Ḫišamītum
| Ḫišamītum | |
|---|---|
Tutelary goddess of Ḫišamta | |
| Major cult center | Ḫišamta, Mari |
Ḫišamītum or Ḫišametum
Name and origin
Ḫišamītum's name can be translated as "Lady of Ḫišamta."[1] In a single offering list her name is spelled dNIN.E-sá-mì-tum, formerly erroneously read as dNin-e-di-lá-tum.[2][3] The construction dNIN used in early Mariote texts is now recognized as a double determinative used by local scribes to designate a name as belonging to a female deity.[4]
It is presumed Ḫišamītum she was a local
Worship
Ḫišamītum was worshiped in Ḫišamta,
In a list of offerings from the reign of
It is known that king Zimri-Lim at one point has traveled to Ḫišamta to make offerings to Ḫišamītum and other deities commonly worshiped in the proximity of Terqa, possibly in order to secure the support of local inhabitants.[5] A reference to his wife Shibtu traveling there alongside the icon of Ḫišamītum is known too.[15]
Ḫišamītum appears in a single masculine theophoric name.[16]
Miscellaneous attestations
In one of her letters Addu-duri, the mother of Zimri-Lim, relayed a message issued by Ḫišamītum to him.[17] Apparently the goddess, speaking through a member of the staff of her "house" (temple), a certain Iṣi-Ahu, declared that she trampled the king's enemies:
After you (left) they were eating your food [and] drinking from your cup, your antagonists keep bringing out ungood [and] evil things about you. I trample them underfoot [...][18]
In an Old Babylonian divination compendium, Ḫišamītum (dE-ša-mi-tim) appears alongside Ishara, and the omen corresponding to them is a red spot below the right armpit.[19] It has been noted that they appear in a grouping of deities who originate in western Mesopotamia.[20]
References
- ^ a b Sasson 2015, p. 236.
- ^ a b Nashef 1984, p. 95.
- ^ a b Cavigneaux & Krebernik 1998, p. 350.
- ^ Michalowski 1986, p. 168.
- ^ a b c d Pappi 2012, p. 582.
- ^ Hoskisson 1996, p. 261.
- ^ a b Feliu 2003, p. 81.
- ^ Pappi 2012, p. 581.
- ^ Sasson 2015, p. 88.
- ^ Sasson 2015, pp. 235–236.
- ^ Feliu 2003, pp. 73–74.
- ^ Feliu 2003, p. 74.
- ^ Feliu 2003, pp. 79–80.
- ^ Feliu 2003, p. 92.
- ^ Matthews 1978, p. 155.
- ^ Nakata 1995, p. 253.
- ^ Heimpel 2003, p. 526.
- ^ Heimpel 2003, p. 250.
- ^ Anor & Cohen 2021, p. 57.
- ^ Anor & Cohen 2021, p. 59.
Bibliography
- Anor, Netanel; Cohen, Yoram (2021). "Bird in the Sky – Babylonian Bird Omen Collections, Astral Observations and the manzāzu". Revue d'assyriologie et d'archéologie orientale. 115 (1). CAIRN: 51–80. S2CID 246562402.
- Cavigneaux, Antoine; Krebernik, Manfred (1998), "Nin-an(na)", Reallexikon der Assyriologie (in German), retrieved 2022-10-22
- Feliu, Lluís (2003). The god Dagan in Bronze Age Syria. Leiden Boston, MA: Brill. OCLC 52107444. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
- Heimpel, Wolfgang (2003). Letters to the King of Mari: A New Translation, with Historical Introduction, Notes, and Commentary. Pennsylvania State University Press. ISBN 978-1-57506-080-4. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
- Hoskisson, Paul Y. (1996). "The Scission and Ascendancy of a Goddess: Dīrītum at Mari". In Coleson, Joseph E.; Matthews, Victor H. (eds.). Go to the Land I Will Show You: Studies in Honor of Dwight W. Young. Eisenbrauns. ISBN 978-0-931464-91-1. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
- Matthews, Victor H. (1978). "Government Involvement in the Religion of the Mari Kingdom". Revue d'Assyriologie et d'archéologie orientale. 72 (2). Presses Universitaires de France: 151–156. JSTOR 23282224. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
- Michalowski, Piotr (1986). "An Early Old Babylonian Loan Document". Journal of Cuneiform Studies. 38 (2). American Schools of Oriental Research: 167–171. S2CID 163380578. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
- Nakata, Ichiro (1995). "A Study of Women's Theophoric Personal Names in Old Babylonian Texts from Mari". Orient. 30 and 31. The Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan: 234–253. ISSN 1884-1392.
- Nashef, Khaled (1984). "The Divine Name Ḫišamîtum and Related Matters". Revue d'Assyriologie et d'archéologie orientale. 78 (1). Presses Universitaires de France: 95–96. JSTOR 23282405. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
- Pappi, Cinzia (2012). "Religion and Politics at the Divine Table: The Cultic Travels of Zimrī-Līm". Organization, Representation, and Symbols of Power in the Ancient Near East. Penn State University Press. pp. 579–590. ISBN 9781575066752.
- Sasson, Jack M. (2015). From the Mari archives: an anthology of old Babylonian letters. Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns. OCLC 907931488.