MAŠ
māšu

Akkadian noun

Last edited: 2023-09-18
Primary meaning Gemini
Literal translation Twins
Variants
MAŠ māšu
MAŠ.MAŠ māšu
mul.MAŠ.MAŠ māšu
Edited by
Twins constellation
Gemini zodiac sign

⸢2.34⸣ GU4 15 22.35.37.30 MAŠ ŠU2

‘(Year) 2,34, month II, (day) 15, (in) 22;35,37,30 Gemini it (Jupiter) sets.’

— BM 43023+ (Steele 2010 Text L) obv. 10'

Genre: mathematical astronomy: synodic table
Provenance: Babylon
Date: ca. 200-170 BCE

Steele, J. 2010, Newly Identified Lunar and Planetary Tables from Babylon in the British Museum, SCIAMVS 11, 211-239.

9 10.36 MAŠ.⸢MAŠ⸣

‘(Month X day) 9, 10;36 Gemini’

— U 96 (ACT No. 191) obv. col. ii' 9

Genre: mathematical astronomy: daily motion table
Provenance: Uruk
Date: 197 BCE (Seleucid Era year 115)

Neugebauer ACT No. 191

DIŠ MUL ša2 EGIR-šu2-nu GUB-zu GIM d.E2-a KUR-ḫa GIM d.E2-a ŠU2.MEŠ mul.Nu-muš-da d.IŠKUR

‘¶ The star which stands behind them rises like Ea and sets like Ea: Numušda, Adad.’

— BM 86378 ii 26-27

Genre: schematic astronomy: mulapin
Provenance: ?
Date: ca. 626-539 BCE

Hunger, H. and Steele, J., 2019. The Babylonian Astronomical Compendium MUL.APIN. London and New York: Routledge. 44-45

Gemini micro sign

[ḪA.LA] SAG-ti mul2.lu2.ḪUN.GA2 šum3-šu2 : ša2-ni-tum ḪA.LA MUL2.MUL2 šum3-šu2 | [3-tu]m ḪA.LA mul2.MAŠ.MAŠ šum3-šu2 : 4-ni!-tum ḪA.LA mul2.ALLA šum3-šu2 | [5-i-t]um ḪA.LA mul2.UR.A šum3-šu2 : 6-i-tum ḪA.LA mul2.ABSIN šum3-šu2 | [7-i]-tum ḪA.LA mul2.GIŠ.RIN2 šum3-šu2 : 8-i-tum ḪA.LA mul2.GIR2.TAB šum3-šu2 | [9]-i-tum ḪA.LA mul2.PA šum3-šu2 : 10-i-tum ḪA.LA mul2.MAŠ2 šum3-šu2 | 11-i-tum ḪA.LA mul2.GU šum3-šu2 : 12-i-tum ḪA.LA mul2.ZIB šum3-šu2 | PAP 12 UZU.MEŠ ḪA.LA ša2 mul2.LU ša2 d.30 u d.UTU ina lib3-bi DIB.MEŠ

‘The name of the first [portion] is Aries. The name of the second portion is Taurus. | The name of the [third] portion is Gemini. The name of the fourth portion is Cancer. |The name of the [fifth] portion is Leo. The name of the sixth portion is Virgo. | The name of the [seventh] portion is Libra. The name of the eighth portion is Scorpio. | The name of the [ninth] portion is Sagittarius. The name of the tenth portion is Capricornus. | The name of the eleventh portion is Aquarius. The name of the twelfth portion is Pisces. | Total: 12 ominous parts, portion(s) of Aries which the Moon and the Sun will pass through.’

— AO 6483 (TCL VI 14 = TU 14) 14-20

Genre: horoscopic astrology
Provenance: Uruk
Date: 250-150 BCE

Sachs, A., 1952. Babylonian Horoscopes, Journal of Cuneiform Studies 6: 49-75. 66

See also

〈Δίδυμοι〉 Didumoi ‘Gemini’

〈—〉 ḥtr.w ‘Gemini’

〈MAŠ.MAŠ ar₂〉 māšu arkû ‘β Geminorum’

〈MAŠ.MAŠ IGI〉 māšu maḫrû ‘α Geminorum’

〈MUL₂ ar₂ ša₂ še-pit MAŠ.MAŠ〉 kakkabu arkû ša šepīt māši ‘μ Geminorum’

〈MUL₂ IGI ša₂ še-pit MAŠ.MAŠ〉 kakkabu maḫrû ša šepīt māši ‘Propus (η Geminorum)’

〈MAŠ.MAŠ ša₂ SIPA〉 māšu ša rē'i ‘γ Geminorum’

〈gemini〉 ‘Gemini’

〈trigonum saturni〉 ‘Saturn's triangle’

〈mul.MAŠ.TAB.BA.GAL.GAL〉 tūʾamū rabûtu ‘Great-Twins-star’

〈תאומיא〉 tʾwmyʾ ‘Gemini’

〈תְּאוֹמִים〉 təʾômîm ‘Gemini’

〈मिथुन〉 mithuna ‘Gemini’

Cite this entry
APA (7th)
Ossendrijver, M., & Schreiber, M. (2023). MAŠ (Lemma #73). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/73/
Chicago (Author-Date)
Ossendrijver, M., & Schreiber, M. (2023). MAŠ (Lemma #73). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/73/
MLA (9th)
Ossendrijver, M., & Schreiber, M. (2023). MAŠ (Lemma #73). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/73/
Harvard
Ossendrijver, M. and Schreiber, M. (2023) MAŠ (Lemma #73), The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. Available at: https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/73/ (Accessed: December 1, 2025).
BibTeX 
@misc{zodiac73,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2025-12-01]},
	author = {Ossendrijver, Mathieu and Schreiber, Marvin},
	year = {2023},
	title = {MAŠ ({Lemma} #73)},
	url = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/73/},
	howpublished = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/73/},
}