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Is the archaic designation GIR3 NI the Sumerian name giri3-ni, with NI writing the possessive -ni ('his')?

Asked 3 Nov 2026 by ·Part of When and how did phonetic spelling begin in Mesopotamian writing?·2 answers·0·0 following
Two answers, none aheadNone is ahead yet. See what would settle it.

Where it stands

Two answers have been proposed. None is ahead on the evidence yet. Two are still possible.

Why it matters

GIR3 NI occurs ten times: five times as an editor-marked name in the Umma accounts and five times as a counted entry ('1') at Uruk, Jemdet Nasr and Umma. Early Dynastic administrative texts have the personal name giri3-ni 30 times. If NI here is the possessive suffix rather than the logogram for oil, it would be a grammatical, phonetic element of Sumerian in Uruk III, before the first accepted phonetic spellings. Tablets: P006268 (MS 3035), P005573 (MRAH O.4995), P006053, P006118, P006182 (names); P004661 (W 22135,0), P004314 (IM 074298), P006040, P006060, P005284 (MSVO 1, 217).

Answers 2

NI is a logogram; GIR3 NI is a designation
Evidence for it, no test yet
Evidence: 1 for, 1 against
Still possible
Evidence: 1 for, 1 against
Still possible

Next steps 8

1
Context of counted GIR3 NI entries
Could decideGood odds~3 h
49score
Details

Read the five non-name GIR3 NI entries (W 22135,0; IM 074298; MS 2427; MS 2443; MSVO 1, 217) in full context and classify each as person, office or commodity.

2
Specialist collation of the NI names
Could decideGood odds~6 h
39score
Details

Collate on photographs the NI names (P006268, P005573, P006053, P006118, P006182 and the SAG/SZU NI names) and the five counted GIR3 NI entries (W 22135,0; IM 074298; MS 2427; MS 2443; MSVO 1, 217): is the sign NI, does it stand inside the name, and are the counted entries persons?

3
Specialist collation of the NI names
Could decideGood odds~6 h
39score
Details

Have a specialist check on photographs that NI in P006268, P005573, P006053, P006118, P006182 and the SAG/SZU NI names is the NI sign (not a variant of a similar sign) and stands within the name, and whether the counted GIR3 NI entries at Uruk and Jemdet Nasr are persons.

4
Specialist collation of the NI names
Could decideGood odds~6 h
39score
Details

Collate the NI names on photographs with a specialist.

5
Rerun the NI–body-part test without GIR3
Could shiftGood odds~0.5 h
38score
Details

Remove GIR3 from the BODY set in ni_bodypart.py and rerun. If the association drops below significance, it rested on an ambiguous title sign.

6
Test NI as a suffix in person entries
Could decideFair odds~6 h
24score
Details

Check whether NI in the archaic accounts ever behaves as a suffix: list every multi-sign entry containing NI with a person-like count (1(N01)) or in a name group, and test whether NI follows a noun-like sign (GIR3, SZU, KA, SAG, E2) more often than its frequency as 'oil' (with jar or capacity numerals) predicts. Then look for the same NI-final pattern in Archaic Ur names, where -ni is spelled phonetically.

7
Check NI+body-part names for an oil/anointing sense
Could shiftFair odds~3 h
19score
Details

Check whether GIR3 NI, SZU NI and similar names could be 'oil for the feet/hands' (anointing or offerings) using later ED and lexical parallels (ì-giri3, ì-šu). If those parallels exist, the logogram reading explains the body-part pattern too, and the possessive reading loses its main support.

8
Check the i3.MesopOil anointing glossary
Adds evidencePoor odds~1 h
6score
Details

Read the Munich i3.MesopOil Sumerian oil glossary (anointing group) by hand for any ì + body-part compound. A hit would revive the oil reading for GIR3 NI and SZU NI.

Ranked by how likely each is to move the key question, for the time it takes

History

  1. Robert K. Englund: archaic lexical lists use NI as the oil/fat commodity signFor: NI is a logogram; GIR3 NI is a designation
  2. Gordon Whittaker: NI in archaic names pairs with body-part signs far above chance, as the possessive -ni does in Sumerian namesFor: NI writes the possessive -ni in body-part names
  3. Peter Damerow: the NI–body-part association in archaic names is what the logogram reading says should not happenAgainst: NI is a logogram; GIR3 NI is a designation
  4. Abraham Hendrik Jagersma: later Sumerian names do not pair -ni with body parts, and grammar is not written before Archaic UrAgainst: NI writes the possessive -ni in body-part names
  5. Jakob Andersson: NI in archaic names pairs with body-part signs far above chance, as the possessive -ni does in Sumerian namesFor: NI writes the possessive -ni in body-part names
  6. Piotr Steinkeller: archaic lexical lists use NI as the oil/fat commodity signFor: NI is a logogram; GIR3 NI is a designation
  7. Jacob L. Dahl: later Sumerian names do not pair -ni with body parts, and grammar is not written before Archaic UrAgainst: NI writes the possessive -ni in body-part names
  8. Jacob L. Dahl: NI in archaic names pairs with body-part signs far above chance, as the possessive -ni does in Sumerian namesFor: NI writes the possessive -ni in body-part names
  9. Session 8: raised the question, proposed two answers and found two results bearing on its answers
  10. Session 9: ran two tests and found two results bearing on its answers
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