agargarû
3Attestations
OBOB: Old Babylonian (ca. 2000–1600 BCE) — new attestation (not in AHw/CAD) 15 gú a.kár.kár ša 600 .ta.am₃ ganba 1800 .ta.àm kù.bé 5 gín JCS 34, 166 no. 22: 4 “15 talents of a. , each 600 pieces, going rate 1800 (pieces per shekel), its silver (equivalent) 5 shekels”. As a talent (ca. 30 kg) contains 1800 a., the mean weight of a single a. is ca. 50 g. new
OB-LitOB-Lit: Old Babylonian literary texts — new attestation (not in AHw/CAD) pa-ap-pa-al-li-ib-bi-šu a-ga-ar-ga-ru-um CUSAS 32, 27a: 8 SEAL “its belly is a.” In description of snake. new
SBSB: Standard Babylonian (ca. 1000–0 BCE) — new attestation (not in AHw/CAD) agargaraku₆ meḫe[r]ti tâmti ina nāri [(...)] ibašši ACh SS, 1b: 34 eBL “a., the produce of the sea, will be in the river”. new
Discussion
The Akkadian references are unclear as to the specific referent. OB administrative texts imply a weight of 50 g a piece and a small size. Sumerian agargara is translated by Attinger 2023, 156 as “frai, œufs de poisson”, but note that the reference in Home of the Fish: 107f. speaks of a me-zé “jaw”. The Akkadian term may refer to bycatch or the eggs or ovaries of fish.
Against the identification with Hilsa ilisha (now Tenualosa ilisha ) suggested by Salonen 1970, 151f. see Sanati-Müller 1989, 238 and Földi 2014, 86 fn. 44.