2016CohenY

Fragments of the article Cohen Y. Sheep Anatomical Terminology in the šumma immeru Omen Series and Additional Texts (2016).

Introduction

The author has translated and commented on the Akkadian text of a clay tablet (BM 29663) from Mesopotamia during the Old Babylonian period (2000-1600 BCE). The discussed document lists parts of the body and internal organs of a sheep. From our point of view, this tablet is the first time in history that the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) is mentioned. The author of the cuneiform text is unknown, most likely a diviner.

Quotes selected that mention LCF

Quote 1. P. 82

«The diviner continues to inspect the rear of the sheep, moving to view the nimšū (written ni-im-šu), the sciatic or thigh nerve».

Quote 2. P. 82

«15. A commentary from Uruk [Texte aus Uruk, 1976] equates between Sumerian sa.meš, Akkadian šerʾānu, ‘tendon’, and nimšu, which leaves the identification of the term rather secure; see CAD Š/2 309 [1992RothMT]».

Keywords

ligamentum capitis femoris, ligamentum teres, ligament of head of femur, akkadian, anatomy, sheep, animals

Original Article

Cohen Y. Sheep Anatomical Terminology in the šumma immeru Omen Series and Additional Texts. Divination as Science: A Workshop Conducted during the 60th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Warsaw 2014. Warsaw: Eisenbrauns, 2016;79–92. [academia.edu]

Authors & Affiliations

Yoram Cohen

Tel Aviv University

Our commentary on the quotes

The article we are discussing is devoted to the first attempt to translate the Mesopotamian clay tablet BM 29663, stored in the British Museum (© The Trustees of the British Museum, «Lexical list; parts of a sheep; Larsa script» №1898,1115.49 britishmuseum.org). In this work, Yoram Cohen translates the Akkadian word «ni-im-šu» as «sciatic or thigh nerve». In a subsequent publication, the author clarifies the interpretation and instead of the concept of «femoral nerve» uses the term «sinew» (2018CohenY). We posit that the Akkadian concept «ni-im-šu» on the tablet signifies the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF). It is likely the very first written mention in human history of the LCF of a mammal, dating back to the Old Babylonian period, i.e., 2000-1600 BCE. For more details on the Sumerian / Akkadian words «ni-im-šu», «sa» and «sa.meš», refer to the Assyrian Dictionary (1980RothMT, N/2, p.235; 1992RothMT, Š/2 309), as well as the Pennsylvania Sumerian Dictionary (psd.museum.upenn.edu).

References

Cohen Y. An Old Babylonian List of Sheep Body Parts (BM 29663). In Panayotov SV, Vacin L. (Eds). Mesopotamian Medicine and Magic. Leiden, Boston: Brill, 2018:131-48. [academia.edu]

Roth MT (Ed). The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago; Vol. 11, Pt. II. Chicago, Glückstadt: Published by the Oriental Institute and J.J. Augustin verlagbuchhandlung, 1980. [oi.uchicago.edu]

Roth MT (Ed). The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago; Vol. 17, Pt. II. Chicago, Glückstadt: Published by the Oriental Institute and J.J. Augustin verlagbuchhandlung, 1992. [oi.uchicago.edu]

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PRE-SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE

Comments

21cent.bcBaqetIII

Groups of wrestlers on the walls of tomb BH15, belonging to Baqet III – a contemporary of Pharaoh Mentuhotep II (frescoes, Beni Hasan, Egypt). These images depict wrestling scenes and the circumstances under which injuries to the hip joint — including the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) — might occur. The frescoes appear to have served as the basis for the description of wrestling found in the Book of Genesis: 25 And Ja cob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 26 And when he saw that he could not pre vail against him, he struck against the hollow of his thigh ; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was put out of joint, as he was wrestling with him. … 33 Therefore do the children of Israel not eat the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day; because he struck against the hollow of Jacob's thigh on the sinew that shrank. ( 1922LeeserI , Genesis (Bereshit) 32:25-26,33) More about the plot in our work: Nint...

20cent.bcAmenemhet

Groups of wrestlers on the walls of tomb BH2, belonging to Amenemhat (Ameni)—a contemporary of Pharaoh Senusret I (frescoes, Beni Hasan, Egypt). These images depict wrestling scenes and the circumstances under which injuries to the hip joint—including the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF)—might occur. The frescoes appear to have served as the basis for the description of wrestling found in the Book of Genesis : 25 And Ja cob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 26 And when he saw that he could not pre vail against him, he struck against the hollow of his thigh ; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was put out of joint, as he was wrestling with him. … 33 Therefore do the children of Israel not eat the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day; because he struck against the hollow of Jacob's thigh on the sinew that shrank. ( 1922LeeserI , Genesis (Bereshit) 32:25-26,33) More about the plot in our work...

NEWS 2026

New publications of our resource in 2026 The initial phase of collecting data on LCF, accumulated prior to the 20th century, is largely complete. Next, we plan to analyze and synthesize thematic information, adding data from the 20th and 21st centuries. The work will focus primarily on: prevention, diagnosis, arthroscopy, plastic surgery, and endoprosthetics. November 1 , 2026 LCF in 2026 (November) Quotes from articl es and books published in November 2026 mentioning the ligamentum capitis femoris . October 29 , 2026 22cent.bcBaqetI . Fresco. A depiction of the circumstances surrounding a hip joint injury. October 28 , 2026 17cent.Akrotiri . Fre sco. A depiction of the circumstances surrounding a hip joint injury. 20cent.bcAmenemhet . Fresco. A depiction of the circumstances surrounding a hip joint injury. 20cent.bcKhety . Fresco. A depiction of the circumstances surrounding a hip joint injury. 21cent.bcBaqetIII . Fresco....

Tweet of October 26, 2026

The new book about the first patient with a #ligamentum_teres injury. PDF: http://books.google.com/books/about?id=OcogEgAAQBAJ Manuscript: https://roundligament.blogspot.com/2026/10/medical-record-title-and-contents.html Tweet of October 26, 2026 #Bible #Genesis BLOG CONTENT TWITTER OR X

1893GriffithFL

Griffith F.L. (1893): A group of wrestlers on the wall of the tomb of Baqet III (fresco, late 20th century BCE, Egypt). A depiction of the circumstances surrounding a hip joint injury—possibly involving the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) – which served as the basis for the description of a wrestling match in the Book of Genesis: 25 And Ja cob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 26 And when he saw that he could not pre vail against him, he struck against the hollow of his thigh ; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was put out of joint, as he was wrestling with him. … 33 Therefore do the children of Israel not eat the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day; because he struck against the hollow of Jacob's thigh on the sinew that shrank. ( 1922LeeserI , Genesis (Bereshit) 32:25-26,33) More about the plot in our work: Ninth month, eleventh day ( 2024АрхиповСВ ) and Medical Record (2026Ar...

MEDICAL RECORD. Title and contents

Book manuscript: Arkhipov S.V. Medical Record: The Contribution of a Middle Bronze Age Egyptian Physician to the Book of Genesis. Kyrö : Author’s Edition, 2026. – 312 pp. – 2 tables. – Bibliographical references: 856 entries. Google Books ID: GGKEY:5GXG1LS275N , play.google.com , books.google.com Title, Abstract and Contents CONTENT [i] Abstract [ii] Dedication [iii] Book Covers and Title [iv] Table of Contents [v] Application [i] ABSTRACT Before you is the final medical record compiled by the author over a professional career as an orthopaedic surgeon. This work outlines information regarding a patient who sustained a hip joint injury in the Middle Bronze Age. The source material is extracted from the Book of Genesis and cross-referenced with facts from history, archaeology, natural science, and medicine past and present. Along the way, it is demonstrated that the protograph was composed in Ancient Egypt during the Second Intermediate P...

17cent.Akrotiri

The " Akrotiri Boxer Fresco ", found on the wall of a room in a house in the town of Akrotiri on the island of Thera—a site destroyed by the Minoan eruption (late 17th century BCE). The image depicts a bout that may have served as the basis for the legend concerning an injury to the hip joint and the *ligamentum capitis femoris* (LCF), as described in the Book of Genesis: 25 And Ja cob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 26 And when he saw that he could not pre vail against him, he struck against the hollow of his thigh ; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was put out of joint, as he was wrestling with him. … 33 Therefore do the children of Israel not eat the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day; because he struck against the hollow of Jacob's thigh on the sinew that shrank. ( 1922LeeserI , Genesis (Bereshit) 32:25-26,33) More about the plot in our work: Ninth month, eleventh day ( 202...

MEDICAL RECORD. Chapter 2

Book manuscript: Arkhipov S.V. Medical Record: The Contribution of a Middle Bronze Age Egyptian Physician to the Book of Genesis. Kyrö: Author’s Edition, 2026. – 312 pp. – 2 tables. – Bibliographical references: 856 entries. play.google.com , books.google.com Introduction Chapter 2 Chronology of the Medical Record CONTENT [i] Text [ii] Navigation [iii] Application [i] Text When reading the Book of Genesis , we learn that the first recorded patient with an injury to the ligament of the head of femur was a man named Ya'akov (Gen. 32:25, 33). In adapted usage, the name is rendered as Jacob. According to the narrative, he was born near the well of Beer-Lahai-Roi, between Kadesh and Bered in the Negev Desert, which is in the south of the "Canaanite" land (Gen. 16:14, 23:19, 24:62). As is clear from the text, the "Canaanite land" is the western part of the current State of Israel, excluding the vicinity of the Jordan River (Gen. 13:11–12). Jacob's father ...

20cent.bcKhety

Groups of wrestlers on the walls of tomb BH17, belonging to Khety—possibly the son of Baqet III and a contemporary of Pharaoh Senusret I (frescoes, Beni Hasan, Egypt). These images depict wrestling scenes and the circumstances under which injuries to the hip joint — including the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) — might occur. The frescoes appear to have served as the basis for the description of wrestling found in the Book of Genesis: 25 And Ja cob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 26 And when he saw that he could not pre vail against him, he struck against the hollow of his thigh ; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was put out of joint, as he was wrestling with him. … 33 Therefore do the children of Israel not eat the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day; because he struck against the hollow of Jacob's thigh on the sinew that shrank. ( 1922LeeserI , Genesis (Bereshit) 32:25-26,33...

Key Role of the LCF

In the experiments conducted on the pelvis-femur-muscle-ligaments model, we found that when the contralateral pelvic drop occurs, the ligament of the head of femur become maximally tense; simultaneously, there is relaxation and lengthening of the gluteus medius muscle; the pelvis spontaneously rotates towards the stance limb (forward), and the load on the hip joint decreases. Thanks to the functioning of the ligament of the head of femur the walking is smooth, rhythmic, and energy-efficient. Track Music: Blue Dot Sessions , Vittoro (CC BY-NC 4.0 DEED / fragment) "Take care of the ligament of the head of femur for yourself and your neighbor!" . . keywords: ligamentum capitis femoris, ligament of head of femur, ligamentum te...

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