3. Umṣatu in omen and medical texts: An overview

Abstract

: The aim of the present study is to analyse the different types of texts in which the Assyro-Babylonian word umṣatu is attested. It probably denotes a skin mark and/or lesion, generally occurring on different parts of the body (of men, women, and sometimes also newborn children). This term is present not only in omen texts (physiognomic, teratologic, and terrestrial), but also in medical texts (both diagnostic and therapeutic). By analysing them, the present article will propose a more detailed interpretation of the word, so as to obtain a clearer idea of the type of skin problem indicated by umṣatu.