The basic manuscript of this volume was prepared by Professor Ivan Starr of Wayne State University, Detroit. The book has greatly benefited from Professor Starr's vast knowledge and expertise in the technical aspects of extispicy, and we appreciate his constant and ready co-operation in producing this volume. As with the other volumes of the series, the end product is the result of a collaborative effort. Many people, especially the director of the SAA project, Simo Parpola, have worked hard to enhance the quality of the final version. It is our hope that through our combined efforts we have succeeded in producing a reliable and useful edition of this important corpus of texts.
We wish to express our appreciation to Eila Aro for making her late husband's unfinished edition of the queries available to us during the preparation of the volume.
The entire corpus presented here is in the keeping of the British Museum and we take this opportunity to thank the Trustees of the British Museum for permission to publish the texts and the associated illustrative material given in this volume. We are particularly grateful to Drs. I.L. Finkel and C.B.F. Walker of the Department of Western Asiatic Antiquities for last-minute collations and confirmation of joins as the production deadline for the volume was approaching.
Our thanks are again due to the Olivetti (Finland) Corporation for computer hardware and software, maintenance, and advice; to the Finnish Ministry of Education for continuing printing subsidies for the volumes of the series; and finally, to the Academy of Finland for the financial support that has made this series a reality.
Helsinki, January 1990
Robert M. Whiting
Ivan Starr
Ivan Starr, 'Foreword', Queries to the Sungod: Divination and Politics in Sargonid Assyria, SAA 4. Original publication: Helsinki, Helsinki University Press, 1990; online contents: SAAo/SAA04 Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2020 [http://oracc.org/saao/saa04/saa04foreword/]