The question of the Israelitish sabbath is complicated and has been much discussed as a point of connexion with the Babylonian civilisation. In Babylonia one day in the month was called _shabattu_, and the seventh day was specially distinguished. The statement that there the seven-day week existed, but as a fixed subdivision of the month, is often heard, but is an invention. I borrow the material from Landsberger’s section on the month in religious worship. A cylinder of Gudea already mentions a festival of the opening of the month in Lagash, festivals in honour of the goddesses Bau and Nina are celebrated in special new-moon houses. At all times, and later too, the day of the new moon is a great festival-day. At the time of the dynasty of Ur, under the empire of Khammurabi, and later, sacrifices were offered on the fifteenth day, the day of full moon. This is called _shabattu_, which word in the time of Assurbani-pal also denotes the full-moon day without any religious implication. We also find at the time of the dynasty of Ur occasional sacrifices on the day of the ‘going to sleep’, i. e. of the disappearance of the moon. These are the three days marked out by the great phases of the moon. According to them the month is divided into two halves. A Babylonian peculiarity is that the seventh day of the month, as at the time of the dynasty of Ur and under the empire of Khammurabi, becomes a day of special sacrifices. It is called _sibutu_, ‘the seventh’, cp. Assyrian _sibittu_, ‘seven’ (fem.). The 1st, the 7th, and the 28th are therefore of religious importance; for a similar emphasising of the 21st testimony is as yet lacking; instead of the 14th we have the 15th. Later, after ancient Babylonian times, the 7th becomes a day of taboo, the number 7 is made an unlucky number, and the schematic series 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 19 of the following month is formed (30 + 19 = 49 = 7 × 7). Hence the 14th is also sometimes designated as the day of full moon. Thus, for example, in the Creation epic, tablet 5, vv. 12 ff.:--“At the beginning of the month shine in the land. Beam with thy horns, to make known six days. On the seventh day halve thy disc. On the fourteenth day thou shalt reach the half of the monthly (growth);” in what follows the indications of the days are unfortunately missing. It is clear that the septenary division has not arisen from the phases of the moon, but on the contrary the phases of the moon have been arranged in accordance with the septenary scheme. They might also be arranged according to a quintuple scheme. Thus the tablet III R 55, no. 3[1111]:--“Sin at his appearance from the first to the fifth day, five days, is crescent,--Anu; from the sixth to the tenth day, five days, he is kidney,--Ea; from the eleventh to the fifteenth, five days, he covers himself with the shining royal cap.” It is significant of the phases of the moon that have arisen on genuinely primitive grounds that, since they are originally concrete,