CDLI Literary 000638, ex. 002 (P346207)

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 4.08.07 Inanna and Dumuzi G (witness))

Language(s)

Sumerian

Measurements

-

Witness

Text

tablet
obverse
1. x# lam-lam-ma [...]
 en: Flourishing ..., ... his birth mother
2. SZA3 i-bi2 sa6-sa6# [...] ad mu-un#-[...]
 en: Brother(!?) with a beautiful face, he has advised his father
3. szesz-me he2-me-en# [...]
 en: May you be our brother, may you be our brother
4. uri3 ka2! e2-gal#-[...]
 en: May you be our ... of/at the gate of the palace
5. u3-mu-un si# [...]
 en: May you be our lord of the prow of the barge
6. nu-banda3 {gesz}gigir2-[...]
 en: May you be our captain of the chariot
7. szusz3 {gesz}gigir2 sar-sar#?-[...]
 en: May you be our groom who runs (alongside?) the chariot
8. ad-da iri di ku5#-ru#?-[...]
 en: May you be our city elder who decides cases
9. mussa NE-DU mussa# [...]
 en: Son-in-law ..., son-in-law ...
10. szesz mussa ad#-da#-[...]
 en: Brother, may you be the son-in-law(!?) of(?) our father
11. mussa gu2 zi-ga-me he2#-[...]
 en: May you be our son-in-law whose neck is raised
reverse
1. ama-gu10 nig2-ze2-ba hu-mu-u8-da-[...]
 en: May my mother say good things with you(? i.e. converse)
2. im-ma-gen-na-zu na-ag2-ti na-nam#
 en: Your having come is indeed life
3. e2 ku4-ra-zu he2-gal2-la-am3#
 en: When you enter the house, it is abundance
4. da-nu2-da hul2-la diri#-[...]
 en: "I want to lie down” is my surpassing rejoicing
5. ze2-ba-gu10 ki-nu2-x ze2-ba-an-ze2-eg3-i-de3-en#?
 en: My sweet, let (us?) delight ourselves(!?) in the bedroom
  double ruling
  blank space

Text content

Genre(s) Literary (ETCSL 4.08.07 Inanna and Dumuzi G (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):

Record

LOD URI https://cdli.network/entity/P346207

Physical information

Artifact type Tablet
Dimensions
Weight
Material(s) Clay
Preservation

Provenance

Provenience Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar)
Written In
Archive
Excavation Number U 16876a
Findspot
Stratigraphic Level
Elevation

Collections

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

References

  • history: UET 6, 0122

    [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
2019-06-11 at 16:31:39 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI, CDLI Approved View
2019-05-29 at 21:01:58 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. 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 000638, Ex. 002 Artifact Entry.” (2006) 2023. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). June 15, 2023. https://cdli.earth/P346207.
CDLI Literary 000638, ex. 002 artifact entry (No. P346207). (2023, June 15). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P346207 (Original work published 2006)
CDLI Literary 000638, ex. 002 artifact entry (2023) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P346207 (Accessed: November 6, 2026).
@misc{2023CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-11-06]},
	year = {2023},
	month = {jun 15},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000638, ex. 002 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P346207},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P346207},
}

TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2023/6/15/
PY  - 2023
ID  - P346207
LB  - CDLI:P346207
M1  - 2026/11/6/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000638, ex. 002 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P346207
ER  - 

Cite this Artifact

“CDLI Literary 000638, Ex. 002 Artifact Entry.” (2006) 2023. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). June 15, 2023. https://cdli.earth/P346207.
CDLI Literary 000638, ex. 002 artifact entry (No. P346207). (2023, June 15). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P346207 (Original work published 2006)
CDLI Literary 000638, ex. 002 artifact entry (2023) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P346207 (Accessed: November 6, 2026).
@misc{2023CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-11-06]},
	year = {2023},
	month = {jun 15},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000638, ex. 002 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P346207},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P346207},
}

TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2023/6/15/
PY  - 2023
ID  - P346207
LB  - CDLI:P346207
M1  - 2026/11/6/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000638, ex. 002 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P346207
ER  - 
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