Bablita and Bēltīa (1)

Text
A text on the magic bowl in the British Museum begins as follows: “I sit on my door, I, Gušnazdukt, daughter of Aḥat, similar to Bablita. I sit on my doorposts, I, Gušnazdukt, doughter of Aḥat, similar to Borsipita” (BM 135563). One of the female demons, the bwrspytˀ can be easily identified with Nanaya of Borsippa, the consort of Nabû. The name Bablita is evidently derived from Babylon’s name, and can be identified with Bēltīa, the wife of Marduk/Bēl. Some late cuneiform documents and astronomical diaries contain the name form Bēltīa. The temple of Bēlet-Bābili in Babylon, é-tùr-kalam-ma survived into the Parthian period, and the cultic activities in the temple are well documented still in the first century BCE. An Aramaic magic bowl with Mandaic background has an incantation “against all Belties with no names”. The appellation “with no name” (lˀ šmˀh) can be recognized as an Akkadism (see CAD L 2f.).

Source (list of abbreviations)
BM 135563

Bibliography

Amar Annus

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