SAG.KI
pūtu

Akkadian noun

Last edited: 2024-06-17
Primary meaning width
Literal translation front
Variants
SAG.KI pūtu
SAG pūtu Abbreviated logogram
Edited by
width mathematical expression

Used for the unequal widths of a trapezoid and other figures.

(4') DU₃.DU₃.BI ša₂ SAG.KI GU₄ SAG-⸢su⸣ [xx] (5') ana muḫ-ḫi a-ḫa-miš₂ TAB-ma ½-šu₂ GIŠ-⸢ma⸣

‘(4') Its procedure: the [...] width(s) of the trapezoid (5') you add (“accumulate”) together, you compute half of it, and ...’

— BM 34757 side Y 4'-5'

Genre: mathematical astronomy: procedure text
Provenance: Babylon?
Date: ca. 350-100 BCE

Ossendrijver, M. 2016, Ancient Babylonian astronomers calculated Jupiters position from the area under a time-velocity graph, Science, 351, 482-484

Cite this entry
APA (7th)
Ossendrijver, M. (2024). SAG.KI (Lemma #774). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/774/
Chicago (Author-Date)
Ossendrijver, M. (2024). SAG.KI (Lemma #774). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/774/
MLA (9th)
Ossendrijver, M. (2024). SAG.KI (Lemma #774). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/774/
Harvard
Ossendrijver, M. (2024) SAG.KI (Lemma #774), The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. Available at: https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/774/ (Accessed: February 2, 2026).
BibTeX 
@misc{zodiac774,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-02-02]},
	author = {Ossendrijver, Mathieu},
	year = {2024},
	title = {SAG.{KI} ({Lemma} #774)},
	url = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/774/},
	howpublished = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/774/},
}