ramû IV
21. A sacrifice
OBOB: Old Babylonian (ca. 2000–1600 BCE) PN sugāgum GN aššum ra-me-em epēši[m] i[ll]ikma u išāla[nni ummam]i ayyānu ra-me[-e luš]kun … ḫumūsam ša šapal GN … eddišam[a] ana ašrišu terraššuma u ašrānum r[a-ma]-ka šuku[n] FM 8, 40: 7-16 “PN, the sheikh of GN, came to perform the ramû -sacrifice and asked [me:] ‘Where can I arrange my ramû -sacrifice?’ … ‘Restore again the cultic stone which is downstream of GN! Arrange your ramû -sacrifice there!”
OBOB: Old Babylonian (ca. 2000–1600 BCE) aššum ḫamūsim ša ašpurakkum ra-mu-um ana ūmim annîm MU 5 KAM ištū ša ḫamūsum šū epšu u ešrīšu elîš ū šapliš ētuqma FM 8, 30: 6 “regarding the cultic stone which you wrote me about, the ramû -sacrifice took place until now for 5 years, since the cultic stone had been made, and I passed (the stone) 10 times (going) upstream or downstream”.
62. Further Attestations
OBOB: Old Babylonian (ca. 2000–1600 BCE) niqûm waqrum ra-mu-um adī warḫim 1 iššakkan FM 8, 46: 6 “a precious offering, the ramû , will be arranged in 1 month”.
OBOB: Old Babylonian (ca. 2000–1600 BCE) lāma ra-me-e-em ana ṣēriya likšudam akkīma warkī ra-me-e-em gerram šâti uṣṣûma FM 8, 43: 24-25 “he shall arrive before the ramû so that one can start this (military) expedition after the ramû -sacrifice”.
OBOB: Old Babylonian (ca. 2000–1600 BCE) arḫiš lāma ⸢ra⸣-me-e-em ⸢me⸣ḫer [tup]piya bēlī lišābilam FM 8, 43: 44 “may my lord quickly send me an answer to my tablet before the ramû -sacrifice”.
OBOB: Old Babylonian (ca. 2000–1600 BCE) šumma bēlī ana warkī ra-me-em karpat šamnim lišpuram [wark]ī ra-me-em isinnam (BÀD !) lušteššer ARM 33, 130: 15 “if my lord may send me a jar of oil after the ramû -sacrifice so that I may organize a festival [aft]er the ramû -sacri-fice”.
OBOB: Old Babylonian (ca. 2000–1600 BCE) [tu]ppi šarrim aššum ra-me-e šakānim ikšudam … waraḫ Tamḫiri ligg[a]mer waraḫ Nabrî ūmum 2 kamlissuḫ ina nanmurti Sîn ra-ma-am luškun FM 8, 41: 5-10 “the king’s tablet concerning the arrangement of the ramû -sacrifice just arrived … let the month Tamḫīru (7th month) end, let the 2nd day of Nabrû (8th) pass and with the rising of the (new) moon, let me arrange the ramû -sacrifice”.
OBOB: Old Babylonian (ca. 2000–1600 BCE) ṭēmšu [a]na ra-me-e iṣabbat [ina]nna mimma ina rēš warḫim Tamḫiri [ra-m]u-u₂ ul iššakkan FM 8, 141: 37-38 “he will take his decision about the ramû -sacrifice. [Right] now, it is impossible for the [ ramû -sacrif]ice to be arranged at the beginning of Tamḫīru (7th month)”.
Discussion
Durand 1998, 30f., and 2005, 143–145 derives the word from the WSem. root RWM “to be(come) high” and understands ramû as commemorative stone, similar to ḫa/umūsu. However, the plene spellings in refs. 2b, 2c, 2e and 2f clearly point to a root III infirmae. The genitive case ramê and the accusative case ramâm in 2e show that ramû derives from a form ramāʾu: ramāʾi(m)› ramê(m) and ramāʾam› ramâm. In ref. 2a, ramûm stands in apposition to niqûm “offering”, and the refs. 2b, 2c, 2d make clear that ramû is not an object but a certain point in time. Durand in ARM 33, 301 now distinguishes between a “monument râmum et la cérémonie râmûm”. We rather think that the word is always ramû and designates a sacrifice or festival. ramāʾu› ramû is apparently the infinitive of one of the two Akk. verbs “to slacken” or “to throw; to set in place, dwell”. The latter seems more likely, perhaps the sacrifice of “setting in place (an offering)”, s. CAD R 133 ramû B 1a2’ for this (admittedly only sparsely attested) use of ramû. In refs. 1a and b this sacrifice is arranged at the ḫu/amūsu-stone, but in the refs. under 2 not necessarily so.