kinnaru (Smearing the Drums)

[Bjarte Kaldhol]

Dear listmembers,

It appears that kinnaru is older in Akkadian than I thought. The word is
attested at Ebla as GI.NA.RU12. This means that it is unlikely to be
Sumerian. It seems to be an Akkadianized foreign word, but at this early
time (2400 BC?) it cannot have entered Akkadian through Amorite dialects.
Some later texts from Ugarit give the impression that kinnaru was a drum;
perhaps it was a general word for different kinds of musical instruments?

Best wishes,
Bjarte Kaldhol