Assyrian and Babylonian Scholarly Text Catalogues: Medicine, Magic and DivinationUlrike Steinert The reconstruction of ancient Mesopotamian medical, ritual and omen compendia and their complex history is still characterised by many difficulties, debates and gaps due to fragmentary or unpublished evidence. This book offers the first complete edition of the Assur Medical Catalogue, an 8th or 7th century BCE list of therapeutic texts, which forms a core witness for the serialisation of medical compendia in the 1st millennium BCE. The volume presents detailed analyses of this and several other related catalogues of omen series and rituals, constituting the corpora of divination and healing disciplines. The contributions discuss links between catalogues and textual sources, providing new insights into the development of compendia between serialization, standardization and diversity of local traditions. Though its a novel corpus-based approach, this volume revolutionizes the current understanding of Mesopotamian medical texts and the healing disciplines of "conjurer" and "physician". The research presented here allows one to identify core text corpora for these disciplines, as well as areas of exchange and borrowings between them. |
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Abusch and Schwemer Alamdimmû AMC line Ancient appears Ashurbanipal āšipūtu Assur Assyrian attested Babylonian beginning belonging Böck canon catalogue catchline collection colophon commentary compendia compendium compositions concerned connection contains context copy corpus corresponding designated DIŠ disciplines discussion disease divine duplicating edition entries Exorcist’s Manual Finkel fragment further Geller Hand head healing Heeßel identified incantations incipit indicate interpretation known Lambert Late lists Magic man’s manuscripts material meaning medicine mentioned Mesopotamian millennium Nineveh Note occurs omens parallel passage period phrase possible prescriptions present preserved reading recipes refer remedies restoration rituals rubric Sakikkû scholars Scurlock sequence similar sources spells SpTU Stol STOMACH Studies suggested Šumma tablet term text corpus texts textual therapeutic tradition treatise treatments volume witness woman