
Gods in Love
A Critical Edition and Analysis of the 'Divine Love Lyrics'
Brill (Publisher)
Published on 9. October 2025
Book
Hardback
348 pages
978-90-04-74158-4 (ISBN)
Description
The Divine Love Lyrics is a thematically cohesive collection of approximately 50 cuneiform texts from the 1st millennium BCE, originating in Assyria and Babylonia. These texts are connected to religious ceremonies in Babylon that revolved around the city's principal deities: Marduk, his wife Zarpanitu, and his lover, Istar of Babylon. Long recognized as a significant corpus in Assyriology, particularly through the pioneering work of W. G. Lambert, the Divine Love Lyrics have often been referenced in discussions of love, sexuality, and ritual in Mesopotamian culture. Yet, despite their importance, no comprehensive edition or detailed study of these complex and often enigmatic texts has been undertaken-until now.
This book aims to fill that gap. By expanding the known corpus, clarifying its structure and themes, and providing a meticulous edition and translation of each tablet, it offers a thorough philological foundation for future research. The study deepens our understanding of this fascinating yet challenging body of texts, shedding new light on their literary, religious, and cultural significance within the later phases of ancient Mesopotamia.
This book aims to fill that gap. By expanding the known corpus, clarifying its structure and themes, and providing a meticulous edition and translation of each tablet, it offers a thorough philological foundation for future research. The study deepens our understanding of this fascinating yet challenging body of texts, shedding new light on their literary, religious, and cultural significance within the later phases of ancient Mesopotamia.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Leiden
Netherlands
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 238 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
650 gr
ISBN-13
978-90-04-74158-4 (9789004741584)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Rocio Da Riva, Ph.D. (Julius-Maximilians-Universitaet Wuerzburg, 2001), is a professor of Prehistory in the Department of History and Archaeology of the University of Barcelona. She has published extensively (monographs, chapters of books and articles) on Babylonian temples, their economy and their festivals, on Babylonian history, historiography and royal inscriptions, and on Akkadian literature.
Nathan Wasserman, Ph.D. (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1993), is a professor of Assyriology at the Institute of Archaeology in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His research focuses on Akkadian literary texts, with particular interest in areas such as myths, hymns, rituals, wisdom and amorous literature, and magical texts. He has published several monographs on these subjects, as well as a recent book on Old Babylonian political history (Brill).
Nathan Wasserman, Ph.D. (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1993), is a professor of Assyriology at the Institute of Archaeology in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His research focuses on Akkadian literary texts, with particular interest in areas such as myths, hymns, rituals, wisdom and amorous literature, and magical texts. He has published several monographs on these subjects, as well as a recent book on Old Babylonian political history (Brill).
Content
Preface
List of Figures
Abbreviations and Conventions
Concordances
Introduction
?1?History of Research
?2?The Corpus
?3?Actors, loci, and Time in the DLL
?4?The Progression of the Ritual
?5?Historical Background of the DLL
?6?Love, Desire, Jealousy, and Aggression: Expressions of Emotions in the DLL
?7?Theological View of the DLL
The Texts
Ritual Tablets
?RT 1
?RT 2
?RT 3
?RT 4
?RT 5
?RT 6
?RT 7
?RT 8
Assyrian Manuscripts
?Ass. 1
?Ass. 2
?Ass. 3
?Ass. 4
?Ass. 5
?Ass. 6
?Ass. 7
?Ass. 8
?Ass. 9
?Ass. 10
?Ass. 11
?Ass. 12
?Ass. 13
?Ass. 14
?Ass. 15
?Ass. 16
Babylonian Manuscripts
?Bab. 1
?Bab. 2
?Bab. 3
?Bab. 4
?Bab. 5
?Bab. 6
?Bab. 7
?Bab. 8
?Bab. 9
?Bab. 10
?Bab. 11
?Bab. 12
?Bab. 13
?Bab. 14
?Bab. 15
?Bab. 16
?Bab. 17
?Bab. 18
Commentaries
?Comm. 1
?Comm. 2
?Comm. 3
?Comm. 4
Photos
Bibliography
Indices
List of Figures
Abbreviations and Conventions
Concordances
Introduction
?1?History of Research
?2?The Corpus
?3?Actors, loci, and Time in the DLL
?4?The Progression of the Ritual
?5?Historical Background of the DLL
?6?Love, Desire, Jealousy, and Aggression: Expressions of Emotions in the DLL
?7?Theological View of the DLL
The Texts
Ritual Tablets
?RT 1
?RT 2
?RT 3
?RT 4
?RT 5
?RT 6
?RT 7
?RT 8
Assyrian Manuscripts
?Ass. 1
?Ass. 2
?Ass. 3
?Ass. 4
?Ass. 5
?Ass. 6
?Ass. 7
?Ass. 8
?Ass. 9
?Ass. 10
?Ass. 11
?Ass. 12
?Ass. 13
?Ass. 14
?Ass. 15
?Ass. 16
Babylonian Manuscripts
?Bab. 1
?Bab. 2
?Bab. 3
?Bab. 4
?Bab. 5
?Bab. 6
?Bab. 7
?Bab. 8
?Bab. 9
?Bab. 10
?Bab. 11
?Bab. 12
?Bab. 13
?Bab. 14
?Bab. 15
?Bab. 16
?Bab. 17
?Bab. 18
Commentaries
?Comm. 1
?Comm. 2
?Comm. 3
?Comm. 4
Photos
Bibliography
Indices