The Corpus of Hittite Divinatory Texts (HDivT)

Digital Edition and Cultural Historical Analysis

Birgit Christiansen

Citatio: Andrea Trameri (Hrsg.), hethiter.net/: CTH 573.43 (INTR 2025-08-08)


CTH 573.43

Bird oracle by the river

introductio



Short description

This fragment of bird oracle contains one of the rare attestations of a ‘snake’-bird (MUŠEN.MUŠ, r. col. 5´). The same (or a similar) bird is attested only in an oracle report from Šapinuwa-Ortaköy, still unpublished (Or 90/355 obv. 12´, in the form MUŠ; information courtesy A. Süel and D. Schwemer).

The text is also of interest for the reference to “the river”, found only in a few other reports, all of early date (for a list of references, see the edition of CTH 573.113). Based both on its content and a palaeographic analysis, a re-dating of the fragment to a pre-Imperial date is likely.

Texts

Manuscript AKBo 47.63158/wBk. D

Literature from the Konkordanz

  • D. Groddek, DBH 33, 2011: 54f.
  • Y. Sakuma, Diss., 2009: II 615f.

History of publication

Handcopy: H. Otten (KBo 47, Otten H. et al. 2005a).

Edition: Sakuma Y. 2009b, II 615-616; a transliteration in Groddek D. 2011a, 54-55.

Palaeography and handwriting

MS (mh.). The fragment does not contain any clearly late (NS) diagnostic sign. Early forms of AZ (without subscript), DA/IT, E. Groddek D. 2011a, 54 suggested a dating “jh. (früh)”. For an early date of this fragment (“but only on the basis of E”) see already Weeden M. 2011a, 586.

The content is also compatible with an early date, with the observations at “the river” and the rare bird name ‘snake’-bird.

Overview of contents

Section 1ID=1(left col.) §1´
Section 2ID=2§2´
Section 3ID=3(right col.) §3´
Editio ultima: 2025-08-08