AKKADIAN (ASSYRIAN or OLD BABYLONIAN) ORAL COURSE

This is an inductive course , formulated by Evan der Millner following Prendergast's Mastery system. It can be used by beginners, or more advanced students.

There are approximately three million known cuneiform texts . The British Museum alone has over 75,000! Many cuneiform tablets sit in museum basements, and have not yet been read, even summarily, let alone published or translated, as there are so few scholars in the field.

I am using published texts as my source material. Corrections and proofing remarks are welcome. There are still many disagreements about pronunciation - I am using the system presented in each author.

The source texts and their transliterations used are referenced in each example.

THE METHOD

Each exercise starts with a simple phrase or sentence, and then builds the sentence up phrase by phrase and clause by clause, ending with a complex sentence.

A bell is sounded, followed by a brief pause, which should provide sufficient time for you to translate. Following the pause, a model translation is given.

If you need more time, press pause. You must repeat the lesson until you find pausing unnecessary.

THE EXERCISE - LESSONS

Lesson One Free Akkadian Lesson

FIRST STEPS IN ASSYRIAN by L.W. King Page 3, IX Note the word sun here in this lesson is the one that lights up our days.

Lesson Two Free Akkadian Lesson

Pg 5 FIRST STEPS IN ASSYRIAN by L.W. King. Inscription from a cylinder of Hammurabi, King of Babylon, around 2,200 BCE. British Museum No. 12215)

Lesson Three Free Akkadian Lesson

MS A: Wolfram von Soden. “Schwer zugängliche russiche Veröffentlichungen altbabylonischer Texte – 1. Ein Opferschaugebet bei Nacht.” ZA 43 (1936), 305–8. line 1 to 4

Lesson Four Free Akkadian Lesson

MS A: Wolfram von Soden. “Schwer zugängliche russiche Veröffentlichungen altbabylonischer Texte – 1. Ein Opferschaugebet bei Nacht.” ZA 43 (1936), 305–8. line 5 to 8

Lesson Five Free Akkadian Lesson

MS A: Wolfram von Soden. “Schwer zugängliche russiche Veröffentlichungen altbabylonischer Texte – 1. Ein Opferschaugebet bei Nacht.” ZA 43 (1936), 305–8. line 9 to 11

Lesson Six Free Akkadian Lesson

B a b y l o n i s c h - A s s y r i s c h e L e s e s t ü c k e . Riekele Borger, Column XLVII Epilogue, Code of Hammurapi

Exercise-Lesson 7 B a b y l o n i s c h - A s s y r i s c h e L e s e s t ü c k e . Riekele Borger, Column XLVII Epilogue, Code of Hammurapi

Exercise-Lesson 8 B a b y l o n i s c h - A s s y r i s c h e L e s e s t ü c k e . Riekele Borger, Column XLVII Epilogue, Code of Hammurapi