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Ur III Incantations - 55+ Incantations - While the provenance of some Ur III incantations remains uncertain, one comes from Puzrišdagan, and thirty-five are attested from Nippur. [1] Within this corpus appears for the first time that version of the Divine Dialogue which would become a staple of Mesopotamian Incantation: The Marduk/Ea Dialogue, in which ritual instruction was conveyed from Enki to Asalluḫi,[2] and most likely, these instructions were followed by the exorcist in mimetic ritual. The number of demons attested in this period are few, primarily the Namtar, Samana, Nimgir [3] and Ala demons [1], a paucity which contrasts with later periods. Texts relating to the preperation of ritual figurines are extent (HS 2439, HS 2315, HS 1368a-b + 1571) and the earliest tabet containing a complex ceremony dates from this period (CBS 8241). [4]
1. G. Cunningham "Deliever me from Evil: Mesopotamian Incantations: 2500-1500 B.C." 2. Although, in the Early Dynastic period these same roles (Adviser/petitioner) were likely played by Enlil and Ningirima. 3. van Dijk/Geller "Ur III Incantations from the Frau Professor Hilprecht-Collection, Jena" 4. Michael Dick "A Neo-Sumerian Ritual Tablet in Philidelphia", JNES 64 |