State Archives of Assyria Cuneiform Texts

State Archives of Assyria Cuneiform Texts (SAACT) contains facsimile cuneiform texts based on texts from Assurbanipal’s library. The discovery of this library by Hormuzd Rassam in the middle of the nineteenth century was the first great milepost of the infant discipline of Assyriology. Even now, a century and a half later, it remains the single most important group of texts discovered in Mesopotamia. Documents from the library concern almost every aspect of ancient Mesopotamian history and culture. Most of these texts, as distinct from the State Archives of Assyria, are written in Babylonian and include the gems of Mesopotamian literature and science. It is hoped that eventually all the texts from this library will be published in SAACT.

The production of SAACT volumes proceeds from a transliteration prepared by the editor. The transliteration, in the format of the CNA database, is converted back to the original cuneiform signs by software conversion programs. Variant codes in the transliteration allow the proper signform to be selected. The transliteration is also converted in the same manner as for SAA volumes into a standard Assyriological format for publication along with the reconstituted cuneiform. A glossary and indices of names are generated from the transliteration as for SAA volumes.

Volumes Published

  • SAACT I: Simo Parpola (with the assistance of Mikko Luukko and Kalle Fabritius), The Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh (1997)
  • SAACT II: Jamie R. Novotny (with the assistance of Simo Parpola), The Standard Babylonian Etana Epic (2001)
  • SAACT III: Amar Annus, The Standard Babylonian Epic of Anzu (2001)
  • SAACT IV: Philippe Talon, The Standard Babylonian Creation Myth Enūma Eliš (2005)
  • SAACT V: M. J. Geller, Evil Demons: Canonical Utukkū Lemnūtu Incantations (2007)
  • SAACT VI: Pirjo Lapinkivi, The Neo-Assyrian Myth of Ištar’s Descent and Resurrection (2010)
  • SAACT VII: Amar Annus and Alan Lenzi, Ludlul Bēl Nēmeqi: The Standard Babylonian Poem of the Righteous Sufferer (2010)
  • SAACT VIII: Simonetta Ponchia and Mikko Luukko, The Standard Babylonian Myth of Nergal and Ereshkigal (2013)
  • SAACT IX: Takayoshi Oshima, The Babylonian Theodicy (2013)
  • SAACT X: Jamie R. Novotny, Inscriptions of Assurbanipal, Part 1: Prism I, Prism T, and Related Texts (2014)
  • SAACT XI: Tzvi Abusch, The Anti-Witchcraft Series Maqlû: A Student Edition and Selected Commentary (2015)
  • SAACT XII: Baruch Ottervanger, The Tale of the Poor Man of Nippur  (2016)