samānu
2 Lexical
OB-LexOB-Lex: Old Babylonian lexical texts — new attestation (not in AHw/CAD) sag-⸢nim⸣-nim = ša-wa-nu MSL SS 1, 19: 52 (Sag) DCCLT. new
SB-LexSB-Lex: Standard Babylonian lexical texts — new attestation (not in AHw/CAD) ⸢ur⸣-me = sa-ma-nu AOAT 275, 242 BM 36366 2' (Hh) eBL. followed by sāsu. School tablet. new
51. A disease
MA-LitMA-Lit: Middle Assyrian literary texts (incantation) ana sa-ma-ni […] YOS 11, 74: 12 “against S .”
SBSB: Standard Babylonian (ca. 1000–0 BCE) — new attestation (not in AHw/CAD) šumma simmu šikinšu sām em napiḫ u illak sa-ma-nu [šum]šu Sakikkû XXXIII 23 “if the characteristic of the lesion is red, hot, and inflamed and it spreads(?) (lit.: moves) – samānu is its [name]”. new
SBSB: Standard Babylonian (ca. 1000–0 BCE) — new attestation (not in AHw/CAD) šumma simmu šikinšu sām amēlu ītenemmim u ītanarru sa-ma-nu [šumšu] Sakikkû XXXIII 24 “if the characteristic of the lesion is red (and) the man is constantly feverish and repeatedly vomits – samānu [is its name]”. new
SBSB: Standard Babylonian (ca. 1000–0 BCE) — new attestation (not in AHw/CAD) šumma simmu šikinšu dan .[.].- ma ina pani kala inâš dama iddi KI.MIN(...?) sa-ma-nu [šumšu] Sakikkû XXXIII 25 “if the characteristic of the lesion is hard .[.]. and recedes(?) overall at the surface(?, lit. at the surface of everything), (and) it exudes blood, ditto (...?) – samānu [is its name]”. new
SBSB: Standard Babylonian (ca. 1000–0 BCE) — new attestation (not in AHw/CAD) sa-ma-nu [qāt] Gula Sakikkû XXXIII 103a “samānu – (this is caused by) [the hand] of Gula”. new
12. An insect
OB-LitOB-Lit: Old Babylonian literary texts ša ana sinništ[im ipparaqqadu] sà-ma-an dūrim [šū] CUSAS 10, 10: 14 SEAL “he who [lies supine] for a woman, a s. -insect from the wall [is he]”. ∥ ZA 49, 168f. i 7.
Discussion
Possible diseases might be Erythema infectiosum (fifth disease) or scarlet fever. They develop a characteristic red (in the case of scarlet fever, punctiform) rash often accompanied by nausea (cf. the key symptoms in Sakikkû XXXIII 24) and fever. Note that samānu is also attested affecting infants (Sakikkû XL 27), which might likewise refer to Rubella (but this is usually not accompanied by nausea or vomiting). Since samānu is also attested affecting animals, it must refer to more than one disease. In the case of cattle, the term may refer to diseases like bovine viral or Papular stomatitis. Further contexts suggest also a kind of mould or fungus as well as a field pest, which could be referred to by the same term. Cf. the overview on some phenomena in Beck 2015, 187–192.