TCL 06, 44 [Kettledrum rituals]

(o i 1) When it is your intention to cover the copper kettledrum, a knowledgeable expert will carefully inspect from its head to the tip of its tail an ungelded black bull whose horns and hooves are in good condition.

(o i 4) Then if its body is black as pitch it will be taken for the rites and rituals. If it is dotted with 7 white hairs like a star, (or) has been beaten with a stick, (or) struck with a whip, it will not be taken for the rites and rituals.

(o i 7) When you bring the bull into the temple-workshop, you step up to the side of the bull on a propitious day, sweep the ground, sprinkle pure water (and) solemnly enjoin the temple-workshop.

(o i 9) You lay down 2 bricks on the right and left of the temple-workshop's door.

(o i 10) You strew offerings for the gods of heaven (and) the gods of heaven and earth, (that is) the great gods.

(o i 11) You libate finest beer (and) bring the bull into the temple-workshop.

(o i 12) You lay down a reed mat. You pile sand underneath the mat. You encircle the sides of the mat with sand. You stand that bull [...] top of the mat and you restrain (it) [...] the shin with a tethering rope (made) of goat's hair. You put thin billatu-beer in a bronze uppu-drum in front of the bull.

(o i 16) You set up [...] holy water-vessels for Kusu and Ningirim.

(o i 17) You set up [...] offering tables. You put out 7 loaves of barley, 7 loaves of emmer (and) a cake (made) of honey, butter, dates (and) fine flour.

(o i 19) You set up [...] (and) milk. You set up a libation-vessel. [...] ...

(o i 20) [...] ... [...] ... juniper

(o i 21) [...] ... you set up a mašqû-vessel.

(o i 22) [...] ... 1/3 mina of white hair

(o i 23) [...] ... you put out 7 1/2 minas of goat's hair.

(o i 24) [...] ... thin billatu-beer

(o i 25) [...] ... a cross-beam of tamarisk

(o i 26) [...] young date-palm, šalālu-reed

(o i 27) [...] ... acacia

(o i 28) [...] you pour [...] the holy water-vessel.

(o i 29) [...] cedar oil, honey, butter

(o i 30) you pour [...]. With a censer and torch

(o i 31) [...] shoulder, fatty tissue

(o i 32) [...] you libate [...] wine (and) milk.

(o i 33) You pour [...].

(o i 34) [...] the holy water-vessel

(o i 35) you sprinkle [...]. The sweepings

(o i 36) [...] you lay down 12 bricks.

(o ii 1) You lay down 12 (pieces of) linen on top. You sit (representations of) 12 gods on top.

(o ii 2) You raise water from the holy water-vessel of Ningirim and purify the ritual arrangements. You set up 12 offering tables.

(o ii 3) You present 12 offerings. You present shoulder, fatty tissue and roast meat. You libate beer, wine (and) milk. You strew seeds. You set up the kettledrum.

(o ii 5) You lay down 1 brick for Lumha. You set up 1 offering table. You present the offering. You present shoulder, fatty tissue and roast meat.

(o ii 7) You libate finest beer, wine (and) milk. You set up water in front of them (the gods).

(o ii 8) You draw the curtains. You perform the mouth-washing (ceremony) on that bull.

(o ii 9) You whisper the incantation 'Great bull, magnificent bull, treading holy pastures' into its right ear through a tube (made) of sweet reed. You whisper the incantation 'O bull, you (are) the offspring of Anzu' into its left ear through the tube (made) of sweet reed. You sprinkle it with cedar resin. You purify it with the censer and torch. You surround it with a magic circle. You stand at the head of the bull and sing (the hymn) 'Honoured one, return to me' to the accompaniment of the bronze manzû-drum.

(o ii 15) After that you recite (the prayer) 'The great gods who created heaven and earth'. You slaughter that bull and you light cedar resin. You roast its heart with cedar, juniper (and) scented flour in front of the kettledrum. You remove the sinew from its left thigh and you bury the carcass of that bull in one red ... cloth.

(o ii 20) You pour ordinary oil over it. You place its face towards the sunset. You take the hide of that bull and you soak (it) with pure-grain flour in water, finest beer (and) wine.

(o ii 23) You lay (it) in butter from a pure cow and aromatics from their plants, together with 4 litres of malt flour (and) 4 litres of bitqu-flour of regular quality. You dye (it) red with madder-plant and alum from Hattu. You cover the bronze kettledrum (with it).

(o ii 26) You tighten one tethering rope (made) of linen on top. You purify with paint the pegs for the bronze kettledrum, (pegs made) of Magan-tree, boxwood, cedar (and) ebony, as well as the rest of the pegs, all of martû-wood.

(o ii 30) You fasten its (the drum's) opening with sinew from its (the bull's) left thigh.

(o ii 31) You loosen the tethering rope and you lay (it) down on top of the fastening.

(o ii 32) You bury the rest of the ... hide.

(o ii 33) You set out 1 ritual assemblage for Lumha. You present an offering. You present shoulder, fatty tissue and roast meat. You libate finest beer, wine and milk.

(r i 1) Anu, Ellil and Ea, the great gods.

(r i 2) Lugalira and Meslamtaea.

(r i 3) Zišumu of the centre of Nibru (:)5 Ninimma of the centre of Nippur.

(r i 5) Biŋirihuš of the Engur (:) Šuziana of the Apsu.

(r i 7) Šegbaraimime of cultivating the field (:) Ennugi, cultivator of the field.

(r i 9) Urbad, lord of being exalted : Kusu, exalted lord.

(r i 10) Urbadhumhum, son of Ešaba : Ninnisig, son of Ešaba.

(r i 11) Gubagararae, son of the new city (:) Ninkasi, son of the new city.

(r i 13) Abaralah, son of the 30th day, the lying-down day (:) Nusku, son of the thirtieth day of the month, the day of the moon's disappearance.

(r i 15) On the 15th day you bring out the bronze kettledrum before Šamaš. You set out 5 ritual assemblages for Ea, Šamaš, Asalluhi, Lumha and the (now) divine kettledrum. You present an offering.

(r i 19) You present shoulder, fatty tissue and roast meat.

(r i 20) You libate finest beer, wine (and) milk. You purify with the censer and torch. You purify [...] from the holy water-vessel.

(r i 22) You recite three times 'Enki, Utu ... [...] ...'. You perform the mouth-washing (ceremony) ... [...] .... You anoint it (the kettledrum) with butter and filtered oil. The chief kalû-priest lays a [...] on top of the bronze kettledrum. You clear away the ritual assemblages.

(r i 26) You purify it with the censer and torch. You lead the kettledrum before the gods and you set (it) up in (a bed of) seeds.

(r i 28) You perform the prayer 'King, god of heaven (and) earth'.

(r i 29) A novice may witness this procedure which you perform. An outsider, not accredited as a master of ritual, must not witness (it). His days will be short (if he does).

(r i 31) The initiated may show (it) to the initiated, (but) the uninitiated must not see, according to the taboo of Anu, Ellil and Ea, the great gods. [...]. His days will be long.

(r ii 2) [...] the bronze kettledrum,

(r ii 3) [...] cypress, 1/2 mina of myrtle,

(r ii 4) [...] boxwood, 1/2 mina of sweet reed,

(r ii 5) [...] ladanum resin, 10 shekels of hemp,

(r ii 6) [...] kaṣiṣihatu-aromatic,

(r ii 7) [...] shekels of kanaktu-aromatic,

(r ii 8) [...] sedge, 2 litres of filtered oil,

(r ii 9) [...] ..., 2 litres of wine,

(r ii 10) [...] ... bitqu-flour, 4 litres of malt flour,

(r ii 11) [...] ..., 1/2 litre of cedar resin,

(r ii 12) [...] aṣuṣimtu-plant, paint,

(r ii 13) [...] wrappings for the pegs.

(r ii 14) [...] white ... cloth, 1 red ... cloth,

(r ii 15) [...] mina of wool, 7 minas [...], 7 minas of blue wool,

(r ii 17) [...] from a goat, 2 kurru (and) 4 pānu of barley, 1 (pānu) of seed,

(r ii 18) [...], emmer, salt and juniper, 1 regular offering

(r ii 19) [...] ... [...] ..., tools (made) of iron, ..., 1/2 mina of alum from Hattu, 1 mina of bright paint,

(r ii 22) pegs: 3 each of Magan-tree, 3 each of boxwood, 3 each of cedar, 3 each of ebony, 3 each of tamarisk, the rest of the pegs all of martû-wood,

(r ii 25) 10 linen tethering ropes, of which (each) single tethering rope is 10 cubits long,

(r ii 26) 1 linen tethering rope which is 1 hundred cubits long, 10 tethering ropes (made) of goat's hair which are 4 cubits long, 1 tethering rope therein which restrains the bull, one suhattu-cloth, 1 covering.

(r ii 29) Items from the potter: 4 holy water-vessels, 4 rhyta,

(r ii 30) 4 offering bowls, 24 libation vessels, 24 jars,

(r ii 31) 1 hundred, 20 ritual bowls, 3 hundred ladles, sixty censers,

(r ii 32) 5 gazelle-shaped vessels, 6 cauldrons, 6 standard containers, 2 3-sūtu vessels, 2 vats.

(r ii 33) Items from the carpenter: 1 cabinet, 4 nails (made) of iron, wood for pegs.

(r ii 34) Items from the reed-worker: 24 offering tables, 24 baskets, 5 hand-baskets, 3 mats, 3 coverings.

(t.e. 1) Procedure in the domain of the kalû-priest : tablet of Anu-ah-ittannu, son of Rihat-Anu, chief kalû-priest of An and Antu, Urukean, written in accordance with its original and then checked and properly executed.