Abnu šikinšu, inscribed NA4 GAR-šú, “the stone whose appearance is…,” is one of the most prominent Mesopotamian examples of a lapidary, or “stone identification handbook.” It provides a list of the names of minerals and highlights their therapeutic or magical use.
It is currently extant in six fragments: from Sultantepe, ancient Huzirina,[i 1][i 2] Assur,[i 3][i 4] Kuyunjik, ancient Nineveh[i 5] and a late Babylonian exemplar from Sippar[i 6][1] Differences in the surviving copies indicate that more than one version was in circulation in ancient times although its listing in the Exorcists Manual indicates its centrality in the training curriculum of the aspiring ašipu, or exorcist.
[2]: 10 " The ašgikû-stone, powders of which were used in medical prescriptions to treat pulsating veins in the temples, is described: “the appearance of the stone resembles green obsidian, but [with/without] the striations.
[3] A stone described as like black obsidian was used “to dispel the wrath of the (personal) god.”[4] The ḫusīgu-stone was used in a stone charm preventing a ḫa'attu-demon from attacking the person who wears it.
[5] The stone KA.GI.NA.DIB, the stone of truthfulness, “reports to Šamaš what he (the wearer) says, truth as well as falsehood”[6] and “only a pious man should wear it.”[7] References to Abnu šikinšu also appear in neo-Babylonian texts, such as the colophon of a stone list[i 7] and another tablet[i 8] of a similar genre which is not part of the series but preserves its name.