Primary source seminars

Students prepare for primary source seminars by reading the documents in translation, not the secondary academic literature. The aim is to learn how to interrogate historical sources, and the relationships between them, oneself rather than relying on the opinions and interpretations of others.

The following suggestions, which may also serve as starting points for essays or dissertations, do not exhaust the fruitful combinations of letters, queries, and reports.

Regular celestial TT  omens TT 

Subject Reports (SAA 8) Letters (SAA 10)
Eclipse TT  of the moon 4, 42, 46, 103, 208, 250, 251, 279, 300, 316, 321, 336, 382, 388, 447, 469, 487, 535 75, 128, 132, 133, 134, 135, 137, 149, 347
Eclipse of the sun 3, 47, 104, 280, 384 25, 46, 100, 148, 170, 216, 224
Conjunction TT  of Mars PGP  and Saturn PGP  48, 49, 102, 168, 327, 383, 491 47
Morning first TT  of Jupiter PGP  in the month of Sivan TT  115, 170 362

Occasional celestial omens

Subject Reports (SAA 8) Letters (SAA 10)
Earthquakes TT  8, 36, 37, 315, 366, 434, 490, 493, 495, 496, 555 10, 55, 56, 202, 203
Fog 34, 79, 98, 313, 328, 353, 385, 417, 433, 453 94
Comets and meteors TT  158, 230, 303, 334, 335, 339, 396, 432, 456, 552 104, 111
Thunder and lightning 1, 31, 32, 33, 43, 80, 99, 182, 221, 222, 354, 365, 444, 468 42, 69, 114, 224

Other omens and portents

Subject Queries (SAA 4) Reports (SAA 8) Letters (SAA 10)
Animals 243 33, 58
Dreams 202, 316 59, 298, 361, 365
Anomalous TT  births 237, 238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 287 60, 120
Auspicious TT  days TT  and months TT  38, 162, 164, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 379, 565, 567 5, 13, 14, 31, 52, 61, 70, 73, 74, 207, 221, 254, 325, 379

Royal illnesses

Subject Queries (SAA 4) Reports (SAA 8) Letters (SAA 10)
Assurbanipal 186, 187, 188 191, 193, 322, 323
Esarhaddon 183, 184, 185 1, 162 195, 196, 197, 198, 314, 316, 318, 319, 323, 324
The queen mother 190 16, 17, 188, 200, 201, 244, 297
Royal babies 196, 197, 210, 211, 213, 215, 217, 218, 220, 301, 305

Politics and patronage

Subject Letters (SAA 10)
Petitions 161, 163, 165, 167, 176, 178, 182, 224, 226, 294, 308, 320, 334
Substitute King Ritual TT  of 671 BC 11, 12, 189, 350, 351, 352
Substitute King Ritual of 669 BC 209, 210, 211, 212, 216, 219, 220, 221, 325
Venus PGP  or Mercury PGP ? Timing crown prince TT  Šamaš-šumu-ukin's PGP  visit from Babylon PGP  to Nineveh PGP  23, 48, 50, 51, 52, 72, 73, 74

Content last modified: 17 Jan 2017.

 
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