<研究ノート>初期王朝期末期ラガシュの魚についての一考察

Abstract

In Lagash, a city in southern Mesopotamia, as many as 2000 administrative documents from the end of the Early Dynastic IIIb period (2500?-2334? BCE) have been unearthed, and these materials are very important for research into the history of ancient Mesopotamia. One problem encountered in such research, however, is that the meanings of many of the words or phrases appearing in these materials are still not understood. In this paper, I discuss one such term: "ku6 a de2" There is no question that "ku6" is "fish, " "a" is "water, " and "de2" is "pour, " and that "ku6 a de2" is a term that means fish, or a fish in a particular state. The question is, specifically what state is it? Given the fact that the word "a, " or "water, " is included, "ku6 a de2" has traditionally been understood as "live fish." However, there is no other basis for "ku6 a de2" to mean live fish, and in recent years, doubts have arisen about the validity of this interpretation. Using this material, I conducted a detailed study into what kind of fish was in fact represented by "ku6 a de2" The results reveal that "ku6 a de2" was a fish that could to some extent be preserved, that in all likelihood it was not a live fish, and that it was probably a fermented food, having some connection with salt. In light of these findings, the true form of "ku6 a de2" may have been shiokara. When a fish was caught, sprinkled with salt, and left to sit for some time, moisture would seep out of the fish's body and it would naturally ferment, becoming shiokara. If one thinks of "de2" or "pouring water" as meaning water emerging from the body, fish shiokara certainly seems to fit the bill for "ku6 a de2." Until this time, research into fishing in Lagash at the end of the Early Dynasty has been conducted on the premise that "ku6 a de2" meant "live fish." If, however, "water pouring fish" was not a live fish but fish shiokara, past studies will definitely need to undergo substantial review. *Shiokara is a Japanese term that describes a preserve of finely cut fish meat salt-pickled with its entrails and fermented.