Kataduggû, Tablet 1 — from the Alamdimmû Physiognomic Series

K.3994 is a Neo-Assyrian tablet from the Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh, preserving Tablet 1 of the Kataduggû ("The Spoken Word") — the third major sub-series of the Alamdimmû, the Mesopotamian system of reading character and destiny from the human body. Where the earlier Alamdimmû tablets read physical features (skin, hair, moles), the Kataduggû reads speech: what a person says, how they say it, and what it reveals about their fate.

The text opens with a theological preamble: when the great gods fashioned mankind's form, they established its speech as a channel of destiny. What follows is extraordinary — a systematic catalogue of paradoxical inversions. The person who cries "Let me die!" will not die. The person who cries "Let me live!" will not live. The one who declares "I am a warrior!" will see it come true, but the one who declares "I am capable!" will diminish. The heart that is troubled will rejoice; the heart that is darkened will be glad. Human speech, in this system, does not predict the future — it inverts it. The tongue reveals destiny by speaking its opposite.

This represents a uniquely Mesopotamian contribution to the philosophy of language: speech-acts do not merely describe reality but participate in a cosmic mechanism of inversion that the gods established at creation. The Kataduggû is, in effect, an ancient manual of reverse psychology — but one grounded in theology rather than mere pragmatism.

This is the first freely available English translation. Translated from Akkadian by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. Source text accessed from the Electronic Babylonian Literature (eBL) corpus, CC BY 4.0.

The Preamble

When the great gods fashioned the spirit of mankind,
set it toward splendor, and ordained its speech to guide [...]

The First Paradoxes — Death, Life, Riches, Poverty

If "Let me die!" — he will not die.

If "Let me live!" — he will not live.

If "Let me become rich!" — he will not become rich.

If "Let me become poor!" — he will not become poor.

If "There is nothing!" — what is lacking will be given to him.

If "Woe is me!" — his god will have mercy on him.

Speech and the Gods

If [...] Shamash [...] and at the boundary he goes out — [...]

If "O heart of the god, [...]!" — his hardship will be resolved.

If "[...] the god's [...]!" — his [...] will succeed.

If "My eyes — let me [...]!" — he will prevail against his adversary.

The Behavioral Omens

If he separates [...] — trouble in excess; in negligence he will die.

If "[...]!" — after him, a storm [...]

[...]

[...] evil is set in the heart — death is constant for him.

[...] — it will prosper.

If "I am scattered!" — he will be scattered; anxiety will pursue him.

If he constantly carries [...] — his god is his recompense.

If his heart constantly weeps — his [...] will be lost.

If "I am not at rest! I am not at rest!" — his sons will die.

If he constantly weeps — [...] will be lost.

[...] [...] [...]

The Body's Speech — Mouth, Lips, Nose

[...] returns — all of it becomes good for him.

[...] he praises — the heart is good.

If [...] he constantly quarrels — among men he will not be counted.

If [...] his mouth is weighty — the people's awe is established upon him.

If his lips are pressed together — divine understanding is established in him.

If his nostril hair is abundant — the mercy of the god is established in him.

If his person is at ease — nothing whatsoever will arise.

The Second Paradoxes — Self-Declaration

If "I am a warrior!" — it will be so.

If "I am capable!" — he will diminish.

If "I am weak!" — he will become strong.

If "I am insignificant!" — [he will grow.]

Dreams, Fear, and Cheerfulness

If he constantly looks at his side — his days [...] are finished.

If he withholds — it will become bad.

If he has cursed — he will [...]

If his speech is hasty — [...]

If his speech is malicious — death [...]; he will die.

If his dreams are good — an omen of well-being; the person [...]

If in his dreams he constantly makes requests — that person: his fears will not approach him.

If he is constantly fearful — his curse will reach him.

If he is cheerful — his curse will not reach him.

The Heart's Inversions

If his heart is troubled — he will rejoice; he will shine.

If his heart is sick — his heartache will be eased.

If his heart is confused — he will see honor.

If his heart is darkened — he will rejoice.

If his heart is broad — great humanity is established; he will prosper.

If his heart is discerning — his understanding will improve.

If his heart is evil — his matter will succeed.

[...] [...] [...]

The Speech-Acts

The reverse of the tablet is heavily damaged. Column 3 preserves only the beginnings of omen entries. The following entries are from the partially legible lower portion of the reverse.

[...] he will cause sickness.

[...] he spoke — his curse will reach him.

If "I have wronged you!" he says — his possessions will turn against him.

If "How am I?" he says — he will lose his servant.

If Shamash constantly falls from his mouth — Shamash will stand over him.

If he is fierce and boastful — he will destroy himself.

If he possesses understanding — his head is honored.

If "I do not trust!" — his curse will reach him.

If he is constantly weary — he will rejoice.

If "He prevails over you!" — they will seize him.

If "I am constantly weary!" — he will rest.

If "I am sitting!" — hardship will seize him.

If "I walk about! I keep turning!" — his curse will not reach him.

If "Walk on! I keep turning!" — his curse will not reach him.

Subscription and Colophon

[Series count.] From "If a person constantly weeps" and "To the god I face you," extracted.

Catchline of the next tablet: "If a woman — her head is large — wealth."

Tablet 1 of the Kataduggû. Palace of Ashurbanipal, King of Assyria.

Colophon

K.3994 is held by the British Museum. It is a multi-column Neo-Assyrian tablet from the Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh (Kuyunjik), written in Neo-Assyrian script. The tablet preserves Tablet 1 of the Kataduggû, the third sub-series of the Alamdimmû physiognomic omen series.

The Alamdimmû ("form/appearance") is one of the great omen series of Mesopotamian scholarship, alongside the celestial Enūma Anu Enlil, the terrestrial Šumma Ālu, the teratological Šumma Izbu, and the medical Sakikkû. Where those series read the heavens, the earth, births, and disease, the Alamdimmû reads the human person — body, behavior, and speech. The Kataduggû sub-series (Sumerian: KA.TA.DUG₄.GA, "that which is spoken from the mouth") is unique within this system: it reads not the body but the tongue. What a person says reveals what the gods have written.

The paradoxical inversion structure that dominates this tablet — "Let me die!" means he will live; "I am weak!" means he will become strong — has no exact parallel in other Mesopotamian omen literature. The celestial and terrestrial omen series operate on direct correspondence: if X appears, Y follows. The Kataduggû operates on anti-correspondence: if X is spoken, not-X follows. This implies that the Mesopotamian scholars recognized speech as occupying a fundamentally different ontological category from natural phenomena — speech is not a sign to be read but a force that triggers its own reversal.

The colophon identifies this as a tablet from the palace of Ashurbanipal (r. 668–631 BCE), though the composition itself is certainly older. The catchline ("If a woman — her head is large — wealth") indicates that the next tablet in the series shifted from speech-omens to physical-feature omens for women.

Translated from the Akkadian cuneiform transliteration by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. Source text from the Electronic Babylonian Literature (eBL) corpus, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, CC BY 4.0 license. No existing English translation was consulted; the English is independently derived from the Akkadian signs in the ATF transliteration.

Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

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Source Text: K.3994 — Kataduggû Tablet 1

Akkadian cuneiform transliteration from the Electronic Babylonian Literature (eBL) corpus, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. CC BY 4.0. Museum number: K.3994. Tablet classification: Alamdimmû, 3. Kataduggû. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

Obverse, Column 1

[e-nu]-ma DINGIR-MEŠ ra-bi-u₂-tu₄ ša₂ a-me-lu-ti za-qi₂-iq-ša₂
a-na il-li-lu-ti GAR-nu u₃ KA.TA.DU₁₁.GA-ša₂ ana re-te-id-[...]

DIŠ lu-mu-ut-mi ul i-ma-at
DIŠ lu-ub-luṭ-mi ul i-bal-luṭ
DIŠ lu-uš-ru-mi ul i-šar-ru
DIŠ lu-ul-pu-un-mi ul UKU₂-in : DIŠ ia-ʾ-nu-um-ma ma-ku-u u₂-qa-šu₂
DIŠ a-hu-la-pi-a-an-mi DINGIR-šu₂ i-rim-šu₂

DIŠ {d}UTU ku-[...]-ma ina mi-si-ri E₃
DIŠ ŠA₃ DINGIR šu-[...-u]š-mi dan-na-as-su ip-pa-ṭar₂
DIŠ pu-uh DINGIR [...]-ši-mi mu-us-su uk-taš-šad
DIŠ i-na-a lu-[...]-mi ana EN da-ba-bi-šu₂ IGI-mar

DIŠ i-par-ra-aš₂ ul [...] ma-ru-uš-tu₄ DIRI-tar ina me-šit-ti UG₇
DIŠ i-[...]-tu-ut-mi [...] EGIR-su me-hu-u [...]

[...] ŠA₃ HUL GAR [...] UŠ₂ sa-dir-šu₂
[DIŠ] [...] SIG₅-iq
DIŠ sap-pi₂-ih us-sap-pi₂-ih [...] ni-ziq-tu UŠ-MEŠ-šu₂
DIŠ im-ta-na-aš-ši [...] DINGIR-šu₂ gi₅-mil-šu₂
DIŠ ŠA₃-šu₂ ib-ta-na-ki [...]-šu₂ i-hal-liq
DIŠ ul aš-bi ul aš-bi [...] DUMU-MEŠ-šu₂ UG₇-MEŠ
DIŠ ib-ta-na-ki [...] i-hal-liq
[...] LUGUD₂-MEŠ
[...] i-ṭap-pil
[...] i-ba-aš₂-ši
[...] DIB-su
[...] KUR-su
[...] BAL-šu₂

Obverse, Column 2

[...] u₂-tar ka-lu-šu₂ i-ṭa-ab-šu₂

[...] i-da-lal ŠA₃.BI DU₁₀.GA
[DIŠ ...] uš-te-ni-iṣ-ṣi₂ it-ti LU₂-MEŠ NU im-man-nu
DIŠ [...] pi-šu ka-ba-tu UN na-mur-šu₂ : GAR-šu₂
DIŠ šap-ta-a-šu₂ sa-an-qa₂ ṭe-em DINGIR GAR-šu₂
DIŠ li-bi-in KIR₄ ma-a-du re-e-mu ša₂ DINGIR GAR-šu₂
DIŠ NI₂-šu₂ nu-uh-hu-uš mim-ma NU ut-tu₂

DIŠ ana-ku qar-ra-da-ku i-ba-aš₂
DIŠ ana-ku le-ʾ-a-ku i-ma-aṭ-ṭi
DIŠ ana-ku en-še-ku i-dan-nin
DIŠ ana-ku u₂-la-la-ku [...]-ru₃

DIŠ a-hi-šu₂ it-ta-nap-la-as₃ U₄ [...] gam-ru₃
DIŠ i-ki-il i-lem-min₃
DIŠ a-ri-ir u₂-[...]-ar
DIŠ da-ba-ba sur-ru-ur u[l ...]
DIŠ da-ba-ba le-zu UŠ₂ [...] UG₇
DIŠ šu-na-tu-u₂-a dam-qa NE šul-me NA [...]
DIŠ ina ŠA₃ MAŠ₂.GE₆-šu₂ e-ri-iš-ši-šu₂ GEN.GEN-ak
NA BI a-di-ra-tu-šu₂ NU TE-MEŠ-šu₂
DIŠ it-ta-na-ʾ-dar AŠ₂-su KUR-ad
DIŠ ṣa-ri-ih AŠ₂-su NU KUR-ad

DIŠ ŠA₃-šu₂ da-li-ih i-had-du ina-me-ir
DIŠ ŠA₃-šu₂ ma-ru-uṣ KA.ŠA₃-ti ŠE.GA
DIŠ ŠA₃-šu₂ he-lu ku-ba-tu IGI-mar
DIŠ ŠA₃-šu₂ a-dir i-had-du
DIŠ ŠA₃-šu₂ rap-ša₂ GAR LU₂-tu₂ ra-bi-tu₂ GEN-ak
DIŠ ŠA₃ na-as-si-iq ni-eš-mu-šu₂ i-dam-miq
DIŠ ŠA₃ [...] le-mu-un INIM-su KUR-ad
[...] NU SIG₅-MEŠ
[...] AŠ₂-su NU KUR
[...] DINGIR-šu₂ KI-šu₂ GEN
[...] US₂-MEŠ
[...] TUKU-ši

Reverse, Column 3

DIŠ [...]
DIŠ [...]
DIŠ [...]
DIŠ [...]
DIŠ [...]
[extensive damage — 10 lines lost]
[...] mar-ṣa DU₃-uš
[...] iq-bi AŠ₂-su KUR-ad
DIŠ u₂-ka₃-mil-ka iq-bi NIG₂ qa-ti-šu₂ KUR₂-ir
DIŠ ki-ma-an-ni iq-bi ARAD-su u₂-hal-laq
DIŠ {d}UTU ina KA-šu₂ im-ta-na-qut {d}UTU UGU-šu₂ TUKU : GUB
DIŠ ša-mu-ur mu-ut-ta-id ra-man-šu₂ u₂-šal-lam
DIŠ ṭe-ma ra-ši SAG.DU-su DUGUD
DIŠ ul qi₂-ip AŠ₂-su KUR-ad
DIŠ uš-ta-ni-ih i-had-du
DIŠ i-le-ʾ-e-ka i-le-hu-šu
DIŠ a-ta-na-ah i-pa-aš₂-ša₂-ah
DIŠ a-ta-šu-uš dan-na-tu DIB-su
DIŠ at-tal-lak at-ta-nu-ur-ra AŠ₂-su NU KUR-ad
DIŠ a-lak at-ta-nu-ur-ra AŠ₂-su NU KUR-ad

Reverse, Column 4

[...] MU.ŠID.BI.IM.BI
[TA ŠA₃] DIŠ NA ib-ta-na-ak-ki
u a-na DINGIR a-mah-har-ka nu-us-suh₄

DIŠ MUNUS SAG.DU GAL-at₂ NIG₂.TUKU

DUB.1.KAM DIŠ KA.TA.DU₁₁.GA-u₂
KUR {m}AN.ŠAR₂-DU₃-A MAN KUR AN.ŠAR₂{ki}

Source Colophon

Akkadian cuneiform transliteration from the Electronic Babylonian Literature (eBL) corpus, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. Accessed April 2026. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). Museum number K.3994 (British Museum, Kuyunjik Collection). The eBL corpus provides scholarly transliterations of Babylonian and Assyrian tablets; the ATF (ASCII Transliteration Format) text above preserves the original editorial conventions including damage markers (#), uncertain readings (?), and break indicators ([...]).

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