag₂-ga-ša-an-na [x x] "[…] the exalted lady, the quality of ladyship […]" (traces)
13. %es d[u₈]-mu-e-SU₈-eš du₈-mu#-e#-S[U₈-eš] "… they have released […] for you, they have released […] for you"
14. %es x mu-lu ša₃-zu/ba du₈-mu-e-S[U₈-eš] "… the man, your heart[…] — they have released […] for you"
15. %es x mu-lu ša₃#-zu#/ba# [d]u₈-mu-e-S[U₈-eš] "… the man, your heart[…] — they have released […] for you"
16. %es u₃#-mu#-un ga#-ša-an [… du₈]-mu#-e-SU₈-eš "The lord, the lady […] — they have released […] for you"
17. %es d[a?] x hal?# kaskal?# [x x (x) du₈]-mu-e-S[U₈-eš] "[… the road(?) …] they have released […] for you" (traces)
18. %es [x x x (x x x)] du₈-mu-e-[SU₈-eš] "[…] they have released […] for you"
19. %es [x x x x x x] du₈#-mu#-e#-[SU₈-eš] "[…] they have released […] for you"
20. %es [x] e₂ ki-ga-aĝ₂-ĝu₁₀ du₈-mu#-e#-S[U₈-eš] (bottom) "[…] the house, my beloved place — they have released […] for you"
Nuvira Technologies conducts this research with AI assistance, cross-verified against the primary sources to scholarly integrity standards. Uncertain readings are marked; broken lines are left broken.
— Richard Vigslist, Founder, Nuvira Technologies
More antiquities research: Antiquities Research