Note 42 — Chapter VIII

Dhorme's suggestion that GI was an ideographic writing for Gani in the early period (cf. "Orient. Lit.-Zeit.," 1909, col. 53 f.) is scarcely probable, though the fact that the commonest ideographic value for GI was kanû or ganû ("a reed") may possibly have contributed in some way to the later confusion. It should also be noted that Clay has recently pointed out the occurrence of the name Sha-ru-ki-in, on a fragment of an early text (see "Amurru," p. 194), as apparently that of a ruler of "the four quarters." Since the final n can hardly be treated as the nunnation (as in the word ir-bi-ti-in in the fifth line of the text), we may probably regard the passage as proving the early existence of the name Sharrukîn, Sargon, which would be the natural rendering of the name Sharru-GI (see above, p. 221). But the title of the king in the new text, and his description as "the beloved of Ishtar," would suit a king of Akkad rather than a king of Kish, thus affording additional excuse for a confusion by the later scribes.