Tur (cuneiform)

The cuneiform sign for tur is used to denote one syllabic usage, tur, or the sign's Sumerograms; it is used in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the 14th century BC Amarna letters. The sign is based on the i (cuneiform) sign, with the one small added vertical stroke.

Digital version, cuneiform sign for **tur**, and Sumerograms **BÀN**, **DUMU**, or **TUR**.

Besides tur, it is for Sumerograms (logograms) BÀN, DUMU, and TUR. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, it is used in the following numbers: tur-(11 times), BÀN-(3), DUMU-(25), TUR-(2).^[1] The large usage of DUMU in the Epic is for the Sumerogram being the equivalent of "son", Akkadian language "māru".^[2]

Amarna letter usage

In the Amarna letters, the topic of Amarna letter EA 296, Under the Yoke, is the guarding of two cities, at the city gate; also the man authoring the letter, Yabitiri-(Yahtiru)-(governor?) of City? gives his history of going to Egypt to be trained with the Pharaoh, EA 296, line 25 (tablet reverse): "... (25) "i-nu-ma TUR a-na-ku", (26) he (Yanhamu) took me to (Egypt) Misri (27)..., (25) "Now when "YOUNG"-(I, myself), (26) he (i.e. Yanhamu) took me to Egypt, (27) ..."^[3]

Common text usage

The most common text usage is unlike the digital version. It is composed of 5-horizontals: one (single) above two pairs of two, and all sitting on a large single horizontal stroke, approximated as follows:

....
.... .
.... .

It is found in various Amarna letters as part of "Messenger-Xxxxx", for example "LÚ.PA.TUR-Uv-wx-yz"

References

^ Parpola, 1971. The Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Sign List, pp. 155-165, no. 144, p. 158.
^ Parpola, 1971. The Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Glossary, pp. 119-145, māru, p. 131-132.
^ Rainey, 1970. El Amarna Tablets, 359-379, Glossary:Vocabulary, pp. 55-95, sehru-(no. 2)-(small), p. 79; Indexes: II. Sumerograms, TUR, p. 98-99.

Moran, William L. 1987, 1992. The Amarna Letters. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987, 1992. 393 pages.(softcover, ISBN 0-8018-6715-0)
Parpola, 1971. The Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Parpola, Simo, Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project, c 1997, Tablet I thru Tablet XII, Index of Names, Sign List, and Glossary-(pp. 119–145), 165 pages.

Alphabetic cuneiform i, I (cuneiform); (there is only a, e, i, u (four vowels); also (ú, commonly (u, 1st prime)), or ù-(for "and")).

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[1] Parpola, 1971. The Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Sign List, pp. 155-165, no. 144, p. 158.

[2] Parpola, 1971. The Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Glossary, pp. 119-145, māru, p. 131-132.

[3] Rainey, 1970. El Amarna Tablets, 359-379, Glossary:Vocabulary, pp. 55-95, sehru-(no. 2)-(small), p. 79; Indexes: II. Sumerograms, TUR, p. 98-99.

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