Du-Ku Explained

Du-Ku or dul-kug [du6-ku3] ^{[1] [2]} is a Sumerian word for a sacred place.^[3]

Translations

According to Wasilewska et al., du-ku translates as "holy hill", "holy mound" [...E-dul-kug... (House which is the holy mound)<ref>[http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/myths/texts/enheduanna/templehymns.htm gateways to babylon.com website ] citing Black, J.A., Cunningham, G., Robson, E., and Zólyomi, G., [The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature /, Oxford 1998 ] retrieved here10:41 15.10.11], or "great mountain"^[4] According to the University of Pennsylvania online dictionary of Sumerian and Akkadian languages, du-ku is actually du6-ku3, with du6 being defined as a mound or ruin mound, and ku3 as either ritually pure or shining: it is used in the texts on the Univ. of Oxford site as "shining". There is no mention of nor association with the term "holy", and instead it represents a cultic and cosmic place.

Divine

The location is otherwise alluded to in sacred texts as a specifically identified place of godly judgement.^[5]

The hill was the location for ritual offerings to Sumerian god(s).^[6] Nungal and the Anunna dwell upon the holy hill^[7] in a text written from Gilgamesh.^[8]

See also

• Ekur
• Hymn to the E-kur
• Shamash
• Sumerian religion

Notes and References

1. http://shebtiw.wordpress.com/great-men/mesopotamia/ wordpress
2. http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section4/tr4804.htm translation of Sumerian-Copyright © J.A. Black, G. Cunningham, E. Robson, and G. Zólyomi 1998, 1999, 2000; J.A. Black, G. Cunningham, E. Flückiger-hawker, E. Robson, J. Taylor, and G. Zólyomi 2001. The authors have asserted their moral rights.
3. https://books.google.com/books?id=P8fl8BXpR0MC&dq=du-ku+mountain&pg=PA316 Mesopotamian cosmic geography by Wayne Horowitz page .315 (1998
4. https://books.google.com/books?id=sMj1tyho3CoC&dq=du-ku+mountain&pg=PA89 Creation stories of the Middle East by Ewa Wasilewska page .89 (2000
5. Web site: E. Jan Wilson (author) at the Neal A.Maxwell Institute, Brigham Young University (Copyright 2011). 2011-10-15 .
6. https://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst?docId=5010849793 Journal article by T.M. Sharlach; The Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 124, 2004
7. https://openlibrary.org/search?isbn=3406535003 K. Schmidt: Sie bauten die ersten Tempel. Das rätselhafte Heiligtum der Steinzeitjäger. Verlag C.H. Beck, München 2006
8. http://www.sitchiniswrong.com/AnunnakiFalkensteinEnglish.pdf The Anunna in the Sumerian Tradition