Answers to cuneiform exercises 1

Here are the answers to Cuneiform exercises 1, with some explanatory notes. You may also find it helpful to look again at the page on Nouns and adjectives for more explanations.

𒀭 𒃲

DINGIR GAL
ilum rabûm or ilam rabâm or ilim rabîm
"great god" (in nominative, accusative, or genitive case)
𒀭 𒈨𒌍 𒃲 𒈨𒌍

DINGIR-MEŠ GAL-MEŠ
ilū rabûtum or ilī rabûtim (or with the irregular plural: ilānū rabûtum and ilānī rabûtim)
"great gods" (in nominative or oblique case)
𒄿 𒈾 𒀭 𒈨𒌍

i-na DINGIR-MEŠ
ina ilī (or ina ilānī)
"in (amongst) the gods" or "from the gods"

Note: Nouns are always in the genitive (singular) or oblique (plural) case after prepositions.
𒀀 𒈾 𒀭 𒈨𒌍 𒃲 𒈨𒌍

a-na DINGIR-MEŠ GAL-MEŠ
ana ilī rabûtim (or ana ilānī rabûtim)
"to the great gods" or "for the great gods"
𒀀 𒉿 𒈝

a-wi-lum
awīlum
"a man", "the man", or just "man" (nominative case)

Note: Akkadian does not have the articles "a(n)" and "the", so which you use (if any) must be determined from the context.
𒀀 𒉿 𒇴

a-wi-lam
awīlam
"a man", "the man", or just "man" (accusative case)
𒀀 𒉿 𒅆

a-wi-lim
awīlim
"a man", "the man", or just "man" (genitive case)
𒀀 𒉿 𒈝 𒌉

a-wi-lum TUR
awīlum ṣehrum
"small man" or "little man" (nominative case)

Note: we could read this as a-wi-lum DUMU for awīlum mārum, "man, son" but the first reading is usually more likely.

Note: the adjective must be in the same case of the noun (they must 'agree').
𒀀 𒉿 𒈝 𒃲

a-wi-lum GAL
awīlum rabûm "big man" or "great man" (nominative case)
𒄿 𒈾 𒇽

i-na LU₂
ina awīlim
"from the man" or "from a man"

Note: we need to use common sense when translating. The valid meaning "in a/the man" is probably less likely, but certainly possible in specific contexts.
𒇽 𒈨𒌍

LU₂-MEŠ
awīlū or awīlī (nominative or oblique case)
"men" or "the men"
𒇽 𒃲 𒈨𒌍

LU₂ GAL-MEŠ
awīlū rabûtum or awīlī rabûtim
"great men"

Note: nouns and adjectives must agree in number as well as gender and case, even when plurals aren't explicitly marked in logographic writings.
𒊩 𒌉

MUNUS TUR
sinništum ṣehertum or sinništam ṣehertam or sinništim ṣehertim
"small woman" or "little woman" (nominative, accusative, or genitive case)

Note: a reading MUNUS DUMU for sinništum mārum, "woman, son", is also possible but unlikely. We could also read sinništi mārim "the son's woman": see the page on possession and existence.
𒌉𒊩

DUMU.MUNUS
mārtum or mārtam or mārtim
"daughter" (in any case)

Note: a reading DUMU MUNUS for mār sinništim, "the woman's son" is also possible: see the page on possession and existence.
𒌉 𒅇 𒌉𒊩

DUMU u DUMU.MUNUS
mārum u mārtum or māram u mārtam or mārim u mārtim; or we could read ū instead of u
"son and daughter" (if we read u) or "son or daughter" (if we read ū)

Note: nouns connected by a conjunction (such as "and" or "or") must be in the same case.
𒌉𒊩 𒌉𒈨𒌍

DUMU.MUNUS TUR-MEŠ
mārātum ṣehrētum or mārātim ṣehrētim
"small (or little) daughters" (in nominative or oblique case)

Note: the reading DUMU.MUNUS DUMU-MEŠ for mārtum mārū "daughter, sons" (and in other cases) is also possible.
𒀀 𒈾 𒊩 𒈨𒌍 𒃲 𒈨𒌍

a-na MUNUS-MEŠ GAL-MEŠ
ana sinnišātim rabâtim
"to the great women" or "for the great women"
𒀀 𒈾 𒂍 𒃲

a-na E₂ GAL or a-na E₂.GAL
ana bītim rabîm or ana ēkallim
"to/for the big house" or "to/for the palace"

Note: in this case, without more context it is impossible to determine which reading is more likely.
𒀀 𒉿 𒇴 𒄿 𒈾 𒂍 𒃲

a-wi-lam i-na E₂.GAL (or E₂ GAL)
awīlam ina ēkallim (or awīlam ina bītim rabîm)
"the man in/from the palace" (or "the man in/from the big house") — in the accusative case
𒀀 𒈾 𒀀 𒉿 𒅆 𒅇 𒊩

a-na a-wi-lim u₃ MUNUS
ana awīlim u sinništim or ana awīlim ū sinništim
"to/for the man and woman" or "to/for the man or woman"

Content last modified on 07 Jul 2012.

Eleanor Robson

Eleanor Robson, 'Answers to cuneiform exercises 1', Knowledge and Power, Higher Education Academy, 2012 [http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/knpp/cuneiformrevealed/learningsigns/cuneiformexercises/answers1/]