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Obscure Sumerian Cuneiform

Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:10 pm
by Palmoni
Hello, I'm new here, hoping to able to find some help with some obscure Sumerian that deals with the usage of colors in the priesthoods of Mesopotamia

here is the symbol:

Image

Here is the given description:

wr. bara_6 " a color term "

Please note it contains the word for " priest / lord " inside the symbol { above }

The symbol for " priest " { en }:

Image


My apologies if this is the wrong section, or wrong forum altogether, I know it's a shot in the dark, so thanks for the time and thanks for having me on your forum !

Isaac

Re: Obscure Sumerian Cuneiform

Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2016 9:02 am
by Iversen
You best shot at this would probably to contact one of the specialists in the field - we do have members here with quite exotic interests, and I do remember detailed discussions about Cuneiform from the old HTLAL, but it would be a surprise if you get an answer to your question. A welcome surprise, by all means, but a surprise...

Re: Obscure Sumerian Cuneiform

Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2016 2:25 pm
by Teango
Yale's MSL Index (part of the Cuneiform Commentaries Project) lists LAGABxME+EN (BARA6, MEN4, PARA6) as "agû" or "šarru" in Akkadian, the former of which I think means "crown" amongst other things, and the latter "king" or "throne" (of course I could be completely off track here).

I'm not sure how this relates to the symbol being "a color term" (kingly gold or priestly white comes to mind perhaps?!), but there may be others on this forum, or on another forum specifically targeted to students of cuneiform, who could steer you in a clearer direction. I recall Akkadboy on the previous HTLAL forum studied Babylonian languages, but I'm not sure if he's migrated over to our new forum here yet.

Good luck with your research, and let us know what you find out - Sumerian is a fascinating language! :)

Re: Obscure Sumerian Cuneiform

Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2016 5:51 pm
by IronMike
We need a "dead languages" section. Some of us enjoy studying languages that have been unheard for many centuries...