GU4.UD
šiḫṭu

Akkadian noun

Last edited: 2023-09-28
Primary meaning Mercury
Literal translation strike, attack, raid
Variants
GU4.UD šiḫṭu
mul.UDU.IDIM.GU4.UD šiḫṭu
GU4 šiḫṭu
d.GU4.UD šiḫṭu
d.UDU.IDIM.GU4.UD šiḫṭu
Edited by
Mercury planet

aš2-šu2 d.GU4.UD ina KI.MEŠ ša2 NITA u MUNUS KI 30 MUNUS U3.[TU]

‘Because Mercury in the regions of either a male or a female (stands) with the Moon: a female will be bor[n].’

— BM 35402 (LBAT 1593) obv. 8'

Genre: horoscopic astrology
Provenance: Babylon
Date: 4th-2nd century BCE

Reiner, E. 2000. Early Zodiologia and Related Matters. In: Wisdom, Gods and Literature, Studies in Assyriology in Honour of W. G. Lambert, eds. Andrew R. George and I. L. Finkel. Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbauns: 421-427. 422

d.30! u d.UTU d.Šul-pa-e3 mul.Dil-bat | mul.UDU.IDIM mul.SAG.UŠ d.UDU.IDIM.GU4.U[D] | mul4.Ṣal-bat-a-nu 7 mul.UDU.IDIM.ME[Š]

‘The Moon and the Sun, Jupiter, Venus, | the planet Saturn (and) Mercury, | Mars. Seven planets.’

— K 2067 (CT 26 45) 19-21

Genre: star list
Provenance: Nineveh
Date: 7th century BCE

Koch-Westenholz, U., 1995. Mesopotamian Astrology. An Introduction to Babylonian and Assyrian Celestial Divination. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press. 200

ina E2 ni-ṣir-tu4 ša2 GU4.UD a-lid

‘He was born in the house of secret of Mercury.’

— BM 47721 (= BH 6) obv. 4'

Genre: horoscope
Provenance: Babylon
Date: 3rd century BCE

Rochberg, F. 1998. Babylonian Horoscopes. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, 88, 1–164. 69

MU.48 ŠE GE6 [23(?)] | lu2.TUR a-lid | U4.BI 20 ina 13.30 LU | 30 ina 10 GU | BABBAR ina SAG A | dil-bat KI 20 | GU4 KI 20 | GENNA ina ALLA | AN ina TIL ALLA

‘Year 48, month XII, night of the [23th(?)], | the child was born. | That day the sun was in 13;30 Aries, | the moon in 10° Aquarius, | Jupiter at the beginning of Leo, | Venus with the sun, | Mercury with the sun, | Saturn in Cancer, | Mars at the end of Cancer.’

— MLC 1870 (BH 5) 1-9

Genre: horoscope
Provenance: Uruk
Date: 3rd century BCE (date of birth in horoscope: S.E. 48 XII.[23] =-262 April 4)

Rochberg, F. 1998. Babylonian Horoscopes. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, 88. 65

strike, attack, raid
rising (of heavenly bodies)
Cite this entry
APA (7th)
Schreiber, M. (2023). GU4.UD (Lemma #96). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/96/
Chicago (Author-Date)
Schreiber, M. (2023). GU4.UD (Lemma #96). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/96/
MLA (9th)
Schreiber, M. (2023). GU4.UD (Lemma #96). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/96/
Harvard
Schreiber, M. (2023) GU4.UD (Lemma #96), The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. Available at: https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/96/ (Accessed: December 1, 2025).
BibTeX 
@misc{zodiac96,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2025-12-01]},
	author = {Schreiber, Marvin},
	year = {2023},
	title = {GU4.{UD} ({Lemma} #96)},
	url = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/96/},
	howpublished = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/96/},
}