May. i] SOCIETYOF BIBLICAL ARCHEOLOGY. [1894.
whichis translated by Lyon (p. 37), "zurGottinSha-ush(nit ?)-ka,
der Machthaberin Ninive's,erhobich meine Hande(comp.his trans
literation, p. 36)." But this hitherto unknown deity is quite the
sameas the Mitannian goddess Sha-ush-bi, who is mentioned in
the Mitannian TellAmarnaletters(comp.Jensen,Z.A.,V, p. 202
andnote),and seems to be the consort of the Mitannian weather-god
Tishupash. In the inscription of Sargon, Istarof Ninua bearsthe
(foreign)name --]Sha-ush-pi,pi here writtenideographicallywith
the sign »-EjfcJ.
§ 5. In a contract tablet of the time of Apil-Sin, the grand
fatherof Chammu-rapaltu (Hammu-rabi),V.A., Th. 1473 (Berlin
collection),publishedby Meissner in his " Beitrage," p. 90 f., the
nameof one of the witnesses is —
Sha*-—] Martu, marA-bi-i-ra-mu.
If we compare names like Sha-Afi-is-ri-im, V.A., Th. 11 04
(Meissner,p. 21 and 107),meaning"(man)of Egypt," we should
like to translate (notwithstandingthe D.P. >-'-f)in the above case
"(man)of Martu (or land of the Amorites, Martubeingabbreviation
of Amartu), sonof Abi-ramu." Now this provesthateven two
generations beforeAbram, the Hebrew, who is contemporaneous
withChammu-rapaltu(Amraphel,Gen.xiv),suchnames as Abram,
Abi-ram, werecommon in Babylonia with people of Palestinian
origin. Thisis not surprising, sincewe know nowthatthe third
kingfollowingChammu-rapaltu, the well-known Ammi-satana, was
indeed" king of the vast land Martu," Pinches," Records of the
Past,"new series,vol.v, p. 103), andthateven Hammu-rabihim
selfborethis title, besides the title king of Babel (Winckler,
" Altorientalische Forschungen,"p. 145 f.).
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