r/Sumerian

Hi!

I have been studying sumerian as a hobby for some years now. But there is a problem: I only study from books. This is not to a lack of trying in finding a teacher. I just live in a country where I can name everyone who know sumerian well enough, and most of them are retired. The rest in other cities.

So I have this problem that I can't get feedback on the excercises I give myself. Take for example this translation of a passage in the akkadian version of the epic of Gilgamesh. What am I doing wrong here? Am I doing anything wrong?

Ud as aniba imin dGilgamesh dEnkidu-ra gaba i-sag-de gub-ba. Ud-bi ba-zal. dGilgamesh-

e kui-ani ki i-nu-tum enna mar kiri-ta i-sub-ba. Ud-bi-a en tur-re dGilgamesh-e ki-se gu i-

mu-un-de: dilib-gu mu-en, siki bar-ra-me-en. Edenlil-la dag-ed-en, kus pirin-a mur-ed-en.

For context I should say, that I have been using the ePSD-dictionary, and textbook on grammar by Aleksi Sahala.

In the unlikely event you haven’t already bankrupted yourself shopping for Hittite reference materials, you can own a reproduction cuneiform (NOT Hittite, alas) tablet!

The Penn Museum (formerly the University Museum) in Philadelphia is one of the most interesting museums I have ever visited. It is amazing — real Indiana Jones stuff. What I deeply appreciate about the joint is that it keeps all of the mummies in one room and has a big sign over the door, saying, “Beware, mummies, keep out if you don’t want to see mummies!” (Okay, I fibbed about the last part. But they do keep the dead bodies separate. They even have cat mummies.) It has an excellent specialized library, which I have visited in order to spend hours slaving over a hot xerox machine. It also has a gift shop.

If you click on the link for the gift shop, you will find on offer about half a dozen reproduction cuneiform tablets, reasonably priced, from roughly $10-$35. I have one myself, the small square black one with the white incisions, and it’s very nice.

In respect to Sumerian dictionaries, has anyone got any opinions on the one written by M Lafayette ? I know Cohen has got one but That’s a tad pricey. Thanks.