ziqtu I
1 Lexical
OB-LexOB-Lex: Old Babylonian lexical texts — new attestation (not in AHw/CAD) ka gír-gír-gal = pī zi-qi-it [pat]ri ! MSL SS 1, 22 iii 25 (Sag) DCCLT “mouth of the point of a [dag]ger”. new
31. As skin affliction
SBSB: Standard Babylonian (ca. 1000–0 BCE) — new attestation (not in AHw/CAD) šumma simmu šikinšu kupput* u muḫḫašu (|| appašu) ḫundud zi-iq-tum šumšu Sakikkû XXXIII 40 “if the characteristic of a lesion is (that it is) compacted(?) and its top (|| tip) is furrowed (lit.: incised) – z . is its name”. Cf. the partly parallel AMT 30/2: 9′. Diff. Heeßel 2000, 361 (“sehr schwer ist und seine Schädeldecke tief eingeschnitten ist”). new
SBSB: Standard Babylonian (ca. 1000–0 BCE) — new attestation (not in AHw/CAD) [šumma simmu] šikinšu kīma ibār⸢imma⸣ appašu pūṣa [n]adi zi-iq-tum šumšu Sakikkû XXXIII 41 “[if] the characteristic of [a lesion] is (that it is) like an i.-mole and its tip [h]as a white spot – z . is its name”. Cf. the partly parallel AMT 30/2: 10′ (KIR₄-šú {x} BABBAR ŠUB). Diff. Heeßel 2000, 361 (“seine Nase bleich wird”). new
SBSB: Standard Babylonian (ca. 1000–0 BCE) — new attestation (not in AHw/CAD) [šumma simmu ši]kinšu sām uttur (|| ṣeḫer ?) ikkalšu zi-iq-tum šumšu Sakikkû XXXIII 42 “[if the ch]aracteristic of [a lesion] is (that it is) red, it is overly prominent (|| small(?)), (and) it hurts him – z . is its name”. Cf. the partly parallel AMT 30/2: 11′b with variant (SA₅ TUR only; see also Geller 2007, 11: 60). Diff. Heeßel 2000, 361 (“übermäßig rot ist”). new
22. Further Attestations
OB-LitOB-Lit: Old Babylonian literary texts — new attestation (not in AHw/CAD) muḫḫi? zi-iq-ti tapaššašma ineʾʾiš AML, 96: 12 SEAL “you will rub (oil) over the sting and he will recover”. (treatment of scorpion sting). new
SBSB: Standard Babylonian (ca. 1000–0 BCE) — new attestation (not in AHw/CAD) […] ša? parzilli ša UD kaspi ana EN KÙ zi-qa-tum AOAT 275, 227 BM 33838 vi 6' eBL “[...] of iron ... for ... sting(?)”. Hellenistic-period school text. Context and attribution to ziqtu unclear. new
Discussion
The identification remains unclear. There are various (retrospective) diagnoses, ranging from “smallpox” (Kämmerer 1995, 161) to “Whitehead, Comeda” (Scurlock/Andersen 2005, 228). The description of the skin condition, at least in its later stages (cf. Sakikkû XXXIII 41f.), is reminiscent of a keratoacanthoma, a common type of benign tumor. It should be noted that scorpion stings can, in some cases, lead to inflammation and cause similar wounds, albeit not as pronounced as those seen in a keratoacanthoma. Both of these skin conditions manifest as raised, firm, and symmetrical nodules or lumps on the skin; however, a keratoacanthoma is generally not painful. Hower, an acute, localized bacterial skin infection (usually caused by Staphylococcus aureus) would fit this description as well, but as is often the case, depending on the stage of the disease, this description can also refer to various types of nodular skin lesions, such as nodular acne or cancer.