An (cuneiform)

See also: Dingir

The cuneiform an sign (or sumerogram AN, in Akkadian consisting of ASH 𒀸 and MAŠ 𒈦), is a common, multi-use sign, a syllabic for an, and an alphabetic sign used for a, or n; it is common in both the Epic of Gilgamesh over hundreds of years, and the 1350 BC Amarna letters, and other cuneiform texts. It is also used for the designation of a "god", and is sometimes represented as a superscript: ^d, or capitalized: ^D, for "dingir", English language, "god". The example photo at right shows (2nd list), a list of 14 named gods, all with "an"; the first pair on the list AN-UTU, or ^DUTU, refers to the "sun-god", using Ud (cuneiform), as the sumerogram, namely UTU (sun Sumerogram).

Digitized cuneiform sign for an

Line drawing of Kassite vocabulary list.
The first two gods in column 2, God Sin, and God Shamash; (Shamash again as God #3).
Gods #4/5 (identical), are the "Wind Gods", Adad, and Rammânu.

Cuneiform an can also be found in compound form with another cuneiform sign, an example being DAGAL, . The older version of DAGAL used the 'god symbol' as a star within the sign: ; (older version of DAGAL, incorporating "star": ).

Epic of Gilgamesh usage

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablets I-XII, "an" is used for the following meanings by the following numbers: an-(120) times, ìl-(0) times, ^d-(593), AN-(27), and DINGIR-(76) times.

List of Babylonian gods, etc.

From Budge's revised book on Babylonian Life and History, a list of many of the major gods from Babylonian history (and Sumerian):

• Anu, or Anum
• Bêl (An Be),
  • or Enlil (An En lil), -?
• Ea (An É a),
• The "Moon-God":
  • Sin (An-Sin), An

• • Enzu (An En-zu)

• • Nannaru (An LUGAL Ki)
• Shamash (An UTU)
• The "Wind-God": (see Photo-caption, above)
  • Adad
  • Rammânu
• The "Great God-of-Babylon":
  • Marduk or
  • Bêl-Marduk
• Nabû (Nebo) (An ?, or An "pa"), -?, or

• Ninurta (Enurta)
• Nergal
• Gibil
• Nusku (An Nus?-ku),
• Irra
• Ashshur
• Tiamat
• Apsu (Abzu)
• Lakhmu
• Lakhamu
• Anshar
• Kishar
• Mummu (An Mu-um-mu), ---
• Kingu
• Ishtar
• Ninlil (An Nin Lil)
• Damkina (An Dam Ki na), -Dam-

List of gods and associated temples, towns, etc.

• Anu, or Anum, the E-anna in Uruk
• Bêl (An Be)
  • or Enlil (An En lil), E-kur in Nippur
• Ea (An É a), E-apsu in Eridu; Ibex
• The "Moon-God":
  • Sin (An-Sin), E-gishshirgal in Ur, E-khulkhul in Harran
  • Enzu (An En-zu)
  • Nannaru (An LUGAL Ki)

• Shamash (An UTU)
• The "Wind-God":
  • Adad
  • Rammânu
• The "Great God-of-Babylon":
  • Marduk (E-sagila in Babylon, w/"serpent-gryphon", No. "Ten", Jupiter), or,
  • Bêl-Marduk
• Nabû (Nebo) (An ?, or An "pa"), Shrines at Borsippa, and Calah-(Nimrud)

References

• Budge. Babylonian Life and History, Budge, E.A. Wallace (Barnes & Noble edition), c 2005 (c 1883, revised 1925), 245 pages. (softcover, ISBN 978-0-7607-6549-4)
• Moran, William L. 1987, 1992. The Amarna Letters. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987, 1992. 393 pages.(softcover, ISBN 0-8018-6715-0)
• Parpola, 1971. The Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Parpola, Simo, Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project, c 1997, Tablet I thru Tablet XII, Index of Names, Sign List, and Glossary-(pp. 119–145), 165 pages.(softcover, ISBN 951-45-7760-4)-(Volume 1)

• 
  Line drawing with usage of an sign.
  Used in lines 1-(=0), 4, and 10.

• 
  Amran Kudurru
  (used at beginning of 1st line)