The nubāttu of Marduk
This article explores the Akkadian term nubāttu, typically translated “nighttime” or “overnight stay,” and its evolving meaning as a ceremony or festival day throughout cuneiform literature. Although hemerological texts typically understand nubāttu as a regular festival day in the Babylonian cultic...
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| Formato: | Artículo revista |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
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Universidad Nacional de Rosario
2025
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| Acceso en línea: | https://claroscuro.unr.edu.ar/index.php/revista/article/view/173 |
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| Sumario: | This article explores the Akkadian term nubāttu, typically translated “nighttime” or “overnight stay,” and its evolving meaning as a ceremony or festival day throughout cuneiform literature. Although hemerological texts typically understand nubāttu as a regular festival day in the Babylonian cultic calendar, typically connected with the god Marduk, its meaning and ritual significance vary widely throughout the rest of the cuneiform corpus. It first appears in rituals performed ad hoc for local royalty in Ebla and Mari, where it takes the form of a divine encampment. A similar nuance is attested in Babylonian rituals from the first millennium BCE, where nubāttu is attested as an overnight encampment made for lengthy divine processions. In apotropaic anti-witchcraft texts like Maqlû, nubāttu instead refers to an auspicious date in the calendar, and Marduk is identified as its owner or brother. Finally, the Babylonian national epic Enūma eliš reinterprets nubāttu as a symbolic name for Babylon and its New Year’s Festival. The evolving meaning and theological significance of nubāttu reflects broader trends in Babylonian religion, which saw the elevation of Marduk to supremacy over the pantheon, and the centralization of the cult around Babylon. |
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