Šum (cuneiform)

The cuneiform sign šum is a common-use sign of the Amarna letters, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and other cuneiform texts (for example Hittite texts).

Cuneiform šum; also tag, tak, taq, and TAG.

Linguistically, it has a syllabic usage for šum, as well as for tag, tak, and taq. It can also be used alphabetically for š, m, t, g, k, or q, and also as a replacement for the four vowels, of a, or e, or i, or u.

Epic of Gilgamesh usage

The šum sign usage in the Epic of Gilgamesh is as follows: (šum, 34 times, tag, 2, tak, 23, and taq, 7 times).[1]

Amarna letters usage

A common usage of the šum cuneiform in the Amarna letters is for the Akkadian word šumma,[2] (), for English if. In the letters the strife with the Habiru, taking over cities, (city-states), the reference is, "If the pharaoh doesn't send the archer force, our town is lost!".

šumma, last line, ma more visible than šum (line 57, of 66)

after šumma, 4 cuneiform characters are used. In the Amarna letters, – they are translated in English, as "there-is-not".

Lines 55–57, from Amarna letter EA 288-(Reverse) are:

55. e-nu-ma ḫal-qa-at mât(_KUR_) _šarri(ŠÀRru_) bêli(_EN_)-ia
___enūma ḫalāqu mātu(KUR), – Šarri(LUGAL) bēlu(EN)-ia–! —
___Now Over-Taken land("region"), – King-Lord-mine–! —
56. ù hal-qu gáb-bi lú.mešha-zi-a-nu-ti
___u ḫalāqu gabbu, – lú(amēlu)-meš-Hazannu–!,
___and over-taken all, – men-(pl.)-Hazannu–!
57. šum-ma ia-a-nu-mi ṣâbē(ÈRINmeš) pi-ṭa-tu4
___šumma ia-a-nu-mi ṣābu-meš pi-ṭa-tu4,
___If "there is not" army-(pl.)-pítati, -- (lines 57 & 51 are identical)


Line 51 is the second line from top, and ma is easily visible; the right part of šum is visible; I put a damaged #, marker at the cuneiform spot in line 51, EA 288.

References
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  1. Parpola, 1971. The Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Sign List, pp. 155-165, šum, no. 126, p. 157.
  2. Parpola, 1971. The Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Glossary, pp. 119-145, šumma, (English if), p. 142.
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