ARM 05, 020 (P338870)

Letter tablet excavated in Mari (mod. Tell Hariri), dated to the Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC) period and now kept in National Museum of Syria, Damascus, Syria

Lineart

Museum Collection(s)

National Museum of Syria, Damascus, Syria

Museum Number

NMSD —

Period

Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC)

Provenience

Mari (mod. Tell Hariri)

Artifact Type

Tablet

Material(s)

Clay

Genre / Subgenre(s)

Letter

Language(s)

Akkadian

Measurements

-

Text

tablet
obverse
1. a-na isz-me-{d}da-gan
 ts: ana išme-dagan
 en: To Išme-Dagan
2. qi2-bi2-ma
 ts: qibima
 en: speak!
3. um-ma isz-hi-{d}iszkur a-ha-ka-a-ma
 ts: umma išḫi-addu aḫakama
 en: Thus Išḫi-Addu, your brother:
  = Yasmah-Addu (letter retained in Mari?)
4. a-wa-tam an-ni-tam a-na la qa-be2-e-em-ma
 ts: awātam annītam ana lā qabêmma
 en: This word is unspeakable,
5. u3 i-na-an-na lu-uq-bi-ma
 ts: u inanna luqbima
 en: yet now may I speak, and
6. u3 li-ib-bi lu-na-ap-pi2-i-isz
 ts: u libbī lunappiš
 en: further may my heart relax!
7. _lugal_ ra-bu-um at-ta 2(disz) _ansze-kur-ra_
 ts: šarrum rabûm atta šinā sisî
 en: A great king are you. Two horses
8. e-ri-isz-ta-ka te-ri-sza-an-ni-ma
 ts: erištaka tērišannimma
 en: as your request you requested from me, and
9. u3 u2-sza-ri-a-kum
 ts: u ušari’akkum
 en: further I had (them) led to you.
10. u3 at-ta 2(u) _ma-na an-na_{a-na-ka-am}
 ts: u atta ešrā manê annakam
 en: But as for you, 20 minas of tin
11. tu-sza-bi-lam i-na la da-ba-ba-am
 ts: tušābilam ina lā dabābam
 en: you sent to me. To not act
12. i-sza-ri-isz it-ti-ia
 ts: išariš ittiya
 en: straight with me
13. la ha-asz-ha-ta _an-na_ i-s,a-am an-ni-tam
 ts: lā ḫašḫāta annakam īṣam annītam
 en: may you not desire! This little tin
14. tu-sza-bi-lam szum-ma-an
 ts: tušābilam šumman
 en: you sent! If but
15. szu-bu-lum-ma la tu-sza-ab-ba-lam
 ts: šūbulumma lā tušabbalam
 en: you were not sending me anything!
16. asz-szum _dingir_ sza a-bi-ia
 ts: aššum ilim ša abiya
 en: On account of the god of my father,
17. szum-ma-an li-ib-bi im-ra-as,
 ts: šumman libbī imraṣ
 en: if but my heart were ill!
18. szi-im _ansze-kur-ra_
 ts: šīm sisî
 en: The price of horses,
19. a-nu-um-mu-tim
 ts: annummûtim
 en: the aforementioned,
20. it-ti-ni i-na qa-ta-na{ki}
 ts: ittini ina qatana
 en: with us in Qatna
reverse
1. 6(disz) me-tim _ku3-babbar_-szu-nu
 ts: šeššet mētim kaspišunu
 en: is 6 hundred (shekels) of silver,
2. u3 at-ta 2(u) _ma-na an-na_
 ts: u atta ešrā manê annakam
 en: but you, 20 minas of tin
  = 60 shekels silver
3. tu-sza-bi-lam u3 sze-mu-u2-um
 ts: tušābilam u šēmûm
 en: you sent me. Further, the one who hears,
4. mi-nam i-qa-ab-bi u2-ul i-ta-pa-la-ne2-ti-i
 ts: mīnam iqabbi ul ītapalnêti
 en: will say what? “He has not dealt so with us.”
5. _e2_ an-nu-u2-um _e2-ka_
 ts: bītum annûm bītka
 en: This house is your house.
6. i-na _e2_-ka mi-nu-um ha-t,i3
 ts: ina bītika mīnum ḫaṭi
 en: In your house, what is missing?
7. a!-hu-um a-na a-hi-im
 ts: aḫum ana aḫim
 en: Does brother to brother
8. e-ri-isz-ta-a-am u2-ul i-na-ad-di-in
 ts: erištam ul inaddin
 en: a wish not grant?
9. szum-ma-an _an-na_{a-na-ka-am}
 ts: šumman annakam
 en: If but tin
10. la tu-sza-ab-ba-la-am
 ts: lā tušabbalam
 en: you were not sending to me!
11. mi-im-ma li-ib-bi
 ts: mimma libbī
 en: My heart
12. u2-la-ma-an im-ra-as,
 ts: ullāman imraṣ
 en: would not have been sick at all.
13. u2-ul _lugal_ ra-bu-um at-ta
 ts: ul šarrum rabûm atta
 en: Not a great king are you.
14. am-mi-nim an-ni-tam te-pu-usz
 ts: ammīnim annītam tēpuš
 en: Why have you done this?
15. _e2_ an-nu-u-um _e2_-ka
 ts: bītum annûm bītka
 en: This house is your house.

Text content

Genre(s) Letter
Language(s) Akkadian

Chronology

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

Record

LOD URI https://cdli.network/entity/P338870

Physical information

Artifact type Tablet
Dimensions
Weight
Material(s) Clay
Preservation

Provenance

Provenience Mari (mod. Tell Hariri)
Written In
Archive
Excavation Number
Findspot
Stratigraphic Level
Elevation

Collections

Collection(s) National Museum of Syria, Damascus, Syria
Museum Number NMSD —
Accession Number

External resources

External Resource Identifiers
Archives Babyloniennes (ARCHIBAB) 8155

References

  • primary: ARM 5, 020

    [Dossin1951ARM5] Dossin, Georges. 1951. Lettres. Archives Royales de Mari 5. Paris: Librairie Orientaliste Paul Geuthner.

  • history: LAPO 16, p. 403 no. 256

    [Durand1997LAPO16] Durand, Jean-Marie. 1997. Les Documents Épistolaires Du Palais de Mari. Tome I. Littératures Anciennes Du Proche-Orient 16. Paris: Les Éditions du CERF.

Revisions and credits

Created Creator Type Authors Project Reviewer Status Action
2024-08-09 at 12:49:58 Firth, Richard Artifact metadata, Other metadata Firth, Richard Firth, Richard Approved View
2023-10-11 at 12:41:16 Rattenborg, Rune Artifact metadata Charpin, Dominique; Rattenborg, Rune Archives Babyloniennes Rattenborg, Rune Approved View
2019-08-22 at 01:56:37 Lafont, Bertrand Transliteration Giles, Ralph CDLI, CDLI Approved View
2014-06-02 at 08:27:35 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Washburn, Jody E. CDLI, CDLI Approved View
2014-05-25 at 21:48:08 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Price, Jason R. CDLI, CDLI Approved View
2006-09-22 at 00:00:00 CDLI, CDLI Artifact metadata Ajango, Kelsey M.; Ben-Marzouk, Nadia; Guerra, Dylan; Price, Jason R.; Reynolds, Kathryn R.; Washburn, Jody E. CDLI, CDLI Approved View

Cite this Artifact

“ARM 05, 020 Artifact Entry.” (2006) 2024. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). August 9, 2024. https://cdli.earth/P338870.
ARM 05, 020 artifact entry (No. P338870). (2024, August 9). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P338870 (Original work published 2006)
ARM 05, 020 artifact entry (2024) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P338870 (Accessed: October 24, 2026).
@misc{2024ARM,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-10-24]},
	year = {2024},
	month = {aug 9},
	title = {ARM 05, 020 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P338870},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P338870},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2024/8/9/
PY  - 2024
ID  - P338870
LB  - CDLI:P338870
M1  - 2026/10/24/
TI  - ARM 05, 020 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P338870
ER  -

Cite this Artifact

“ARM 05, 020 Artifact Entry.” (2006) 2024. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). August 9, 2024. https://cdli.earth/P338870.
ARM 05, 020 artifact entry (No. P338870). (2024, August 9). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P338870 (Original work published 2006)
ARM 05, 020 artifact entry (2024) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P338870 (Accessed: October 24, 2026).
@misc{2024ARM,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-10-24]},
	year = {2024},
	month = {aug 9},
	title = {ARM 05, 020 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P338870},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P338870},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2024/8/9/
PY  - 2024
ID  - P338870
LB  - CDLI:P338870
M1  - 2026/10/24/
TI  - ARM 05, 020 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P338870
ER  -
This website uses essential cookies that are necessary for it to work properly. These cookies are enabled by default.