Ta (cuneiform)



The cuneiform ta sign is a common, multi-use sign of the Epic of Gilgamesh, the 1350 BC Amarna letters, and other cuneiform texts. It also has a sumerogrammic usage for TA, for example in the Epic of Gilgamesh, for Akkadian language "ultu", English language for from, or since, but in only (1) location in the 12 tablet Epic of Gilgamesh. Sumerogram TA is used elsewhere in the Epic, (7) more times.

In the formation of words in text, ta can be a syllabic for "ta", or as a syllabic for t, or a. (It could also be used as a substitute for the other "t", "ṭ".)

Amarna letters
As an example of its usage in the Amarna letters, the photo shows a fragment from the front (obverse) of Amarna letter EA 26. The photo shows the lower-left corner of the clay tablet letter, but what is of interest is the isolated cuneiform characters next to the "double-scribed paragraph lines". The characters before the paragraph lines show the last line of Para III (an VIII paragraph letter). The (3) characters shown are "la ta-pa-[ ]". The adjoining piece has the rest of the spelling of the words, making the line: "lā parāšu", for Not Ceasing, or "Not Interrupting". In English, parāsu means to separate, to cut, or to decide. The la is Akkadian "lā", for English "not". But the reason the verb is spelled across the entire line (EA 26, line 29), is that the subject of Para III concerns the history of "diplomatic missions" coming and going, between Tushratta's Mittani, and the Pharaoh's Egypt. The last line culminates the paragraph, by saying: ...." (the missions), (l. 29) Not, Ceasing! (not being interrupted as commonplace, previously) The verb form is a type of stressing, a form of a superlative; a similar last-line occurs in EA 19, Para II.

<!--The ša sign is identical to the ka signexcept the two-horizontal strokes,

Cuneiform "ka" is nearly identical to a similar 'mid-size' to larger cuneiform sign, ša (cuneiform); because both ka, and ša have two separate specific uses, once these usage sites are identified on a specific Amarna letter, for example, the difference between the two can be followed.

Cuneiform ka has a secondary use as the pronoun suffix, -yours. For Ayyab's letter, EA 364 (pictured), after addressing the Pharaoh, part of the Introduction, is to state "...Servant-yours, ...." Specifically, Ayyab is from one of the vassal states/city-states/towns in Canaan, thus the relationship to the Pharaoh in the Amarna letters often state a relationship of being the Pharaoh's servant. This is dramatically juxtaposed against the Amarna letters from Tushratta of Mitanni, (letters EA 19, EA 23, EA 26, EA 28, EA 30-(only a passport-type, short letter), etc.), or from Babylon, or the King of Alashiya. The letter's from those kings have long lists, as part of the Introduction stating: May you (King, pharaoh) ''have peace (health), ... for, wives-yours, for sons-yours, for magnates-yours-("sa-meš"), etc.''

For cuneiform ša, its specific sub-usage (besides as a syllabic, or alphabetic), is as a segue form of a conjunction typically at the beginning of a statement, ==Ka, and Ša, the stroke differences== The difference in the construction of the signs ka and ša are as follows: "ka" when scribed in the Amarna letters often shows the distinctiveness of the right section of the sign, versus the left section. For ša, the right section is constructed with two wedge strokes (one scribed above the other), between the two verticals, at right. For ka, the right side mostly, in the Amarna letters has two verticals, with two horizontals  that cross both of them; (the right side is like a two-step ladder shape&mdash;(for Hittite ka:&mdash;)).translated as: "which...", "what...", etc., with the rest of text to follow.

Usage numbers
The usage numbers for ka in the Epic of Gilgamesh are as follows: ka-(372), and Sumerograms: DUG4-(18), KA-(9), ZÚ-(4).

Multiple "ka" listing usage, the Brother-King letters


In contrast to the vassal Amarna letters from the Canaanite city-states, or equivalent, which use the subservient prostration formula in its many variations, the letters from the brother-kings, namely the King of Babylon, Burna-Buriash, Tushratta, the King of Mitanni, and the "King of Alashiya", (Assyria had only EA 15, and EA 16, with very short introductions), sometimes had very long lists of "good wishes for 'possessions' of the Pharaoh". Each item, (often), when addressing the Pharaoh ended with the suffix -yours (ka). The list often ended with ...for chariots-yours, for army-yours, for land-yours, and for everything-yours...." An example of the usage can be seen in EA 19, with a focus on the beginning of the last line (no. 8) of Paragraph I, (high res, extremely high res ). The beginning of line 8, Para I is as follows:


 * a-na KUR-ka ..(space) ("for LAND-yours..(segue)..")

and continues:


 * ù a-na mim-mu-ka ''...(segue)...." ("and for Everything-yours..(space)....")

The cuneiform characters being:

--, __-- (...for Land-yours ..)

and continues:

--((~)And)(--)--, __(--)-- (..."And"--for "EveryThing"-yours ....!) -->