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An alternative interpretation of BM 76829: astrological schemes for length of life and parts of the body

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Abstract

In this paper I present an alternative reading and interpretation of the cuneiform tablet BM 76829. I suggest that the obverse of the tablet contains a simple astrological scheme linking the sign of the zodiac in which a child is born to the maximum length of life, and that the reverse contains a copy of a scheme relating parts of the body to the signs of the zodiac.

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Notes

  1. I have previously presented my reading and interpretation of this tablet at the 229th Meeting of the American Oriental Society held in Chicago on 15–18 March 2019 and at the 1st Conference of the International Academy of the History of Science held in Athens on 12–15 September 2019.

  2. I thank Eshbal Ratzon for these references.

  3. A complete edition of BM 56605 was published by Heeßel (2000: 112–130), who did not recognize its connection to the zodiac man tradition.

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Acknowledgements

I wish to express my thanks to Jeanette Fincke, Eshbal Ratzon, and Matthew Rutz for useful discussions in the course of writing this paper. They are not responsible for any errors that remain in either my reading of BM 76829 or its interpretation. I thank the Trustees of the British Museum for permission to study BM 76829.

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  1. Department of Egyptology and Assyriology, Brown University, 2 Prospect Street, Providence, RI, 02912, USA

    John Steele

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Communicated by Alexander Jones.

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Steele, J. An alternative interpretation of BM 76829: astrological schemes for length of life and parts of the body. Arch. Hist. Exact Sci. 76, 1–14 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00407-021-00279-y

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