The Akkadian Namburbu Texts: An Introduction

Namburbi is the title of a group of typical Babylonian incantations, used to undo or avert portended evil. Consisting of both rituals and prayers, they provide a response to the observed events taken by the Mesopotamians to be signs of future happenings; thus they are the practical correlate of the omen texts, which list such portents and their significance. The fascicle by Caplice includes a long introduction, which explains the nature of the texts and their ritual Sitz im Leben, and the translation, with notes, of 14 representative texts, ranging from a Ritual for the Evil of a Snake to a Ritual to Secure Brisk Trade.