Chronographic Documents Concerning Bagayasha (BCHP 18 A/B)
BCHP 18: Bagayasha Chronicle, fragments A and B combined (British Museum).**
The first document survives in two pieces: A = the right part; B =the left part of the original tablet; the pieces do not join.
The cuneiform tablets are:
- B: BM 35189+46018+46216 (= Sp. III, 295+81-7-6,464+81-7-6,678)
- A: BM 35229+35518+35621 (= Sp. II 792 + Sp. III 24+27)
All tablets can be found in the British
Museum. On this website, a first reading is proposed by Bert
van der Spek of the Free University of Amsterdam (Netherlands) and
Irving Finkel of the British Museum.*
Please notice that this is a preliminary
edition. This web publication is intended to invite suggestions for
better
readings, comments and interpretations (go here
to contact Van der Spek). Photos of details can be found here.
Previous publication
R.J. van der Spek, ‘The Size and Significance of the Babylonian Temples under the Successors,’ in: P. Briant, F. Joannès eds., La Transition entre l’empire achéménide et les royaumes hellénistiques (vers 350-300 av. J.-C.). Actes du colloque organisé au Collège de France par la « Chaire d’histoire et civilisation du monde achéménide et de l’empire d’Alexandre » et le « Réseau international d’études et de recherches achéménides » (GDR 2538 CNRS), 22-23 novembre 2004, (Paris: De Boccard, 2006) 261-307, Appendix 2, text 1, pp. 284-288 (lines A 4’-7’; 19’-22’; B 2’-9’; 17’-23’; 28’-31’).Description
Text and translation
General commentary
Philological commentary
Summary of events
Photos
Fragment C
BCHP 18: Bagayasha Chronicle, fragment A(British Museum).**
The edition below presents corrections to this edition..
Description of the tablet
- A (BM 35229+): Length: 8.5 cm, width: 7 cm (at line 4), thickness 3 cm.
- B (BM 35189+): Length: 12.5 cm., width 7 cm (written line 8: 6 cm), thickness left edge 3 cm, right edge 3.5 cm. The bottom edge (3 cm. actually the upper edge of the original tablet) is partly preserved and inscribed. Seven so-called “firing holes” (the purpose of which is unknown) are preserved on the left edge. A few traces of cuneiform signs are preserved on the reverse of Sp III 295 = BM 35189.
BCHP 18: Bagayasha Chronicle, fragment B(British Museum).**
In our earlier edition (2006) we assumed that Text A was the upper right part of the tablet and B the lower left part. Meanwhile we have changed our minds. In view of the content it is highly probable that lines B 8’- 34’ correspond with lines A 1’-27’. In between an unknown part of the tablet is lost.
If this reconstruction is correct, then we have to assume that the tablet was rather wide, at least about 20 cm, hence about 7 cm. missing in the middle. Astronomical diaries of this size are exceptional, but they exist. One example is the diary concerning SEB 171, of which months XI and XII are preserved = March-April 140 BC (ADART III no. -140D), which is 18.8 cm wide (missing perhaps one or two cm at the left side) and contains 55 – 60 signs. Another example is the diary concerning SEB 206, months I-VII = April – November 106 BC (ADART III no. -105A) which is even larger (width 20.8 cm) and contains ca. 50-55 signs per line. This would mean that in the lines where the tablet fragments come closest to each other, viz. B 11’ = A 4’ to B 20’= A 15’, we are missing about 8-10 signs.
BCHP 18: Bagayasha Chronicle, fragment B, edge (British Museum).**
What we now have is the lower part of the reverse side of the original tablet. This is proven by the fact that we have the colophon on the left edge and these colophons are always written with the obverse (the flat side) down and the reverse up, as is the case here. This observation suggests that we have here the historical part of an astronomical diary. The obverse and the upper part of the reverse must have contained astronomical observations. Although no astronomical information remains, the tablet looks in fact like an astronomical diary rather than a chronicle. The tablet has so-called firing holes on the left edge of the tablet, which is common in diaries, not in chronicles. More important: the colophon on the left edge of fragment B seems to say that it was a diary.
Because we do not have absolute certainty about the reconstruction given here, we decided to publish the transcription and translation in two separate columns, so that the reader easily can judge what we have done. In the transcription two dots (..) is the approximation of one missing sign, apart from the lost middle part of ca 8-10 signs, which we indicated as (///).
to part
two (text and translation)
Babylonian Chronicles