The article deals with the
kalû priest and his repertoire (
kalûtu) in Assyria. It is argued that the office of
kalû was a Babylonian institution, gradually imported into Assyria, until its final acceptance in Assyrian religion in the seventh century BCE. The article first discusses individual
kalûs
and their ancestral affiliation according to Assyrian sources. Then it proceeds to survey the copyists of
kalûtu literature and the Neo-Assyrian libraries in which
kalûtu tablets were found. Following, the serialization of the
kalûtu literature in Nineveh is discussed vis-à-vis evidence from other Assyrian cities on the one hand, and Babylonia on the other hand. In addition, the way in which the Assyrian king related himself to the
kalûtu literature is examined. Finally, the article points at some possible influences of the
kalûtu literature on Neo-Assyrian literature.
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