Babyloniaca, études de philologie assyro-babylonienne.

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ST. LANGDON

Mr. KING'S treatment of the historical questions involved (Vol. II)
is scholarly and complete. Especially able and fruitful is his treatment of the synchronous history of Babylon and the Sea dynasty,
and his conjecture as to the seventh dynasty pp. 184, 200 ff. On
page 44 KING raises the question as to whether the revolt against
Sargon was internal or external. It might be pointed out that at
least in Sumerian \t is always used of foreign lands, ZA XV
354 3; if this usage could be established for Sargon the discussion
would be closed.
The author rightly, I think, translates illen-lil-dct (Kak) by Belibni and identifies him with the Beletaras of the story of Beleous
and Beletaras in Agathias p. 62 ff. It has recently been argued
by Prof. CLAY I that en-li never means bel, but the preservation
of both these names in the traditions indicates the usage of the
word bel for a god at a very early date, and if KING'S identification be correct the Semitic translation of en-lit by bel is established.
Everywhere in the translations the particle ma is considered as
a coordinating conjunction; see p. 37, here called copula (?). In
addition to my discussion of sentences ending in ma as subordinate,
Babyl. I 291 f., and KB VI 1 43 note, see now ScuoRR, Altbab.
Rechtsurkunden, p. 5 and passim. There can be little doubt but
that ma, at least in the classical period, often had the force of
when, if, after that ". This would materially affect a great many
of the renderings.
Mr. KING deserves to be congratulated upon the useful material
he has again given to science. His books give us a much clearer
insight into the condition of things under the Sargonic dynasty
and that of the so-called First Dynasty. The careless chronological
methods of Babylonian historians has again become evident, and
accuracy can never be attained except by abundance of material
which will permit of eliminating errors. Semitic material before

1. Amer. Journ. of Semit. Lang., XXXIII, no 4, July 1907,