PHILOLOGICAL COMMENTARY

• The word tādirtu ‘depression’ can also mean ‘distress’ or ‘gloominess’ or even a public ceremony, as in ‘a day of distress.’ As the above omen appears to be paired with the following omen, which refers to a man being happy and living for a long time, the translation ‘depression’ has been used above.
• Much of the beginning of line VAT 10167 r. 37’ is missing and what is preserved is damaged. Before ŠUB.MEŠ, there are traces of two signs. They are likely the body part upon which the entwined lizards fall, but they are unfortunately too fragmentary to decipher.

Referring to VAT 10167 r. 37’, the most-recent edition KAL 1 (75, n. Rs. 37’) notes that traces of the sign NU are clearly visible on the manuscript. The sign is omitted in If a City 2 (196, *32.35’ C37’).

• In line VAT 09793 20’, ana was reconstructed as it is a common preposition preceding UGU.

The hand copy of VAT 09793 (KAR 393) also varies slightly from the reading in KAL 1 (16-17, Rs. 37’ B20’). On the hand copy, there are traces of a sign before ŠUB.MEŠ. As they do not provide additional information to the interpretation of the omen and the manuscript was collated as part of preparing KAL 1, the reading from KAL 1 is used above. The broken sign is read as x in If a City 2 (196, *32.35’ B20’).

• If a City 2 (176, *32.35’) continues to reconstruct EME.DIR with an added plural marker (see the commentary at 32.A.105’) and, as discussed above, omits the sign NU.
• The manuscript VAT 09793 breaks off after the above omen.