SIPA (shepherd)

The antediluvian section is not an original part of the Sumerian king list but was added later.

According to the Sumerian king list, there are only two kings called "shepherd" after the flood: Etana "shepherd" and ^dLugal-banda "shepherd."

Sumerian: sipa(d) = shepherd

Proto-cuneiform SI

Gebelein painted linen, Gebelein, ca. 3600 BC

Proto-cuneiform PAP~b

A man standing with a leashed hippo on C-Ware bowl, Naqada IA-IIB period

Tablet (P001282), Uruk, ca. 3350-3200 BC

UMBIN~a (type of cutting implement) UR2# (keel ?) U8 (

)

This hippopotamus was mistakenly interpreted as a sheep, ewe (= U₈) on this tablet.

References:

https://cdli-gh.github.io/proto-cuneiform_signs/
https://collezioni.museoegizio.it/en-GB/material/S_17138
https://ponda.org/object/C-0556
https://cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts/1282

December 28, 2024 Takahiko Nakagawa