G94 J 1 iii 7 it-te-eḫ-su OV(l) – Possible Assyrian dialect form in
T 2 ii 44 it-ta ḫ-su T. 564
G95 J T 1 iii 8 ki-ma OV – The preposition graphically in T. kima is written logo-
2 ii 45 GIM
G96 JC iii 7 k]i-ma a-lit-ti SV(2) – C has a different phraseology com-pared to J. (^565)
1 iii 9 ma-li-ti
G97 J 1 iii 10 ú-nam-bi OV(l) – Possible difference in pronuncia-
T 2 ii 47 ú-nam-ba tion. 566
G98 J 1 iii 10 DINGIR.MAḪ SV(1) – Lexical interchange.^567
T 2 ii 47 d be-let-DI[GIR.MEŠ
G99 J T 1 iii 12 ˹šá a-na˺-ku SV(1) – Interchange of prepositions.^568
2 ii 49 áš-šú a-na-ku
(^564) The difference between the sources could reflect a dialectal shift of Babylonian /i/ > Assyrian /a/ for the
stem vowel of certain roots, cf. J. Huehnergard, Grammar, 602, and more specifically A.R. George, Gil-
gamesh, 437. M. Luukko, Neo-Assyrian, 85-86, notes that on occasions when /i/ is written as /a/ it may be
possible to detect an allophone of /i/, presumably [ä]. In the examples cited by Luukko it seems that this
usually, though not exclusively, occurs after a dental, as is the case here. Interestingly Luukko holds that
the allophone [ä] is most common among scribes of Babylonian origin, but the manuscript in question here
is from Nineveh and written in Neo-Assyrian script. According to George, the blank space at the end of
column vi would have held one of the long “type iv” colophons designating the tablet as written at the
command of Ashurbanipal for his express use (see A.R. George, 565 Gilgamesh, 382-85, and 415).
C has a preposition plus feminine singular noun, Ištar kima alitti, “Ištar, like a woman in childbirth.” J
lacks the preposition and has a feminine singular participle, Ištar maliti, “Ištar, a woman in childbirth.” See
A.R. George, 566 Gilgamesh, 886.
J has the Standard Babylonian form where final weak > /i/, against the Assyrian form in T where final
weak > /a/, 567 cf. J. Huehnergard, Grammar, 598.
The form “DINGIR.MAḪ,” ilu ṣīri, or contextual iltu ṣīrti, “supreme goddess,” in J is contrasted with
the proper noun in T, Bēlet-ilī, “Lady of the gods.” Both forms are titles for the same “archetypal female in
childbirth,” (A.R. George, 568 Gilgamesh, 886), and the variation is thus treated as a lexical interchange.
J has ša anaku, “(regarding) which I,” against T aššu anaku, “because I.”