An (cuneiform) explained

See also: Dingir.

The cuneiform an sign (or sumerogram AN, in Akkadian consisting of ASH and MAŠ), is a common, multi-use sign, a syllabic for an, and an alphabetic sign used for a, or n; it is common in both the Epic of Gilgamesh over hundreds of years, and the 1350 BC Amarna letters, and other cuneiform texts. It is also used for the designation of a "god", and is sometimes represented as a superscript: ^d, or capitalized: ^D, for "dingir", English language, "god". The example photo at right shows (2nd list), a list of 14 named gods, all with "an"; the first pair on the list AN-UTU, or ^DUTU, refers to the "sun-god", using Ud (cuneiform), as the sumerogram, namely UTU (sun Sumerogram).

Cuneiform an can also be found in compound form with another cuneiform sign, an example being DAGAL, . The older version of DAGAL used the 'god symbol' as a star within the sign: ; (older version of DAGAL, incorporating "star":).

Epic of Gilgamesh usage

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablets I-XII, "an" is used for the following meanings by the following numbers: an-(120) times, ìl-(0) times, ^d-(593), AN-(27), and DINGIR-(76) times.^[1]

List of Babylonian gods, etc.

From Budge's revised book on Babylonian Life and History, a list of many of the major gods from Babylonian history (and Sumerian):^[2]

• Anu, or Anum
• Bêl (An Be),
  • or Enlil (An En lil), -?
• Ea (An É a),
• The "Moon-God":
  • Sin (An-Sin), An

• • Enzu (An En-zu)

• • Nannaru (An LUGAL Ki)
• Shamash (An UTU)
• The "Wind-God": (see Photo-caption, above)
  • Adad
  • Rammânu
• The "Great God-of-Babylon":
  • Marduk or
  • Bêl-Marduk
• Nabû (Nebo) (An ?, or An "pa"), -?, or

• Ninurta (Enurta)
• Nergal
• Gibil
• Nusku (An Nus?-ku),
• Irra
• Ashshur
• Tiamat
• Apsu (Abzu)
• Lakhmu
• Lakhamu
• Anshar
• Kishar
• Mummu (An Mu-um-mu), ---
• Kingu
• Ishtar
• Ninlil (An Nin Lil)
• Damkina (An Dam Ki na), -Dam-

List of gods and associated temples, towns, etc.

• Anu, or Anum, the E-anna in Uruk
• Bêl (An Be)
  • or Enlil (An En lil), E-kur in Nippur
• Ea (An É a), E-apsu in Eridu; Ibex
• The "Moon-God":
  • Sin (An-Sin), E-gishshirgal in Ur, E-khulkhul in Harran
  • Enzu (An En-zu)
  • Nannaru (An LUGAL Ki)

• Shamash (An UTU)
• The "Wind-God":
  • Adad
  • Rammânu
• The "Great God-of-Babylon":
  • Marduk (E-sagila in Babylon, w/"serpent-gryphon", No. "Ten", Jupiter), or,
  • Bêl-Marduk
• Nabû (Nebo) (An ?, or An "pa"), Shrines at Borsippa, and Calah-(Nimrud)

References

• Budge. Babylonian Life and History, Budge, E.A. Wallace (Barnes & Noble edition), c 2005 (c 1883, revised 1925), 245 pages. (softcover,)
• 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.(softcover,)-(Volume 1)

Notes and References

1. Parpola, 1971. The Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Sign List, pp. 155-165, Sign no. 013, p. 155.
2. [E. A. Wallis Budge|Budge]