-- Two unicorns on throne room wall panel of glazed bricks of Shalamaneser III, Nimrud (Nineveh), 824 BCE
-- Winged unicorn on Ishtar Gate (575 BCE) signifies फड, phaḍa 'metalwork manufactory artisan guild'.
The rebus reading in Meluhha of the two unicorns is: dula 'pair' rebus; dul 'metal casting' PLUS khoṇḍa singi 'horned young bull' rebus; kunda singi'fine gold, ornament gold'. The animals have their heads turned back: krammara 'turn back' rebus: kamar 'blacksmith'.Ta. uṟukku (uṟukki-) to jump, leap over; uṟuttai squirrel. Te. uṟu to retreat, retire, withdraw; uṟuku to jump, run away; uṟuta squirrel. Konḍa uRk- to run away. Kuwi (Isr.) urk- (-it-) to dance.(DEDR 713) Rebus: Ta. uruku (uruki-) to dissolve (intr.) with heat, melt, liquefy, be fused, become tender, melt (as the heart), be kind, glow with love, be emaciated; urukku (urukki-) to melt (tr.) with heat (as metals or congealed substances), dissolve, liquefy, fuse, soften (as feelings), reduce, emaciate (as the body), destroy; n. steel, anything melted, product of liquefaction; urukkam
melting of heart, tenderness, compassion, love (as to a deity, friend, or child); urukkiṉam that which facilitates the fusion of metals (as borax).
Ma. urukuka to melt, dissolve, be softened; urukkuka to melt (tr.); urukkam melting, anguish; urukku what is melted, fused metal, steel. Ko. uk steel. Ka. urku, ukku id. Koḍ. ur- (uri-) to melt (intr.); urïk- (urïki-) id. (tr.); ukkï steel. Te. ukku id. Go. (Mu.) urī-, (Ko.) uṛi- to be melted, dissolved; tr. (Mu.) urih-/urh- (Voc. 262).Konḍa (BB) rūg- to melt, dissolve. Kui ūra (ūri-) to be dissolved; pl. action ūrka (ūrki-); rūga (rūgi-) to be dissolved. Kuwi (Ṭ.) rūy- to be dissolved; (S.) rūkhnai to smelt; (Isr.) uku, (S.) ukku steel. (DEDR 661) Te. uḍuku to boil, seethe, bubble with heat, simmer; n. heat, boiling; uḍikincu, uḍikilu, uḍikillu to boil (tr.), cook. Go. (Koya Su.) uḍk ēru hot water. Kuwi (S.) uḍku heat. Kur. uṛturnā to be agitated by the action of heat, boil, be boiled or cooked; be tired up to excitement. Ta. (Keikádi dialect; Hislop, Papers relating to the Aboriginal Tribes of the Central Provinces, Part II, p. 19) udku (presumably uḍku) hot (< Te.) (DEDR 588).
Thus, the composite reading of the pictorial narrative signifies the message:
uṟukku 'jump' rebus: Ka. urku, ukku Ta. urukku what is melted, fused metal, steel. Ko. uk steel. dula 'pair' rebus; dul 'metal casting' PLUS khoṇḍa singi 'horned young bull' rebus; kunda singi 'fine gold, ornament gold'. Together, the reading is dul urku kunda singi'metal casting steel, fine gold, ornament gold.
This is thus a Meluhha signifier of major wealth resources of steel, fine gold and ornament gold. These seantics and pragmatics are the reason why this image-- signifier of wealth -- is the centre-piece of the wall decoration of the throne room of Shalamaneser. The 'unicorn' is a stellar imagery on Ishtar Gate (575 BCE) now in Pergamon Museum, Berlin. The wings on this image are: khamba'wing' rebus: kammata 'mint, coiner, coinage'. The upraised tail is a cobrahood: फड, phaḍa 'cobra hood' rebus: फड, phaḍa 'metalwork manufactory artisan guild'.
Unicorn is an Indus Script hypertext. Unicorn is one of the animals shown as a tribute from Musri on the Shalamaneser Black Obelisk. See:
Glazed Wall Panel from Fort Shalmaneser
by Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
published on 21 March 2019
published on 21 March 2019
About the Author
Osama Shukir Muhammed AminAssociate Professor of Neurology and lover of the Cradle of Civilization, Mesopotamia. I'm very interested in Mesopotamian history and always try to take photos of archaeological sites and artifacts in museums, both in Iraq and around the world.
https://www.ancient.eu/image/10281/glazed-wall-panel-from-fort-shalmaneser/