The Prayer of Nabû-šuma-ukīn (BM.40474): An Anti-Witchcraft Prayer
Abstract
In 1999 Irving Finkel published the editio princeps of The Prayer of Nabû-šuma-ukīn and argued that the text provides historical corroboration for the imprisonment of Amēl-Marduk (Evil-Merodach) prior to his brief rule over Babylon (561‑560 BCE). In this study, I evaluate Finkel’s interpretation and argue The Prayer has nothing to do with Amēl-Marduk. It is, rather, a prayer to combat witchcraft that has plagued the supplicant in the form of gossip, slander, and character assassination.
Presentato: 17 Aprile 2025 | Accettato: 18 Luglio 2025 | Pubblicato 03 Settembre 2025 | Lingua: en
Keywords Mesopotamian slander • Gossip and reputation • Akkadian prayer • Amēl-Marduk • Mesopotamian witchcraft
Copyright © 2025 Alan Lenzi. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/KASKAL/2036-5845/2025/01/005