CDLI Literary 000339, ex. 021 (P346100)

Literary tablet excavated in Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar), dated to the Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC) period and now kept in British Museum, London, UK

Museum Collection(s)

British Museum, London, UK

Museum Number

BM —

Period

Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC)

Provenience

Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar)

Artifact Type

Tablet

Material(s)

Clay

Genre / Subgenre(s)

Literary (ETCSL 1.03.02 Inanna and Ebih ('Decad no. 08') (witness))

Language(s)

Sumerian

Measurements

-

Witness

Text

tablet
obverse
1. a2 mah#-bi#-sze3 gu4 mah ga-ba-szi-in-DU
 en: I want to bring a great bull against its supreme power(?)
2. a2 tur-bi-sze3 gu4# tur# ga-ba-szi-in-DU
 en: I want to bring a small bull against its small power(?)
3. hub2 ga-mu-un-szub e#-[...]-x ku3-ga ga-mu-ni-in-sar
 en: I want to run(?) there, I want to chase the holy skipping rope there
4. hur#-sag#-ga2 me3 ga-ba#-DU#-DU szen-szen ga-ba-ab-sar#-sar
 en: In the mountain I want to continually go(?) to(?) battle, I want to chase the battle(?)
5. ti mar-rux(TE)-am3 si# ga-bi2-ib2#-sa2#
 en: I shall set the arrow that is (in) my quiver(?) straight
6. a2-sig3 ebih2-bi ga-ba-ab-sur-sur
 en: I want to twist slingstones (together) like a heavy rope
7. {gesz}gid2-da nig2 su-ub ga-ba-ab#-ak
 en: I want to polish the spear
8. {gesz}illar gesz {kusz}gurx(ZI)ur3-ra si#! bi2-ib2#-[...]-sa2#?
 en: I(!?) want to have the throwstick and shield(!?) set in order
9. tir us2!-sa-bi izi ga-x-[...]
 en: I want to strike its adjoining forests with fire
10. hul-du-bi-sze3 {uruda}ha-zi#-in# ga#-x-x-ti#?
 en: I want to ... the hazin axe against its evildoers
11. a2-nigin2-bi {d}gibil6 lu2 sikil#?-la#?-[...] ga#-ba-an-du12-du12
 en: I want to station Gibil the purifier to work in its standing water
12. hur-sag# lam#-[...] szu# nu#-te#?-ga2# [...] ga#-ba#-ni-ib2-su
 en: I want to submerge/make distant(?) its aura among(?) the mountain range of Aratta, which no hand can approach
13. iri an-ne2 nam ba-ku5-da-gin7 [...]-an#-gi4-gi4
 en: Like a city cursed by An, it shall not return it to its place, to its place!
reverse
1. {d}en-lil2-le sag-ki gid2-da-gin7 gu2# [...]-zi-zi
 en: Like one frowned at by Enlil, it shall not raise its neck there(?)
2. kur-re in-ti-gu10 he2#-ku-kur
 en: The mountain should wish for/observe(?) my way
3. {d}ebih{ki} ka-tar-ra-gu10 he2#-si#-il#-le# me#-tesz2 hu-mu-i-i
 en: Ebih should praise me, Ebih should extol me
4. an lugal dingir-re-e-ne-ke4 mu#-x-ni-x-gi4-gi4
 en: An, the king of the gods, was replying
5. lu2#?-tur-gu10! kur al bi2-in-du11 sza3#-[...] a#-na ab#-be2
 en: My child, you(?) have desired the mountain, (but) what will its midst accomplish(?)
6. in!-nin-me-en kur al bi2-in-du11# [... a]-na# ab-be2
 en: You are the lady, the one who has desired the mountain, (but) what will (its) midst accomplish(?)
7. {d#}inanna-me-en kur al bi2#-in#-du11# [... a]-na# ab-be2
 en: You are Inanna, the one who has desired the mountain, (but) what will (its) midst accomplish(?)
8. hur-sag# {d#}ebih#{ki#?}-[...] sza3#? a#!?-na ab-be2
 en: (You are the one) who has desired the mountain range of Ebih, (but) what will (its) midst accomplish(?)
9. ki#-[...] im#-da#?-ri
 en: The abode/station of the gods is imposed with a furious aura
10. ki#!?-tusz# [...] {d}a-nun#-na#-[...]-zi#? he2-em-duh-duh
 en: And thus(?) a radiance is released upon the holy dwelling of the Anuna
11. hur-sag-ga2! me!-lam2-bi husz-a kur#-kur#-[...]-ri
 en: The red/furious aura of the mountain range is imposed upon the lands
12. sukud#-da-bi#? an#?-na# si?-bi x x x [...]-e3#?-a#?
 en: Its height is “of heaven"(?), its horn(?) brought out(?) ...

Text content

Genre(s) Literary (ETCSL 1.03.02 Inanna and Ebih ('Decad no. 08') (witness))
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 000339 (Inanna and Ebih) composite (P469521) Q000339 View the score

Record

LOD URI https://cdli.network/entity/P346100

Physical information

Artifact type Tablet
Dimensions
Weight
Material(s) Clay
Preservation

Provenance

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

Collections

Collection(s) British Museum, London, UK
Museum Number BM —
Accession Number

External resources

External Resource Identifiers
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature transliterations (ETCSL transliterations) 1.3.2
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature translations (ETCSL translations) 1.3.2
Ancient Records of Middle Eastern Polities (ARMEP) P346100

References

  • history: UET 6, 0015

    [Gadd1963UET6] Gadd, Cyril John, and Aaron Shaffer. 1963, 1966, 2005. Ur Excavations Texts Vol. VI.

Revisions and credits

Created Creator Type Authors Project Reviewer Status Action
2023-06-15 at 20:34:30 Rattenborg, Rune Artifact metadata Rattenborg, Rune Geomapping Landscapes of Writing Rattenborg, Rune Approved View
2019-05-29 at 21:02:00 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Peterson, Jeremiah CDLI, CDLI Approved View
2006-11-02 at 00:00:00 CDLI, CDLI Artifact metadata Foxvog, Daniel A.; Guerra, Dylan; Peterson, Jeremiah; Veldhuis, Niek; Wolfe, Jared N. CDLI, CDLI Approved View

Cite this Artifact

“CDLI Literary 000339, Ex. 021 Artifact Entry.” (2006) 2023. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). June 15, 2023. https://cdli.earth/P346100.
CDLI Literary 000339, ex. 021 artifact entry (No. P346100). (2023, June 15). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P346100 (Original work published 2006)
CDLI Literary 000339, ex. 021 artifact entry (2023) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P346100 (Accessed: November 1, 2026).
@misc{2023CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-11-01]},
	year = {2023},
	month = {jun 15},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000339, ex. 021 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P346100},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P346100},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2023/6/15/
PY  - 2023
ID  - P346100
LB  - CDLI:P346100
M1  - 2026/11/1/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000339, ex. 021 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P346100
ER  -

Cite this Artifact

“CDLI Literary 000339, Ex. 021 Artifact Entry.” (2006) 2023. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). June 15, 2023. https://cdli.earth/P346100.
CDLI Literary 000339, ex. 021 artifact entry (No. P346100). (2023, June 15). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P346100 (Original work published 2006)
CDLI Literary 000339, ex. 021 artifact entry (2023) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P346100 (Accessed: November 1, 2026).
@misc{2023CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-11-01]},
	year = {2023},
	month = {jun 15},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000339, ex. 021 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P346100},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P346100},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2023/6/15/
PY  - 2023
ID  - P346100
LB  - CDLI:P346100
M1  - 2026/11/1/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000339, ex. 021 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P346100
ER  -
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