简介：OneofthemostsignificantrecentdevelopmentsinmusicologyhasbeenthetranscriptionandinterpretationofcertainmusicalcuneiformtextsdatingfromthesecondmillenniumBC.IthasbeenestablishedthatOldBabylonianmusicwasdiatonicandprobablybasedonsevenheptachords,correspondingtothefirstseventonesoftheancientGreekoctavespecies.However,thereremainsaproblem:thereissomeambiguityinthetextsaboutwhetherthescalesshouldberisingorfalling,andtheirnomenclaturechangingaccordingtowhichdirectionischosen.Thisarticlesuggestsapossibleresolutionofthedifficulty.OntheassumptionthatOldBabyloniantheoreticiansmighthavequantifiedtheirscales,thearticlearithmetizesthetuningproceduresofthetwomaincuneiformtuningtextstogether,asasingleprocess,andtherebyalsodemonstratestheplausibilityofthehypothesisthattheidealizedmodelforBabyloniantuningwouldbelikelytohavebeenJusttuningratherthanPythagoreantuning,ashasbeengenerallyassumed.