Enguri basin toponyms in cuneiform texts
Authors: Samsonia Nino 
Published: March 2024

In studying the semantic and phonetic coincidences of Abzu-Engur, we focused on the Sumerian word Laḫama, which is also related to the Svan toponyms Laḫamula and the river Enguri. 50 Laḫama of Engur, as well as Abzu-Engur is found in many Sumerian and Babylonian texts from the third millennium BC and is usually associated with the Engur, Abzu waters, or the abode of wisdom. The article presents and discusses the Sumerian cuneiform texts from III millenium BC., including the ancient Babylonian period, where the Sumerian word Lahama and the Akkadian equivalent Laḫmu are recorded. Analysis of the cuneiform texts shows that the Laḫama / Laḫmu are the guardians and inseparable beings of Engur. The Sumerian word Engur (Sum. Engur), which in Sumerian means underground river, is the abode of Enki (Akk.Ea), the god of wisdom, in all cuneiform texts, guarded by the Laḫama deities. Laḫama is also found in Sumerian texts to refer to a figure of a guardian statue standing at the gates of large temples. Such as E-KUR in Nippur and E-ninu in Girsu. They are also called “Abzu -Laḫama”. (Ancient Akkadian laḫmu, probably meaning “hairy” shaggy). Laḫmu – the guardian deity associated with Enki (Akk. Ea). The Akkadian tradition was associated with Marduk. Appeared with long hair and a beard, sometimes with 4 or 6 curls. In art he is called a naked hero. Was associated with the human-bull figure. In the Babylonian creation myth, “Enuma Eliš” Laḫmu and Laḫamu are a female and a male couple, and are mentioned among the original creatures together with Anšar-Kišar. They derive from a common root (muddy). In the myth of the Babylonian creation – Enuma Eliš, Tiamat gives birth to 11 monsters. Among them is Laḫamu – a long-haired “hero”. As it is known from Ancient Mesopotamoan iconography, glower bowl with trickling water is an attribute of Enki, the god of wisdom, which is occupied by Enki in Akkadian (XXIV-XXII BC) and New Sumerian (XXI-XX BC). ) In the iconography of the period is, who is sometimes replaced by Laḫmu. Laḫama – deities are associated with Abzu-Engur and the city of Eridu. La-ḫa-ma (Sum.). According to the interpretation of the Sumerian cuneiform signs,he appears as a noble mythical creature – a creature of gratitude, merciful essential water creature. Our paper presents the Sumerian word Laḫama phonetic study, search for different meanings of cuneiform signs, which should be interesting for the study of the Kartvelian, in particular the Svan toponym Laḫamula. The article substantiates the coincidence of the Svan toponym with Laḫamula, which is directly related to the Enguri River, and which is confirmed by the Engur- Laḫama semantic and phonetic coincidences in the cuneiform texts. The root of the Svan toponym Lahamula is based on a basic study of the Sumerian lexical units: Engur and la-ḫa-ma. In the Sumerian language, the Engur is the abode of the god of wisdom, Enki (Akk. Ea). The word Apsu’s root in Georgian is also related to the flow of water (eg the river Supsa, Psou, etc.). The study presented by us is based on a general analysis of Sumerian texts and iconography and combines chronologically with the completely ancient period (IIII mill. BC), which gives us a basis for the etymology of the Svan toponyms – Enguri and Laḫamula as a matter of Mesopotamian civilization. It is also another clear proof of the cultural relations between the Ancient Near East and the Caucasus.