Cuneiform Cuneiform is a logo-syllabic script that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Middle East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. It is named for the characteristic wedge-sh ...

TI or TÌL (Borger 2003 nr. ; U+122FE 𒋾) has the main meaning of "life" when used ideographically. The written sign developed from the drawing of an arrow, since the words meaning "arrow" and "life" were pronounced similarly in the Sumerian language. With the determinative UZU 𒍜 "flesh, meat", ^UZUTI, it means "rib". This homophony is exploited in the myth of

Ninti Ninti ( sux, 𒀭𒎏𒋾; "mistress of life") was a Mesopotamian goddess worshiped in Lagash. She was regarded as the mother of Ninkasi. She also appears in the myth ''Enki and Ninhursag'' as one of the deities meant to soothe the eponymous god's ...

(𒊩𒌆𒋾 NIN.TI "lady of life" or "lady of the rib"), created by

Ninhursag , deity_of=Mother goddess, goddess of fertility, mountains, and rulers , image= Mesopotamian - Cylinder Seal - Walters 42564 - Impression.jpg , caption= Akkadian cylinder seal impression depicting a vegetation goddess, possibly Ninhursag, sittin ...

to cure the ailing Enki. Since Eve is called "mother of life" in

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

, together with her being taken from Adam's ''tsela`'' "side, rib", the story of

Adam and Eve Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...

has sometimes been considered to derive from that of

. In Akkadian orthography, the sign has the syllabic values ''di'' or ''ṭi'', in Hittite ''ti'', ''di'' or ''te''.

Amarna letters and Epic of Gilgamesh usage

The twelve tablet (I-XII)

Epic of Gilgamesh The ''Epic of Gilgamesh'' () is an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia, and is regarded as the earliest surviving notable literature and the second oldest religious text, after the Pyramid Texts. The literary history of Gilgamesh begins with ...

uses the ti sign as follows (Parpola): ti (387 times), and TI (the

Sumerogram A Sumerogram is the use of a Sumerian cuneiform character or group of characters as an ideogram or logogram rather than a syllabogram in the graphic representation of a language other than Sumerian, such as Akkadian or Hittite. Sumerograms are n ...

), (2 times). In the Epic, Sumerogram TI is used for the

Akkadian language Akkadian (, Akkadian: )John Huehnergard & Christopher Woods, "Akkadian and Eblaite", ''The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the World's Ancient Languages''. Ed. Roger D. Woodard (2004, Cambridge) Pages 218-280 is an extinct East Semitic language th ...

word "balāṭu", for "life; to live", as "TI.LA", in one location, Tablet XI 174, (and replacement in two locations, also as TI.LA in Tablets X, and XI). Amarna letter mp3h8878

For the mid 14th century BC Amarna letters, letter EA 365 authored by

Biridiya Biridiya was the ruler of Megiddo in the 14th century BC. Biridiya authored five of the Amarna letters correspondence. The name 'Biridiya' is also mentioned in the corpus from the city of 'Kumidu' (letter KL 72:600), the Kamid al lawz. However, ...

, harvesting in ^URU

Nuribta Nuribta, also Nuribda, was a city, or city-state located in the vicinity of Magiddo in Israel, in historical Canaan during the time of the Amarna letters correspondence, a 15-20 year period of about 1350- 1335 BC. The majority of the Amarna lett ...

, ti is used for "ti", and "ṭi". For example, on the reverse of EA 365, subject of corvee labor, harvesting, lines 17 and 18 translate as follows:

Rainey Rainey is a name of British-Irish origin. People with the surname * Bobby Rainey (born 1987), American National Football League player * Chuck Rainey (born 1940), American bassist * David "Puck" Rainey (born 1968), American reality TV personalit ...

, 1970. ''El Amarna Tablets, 359-379,'' ''EA 365,

Megiddo Megiddo may refer to: Places and sites in Israel * Tel Megiddo, site of an ancient city in Israel's Jezreel valley * Megiddo Airport, a domestic airport in Israel * Megiddo church (Israel) * Megiddo, Israel, a kibbutz in Israel * Megiddo Junctio ...

to the King,'' pp. 24-27. :(other city-governors): "(17) who, are with me (18) are not 'performing' (doing) (19) as I. They are not (20) harvesting..." :(the city rulers): "(17) ša it-ti-ia (18) la-a(=''NOT'') ti-pu-šu-na..."

References

* Parpola, 1971. ''The Standard Babylonian

'', 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. *

, 1970. ''El Amarna Tablets, 359-379,'' Anson F. Rainey, (AOAT 8, ''Alter Orient Altes Testament 8'', Kevelaer and Neukirchen -Vluyen), 1970, 107 pages. ---- File:Ayyab letter mp3h8880.jpg, Amarna letter EA 364, ti, 2nd line from bottom, 2nd character from left.
(approximated out-of-focus, curving bottom of

clay tablet In the Ancient Near East, clay tablets ( Akkadian ) were used as a writing medium, especially for writing in cuneiform, throughout the Bronze Age and well into the Iron Age. Cuneiform characters were imprinted on a wet clay tablet with a sty ...

; most of tablet in focus; high resolution, expandible photo) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ti (Cuneiform) Sumerian words and phrases Cuneiform signs