Giš

The cuneiform giš sign, (also common for is, iṣ, and iz), is a common, multi-use sign, in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Amarna letters, and other cuneiform texts. It also has a major usage as a sumerogram, GIŠ, (capital letter (majuscule)) for English language "wood", and is used as a determinative at the beginning of words, for items made of wood. The 12 Chapters (Tablets) of the Epic of Gilgamesh lists 16 named items beginning with "GIŠ".

A common form of giš, is, iz, iṣ, and sumerogram GIŠ, etc.

(A typical Amarna letter.)
Amarna letter EA 365-(Reverse), by Biridiya of Magiddo, title: "Furnishing Corvee Workers";^[1]
(Very high resolution exandable photo.)

For giš/(is/iz/iṣ) in the construction of words it is used syllabically for giš, and syllabically for the three other constructs; also for eṣ/ez. Besides "giš", it can alphabetically be used for: e, i, s, ṣ, or z.

Epic of Gilgamesh sign usage

The usage numbers for giš in the Epic of Gilgamesh are as follows:^[2] eṣ-(2) times, ez, (3), giš, (1), is, (46), iṣ, (77), iz, (17), and GIŠ (355) times.

Epic words with determinative GIŠ

The following list of Akkadian language words are from the sumerograms used in the Epic of Gilgamesh.^[3]

--GIŠ.APIN, epinnu ("plow") --GIŠ.BAN, qaštu (?) --GIŠ.BANŠUR, paššūru ("table") --GIŠ.ERIN, erēnu ("cedar") --GIŠ.GAG, sikkatu ("flask (of perfume)") --GIŠ.GIGIR, mugirru (?) --GIŠ.GU.ZA, kussû ("throne", "seat") --GIŠ.IG, daltu ("door")

--GIŠ.MÁ, eleppu ("boat, ship") --GIŠ.NIM, baltu ("thornbush") --GIŠ.SAR, kirû ("garden", "orchard") --GIŠ.ŠEM.GIR, asu ("myrtle") --GIŠ.ŠUR.MÌN, šurmenu ("cypress") --GIŠ.TIR, qištu ("forest") --GIŠ.TUKUL, kakku ("weapon") --GIŠ.Ú.GIR, ašagu ("thistle", "thorn bush")

References

1. Moran, William L. 1987, 1992. The Amarna Letters. EA 365, Furnishing Corvee Workers, p. 362.
2. Parpola, 1971. The Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Sign List, pp. 155-165, Sign No. 296, giš, p. 159.
3. Parpola, 1971. The Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Glossary and Indices, Logograms and Their Readings, pp. 117-18, p. 117.

• Moran, William L. 1987, 1992. The Amarna Letters. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987, 1992. 393 pages.(softcover, ISBN 0-8018-6715-0)
• Parpola, 1971. The Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Parpola, Simo, Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project, c 1997, Tablet I thru Tablet XII, Index of Names, Sign List, and Glossary-(pp. 119–145), 165 pages.