This fragment (unlikely a letter, based on content and form) includes one of the few references to snake oracles (rev.? 1´). A deity Ḫišḫura, in fact, is among various gods through which a “snake” moves in the few examples of oracle of this type (Hout Th.P.J. van den 1998c, 219); this type of oracle was seemingly performed using a basin where the snake could ‘swim’ (Beal R.H. 2002f, 74-76).

Since this deity appears consistently in these documents, one might consider the option that the deity Ḫišḫura is to be identified with, or is represented by the snake itself (ibid. 220). For a possible connection between this fragment and KBo 34.139, a fragment with mixed oracles referring to Ḫišḫura and written in a similar script, see the discussion in Hout Th.P.J. van den 1998c, 219-221.

• Th. van den Hout, DMOA 25, 1998: 13 mit Anm. 34 (oracle summary); 219f.

Handcopy: H. Otten (KBo 41, Otten H. – Rüster C. 1999a).

Among the few available tablets containing snake oracles, a couple of examples feature a formatting very similar to the present tablet, with sequences of very orderly written short paragraphs, consisting of two or three lines of text (e.g. KBo 23.117, KBo 53.107).

NS (jh.); diagnostic signs: AḪ, ḪA (fragmentary, late? rev. 8´), IK, IT (mixed, early/late forms), KI (possibly one IIIc form, rev. 9´).