| Simut | |
|---|---|
Herald of the gods | |
| Planet | Mars |
| Genealogy | |
| Spouse | Manzat, Raqadu |
| Equivalents | |
| Mesopotamian | Nergal |
Simut orŠimut (Shimut) was anElamite god. He was regarded as theherald of the gods, and was associated with the planetMars. He was closely associated withManzat, a goddess representing the rainbow. He appears in inscriptions of various Elamite kings which mention a number of temples dedicated to him. However, it is not known which city served as his main cult center. He was also worshiped inMesopotamia, where he was compared with the war godNergal.
Various spellings of Simut's name are attested in Elamite sources, including phoneticdSi-mu-ut,dŠi-mu-ut-ta,dŠi-mu-ut anddŠi-mut, as well as logographicdMAN/dPAP.[1] The last spelling might be related to one of the Mesopotamian names of theplanetMars,mulMAN-ma, "the strange star".[2] It is also possible that in at least one location another logographic spelling of his name wasNIN.DAR.(A).[3]
The romanization "Simut" reflects the standard spelling of this theonym in Mesopotamian sources from theMiddle Babylonian period, though in earlier,Old Babylonian ones, Šimut (Shimut) appears to be the correct orthography.[4] Inneo-Assyrian sources, the name is spelled as "Šumudu" (Shumudu).[5]
Simut was known as "god of Elam", "herald of the gods" (Elamiteberir napirra) and "mighty one, herald of the gods" (silhak perir nappipir).[2] It is possible that he was a warrior god, and that the word tentatively translated as "herald" refers to a specific administrative or military position.[6] LikeHumban,[7] Simut was associated with the concept ofkittin, which can be understood as "(area of) divine protection."[6] He appears in judicial and economic documents fromSusa, in at least one case sharing the role of a divine witness and guardian of contracts withInshushinak and the Mesopotamian sunShamash.[6]
Simut was frequently associated with the planetMars inBabylonian astrological texts, and the planet was often called "the star Simut",mulSi-mu-ut.[2]
WhileWilfred G. Lambert describes Simut as an "infernal" god in theReallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie,[8] Daniel T. Potts, following the more recent research of Wouter Henekelman, concludes that he had nofunerary or underworld associations.[9]
In Elam Simut was likely viewed as the husband ofManzat, a goddess regarded as the divine representation of the rainbow.[10][6] He was also associated with Belet-ali (Akkadian: "lady of the city"), a goddess most likely analogous to Manzat.[11] According to Wouter Henkelman the deity NIN.DAR.A, who appears with Manzat in some inscriptions, can also be identified with Simut.[3] However, Daniel T. Potts identifies NIN.DAR.A as a goddess.[12] The nameNindara or Nindar originally belonged to a maleMesopotamian deity, the husband of the goddessNanshe, who was worshiped inLagash,Girsu and Ki'esa.[13]
In Mesopotamia Simut was frequently associated withNergal and shared his association with Mars and possibly his warlike character,[2] though unlike him he was not an underworld deity.[9] The two of them are equated in a multi column edition of theWeidner god list.[14] In another version of this text he appears alongsideLaṣ, the wife of Nergal.[15] In a variant discovered inUgarit, a deity named Raqadu appears instead of Laṣ, and according toManfred Krebernik [de] it is possible to identify her as Simut's spouse.[16]
Wouter Henkelman proposes that "Nergal of Hubshal" (or Hubshan), a deity known from Assyrian sources, can be identified Simut.[2] However,Volkert Haas instead suggested that this title referred toUgur.[17] Hubshan was an area associated with the worship of Manzat, Simut's presumed wife, according to Elamite royal inscriptions.[18] It is presently unknown if "Aya of Hubshen" known from the same Assyrian sources as Nergal of Hubshen is related in any way to Manzat.[3]
Stephanie Dalley proposes that Mesopotamians might have associated Simut withIshum due to their shared role as heralds of the gods in the respective pantheons.[19]
Like many other gods worshiped in Elam, for examplePinikir,Humban andManzat, Simut is attested for the first time in the treaty ofNaram-Sin with an unknown Elamite monarch, possiblyHita ofAwan,[20] where he appears afterInshushinak.[6]Old Babylonian copies of earlier inscriptions also mention a governor (ensi) of Elam from theSargonic period bearing thetheophoric name Sanam-Shimut.[21] Other historically notable Elamites bearing theophoric names invoking Simut include Kuk-Simut, chancellor of kingTan-Ruhurater [de] of theShimashki dynasty,[22] and Simut-wartash from the Sukkalmah period,[23] whose inscriptions were found inLiyan on the coast of thePersian Gulf.[24]
While it is assumed Simut had a main cult center, similar to how Inshushinak was associated with Susa,Ruhurater with Huhnur andNapirisha withAnshan, its name and location are presently unknown.[25] Multiple temples dedicated to him are attested in Elamite texts, for exampleUntash-Napirisha dedicated houses of worship inSusa andChogha Zanbil to him.[26] The latter one was shared with the goddess Belet-ali.[27] It was referred to with the termkinin, ahapax legomenon variously translated in modern literature as "gate", "lock", "fate" or "(divine) help",[28] According to inscriptions of kingsShutruk-Nahhunte and Hutelutush-Inshushinak sites of worship of Manzat and Simut treated as a pair existed in Susa.[10] A temple in Anshan was dedicated jointly to Simut,Kiririsha, Napirisha and Inshushinak.[29] It was built during the reign of Hutelutush-Inshushinak.[29][30]
The Neo-Elamite ruler Hanni ofAyapir left behind an inscription dedicated to Humban, Tepti,Napir and Simut.[31]
Worship of Simut continued in the former Elamite territory under the rule of thePersianAchaemenid dynasty, and he is attested in the so-calledPersepolis fortification archive.[6] According to one of these texts, a priest named Appirka received wine from the royal administration to offer it to Simut,Ahura Mazda andMithra, which indicates that Elamite and Iranian deities were worshiped side by side in this period.[32] At least one theophoric name invoking Simut, Shati-Shimut, appears in this corpus of texts.[33]
The oldest attestations of the worship of Simut in Mesopotamia are theophoric names from the Old Babylonian period, with the oldest identified in texts dated to the reign ofRim-Sîn I ofLarsa.[19]
Stephanie Dalley argues that it is possible that Simut had a minor cult center somewhere in Mesopotamia, in parallel with how another Elamite deity worshiped there and attested in theophoric names, Igishta (dIGI.DU; Igišta) had one in Udannu, a small settlement nearUruk.[19]
Multiple theophoric names indicate that Simut was among the deities present in the pantheon of theFirst Sealand dynasty, possibly in association with Manzat.[34] Feminine names are among them, for example Amat-Šimut.[35] Some of these names, as well as other given names from the same area, combine Akkadian and Elamite elements, but according to Ran Zadok it is difficult to speculate about the identity of their bearers.[36]
Nine theophoric names invoking Simut have been identified in texts fromNippur from theKassite period.[37] He might also be present in an earlier Nippur god list, but this attestation is uncertain.[38]