QuestionsHurrian songs of UgaritWhat do the interval names and numerals in the notation of h.6 instruct a performer to play?Answer
Answer · Hurrian songs of Ugarit
Numerals as durations (Hagel)
The numerals mark durations, so the notation carries rhythm, whichever way the interval names themselves are sounded.
Where it stands
Still possibleOne piece of evidence for, one against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.
What it predicts
- Across all notated fragments the numerals should favour duple values (2, 4, 8) over 3 and 5 beyond what repetition counts would produce.
- Numeral values should correlate with syllable weight or word boundaries in the Hurrian text where words and terms can be aligned.
- The numeral 10, which occurs in h.6 line 1, should be explicable as a long held value at a cadence.
What would rule it out
- A corpus-wide numeral distribution indistinguishable from that expected for repetition counts.
- A Mesopotamian text that uses the same numerals after interval names with an explicit non-durational meaning.
Evidence 1 for · 1 against
FOR
The questions it answers
Open5 answers, none ahead
Cite it
Mysteries Department. (2026). Numerals as durations (Hagel) [Answer ANS0DEDX2P86YH9]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0DEDX2P86YH9
@misc{mysteriesdept_ans0dedx2p86yh9,
title = {Numerals as durations (Hagel)},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Answer, catalog key ANS0DEDX2P86YH9},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0DEDX2P86YH9}
}