Gula as Ninkarrak in the Middle Babylonian Onomastics

Through the analysis of two administrative tablets from Kassite Nippur, this paper examines variation in theophoric elements within personal names – most notably, the alternation between Gula and Ninkarrak in reference to the same individual. The close parallels in structure, content, and ductus strongly suggest that both tablets were produced by the same scribe. This observation offers rare and concrete evidence for the ongoing syncretism between these once-distinct healing goddesses during the Kassite period. Moreover, the study sheds light on scribal practices within the administrative apparatus, highlighting both deliberate stylistic variation and a rather high level of scribal education.