The Eršema prayers of the first millennium BC

by Uri Gabbay

"The Eršema Prayers of the First Millennium BC contains philological editions of the Mesopotamian Eršema prayers, which were written in the Emesal register of Sumerian and often accompanied by interlinear Akkadian translations. The Eršema prayers are relatively short compositions belonging to the larger corpus of Emesal prayers, and they were part of the repertoire of a cultic functionary known as the gala/kalu. The content of these prayers, like that of the other genres of Emesal prayers, is usually lamentful, mourning the destruction of cities and temples. The book treats both types of...