An Aramaic Ritual for Burning Straw in Sefire IA:36–37
The Old Aramaic inscription Sefire I (KAI 222) includes, in a series of mimetic curses, a debated clause that has been read by most previous scholars to involve a mysterious {gnbʾ} gannābaʾ(?) ‘thief’, which (or who?) is symbolically burned (Sefire IA:36–37). The present article argues that there ar...
| Published in: | Aramaic studies |
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| Authors: | ; |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2022
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| In: |
Aramaic studies
Year: 2022, Volume: 20, Issue: 2, Pages: 111-133 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Inscription
/ Aramaic language
/ Ritual
/ Straw
/ Flight
/ Contract
|
| RelBib Classification: | TB Antiquity |
| Further subjects: | B
Old Aramaic
B treaty curses B Magic B Ritual B Sefire B Plants B straw |
| Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The Old Aramaic inscription Sefire I (KAI 222) includes, in a series of mimetic curses, a debated clause that has been read by most previous scholars to involve a mysterious {gnbʾ} gannābaʾ(?) ‘thief’, which (or who?) is symbolically burned (Sefire IA:36–37). The present article argues that there are lexicographic (cognates in later Aramaic dialects) and phonological (geminate prenasalization) grounds for understanding {gnbʾ} to encode instead ganbaʾ (< *gabbaʾ) ‘straw’. The burning of this straw to symbolize consequences should a treaty partner renege has clear parallels in Mesopotamian and Syro-Anatolian magical and ritual language, including treaty curses, and produces a more typical image in a list of mimetic curses involving materials (wax), objects (a bow and arrow), and animals (a calf). |
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| ISSN: | 1745-5227 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Aramaic studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/17455227-bja10038 |