Ši Explained

The cuneiform sign ši, lim, and Sumerogram IGI is a common-use sign of the Amarna letters, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and other cuneiform texts. As the syllabic form it is commonly used for ši, lim/lem, and for Sumerograms (capital letter majuscules), it is most commonly used for IGI (Akkadian language pānu,^[1] for English language "face", "presence"), and (with prep.) "before". Also, for ši and lim/lem it can be used syllabically for š, i, l, i/e, and m, in the spelling of words.

Epic of Gilgamesh usage

The ši sign usage in the Epic of Gilgamesh is as follows: lem-(2) times, lim-(25), ši-(299), IGI-(15), ŠI-(1) time.^[2]

References

• Moran, William L. 1987, 1992. The Amarna Letters. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987, 1992. 393 pages.(softcover,)
• Parpola, 1971. The Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Parpola, Simo, Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project, c 1997, Tablet I thru Tablet XII, Index of Names, Sign List, and Glossary-(pp. 119–145), 165 pages.

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Notes and References

1. Parpola, 1971. The Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Glossary, pp. 119-145, pānu, p. 135.
2. Parpola, 1971. The Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Sign List, pp. 155-165, no. 449, p. 163.