CDLI Literary 000577, ex. 001 (P254853)

Literary letter and letter-prayer tablet excavated in Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar), dated to the Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC) period and now kept in Penn Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Museum Collection(s)

Penn Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Museum Number

UM 52-30-273

Period

Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC)

Provenience

Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar)

Artifact Type

Tablet

Material(s)

Clay

Genre / Subgenre(s)

Literary > Literary letter and letter-prayer (ETCSL 3.03.05 Letter from ensi and sanga to King (witness) Survey; letter)

Language(s)

Sumerian

Measurements

-

Witness

Text

tablet
obverse
1. a-sza3 PA?-am3{ki} x [...] GAN2#-am3
 en: (A plot in?) the ... field, which consists of ... iku
2. esz2#-gar3 {d}en-lil2 u3 {d}nin-urta
 en: The land assigned to Enlil and Ninurta
3. sza3-bi!-ta 3(bur'u) GAN2-am3
 en: From among this(!) 30 bur3
4. kur6 lu2-NIG2-PAD-e-ne
 en: (is) the ration (providing land)/share of the (temples'?) requisitioners(!?)
5. e!?-bi?-sze3 sahar 2(iku) GAN2 x-a
 en: Towards its embankment(?), earth (was piled?), 2 iku ...
6. al-ta ba-dub2 erin2!?-ta x-ze2#?
 en: Was struck by the hoe and cleared of (weeds)(?) by the workforce(?)
7. kinx?(TUK)-sze3! SAR a sza3-gu4 lu2-engar-bi nu-gal2?
 en: (But) in order to do the work (of plowing)(?) ... there are not drover(s) or plowmen/farmer(s) present(?)
8. iq-bi2-sum2 u3 a-bi!?-x-x
 en: Iqbisum and ...
9. inim mu-e-de!-gar-re-esz
 en: made a legal claim about (the portion of the field or the lack of procured labor?)
10. tukum-bi lugal-gu10
 en: If this to my king,
11. an-na-du10
 en: is amenable,
12. ra-gaba hu-mu-un-gi4-gi4
 en: he should send a rider (to this effect)
reverse
1. kin2#? ak bulugx(BUR2?) a-sza3-ga-bi?
 en: The working(?) and boundary stakes(?) of the field
2. KA KA? KA mu-ni-ib!?-x-x-NE?
 en: He will ...
  blank space

Text content

Genre(s) Literary > Literary letter and letter-prayer (ETCSL 3.03.05 Letter from ensi and sanga to King (witness) Survey; letter)
Language(s) Sumerian

Chronology

Period Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC)
Accounting Period

Composites

This artifact is a witness to the following composite(s):

Composite Composite Number Score
CDLI Literary 000577 (Governor to King) composite (P479849) Q000577 View the score

Record

LOD URI https://cdli.network/entity/P254853

Physical information

Artifact type Tablet
Dimensions
Weight
Material(s) Clay
Preservation

Provenance

Provenience Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar)
Written In
Archive
Excavation Number U 16833
Findspot
Stratigraphic Level
Elevation

Collections

Collection(s) Penn Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Museum Number UM 52-30-273
Accession Number

External resources

External Resource Identifiers
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature transliterations (ETCSL transliterations) 3.3.5
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature translations (ETCSL translations) 3.3.5
Penn Museum (Penn) 411937
Electronic Babylonian Library (eBL) UM.52-30-273
Ancient Records of Middle Eastern Polities (ARMEP) P254853
Ur Online Project (UrOnline) 17723

References

  • history: UET 5, 862

    [Figulla1953UET5] Figulla, Hugo Heinrich, and William James Martin. 1953. Letters and Documents of the Old-Babylonian Period. Ur Excavations. Texts 5. London: The Trustees of the two Museums.

Revisions and credits

Created Creator Type Authors Project Reviewer Status Action
2023-06-28 at 23:15:35 Rattenborg, Rune Artifact metadata Hafford, William B.; Rattenborg, Rune Geomapping Landscapes of Writing Rattenborg, Rune Approved View
2023-06-15 at 19:55:18 Rattenborg, Rune Artifact metadata Rattenborg, Rune Geomapping Landscapes of Writing Rattenborg, Rune Approved View
2023-01-19 at 10:11:27 Pagé-Perron, Émilie Artifact metadata Földi, Zsombor J.; Jiménez, Enrique; Pagé-Perron, Émilie Electronic Babylonian Library Pagé-Perron, Émilie Approved View
2019-05-29 at 21:01:59 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Peterson, Jeremiah CDLI, CDLI Approved View
2011-10-07 at 07:38:46 Wagensonner, Klaus Transliteration Wagensonner, Klaus CDLI, CDLI Approved View
2005-02-01 at 00:00:00 CDLI, CDLI Artifact metadata Friberg, Jöran; Guerra, Dylan; Middeke-Conlin, Robert; Peterson, Jeremiah CDLI, CDLI Approved View

Cite this Artifact

“CDLI Literary 000577, Ex. 001 Artifact Entry.” (2005) 2023. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). June 28, 2023. https://cdli.earth/P254853.
CDLI Literary 000577, ex. 001 artifact entry (No. P254853). (2023, June 28). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P254853 (Original work published 2005)
CDLI Literary 000577, ex. 001 artifact entry (2023) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P254853 (Accessed: November 6, 2026).
@misc{2023CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-11-06]},
	year = {2023},
	month = {jun 28},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000577, ex. 001 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P254853},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P254853},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2023/6/28/
PY  - 2023
ID  - P254853
LB  - CDLI:P254853
M1  - 2026/11/6/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000577, ex. 001 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P254853
ER  -

Cite this Artifact

“CDLI Literary 000577, Ex. 001 Artifact Entry.” (2005) 2023. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). June 28, 2023. https://cdli.earth/P254853.
CDLI Literary 000577, ex. 001 artifact entry (No. P254853). (2023, June 28). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P254853 (Original work published 2005)
CDLI Literary 000577, ex. 001 artifact entry (2023) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P254853 (Accessed: November 6, 2026).
@misc{2023CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-11-06]},
	year = {2023},
	month = {jun 28},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000577, ex. 001 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P254853},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P254853},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2023/6/28/
PY  - 2023
ID  - P254853
LB  - CDLI:P254853
M1  - 2026/11/6/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000577, ex. 001 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P254853
ER  -
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