ḫurāṣum

Akkadian

Etymology

Compare Biblical Hebrew חָרוּץ (ḥɔrúṣ, “gold”) and Ugaritic 𐎃𐎗𐎕 (ḫrṣ /⁠ḫurāṣu⁠/).

Pronunciation

• (Old Babylonian) IPA^(key): /χuˈraː.sˤum/

Noun

ḫurāṣum m (from Old Akkadian on)

1. gold
   • 1755–1750 BCE, King Hammurabi of Babylon, translated by OMNIKA Foundation, Hammurabi Code‎^[1], The Louvre, Law 7:

     𒋳𒈠 𒀀𒉿𒈝 𒇻 𒆬𒌓 𒇻 𒆬𒄀 𒇻 𒀴 𒇻 𒊩𒆳 𒇻 𒄞 𒇻 𒇻 𒇻 𒀲 𒅇 𒇻 𒈪𒅎𒈠 𒋳𒋗 𒄿𒈾 𒂵𒀜 𒌉 𒀀𒉿𒈝 𒅇 𒇻 𒀴 𒀀𒉿𒅆 𒁀𒈝 𒅆𒁉 𒅇 𒊑𒅅𒊓𒁴 𒅖𒋫𒄠 𒅇 𒇻 𒀀𒈾 𒈠𒍝𒊒𒁴 𒅎𒄷𒌨 𒀀𒉿𒈝 𒋗𒌑 𒊬𒊏𒀝 𒀉𒁕𒀝

     [šumma awīlum lū kaspam lū ḫurāṣam lū wardam lū amtam lū alpam lū immeram lū imēram ū lū mimma šumšu ina qāt mār awīlim ū lū warad awīlim balum šībī u riksātim ištām ū lū ana maṣṣarūtim imḫur awīlum šū šarrāq iddâk.]

     šum-ma a-wi-lum lu KUG.BABBAR lu KUG.SIG17 lu ÌR lu GEME2 lu GUD lu UDU lu ANŠE ù lu mi-im-ma šum-šu i-na qá-at DUMU a-wi-lim!(LUM) ù lu ÌR a-wi-lim ba-lum ši-bi ù ri-ik-sa-tim iš-ta-am ù lu a-na ma-ṣa-ru-tim im-ḫu-ur a-wi-lum šu-ú šar-ra-aq id-da-ak

     If a man has purchased or accepted for safekeeping either silver or gold or a male slave or a female slave or an ox or a sheep or a donkey or anything at all from a member of the awīlum class or an awīlum’s slave without witnesses and contracts, said man is a thief; he will be executed.

   • Amarna letter EA 9, Reverse, l. 11–12:

     𒄿𒈾𒀭𒈾 𒀀𒄷𒌑𒀀𒀀 𒁹 𒈠𒈾 𒆬𒄀 𒀀𒈾 𒋗𒌌𒈠𒉌𒅀 𒌌𒋼𒁉𒄿𒆷
     𒄿𒈾𒀭𒈾𒈠 𒆬𒄀 𒈠𒀀𒀜 𒈠𒆷 𒊭 𒀊𒁉𒅗 𒋗𒁉𒆷

     [inanna aḫuʾa diš mana ḫurāṣu mīnu šulmania ultebiʾila
     inannama ḫurāṣu maʾad mala ša abīka šubila]

     i-na-an-na a-ḫu-u₂-a-a DIŠ MA.⸢NA⸣ KU₃.SIG₁₇ a-na šu-ul-ma-ni-ia ul-te-bi-i-la
     i-na-an-na-ma KU₃.SIG₁₇ ma-a-ad ma-la ša ab-bi-ka šu-bi-la

     Now my brother has sent two minas of gold as a greeting gift.
     Now if gold is plentiful, send as much as your fathers.

   𒅖𒌅 𒁉𒂊 𒀀𒁲 𒆬𒄀 [ištu pê adi ḫurāsim] ― iš-tu pe₂-e a-di KU₃.SIG₁₇ ― everything (literally, “from chaff to gold”)

Alternative forms

• ḫurāṣu (non-mimated)

Cuneiform spellings

Logograms	Phonetic
𒆬𒄀 (KUG.SIG₁₇, KU₃.SIG₁₇, KUG.GI, KU₃.GI) (most common) 𒆬𒆠 (KU₃.KI) (Old Assyrian)	𒄷𒊏𒍮 (ḫu-ra-ṣu) (rare) 𒄷𒊏𒍣𒅎 (ḫu-ra-ṣi₂-im) (genitive, rare)

References

• “ḫurāṣu”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD)‎^[2], Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1956–2011