The Angry Ištar of Eturkalamma: Bm 32482+ and the Conservation of Cultic Traditions in the Late Babylonian Period

Abstract

BM 32482 + is a Late Babylonian tablet with descriptions of rites and ceremonies held in the Eturkalamma temple of Bēlet-Bābili (Ištar of Babylon). The text refers to prayers and recitations to appease the goddess. Cult personnel from her temple (išippu priest) are also mentioned, as is music, a nigûtu performed by a nadītu priestess, a ritual involving a sakkikuddītu, a cultic commentary, omens involving birds, and astrological observations. Despite the fragmentary condition of the tablet, it seems that the performance of the nigûtu was in one way or another related to the preservation of the temple rituals, which would otherwise have been forgotten.

Writing and imagining ritual in the Babylonian New Year festival texts

“…This pronounced concern for the cult is also reflected in the relative abundance of cuneiform ritual texts the Babylonian priesthood produced at this time (e.g., Da Riva, 2021, 2019; see also Debourse, 2022, pp. 348–371).…”