nap-pal-tu₂
nappaltu

Akkadian noun

Last edited: 2023-11-09
Primary meaning nappaltu-coefficient
Literal translation compensation
Variants
nap-pal-tu₂ nappaltu
Edited by
nappaltu-coefficient astronomical quantity

in mathematical astronomy: coefficient of unknown meaning

40 ša₂ nap-pal-tu₂ ME u GI₆

‘(0);40 of the nappaltu-coefficient for day and night.’

— BM 32167+ (BMAPT No. 53) obv. ii 7'

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

Ossendrijver, M. 2012. Babylonian Mathematical Astronomy: Procedure Texts. New York: Springer. 373

daily change astronomical quantity

Term in Mul.Apin and related texts with schematic astronomy for daily change of quantities such as length of daylight

(41') BE-ma nap(!)-pal-ti 1 KUŠ₃ GIŠ.MI ana IGI-ka 40 nap-pal-ti u₄-m[i] (42') u GI₆ ana 7.30 IL₂-ma 5(!) nap-pal-ti GIŠ.MI 1 KUŠ₃ tam-[mar]

‘(41') If you are to see the nappaltu-coefficient for 1 cubit of shadow, you multiply 40, the nappaltu-coefficient for day and night, by 7.30, and you see 5, the nappaltu-coefficient for a shadow of 1 cubit.’

— VAT 9412+11279 (Mul.Apin HH) ii 41'-42'

Genre: schematic astronomy: mulapin
Provenance: Assur
Date: 687 BC

Hunger, H. and Steele, J., 2019. The Babylonian Astronomical Compendium MUL.APIN. London and New York: Routledge. 95

Cite this entry
APA (7th)
Ossendrijver, M. (2023). nap-pal-tu₂ (Lemma #675). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/675/
Chicago (Author-Date)
Ossendrijver, M. (2023). nap-pal-tu₂ (Lemma #675). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/675/
MLA (9th)
Ossendrijver, M. (2023). nap-pal-tu₂ (Lemma #675). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/675/
Harvard
Ossendrijver, M. (2023) nap-pal-tu₂ (Lemma #675), The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. Available at: https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/675/ (Accessed: February 2, 2026).
BibTeX 
@misc{zodiac675,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-02-02]},
	author = {Ossendrijver, Mathieu},
	year = {2023},
	title = {nap-pal-tu₂ ({Lemma} #675)},
	url = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/675/},
	howpublished = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/675/},
}