#Vorderasiatisches Museum

[sakuraswordly]

Sumerian Clay Tablet (2500-2000 BC) with a drawing of a house plan (the ground plan of a residence in Umma with a central courtyard). According to scholars, cuneiform inscriptions are making the central portion common, which is a common layout among Indian homes in the villages too. As the ancient and the present Mesopotamian, Persian and Indian architecture - believes in keeping the central portion of a home open from the top - to let in elements of nature. Plus used as a common meeting room for family members. Sumerians considered as the first major civilization of human history, flourished around 4000-2000 BC, between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates of the crescent fertile. This area was prone to violent weather conditions, such as unexpected flooding. These chaotic conditions resulted in Sumerians becoming a highly religious society. However, bleak nature of their religion where the afterlife was essentially a mud pit reflected the harsh conditions of their existence. Their art was also religious in nature as part of an effort to honor their deities in hopes that their lives would proceed with as little tragedy as possible. Art and buildings were constructed of plentiful clay of region as well as wood, copper, rock, and semi-precious stones like lapis lazuli. Study of Sumerian architecture is based on available archaeological  evidence, pictorial representation of buildings, and texts on building practices. Materials used to build a house were similar but not exact as those used today: reeds,  stone, wood, ashlar, mud brick, mud plaster and wooden doors, which were all naturally available around city, although wood was not common in some cities of Sumer. Although most houses were made of mudbrick, mudplaster and poplar. Houses could be tripartite, round or rectangular. Houses had long-roofed central hallways, courtyards, and storeys. Most houses had a square centre room with other rooms attached to it, but a great variation in size and materials used to build houses suggest they were built by inhabitants themselves. Smallest rooms may not have coincided with the poorest people; in fact, it could be that poorest people built houses out of perishable materials such as reeds on outside of city, but there is very little direct evidence for this. Houses could have shops, workshops, storage rooms, and livestock in them. - Subscribe for Detailed Post - Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Gold Tablet from the Temple of Ištar in Aššur, Assyria (modern-day Iraq) c.1243-1207 BCE: this tablet was discovered within the foundations of the ancient temple; it measures just over 3cm (1in) in length

The cuneiform inscription honors King Tukulti-Ninurta I, who had ordered the construction of the temple, and describes how the building was constructed. This is just one of the many items that had been buried around the temple with similar inscriptions.

As this article explains:

Most of [the inscriptions installed in the temple] would not have been visible while the temple was still in use, as they were laid into the sanctuary’s foundations or walls. Tukulti-Ninurta commissioned a great number of objects carrying variations of the inscription commemorating his achievement of erecting the new temple.

The practice of depositing inscriptions directed at the gods as well as future generations had become a central element of the temple building process since the Early Dynastic Period, and was employed to immortalize the ruler by eternally associating his name with a monumental building such as the Ištar temple - a process that also transformed a sanctuary into a votive object dedicated to a deity.

It took several hours of searching (i.e. scouring through old artifact catalogs) for me to find a direct translation of the inscription on this particular tablet, and I could basically only find it in a PDF of an old bibliographic manuscript that isn't even in print anymore, but here it is:

Tukulti-Ninurta, king of the universe, king of Assyria, son of Shalmaneser, king of Assyria: at that time the temple of the goddess Ištar, my mistress, which Ilu-šumma, my forefather, the prince, had previously built — that temple had become dilapidated. I cleared away its debris down to the bottom of the foundation pit. I rebuilt from top to bottom and deposited my monumental inscription. May a later prince restore it and return my inscribed name to its place. Then Aššur will listen to his prayers.

This tablet was stolen from the Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin back in 1945, during the chaotic final days of WWII. It was then lost for almost 60 years before it finally re-emerged in 2006, when a Holocaust survivor named Riven Flamenbaum passed away and the tablet was found among his belongings. According to his family, Flamenbaum had gotten the tablet from a Soviet soldier (in exchange for two packs of cigarettes) at the end of the war.

In 2013, following a lengthy legal battle between Riven Flamenbaum's family and the Vorderasiatisches Museum in Germany, a court in New York ordered the family to return the tablet back to the museum.

Sources & More Info:

Albert Kirk Grayson: Assyrian Rulers of the Third and Second Millennia BC (to 1115 BC) (the translation appears on p.261)

Daniel Luckenbill: Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia, Volume 1 (PDF download; p.65 contains relevant info)

CTV News: 3,000-year-old Assyrian Gold Tablet Returned to German Museum

[abwwia]

Most likely representing a high priestess, this statuette calls forth a line from “The Exaltation of Inanna” by Enheduanna: “Me, who once sat triumphant.” The image also resonates with that of Enheduanna on her votive disk. The woman’s transfixed gaze expresses deep reflection and her hands are firmly clasped in devotion. In her lap is a small tablet. Three incisions on its surface represent the columnar division of clay tablets, an overt reference to cuneiform writing. The tablet and divisions bear witness to the dedicator’s well educated status and engagement with writing, perhaps as an author. As a votive, the statue’s offering is a written text.

Seated female figure with tablet on lap Mesopotamia, Neo-Sumerian Ur III period (ca. 2112–2004 BC) Alabaster | Staatliche Museen Zu Berlin, Vorderasiatisches Museum, Acquired 1913; VA 04854 © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin-Vorderasiatisches Museum. Foto: Olaf M. Teßmer. x

[mightyflamethrower]

Persian Archers at Darius' palace at Susa, 5th century BC. Exhibited in Pergamon Museum / Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin.

[mirandamckenni1]

The Magic of the Aramaic Incantation Bowls + the Origins of Lilith The ~2500 known Aramaic Incantation Bowls represent one of the largest collections of ancient magical literature. These bowls were used to repel demonic power, malevolent sorcery and the rampages of disease. Composed in various dialects of Aramaic, the bowls are a treasure of magical wisdom providing us insight into demonology and even the origins and first depictions of Lilith! Consider Supporting Esoterica! Patreon - https://ift.tt/IbzZC3s Merch - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoydhtfFSk1fZXNRnkGnneQ/store New to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - https://ift.tt/8NW4yC9 Rare Occult Books - https://ift.tt/20vHj9Z Recommended Readings: Aramaic Incantation Texts from Nippur - https://amzn.to/4cjCdUA https://ift.tt/Icj1EBC Amulets and Magic Bowls: Aramaic Incantations of Late Antiquity - https://amzn.to/3VYVzZG Magic Spells and Formulae: Aramaic Incantations of Late Antiquity - https://amzn.to/4bqvRkZ Corpus of the Aramaic Incantation Bowls - https://amzn.to/3L0OeSU A Corpus of Syriac Incantation Bowls: Syriac Magical Texts from Late-Antique Mesopotamia Aramaic Incantation Bowls in Museum Collections Volume One: The Frau Professor Hilprecht Collection of Babylonian Antiquities, Jena, etc Aramaic Bowl Spells: Jewish Babylonian Aramaic Bowls Volume One Aramaic Magic Bowls in the Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyI9m50ODB4

[thegenealogy]

1 Chronicles 14: 1-7. "Transhuman."

Gilgamesh and Enkidu slaying Humbaba at the Cedar Forest. From Iraq; purchase. 19th-17th century BCE. Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin.

David’s House and Family

14 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs, stonemasons and carpenters to build a palace for him. 2 And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.

Hiram= Most Noble, High Born, Brother Of The Lofty

Harar + Am=

חרר

The root חרר (harar) describes a society's central and enclosed source of heat. It thus may express a geographical depression, but more so a being hot and ultimately a being a ruler (whether by might, political clout or wisdom).

+

The masculine noun עם ('am), meaning a people in ways ranging from pretty much all mankind (Genesis 11:6) to a specific nation (Exodus 1:20) to the population of a town (Genesis 19:4). It sometimes occurs to differentiate between common folks and their leader (Leviticus 4:27), or to indicate people in general (Genesis 50:20) or simply general public, as in Jeremiah 17:19, where the prophet speaks of the Gate of the People.

Tyre= The Rock.

The Semitic, and thus original, name for Tyre is pronounced Zor or Zur. In Biblical Hebrew this name looks exactly like words coming off the צור and צרר root-groups. More specifically, scholars assume that the Hebrew name for Tyre, צור, equals the regular word צור (sur) meaning rock (Jeremiah 21:13, Job 14:18). In Deuteronomy 32:31 the author compares the gods of the nations to the living God and says, "Indeed, their rock is not like our Rock".

Cedars=

There is a tradition that the verse (Psalms 92:13), "A righteous person will give fruit like a date-palm; he will grow tall like a cedar in Lebanon," alludes to the role of the Levites as attendants to the priests.

A righteous individual may be compared to one of two kinds of trees—the date palm or the cedar. The date palm, as the verse attests, "gives fruit." It does not, however, grow so tall. The cedar, on the other hand, "grows tall" but does not give fruit.

The word cedar translates to erez in Hebrew which has a Gematria for "Transhuman" as it refers to the superhumanity of the Mesopotamian hero, Gilgamesh, who turned a demons lair into the haunt for wisemen using cedars he logged with his super human strength:

The masculine noun ארז ('erez), meaning cedar (Psalm 148:9, Isaiah 41:19, Ezekiel 27:5). The colossal Lebanon (that's Phoenician) cedars have been famous since deep antiquity.

Mesopotamian mythology tells how Gilgamesh rose to renown after he decapitated a terrible demon who had his haunt in the Cedar Forest, chopped down the biggest cedars and built a fleet of ships and burly city gates.

The story seems to tell that what was the refuge of the demon became the refuge of humans (hence perhaps the link between to be firm and to withdraw; "you who dwell in Lebanon, nested in the cedars" — Jeremiah 22:23), and cedars remained the preferred haunt-building material for kings and deities (2 Samuel 5:11, 1 Kings 6:9 to 7:12, Ezra 3:7), which obviously relates to the wisdom tradition as symbol of time-honored certainties on which one may depend and in which one may take refuge (Song of Solomon 1:17, Isaiah 9:10, perhaps also Numbers 24:6).

Cedar wood is surprisingly longeval because it contains a natural oil that prevents dry rot and invasion by bugs, which may help to explain its usage in ritual purification (Leviticus 14:4-52, Numbers 19:6).

A righteous individual may be compared to one of two kinds of trees—the date palm or the cedarA righteous person who resembles a cedar is one whose attention to his spiritual growth lifts him to great heights. Yet, because he is primarily focused on his own improvement, he does not "give fruit." His spiritual accomplishments are impressive but do not translate into a direct benefit for others.

3 In Jerusalem David took more wives and became the father of more sons and daughters. 

4 These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 5 Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, 6 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 7 Elishama, Beeliada[a] and Eliphelet. Thirteen Tribes.

Shammua="Reports are favorable."

שמע

The verb שמע (shama') means to hear and may also mean to understand or obey. Noun שמע (shema') means sound. Nouns שמע (shoma') and שמועה (shemu'a) mean tidings, report or mentions. 

Shobab=From Shabbat, to be moral, upright, directioned.

שוב

The verb שוב (shub) tells of a reversal in motion; the point where an upward motion becomes a downward one, or vice versa, or a westward motion an eastward one, and so on. This very frequently occurring verb is mostly translated with to turn or return, and is often used to mean to convert or return to a more fruitful way of life, and hence to restore, to retrieve or even to abstain, to reply and to repeat.

Nathan=Generosity

נתן

The shape-shifting verb נתן (natan) means to give in a broad bouquet of senses, from regular giving or bestowing, to setting or putting, to transforming one thing or situation into another.

Solomon="Pillar of Completeness."

שלם

The verb שלם (shalem) means to be or make whole or complete, and is also used to describe a righteous recompense or proper restitution (whether positive or not). The familiar noun שלום (shalom) means wholeness, completeness or peace.

The various sources we routinely consult all interpret the Egyptian On as Heliopolis. Alfred Jones (Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names) figures that the human On was named after the city On, and boldly translates both names with "sun", which is quite indefensible.

Ibhar=Discerning, makes good choices

noun בחורים (behurim) means youth (choice-hood; one's best years). Nouns מבחר (mibhar) and מבחר (mibhor) mean best or choicest.

Elishua="Doer of salvation"

שוע  ישע

The verb ישע (yasha') means to be unrestricted and thus to be free and thus to be saved (from restriction, from oppression and thus from ultimate demise). A doer of this verb is a savior. Nouns ישועה (yeshua), ישע (yesha') and תשועה (teshua) mean salvation. Adjective שוע (shoa') means (financially) independent, freed in an economic sense.

Elpelet="God delivers"

El= God

Pelet= delivers

Nogah= "Brilliant".

נגה

The verb נגה (nagah) means to lighten, or to reflect light. Nouns נגה (nogah) and נגהה (negoha) mean brightness, a lightning up or a reflecting of light.

Nepheg=to sprout

Japhia=

יפע  יפה

The verb יפע (yapa') means to shine or radiate (specifically of theophanies). Noun יפעה (yip'a) means brightness or splendor.

The verb יפה (yapa) means to be beautiful. The adjective יפה (yapeh) means beautiful and the diminutive adjective יפה־פיה (yepeh-piya) means pretty. Noun יפי (yepi) means beauty.

Elishama=Listens to God

Beeliada=Intimacy with the truth

ידע

The verb ידע (yada') means both to know and to have intimate relations (Genesis 4:1, Judges 11:39). Knowledge equals familiarity with truth, which in turn is the only thing all people can agree on, which in turn promotes the search for agreement and modes of expression (rather than mere data). The Bible holds all knowledge in the highest regard. God, after all, is both a God of knowledge (Jeremiah 3:15) and love (1 John 4:7).

Eliphelet="Agent of escape"

Eli= highest, Pelet= deliverance

פלט

The verb פלט (palat) means to bring into security, cause to escape, or to deliver. Noun פלט (pallet) means deliverance. Nouns פליט (palit) and פליט (palet) mean fugitive. Noun פליטה (peleta) means escape or deliverance. Noun מפלט (miplat) describes an agent or place of escape or deliverance.

SO, the Most Noble loans David "Beauty" some superhuman qualities grown on the Rock, the proper foundation for a brand new monarch, this Septiguaint, which contains all one needs to govern and self-govern successfullly, and the reasons why.

While not a part of the Tanakh, the Epic of Gilgamesh parallels King David's taking up residence in a cedar palace after he defeated and chased the low born away from the People of Israel. All of us are lowborn unless the superhuman is given their space.

The Tantra of the 13 Tribes of the House of David reveals how this is done:

"Beauty results from a return to a fruitful way of life that is renowned in the stories. Philanthropy and propriety, which make strategic good sense, create order in the government, give it divine purposes and delivers the world from evil."

[bagdemagus]

Molded terracotta plaque with bird-headed protective being (apkallu) From Assur (Iraq) Neo-Assyrian period, 8th-7th century BCE Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin

[carloskaplan]

Plano dunha casa feito polos sumerios hai 5000 anos Trátase dunha residencia en Umma con patio central, da época Ur III (Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlín)

[noosphe-re]

Primary publication AfO 18, pl. 17-20 Author(s) Köcher, Franz Publication date1 957-1958 Collection Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin, Germany Museum no. VAT 16462 Provenience Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta (mod. Tulul al-ʿAqir) Excavation no. T 232/IX Period Middle Babylonian (ca. 1400-1100 BC) Language Akkadian via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative

[archaeologs]

Colossal statue of Gilgamesh, original in Khorsabad, late 8th c. BCE © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Vorderasiatisches Museum. Photo: Olaf M. Teßmer. Learn more / Daha fazlası Gilgamesh: https://www.archaeologs.com/w/gilgamesh

[wolfliving]

“A house plan made by Sumerians 5000 years ago. Ground plan of a residence in Umma with central courtyard, Ur III period. Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin”

[archaeologicalnews]

Demon with Forked Tongue Found on Clay Tablet in Library of Assyrian Exorcists

An ancient drawing of a demon blamed for epileptic seizures has been discovered on a 2,700-year-old Assyrian clay tablet.

University of Copenhagen Assyriologist Troels Pank Arbøll was examining a tablet of ancient writing at the Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin when he noticed the drawing of the demon — portrayed with horns, a tail and a snake-like forked tongue.

The tablet came from the library of a family of exorcists who lived in about 650 B.C. in the city of Assur, now in northern Iraq, Arbøll said. But it's likely it was copied from a much older text. 

The tablet is written in cuneiform — a very early system of letters formed by pressing a triangular stylus into softened clay. Read more.

[didanawisgi]

SUMERIA “In the Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin are presented several cylinder seals, dated to c.2500 BCE, decorated with celestial symbols showing stars with six, seven, eight and more points. These stars appear there in an astrological context or in an astronomical context. Among them there is a circle surrounded by six triangles, which are like the Sat-kona.”

[arinewman7]

Alabaster Relief from Nineveh, ca. 695 BC

Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin

[platinumsaxophone]

Ishtar Gate from Babylon (Iraq), reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (602–562 BCE). Colored glazed terra-cotta tiles, 48'4" × 51'6" × 14'3¾". Vorderasiatisches Museum, State Museums, Berlin, Germany.

[ishtargates]

The Pedestal of Tukulti-Ninurta I, Middle Assyrian Period (circa 1400-1000 B.C.) most likely from Tukulti-Ninurta I’s reign (1243–1207 B.C.).  Now in the  Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin.

On the left is the king himself depicted twice, standing and kneeling.  The right side is something subject to debate among art historians.  Although the inscription states that the pedestal is dedicated to Nusku, the god of fire and light, the right side is believed not to depict his traditional lamp symbol, but rather a tablet and stylus which are the symbols for the god Nabu.  For more info.        

~Hasmonean