Education in the Earliest Schools 006 (P273811)

Letter tablet excavated in Dūr-Abī-ēšuḫ (mod. uncertain), dated to the Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC) period and now kept in Cotsen Collection of Cuneiform Tablets, Special Collections, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA

Museum Collection(s)

Cotsen Collection of Cuneiform Tablets, Special Collections, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA

Museum Number

PARS 12/01, 040

Period

Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC)

Provenience

Dūr-Abī-ēšuḫ (mod. uncertain)

Artifact Type

Tablet

Material(s)

Clay

Genre / Subgenre(s)

Letter

Language(s)

Akkadian

Measurements

107.0 mm × 61.0 mm × 31.0 mm

Text

tablet
obverse
1. a-na be-li-ni
 en: To our lord
2. qi2-bi2-[ma]
 en: speak:
3. um-ma _ARAD-mesz_-ka-[ma]
 en: thus (say) your servants.
4. _iri{ki} u3 erin2_-um sza be-li-[ni sza-lim]
 en: The city and the troops of [our] lord [are well.]
5. ki-ma i-na pa-ni-[tim]
 en: As we previously
6. a-na be-li-ni ni-isz#-[pu-ra]-am#
 en: wrote to our lord:
7. i-na _3(gesz2) sze gur_ sza gi-mil-dingir# [_sza13?-dub?]-ba#?_
 en: of the 180 gur (= 54,000 liters) of barley that Gimil-ili [the chief accounta]nt?
8. a-na kun-i7-da{ki} u2-sza-bi#-[lam]-ma#
 en: had carried to Zibbat-narim:
9. _1(disz) sze gur#_ [a-na] ta#-asz-bi-it _szuku iti sze-sag11-ku5_
 en: 1 gur (= 300 liters) of barley: [to] complete the rations for the month Addarum (Month 12)
10. _1(gesz2) 3(u) 5(ban2) 3(barig) 3(disz)_ a-na _szuku iti bara2-za3-gar_
 en: 93.3.3 gur of barley: for the rations for the month Nisannum (Month 1)
11. _2(gesz2) 3(u) 6(ban2)# [3(barig)] 3(asz)# sze gur_
 en: (subtotal) 96.3.3 (156.3.3 in the text) gur
12. sza in-na-ad-nu
 en: that have been given (= 29,010 liters).
13. asz-szum _1(gesz2) 2(u) 3(asz) 1(barig) 3(asz) sze gur_
 en: As for the (remaining) 83.1.3 gur (= 24,990 liters) of barley
14. sza sza#-ak#-nu
 en: that have been stored
15. sza# sze-um a-na _szuku erin2_ sza# _iti gu4-si-sa2_
 en: that no barley for the troops' rations for the month Ayyarum (Month 2)
16. [ma-ah]-ri#-ni i#?-ba#-asz#-szu#-u2#
 en: is with us,
17. [a-na be]-li2#-ni ni#-isz#-pu-ra-am-ma#
 en: as we wrote to our lord.
18. [...] u2#-ul x-x-ab?-x
 en: [...] did not [...]
19. [ki-ma be]-el#-ni i-du-u2
 en: As our lord knows,
20. [i-na a-lim] sza wa-asz-ba-a-nu
 en: in the city where we are stationed,
21. [sze-am u2-ul] u2#-ki-in#
 en: he did not assign barley.
reverse
1. [qe2-ma]-am# e#-le#-nu-um x ma? _zi3-kum#_ x x i-ma#-[t,u2-ma]
 en: They are short on flour except on ... isququm-flour [...] and
2. ta#-hi-iq-tam u2-ul i-szu-u2#
 en: they do not have flour-based mixture (either).
3. u2 i-na a-lim e-le-nu-um sze-im
 en: Also, in the city except for the barley
4. sza ip-qu2-{d}na-bi-um _szu-i_ ib#?-lam#-ma
 en: that Ipqu-Nabium the barber brought,
5. i-na kun-i7-da{ki} i-na _guru7# sze_ u2-ul i-ba-asz-szi-ma
 en: nor in Zibbast-narim, there is no more barley in the granary.
6. i-nu-ma sze-am a-na _szuku erin2_ ni-ha-asz-sze-hu
 en: And so, when we need barley for the troops' rations
7. ha-ma-tam-ma a-na _szuku erin2_ na-da-nim
 en: to give it quickly for the troops' rations
8. u2-ul ni-le-i
 en: we will not be able.
9. be-el-ni li-iq-bi
 en: May our lord give orders!
10. e#-ma ba-el#-[ni] u2-ka-an-nu-ma
 en: Wherever our lord will assign that
11. sze-um a-na _szuku erin2_ sza _iti gu4-si-sa2_
 en: the barley for the troops' rations for the month Ayyaru
12. in-na-ad-di-nu
 en: will be given,
13. be-el-ni li-ki-in-ma
 en: may our lord assign and
14. li-isz-pu-ra-an-ni-a-szi-im
 en: write to us!
  single ruling
15. ($ blank space $) me-eh-rum
 en: Copy.
16. _giri3_ {d}nergal-ni-szu _sza3 erin2_ masz-kan2#-[szabra{ki}]
 en: Carrier: Nergal-nišu belonging to the troops from Maškan-šapir.
17. _iti bara2-za3-gar u4 1(u) 5(disz)#-[kam]
 en: Month Nisannum. Day 15.
18. _mu_ am-mi-di-ta-na _lugal-[e] alan-a-ni masz2 gi6-ga in-ne#-[dab-am3] u3 _alan-a-ni giskim# zah2 szu bi2-[in-du7-a] ka2 e2-nam-ti-la-ta in-ne-en-[ku4-ra_]
 en: The year King Ammi-ditana brought to the gate oif the temple Enamtila a statue of him [holding] a black lamb and a statue of him [holdi]ng an omen of disappearance.

Text content

Genre(s) Letter
Language(s) Akkadian

Chronology

Period Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC)
c. 1684
Accounting Period

Record

LOD URI https://cdli.network/entity/P273811

Physical information

Artifact type Tablet
Dimensions 107.0 mm × 61.0 mm × 31.0 mm
Weight
Material(s) Clay
Preservation

Provenance

Provenience Dūr-Abī-ēšuḫ (mod. uncertain)
antiquities market
Written In
Archive
Excavation Number
Findspot
Stratigraphic Level
Elevation

Collections

Collection(s) Cotsen Collection of Cuneiform Tablets, Special Collections, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
Museum Number PARS 12/01, 040
Accession Number 96213

References

  • primary: Education in the Earliest Schools, no. 6

    [Wilson2008Education] Wilson, Mark. 2008. Education in the Earliest Schools. Cuneiform Manuscripts in the Cotsen Collection. Los Angeles: Cotsen Occasional Press.

  • history: RA 113, 099-122 , letter 1

    [Béranger2019RA113] Béranger, Marine. 2019. “Dur-Abi-Ešuh And The Aftermath Of The Attack On Nippur.” Revue d’Assyriologie et d’Archéologie Orientale 113: 99–122.

  • citation: Béranger, Marine, NABU 2018/102 2

    [sec53174] N.d.

Revisions and credits

Created Creator Type Authors Project Reviewer Status Action
2024-09-23 at 12:49:00 Firth, Richard Artifact metadata, Other metadata Firth, Richard Firth, Richard Approved View
2022-08-03 at 14:57:37 Foxvog, Daniel A. Transliteration Foxvog, Daniel A. CDLI, CDLI Approved View
2021-12-19 at 22:01:05 Foxvog, Daniel A. Transliteration Foxvog, Daniel A. CDLI, CDLI Approved View
2005-08-10 at 00:00:00 CDLI, CDLI Artifact metadata Guerra, Dylan CDLI, CDLI Approved View

Cite this Artifact

“Education in the Earliest Schools 006 Artifact Entry.” (2005) 2024. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). September 23, 2024. https://cdli.earth/P273811.
Education in the Earliest Schools 006 artifact entry (No. P273811). (2024, September 23). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P273811 (Original work published 2005)
Education in the Earliest Schools 006 artifact entry (2024) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P273811 (Accessed: October 30, 2026).
@misc{2024Education,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-10-30]},
	year = {2024},
	month = {sep 23},
	title = {Education in the {Earliest} {Schools} 006 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P273811},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P273811},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2024/9/23/
PY  - 2024
ID  - P273811
LB  - CDLI:P273811
M1  - 2026/10/30/
TI  - Education in the Earliest Schools 006 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P273811
ER  -

Cite this Artifact

“Education in the Earliest Schools 006 Artifact Entry.” (2005) 2024. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). September 23, 2024. https://cdli.earth/P273811.
Education in the Earliest Schools 006 artifact entry (No. P273811). (2024, September 23). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P273811 (Original work published 2005)
Education in the Earliest Schools 006 artifact entry (2024) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P273811 (Accessed: October 30, 2026).
@misc{2024Education,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-10-30]},
	year = {2024},
	month = {sep 23},
	title = {Education in the {Earliest} {Schools} 006 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P273811},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P273811},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2024/9/23/
PY  - 2024
ID  - P273811
LB  - CDLI:P273811
M1  - 2026/10/30/
TI  - Education in the Earliest Schools 006 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P273811
ER  -
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