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An / Anu

A reference page linking a name, group, or concept to the materials that discuss it.

Sumerian/Akkadian sky god; multifunctional AN alone cannot identify him in the earliest texts.

Modern diagram of known AN functions: sky, divinity/classifier, and An. Does not turn every early AN into a divine name or depict the god
Modern diagram of known AN functions: sky, divinity/classifier, and An. Does not turn every early AN into a divine name or depict the godIL Archive · original explanatory diagram · CC BY 4.0 · CC BYImage source

Text

An is a Sumerian divine name, Anu its AkkadianAkkadianAn ancient East Semitic language written in cuneiform in Mesopotamia.Glossary · Click to read the explanation form. The personality must be separated from AN, which can designate sky or divinity or act as a classifier. Sumerian An normally lacks the determinative; absence does not make a name nondivine.[1]

Personal-deity evidence becomes clearer in the third millennium, including Fara and Mesanepada. This marks clearer evidence, not the god’s birth. The image is a modern diagram of writing functions, not an ancient portrait.[1][2]

References and notes

  1. Kathryn Stevens. An/Anu (god). Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses, ORACC. Indexed original-site sections: AN functions, Sumerian An without determinative, clearer Fara/Mesanepada evidence. Direct access failed; Frayne’s underlying publication was not read. Return to the text ↑
  2. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. SF 001, VAT12760+, Fara god list, P010566. Shuruppak/Fara, not Uruk; Early Dynastic IIIa ca. 2600–2500. Obverse column 1, lines 1–6: An, Enlil, Inanna, Enki, Nanna, Utu. No full theological analysis of the entire list. Return to the text ↑

Research history

Substantive changes are retained here. Minor copy edits remain in the internal operational log.

  1. Edition 3 · 12 October 2026 · aladmin

    Substantive record update

    Read this revision in its original language (Arabic)

  2. Edition 2 · 11 October 2026 · editor:aladmin

    Substantive record update

    Read this revision in its original language (Arabic)

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Cite this record

IL Archive, «An / Anu», Edition 3, https://ilarchive.com/en/entities/an