MÁ
The cuneiform sign MÁ, the Sumerogram (capital letter (majuscule)) is the sign for English language "ship", or "boat", Akkadian language eleppu.[1] When written in cuneiform texts, MÁ is preceded by the determinative for items made of wood, namely GIŠ, (GIŠ (wood Sumerogram). For ship, or boat it is written as: GIŠ.MÁ, or GIŠ.MÁ,
![](../I/m/B201ellst.png)
Amarna letters versions have the lower horizontal across all 3-verticals.
Photo EA 153, "Ships on Hold", , line 10, (7 lines from bottom), GIŠ.MÁ,
![](../I/m/Sumer_gis.jpg)
![](../I/m/B201ellst.png)
Also: EA 245, (reverse, line 4) .
![](../I/m/Ayyab_letter_mp3h8880.jpg)
As examples of words using GIŠ from the Epic of Gilgamesh, giš (cuneiform), lists 16-uses of "wood-related" words, among them Akkadian eleppu, for "ship".[2]
Some of the Amarna letters using the Sumerogram for ship, or boat, are Amarna letters: EA 86, EA 153, EA 149, and EA 245. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet XI (chapter) (the Flood Story) uses the ship/boat Sumerogram; elsewhere Gilgamesh is taken by boat in other chapters of the Epic.
References
- Parpola, 197l. The Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Glossary, pp. 119-145, eleppu, p. 124.
- Parpola, 197l. The Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Glossary and Indices, Logograms and Their Readings, pp. 117-18, p. 117.
- Simo Parpola; Kalle Fabritius (1997). Simo Parpola; Mikko Luukko; Kalle Fabritius (eds.). The standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh : cuneiform text, transliteration, glossary, indices and sign list. Translated by Simo Parpola. Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project (Contributor). Helsinki: Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project. ISBN 951-45-7760-4. OCLC 38502035. (Volume 1) in the original Akkadian cuneiform and transliteration; commentary and glossary are in English
External links
- Amarna letter EA 153-(Obverse), line 10 (7th line from bottom).
- Amarna letter EA 245-(Reverse), line 4(=line 28) (4th line from top-of-reverse).