Numbers indicate gods on complicated Anatolian seals

Cylinder seals tell stories about gods, goddesses, kings, queens and noble men. On the rather
complicated seals examined in this PDF some of these gods are indicated by numbers.
You may know that dots represent numbers: one dot represents 10, two dots 20 and three
dots 30 and you may also know that these numbers indicate deities: 10 indicate Ishkur/Adad,
20 Utu/Shamash and 30 indicate Nanna/Sin etc.

Lnder der Bible

On this imprint of a cylinder seal two dots represent 20, the number of the sun god
Utu/Shamash: his Hettitic name is Estan.
Eshtan (Estan) or Estan (Hittite: Itanu; Hurrian: imegi) was in the Hatti mythology, the sun god,
the consort of Wurushemu.
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eshtan

On the left the V- or womb sign indicates his wife; the sun goddess Wurushemu.
Wurushemu or Wurusemu was in the Hatti mythology, the sun goddess of Asia Minor. Her husband
was the Sun God Eshtan.
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wurushemu

Wearing a shepherd hat both the sun god and his wife are the shepherds of the land, just
like the sun god Utu who is called is called that way in Lugalbanda in the mountain cave:
"Utu, shepherd of the land, father of the black-headed, when you go to sleep, the people go to sleep
with you; youth Utu, when you rise, the people rise with you."
Title poem: Lugalbanda in the mountain cave: c.1.8.2.1
Published: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

At full moon Wurushemu introduces her son, a human prince, and makes him stand at the
royal offering place of life. She salutes Estan and tells him: "Father determine the fate of this
king!" (The idea of fate is symbolized by the bird above the bull: the Sumerian word for
bird is nam which means fate or destiny.)
Estan looks upon his son and determines three fates for him:
1. I will decree long-lasting office as ruler and king as your destiny. This fate is
symbolized by the prince wearing a crown.
2. I will bestow you early floods. This fate is symbolized by the snake depicted on the
right. It is similar to what we can read in a balbale:
1-8.Enlil ...... to Ur-Namma. He bestowed on him (?) early floods, grain and speckled
barley.
Title poem: A balbale to Enlil for Ur-Namma (Ur-Namma G)
Published: http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.4.1.7&charenc=j

3. King, mighty hero, born to be a lion, young wild bull standing firm in its vigour
These fates are symbolized by the lion and the bull. In a poem we can read that Utu
decreed them for ulgi:
80-102. The hero Utu received him smiling, and decreed a fate for ulgi the good
shepherd of Sumer: "King, eloquent and good-looking, mighty hero, born to be a lion,
young wild bull standing firm in its vigour, valiant one, unrestrained in his strength, who
tramples great mountains underfoot.
Title poem: A praise poem of Culgi (Culgi X)
Published: http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.4.2.24&charenc=j

Taru, Arinniti, Telepinu and Inaras on a cylinder seal

Regional Characteristics in the Styles and Iconography of the Seal Impressions of Level II at Kltepe by Nancy Leinwand

On this drawing of a cylinder seal dots represent the numbers 10, 20 and 40 indicating:
1. The storm god Ishkur alias the Hittite storm god Tarun,
2. The sun god Shamash alias the Hittite sun goddess Arinniti ,
3. Enki, the god of the earth, alias the Hittite farmer god Telepinu.

On dot represent 10, the number of the storm god Ishkur/Adad alias Tarhun and two dots
represent 20, the number of the sun god Shamash alias the sun goddess Arinniti who is
depicted like a cow.
In the first place Teshub may pair with Arinniti and they both create and give birth to the
children who are standing before them.
In the second place Teshub and Arinniti decree fates for them: the idea of fate is
symbolized by the bird placed behind them: the Sumerian word for bird is nam which
means fate or destiny.
In art Tarhuns symbol was a three-pronged thunderbolt, which he usually carried in
one hand while brandishing a club, axe, or other weapon with the other.
His sacred animal was the bull, and in art this animal may stand as his symbol, or
Tarhun may be depicted standing on it.
He was the consort of Arinnitti,
Tarhun, also spelled Taru, Tarhu, Tarhunt, Tarhunna, or Tarhuis, ancient Anatolian
weather god. His name appears in Hittite and Assyrian records (c. 1400612 bc) and later as
an element in Hellenistic personal names, primarily from Cilicia. Tarhunt was the Luwian
form and Tarhun (Tarhunna) probably the Hittite, from the common root tarh-, to conquer.
The weather god was one of the supreme deities of the Hittite pantheon and was regarded as
the embodiment of the state in action. He played a prominent part in mythology, although his
name is sometimes to be read either Taru or Teshub (the Hattian and Hurrian weather gods,
respectively), as the myths are either of Hattian or of Hurrian origin. He was the consort of
Arinnitti, the Hittite sun goddess and principal deity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hittite_mythology

In art Tarhuns symbol was a three-pronged thunderbolt, which he usually carried in

one hand while brandishing a club, ax, or other weapon with the other. He is rarely identified
by name, and it is often uncertain whether Tarhun or the Hurrian Teshub was intended. His
sacred animal was the bull, and in art this animal may stand as his symbol, or Tarhun
may be depicted standing on it. Jupiter Dolichenus, the god on the bull worshiped by the
Roman legions, was a development of Tarhun.
Encyclopedia Britannica http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/583522/Tarhun

Tarhun has a son, Telepinu and a daughter, Inara.

Tarhun has a son, Telepinu and a daughter, Inara. Inara is a protective deity (dLAMMA)
involved with the Puruli spring festival.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hittite_mythology

Four dots represent 40, the number of the Sumerian god Enki. His name means Lord
Earth. In the myth Enki and Ninursaa, he is the father of the plants and in A hymn to
Nisaba he is the great princely farmer:
In the Abzu, the great crown of Eridug, where sanctuaries are apportioned, where elevated are
apportioned -- when Enki, the great princely farmer of the awe-inspiring temple, the carpenter of
Eridug, the master of purification rites, the lord of the great en priest's precinct, occupies E-engura.
Title poem: A hymn to Nisaba (Nisaba A): c.4.16.1
Published: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

On the drawing the four dots may indicate Telepinu, the son of Tarhun. Like Enki he is a
god of farming:
Telipinu was the Hittite god of the farming. He was a son of the weather and fertility god
according to their mythology.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telipinu_(god)

On this drawing the king wears a shepherd hat which shows his fate: Be shepherd of the
black headed people; in other words: Be king.
Behind him stands Inaras: the V- or womb sign above her shows her femininity. She is the
daughter of Teshub and Arinniti (also called Wurushemu.) and in a myth she takes a human
called Hupasiayas of Zigaratta as her lover. On this drawing she may take the king as her
lover:

Inaras Daughter of the Storm-god and goddess of the wild animals of the steppe. After the Stormgod's initial defeat by Illuyankas, she follows his request to set up a feast. She recruits Hupasiayas
of Zigaratta, to aid in revenge on Illuyankas, by taking him as a lover. She then sets about luring
Illuyankas and his children to a feast. After the dragon and his children gorge themselves on her
meal, Hupasiayas binds him with a rope. Then the Storm-god sets upon them and defeats them.
She then gives Hupasiayas a house on a cliff to live in, yet warns him not to look out the window,
lest he see his wife and children. He disobeys her, and seeing his family begs to be allowed to go
home. Gurney speculates that he was killed for his disobedience.
http://www.allaboutturkey.com/ita/hitit.htm

The storm god Adad and the moon god Sin on seals
Many seals only show three gods: Assur, Adad and Sin.
Assur (equal to the Sumerian god Enlil) is the supreme god. He is the father of moon god
Sin, the storm god Adad and of many Assyrian kings.
Sin was the presiding deity of May/June and Adad alias Bel was the presiding deity of
March/April.
Usually in May/June Sacred Marriages were practiced and the created children were born in
March / April.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonian_calendar

Babylonian calendar
Month name

Presiding deities

Zodiac sign

Equivalent in Gregorian calendar

Ara Nisnu
'Month of the Sanctuary'

Anu andBel

KU (Aries)

March/April

Ara Simanu

Sin

BI(KA) (Gemini)

May/June

Thus Sin is the son of Assur and he also represented the period when princes were
conceived. Adad alias Bell was also a son of Assur and at the same time he represented the
period in which the conceived princes were born.

Seal Published: Stratified cylinder seals from the Diyala Region

On the left of this imprint we see left the moon god Sin, who is marked by the crescent and
in the middle stands the storm god Adad, who is marked by the star. Together they are
ploughing.
In the middle their father, the sky god Enlil, plunges like a small eagle downwards.

http://educators.mfa.org/objects/detail/52674?classification=Seals&pageSize=100&page=4

From left to right we see the same gods again:

The moon god Sin with his distinctive sickle,
The sky god Enlil, depicted as a winged sun disk,
And the storm god Adad, who can be identified on the basis of the star.

The Hittite Gods in Hittite Art. William Hayes Ward

Once again: this drawing of a Hittite seal show the same gods:
The storm god Adad with its star,
The sky god Enlil either Assur, this time depicted as a stylized eagle/tree,
And the moon Sin with his sickle.
The four wings of the moon god and the storm god form more or less a diamond: the symbol
of a vulva. In this "diamond" the name of a king may be written in Hittite script (?). In this
way he pretends himself as the son of Assur.
With other names the same gods are depicted on the next imprint:

http://books.google.nl/books?id=ZGjcLBYTUUgC&pg=PA104&lpg=PA104&dq=k%C3%BCltepe+cylinder+seal&source=bl&ots=VxNCJQu6gE&sig=cH9R4buwrAM8L0sf-eLwEFwzN_Y&hl=nl&sa=X&ei=uP7nUqToHqSe0wWfq4H4Bg&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q=k%C3%BCltepe%20cylinder%20seal& f= false

On the left: Ashur, indicated by the star, is seated in the constellation Crater which indicates
June.
June is also indicated by crescent/sun disk which symbolizes the moon god who is the
presiding deity of May/June.
In June Ashur creates three children:
The moon god Nanna, indicated by the crescent/sun disk symbolizing full moon.
The prince who stands on a bull.
The storm god Pabilsag who also stands on a bull. He is indicated by the palm leaf
placed behind him as he lives in a palm house.
A ir-gida to Ninisina (Ninisina A): c.4.22.1
"My house is the house of Isin, the cosmic border of heaven and earth, a fragrant cedar forest
whose perfume does not diminish; its interior is a mountain established in plenteousness.
Before the land of Dilmun ever existed, my house was created from a date palm. Before
the land of Dilmun ever existed, Isin was created from a date palm. Its dates are like a great
linen garment that hangs on a tree, heaped up into piles. The Anuna, the great gods, eat
together with me. My house is a place of healing, full of opulence, the place of the formation
of the Land. At night it shines to me like the moonlight; in the noonday heat it shines to me
like the sunlight. My husband, Lord Pabilsa, the son of Enlil, lies inside with me ,
enjoying his rest there. My watercourse is the Kir-sig watercourse, which produces plenty for
eating, which spreads out over the wheat; in it the flowing water always rises high for me. Its
banks make syrup and wine grow there, and make their produce rich for me."

The three children are born in March indicated by the two bulls which represent Taurus.
Ashur decrees six fates for the prince, his human son;

The prince wears a shepherd hat which shows his first fate: Be king.
The foetus of a cow depicted behind him may symbolize his second fate; Be fertile.
He holds a bull by the leas which may demonstrate his third fate: Be a cowherd.
The snake may symbolize his fifth fate: I bestow on you early floods.
The basket may symbolize his sixth fate: Offer me my food.
The lamb may symbolize his sixth fate: Be interpreter just like ulgi as we can read
in one of his praise poems:

I am a ritually pure interpreter of omens. I am the very Nintur (creator deity) of the
collections of omens. (-) After I have determined a sound omen through extispicy from a
white lamb and a sheep, water and flour are libated at the place of invocation. Then, as I
prepare the sheep with words of prayer, my diviner watches in amazement like an idiot. The
prepared sheep is placed at my disposal, and I never confuse a favourable sign with an
unfavourable one. I myself have a clear intuition, and I judge by my own eyes. In the insides
of just one sheep I, the king, can find the indications for everything and everywhere.
Title poem: A praise poem of ulgi (ulgi B): c.2.4.2.02
Published: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

Ashur and Ninlil on a cylinder seal

Regional Characteristics in the Styles and Iconography of the Seal Impressions of Level II at Kltepe by Nancy Leinwand

In June two lions create three children who are born in March.

In June two loving lions create three children: the ball and rod sign symbolizes fertility.
The two lions of course represent Leo which indicates June.
The animals associated with the god Ashur were the bull, the eagle, and the lion. He either
absorbed the attributes of other gods, or symbolized the "Self Power" of which the animals were
manifestations.
Myths of Babylonia and Assyria, by Donald A. MacKenzie

The five dots represent 50, the number of Ashur/Ninlil and on seals it is also the number of
his wife Ninlil.
She is depicted like a cow and she gives birth to the three children standing below her.
Being a cow she represents Taurus which indicates March.
In Assyria Ninlil is the wife of Ashur:
Ashur did not originally have a family, but as the cult came under southern Mesopotamian
influence he came to be regarded as the Assyrian equivalent of Enlil, the chief god of Nippur,
which was the most important god of the southern pantheon from the early 3rd millennium
BC until Hammurabi founded an empire based in Babylon in the mid-18th century BC,after
which Marduk replaced Enlil as the chief god in the south. In the north, Ashur absorbed
Enlil's wife Ninlil (as the Assyrian goddess Mullissu) and his sons Ninurta and Zababa this process began around the 14th century BC and continued down to the 7th century.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashur_(god)

Enlil (Ashur) embraces her like a pure cow in ulgi and Ninlil's barge: a tigi (?) to
Ninlil
The faithful shepherd ulgi established the holy festival and the great rituals. The great gods
bathe in holy water in Nibru. He assigns the fates to their places in the city and allocates the
right divine powers. The mother of the Land, Ninlil the fair, comes out (?) from the house,
and Enlil embraces her like a pure wild cow. They take their seats on the barge's holy dais,
and provisions are lavishly prepared.
Title poem: ulgi and Ninlil's barge: a tigi (?) to Ninlil (ulgi R): c.2.4.2.18
Published: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

She carries a cedar on her back as she is related to this tree: In the midst of the house
of Enlil is a mountain of aromatic cedars as we can read in A hymn to the E-kur:
The house towers high in full grandeur; in its midst is a mountain of aromatic cedars. The
house of Enlil towers high in full grandeur; in its midst is a mountain of aromatic cedars. The
house of Ninlil towers high in full grandeur; in its midst is a mountain of aromatic cedars.
The courtyard of Enlil towers high in full grandeur; in its midst is a mountain of aromatic
cedars. The courtyard of Ninlil towers high in full grandeur; in its midst is a mountain of
aromatic cedars.
Title poem: A hymn to the E-kur: c.4.80.4
Published: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

The spike depicted next to her indicates her too as she is the goddess of grain: in The
debate between Grain and Sheep we can read that Ezina-Kusu (grain) is the daughter
of Enlil (and Ninlil):
"I foster neighbourliness and friendliness. I sort out quarrels started between neighbours.
When I come upon a captive youth and give him his destiny, he forgets his despondent heart
and I release his fetters and shackles. I am Ezina-Kusu (Grain); I am Enlil's daughter. In
sheep shacks and milking pens scattered on the high plain, what can you put against me?
Answer me what you can reply!"
Title poem: The debate between Grain and Sheep: c.5.3.2
Published: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

Ezina-Kuzu stands on the left. The V-sign on top, symbolizing a womb, shows that she is a
woman. She will be the spouse of the king: like ulgi wishes that Ezina-Kusu is the lover of
his son as we can red in A lullaby for a son of ulgi (ulgi N): c.2.4.2.14:
May a wife be your support, and may a son . May a son be your fortune. May winnowed grain
be your lover, and may Ezina-Kusu (the goddess of grain) be your aid. May you have an eloquent
protective goddess. May you be brought up to a reign of favourable days. May you smile upon
festivals.
Title poem: A lullaby for a son of ulgi (ulgi N): c.2.4.2.14
Published: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

The ball and rod sign symbolizes fertility.

The crescent/sun disk symbolizes full moon. Nanna, the god of the full moon, is pictured like
a boy. He is born every month as we can read in An adab (?) to Suen for u-Suen It means
that he never grows old:
The beauty of heaven, the prince of earth, youthful Suen, the immense, the light of heaven and
earth, who makes years of prosperity and good last permanently, Nanna, the lord who is born
each month, sired my u-Suen.
Title poem: An adab (?) to Suen for u-Suen (u-Suen F)
Published: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

On the next seal we see the storm god and the moon god standing for their father Ashur.

On the left side of this drawing we see the storm god Pabilsag/Ishkur/Adad and the moon
god Nanna depicted as two small children under their mother, the cow Ninlil who carries a
cedar on her back (see above). A pole stands before them:
A pole was set up before Telepinu, and from it the fleece of a sheep was suspended. It signified
abundance: plentiful grain and wine, fat cattle and sheep, and successive generations of children. It
signified fruitful breezes and fertility for every living thing.

In the midst of this drawing Ninlil takes her sons to their father Ashur who must determine
their destiny.

 Adad stands as a bull man behind her. He holds a trident or thunderbolt in his hand.
Usually he stands on a bull, but now he is depicted as a "bull man." He is related to
Ishkur, Pabilsag and Teshub.

http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/thot/esp_thot_11.htm

http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sitchin/planeta12/12planeteng_03.htm

Adad in Akkadian and Ishkur in Sumerian and Hadad in Aramaic are the names of the
storm-god in the Babylonian-Assyrian pantheon. All three are usually written by the
logogram dIM. The Akkadian god Adad is cognate in name and functions with northwest
Semitic god Hadad. In other texts Adad/Ishkur is sometimes son of the moon god Nanna/Sin
by Ningal and brother of Utu/Shamash and Inanna/Ishtar. He is also occasionally son of Enlil.
Adad/Ishkurs special animal is the bull. He is naturally identified with the Anatolian
storm-god Teshub. Occasionally Adad/Ishkur is identified with the god Amurru, the god of
the Amorites.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adad

Heading the physically present Hittite gods was a deity named Teshub, which meant wind
blower. He was thus what scholars call a Storm God, associated with winds, thunder, and
lightning. He was also nicknamed Taru (bull).
Like the Greeks, the Hittites depicted bull worship; like Jupiter after him, Teshub was
depicted as the God of Thunder and Lightning, mounted upon a bull.
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sitchin/planeta12/12planeteng_03.htm

The three circles indicate 30, the number of Nanna, the moon god. Here he is depicted
as a warrior who crushed his enemies. This corresponds to what we can read in a
ululumama to Nanna which is called "a lion who utter words hostile to the enemy:"
Lion uttering hostile words to the enemy, supplying evening light to dark places!
Youthful Suen, glorious moonlight, the people gaze at you in wonder.
Title poem: A ululumama to Nanna (Nanna J)
Published: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

On the right sits Ashur who determines the fate of his divine sons. The idea of fate
is symbolized by the bird (see above).

o For Adad he determines the fate, "Be a warrior."

o The monkey symbolizes the fate of Nanna, namely, "Be fruitful."
o Nanna donates an animal to Assur which shows his second fate: "Sacrifice
animals for me."
o And his third fate is "Trample my enemies."

Tom van Bakel

Sint Pancras
Nederland
Email: tom.vanbakel@xs4all.nl