Piercing the Eyes: An Old Babylonian Love Incantation and the Preparation of Kohl

VS 17, 23, a short Old Babylonian incantation dealing with love, first published by J. van Dijk in 1971, without translation, stands at the heart of this article. A brief introduction (§ I) is followed by a discussion of the intricate literary construction of the incantation (§ II). The possibility of its containing information about the preparation of cosmetics in Old Babylonian times ends this paper (§ II).