GAL
rabû

Akkadian adjective

Last edited: 2024-07-01
Primary meaning maximum (adj.)
Literal translation large
Variants
GAL rabû
GAL-u₂ rabû
Edited by
maximum (adj.) mathematical expression

(16') ZI GAL-u₂ ana IGI-ka mim-ma ša₂ e ki-ṣir u mim-ma KI.TA k[i-ṣir ana UGU a-ḫa-miš₂] (17') GAR.GAR-ma ½-šu₂-nu GIŠ.A taš-pil-tu₄ ana UGU TAB ZI GAL tam-ma[r]

‘(16') In order for you to see the largest displacement: whatever is above the node and whatever is below the node you accumulate [together] (17') and you compute half of it, you add the difference to (it), you see the largest displacement.’

— BM 32167+ (BMAPT No. 53) obv. ii 16'-17'

Genre: mathematical astronomy: procedure text
Provenance: Babylon
Date: ca. 350-250 BCE

Ossendrijver, M. 2012. Babylonian Mathematical Astronomy: Procedure Texts. New York: Springer. 362-363

Cite this entry
APA (7th)
Ossendrijver, M. (2024). GAL (Lemma #1702). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/1702/
Chicago (Author-Date)
Ossendrijver, M. (2024). GAL (Lemma #1702). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/1702/
MLA (9th)
Ossendrijver, M. (2024). GAL (Lemma #1702). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/1702/
Harvard
Ossendrijver, M. (2024) GAL (Lemma #1702), The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. Available at: https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/1702/ (Accessed: December 1, 2025).
BibTeX 
@misc{zodiac1702,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2025-12-01]},
	author = {Ossendrijver, Mathieu},
	year = {2024},
	title = {GAL ({Lemma} #1702)},
	url = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/1702/},
	howpublished = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/1702/},
}