11 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Deadly Omens Revealed from 4,000-year-old Babylonian Tablets

Researchers successfully deciphered 4,000-year-old cuneiform tablets discovered over a century ago in what is now Iraq.  The tablets, housed at the British Museum, were discovered in Iraq more than a century ago and contain some of the earliest records of omens associated with lunar eclipses.

All of the writing on the four clay tablets that were found in Iraq was readable and in excellent condition. But because they were written in an antiquated Babylonian language, it was very challenging to translate them completely. However, two scholars who specialize in ancient languages and cultures have recently cracked the code completely, providing the first explanation of the cuneiform messages’ actual meaning.

The ancient Babylonians regarded lunar eclipses as prophetic signs of impending disaster, so they were more than just a source of entertainment. Deciphering the clues concealed in the darkness that engulfed the Moon was, thus, a significant field of study that led to the creation of numerous manuscripts detailing the diverse portents associated with an eclipse.

In a paper just published in the Journal of Cuneiform Studies, Andrew George, an emeritus professor of Babylonian at the University of London, and Junko Taniguchi, an independent researcher, introduce the results of their intensive study of these tablets.

In a recent study, the researchers present their translations and discuss how different eclipse features could be used as predictive tools for future events.

“As products of the middle and late Old Babylonian periods they represent the oldest examples of compendia of lunar-eclipse omens yet discovered and thus provide important new information about celestial divination among the peoples of southern Mesopotamia in the early second millennium BCE,” they wrote. “They are all found to bear witness to a single text, which organizes the omens of lunar eclipse by time of night, movement of shadow, duration, and date.”

The whole tablet. Photo: © The Trustees of the British Museum

The recently deciphered omens, which foretell impending doom and gloom for specific areas, people, or states, provide some fascinating insights into the anxieties and concerns that plagued ancient Mesopotamian cultures.

Royal advisors could foresee terrible misfortunes that fate had in store for a king by keeping an eye on the time and date of a lunar eclipse as well as the path of the Earth’s shadow across the moon. For instance, the tablets reveal that “an eclipse in the morning watch” signaled “the end of a dynasty” in the Mesopotamian city of Akkad.

In Babylonia and other parts of Mesopotamia, it was believed that events in the sky could predict the future. Rulers would seek the advice of astrologers who monitored the night sky and compared their observations with omen texts. If the prediction was dire, such as “the king will die,” additional rituals would be performed, including divination from animal entrails, to determine whether the king was in danger.

Fortunately, however, kings didn’t have to accept their fate lying down, as protective rituals could be employed to counteract unfavorable omens. If the divination results indicated danger, appropriate rituals were believed to nullify the bad omen and counteract the evil forces behind them. Therefore, despite the bad omens, it was believed that the predicted future could be changed.

The texts analyzed by the study authors are believed to have originated in the ancient Babylonian city of Sippar, located in modern-day Iraq.

The study is published in the Journal of Cuneiform Studies.

Cover Image: İowa State University

Related Articles

An intact Punic Tomb was Discovered in Malta

29 May 2021

29 May 2021

İntact a tomb dating to the Punic period was found in Tarxien. The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage has announced the...

A bronze tablet from 2000 years ago proves that Greek was spoken in Anatolia and that a multicultural life existed ‘Anisa tablet’

12 April 2024

12 April 2024

The Anisa bronze tablet proves that Greek was used in Anatolia 2000 years ago and that a multicultural life existed....

First Human Traces Buried in an Ancient Gold Mine in Eastern Sahara

2 May 2021

2 May 2021

Some of the earliest signs of human life dating back 1.8 million years have been discovered in an old gold...

Sculpted Ancient Warrior Wearing A Serpent Helmet Found At Chichén Itzá

14 November 2023

14 November 2023

In the Casa Colorada archaeological complex within the premises of Chichén Itzá in Mexico, a sculpture of an anthropomorphic face...

The excavation, which started in a cave in Turkey’s Mardin, turned into a huge underground city

19 April 2022

19 April 2022

In an underground city known used as a settlement in the early Christian era, in the Midyat district of Mardin,...

3 mummified skeletons were found in Iznik, western Turkey

8 October 2021

8 October 2021

Archaeologists discovered mummified skeletons dating from the 2nd century A.D. within two sarcophagi at the Hisardere Necropolis in Bursa’s Iznik...

The Basilica cistern, which is said to have the sarcophagus of Medusa or the Mysterious Snake Woman, was restored

21 July 2022

21 July 2022

The Basilica Cistern, one of the magnificent ancient structures of Istanbul, was restored. Besides being the greatest work of the...

9,000-Year-Old Rock Art Suggests Early Humans Interacted with Dinosaur Footprints

22 February 2025

22 February 2025

In Brazil, researchers have made an extraordinary discovery of ancient rock art dating back over 9,000 years, found alongside dinosaur...

Archaeologists Discovered a Luxury Roman Village in Southeastern Sicily

17 October 2024

17 October 2024

In the province of Catania, archaeologists have excavated the remains of a Roman house with a mosaic floor dating from...

A Glorious Temple, inside which Sacrifices Were Performed, was Found in the Sanctuary of Artemis Amarysia on Greek Island of Euboea

13 January 2024

13 January 2024

Archaeologists excavating at the Artemis Amarysia sanctuary in Amarynthos on the Greek island of Euboea have revealed new insight into...

Mystery of the 1,700-year-old Mosaic Solved: The Medallion in the Mosaic uncovered to be the Symbol of a Roman Military Unit

10 August 2024

10 August 2024

The mystery of the 1,700-year-old mosaic, which was found during excavations in Amasya province in northern Turkey 11 years ago...

Iran’s legendary ruined city “Susa”

12 August 2021

12 August 2021

Ancient Susa is one of the oldest cities in the world. The Elamite, Persian, and Parthian empires formerly ruled over...

Medieval subterranean corridors found by accident in northeast Iran

1 October 2022

1 October 2022

The workers working on a routine road construction project near Shahr-e Belqeys (City of Belqeys) in northeast Iran made an...

Largest ever Roman silver hoard in Germany found in Augsburg

12 November 2021

12 November 2021

Archaeologists in Augsburg, Germany, revealed unearthed a historical hoard including 15 kg of silver coins from the Roman Empire’s era....

Researchers may have found 3,000-year-old evidence of Yue (Amputation), one of the five punishments practiced in ancient China

4 May 2022

4 May 2022

According to the South China Morning Post, researchers in China believe a skeleton discovered in a tomb in the country’s...