BM 020054 (P107220)

Administrative tablet excavated in Girsu (mod. Tello), dated to the Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC) period and now kept in British Museum, London, UK

Museum Collection(s)

British Museum, London, UK

Museum Number

BM 020054

Period

Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC)

Provenience

Girsu (mod. Tello)

Artifact Type

Tablet

Material(s)

Clay

Genre / Subgenre(s)

Administrative (metro-mathematical)

Language(s)

Sumerian

Measurements

-

Text

tablet
obverse
1. 3(gesz2) 2(u) la2 1(disz) ninda gid2 1(disz) 1/2(disz) kusz3 dagal i3-hi 4(disz) kusz3 sukud
 en: (Pise wall:) 199 ninda the length, 1 1/2 cubits the average width, 4 cubits the depth;
2. 1(disz) ninda-na 1/2(disz) sar-ta
 en: per (running) ninda 1/2 (volume) sar,
  calculation: 1 × 1.5/12 × 4 = 0.5
3. kin-bi 1(gesz2) 3(u) 9(disz) 1/2(disz) sar
 en: work involved: 99 1/2 (volume) sar;
  calculation: 199 ÷ 2 = 99 1/2
4. gurusz 1(disz)-e 3(disz) 2/3(disz) gin2 1(disz) 5(disz) sze-ta
 en: per worker (day): 3 3/4 (volume) shekels;
5. a2-bi 2(gesz'u) 6(gesz2) 3(u) 2(disz) gurusz u4 1(disz)-sze3
 en: the labor: 1592 workdays;
  calculation: 99.5 ÷ 3.75/60 = 1592
6. gurusz 1(disz)-e a2-ni 6(disz) sila3-ta
 en: disbursement per workerday: 6 sila3 (barley);
7. sze-bi 3(u) 1(asz) 4(barig) 1(ban2) 2(disz) sila3 gur
 en: the barley: 31 gur 4 barig 1 ban2 2 sila3;
  calculation: 1592 × 6 ÷ 300 = 31;4,1,2
8. lu2 hun-ga2-me
 en: they are hired men;
  blank space
9. 1(disz) 1/2(disz) ninda gid2 1(disz) 1/2(disz) kusz3 dagal 4(disz) kusz3 sukud
 en: (Pise wall:) 1 1/2 ninda the length, 1 1/2 cubits the width, 4 cubits the depth;
10. kin-bi 2/3(disz) sar 5(disz) gin2
 en: work involved: 2/3 (volume) sar 5 (volume) shekels;
  calculation: 1.5 × 1.5/12 × 4 = .75
11. he2-dab5-me
 en: they are ḫedab;
  blank space
reverse
  blank space
1. im du8-a gid2-da
 en: pisé wall construction, drawn long,
2. {gesz}kiri6 {d}ba-ba6-nin-si-sa2-a
 en: in the orchard of Baba-nin-sisa;
3. sza3 gar3-szum{ki}-ka
 en: of Garšum;
4. giri3 ur-{d}ba-ba6 dumu szabra-e2
 en: responsible: Ur-Baba, son of the household manager,
5. lugal-mu-su-da
 en: Lugal-musuda,
6. u3 lugal-{d}ba-ba6 dumu ur-{d}lamma
 en: and Lugal-baba son of Ur-Lamma;
7. mu {d}i-bi2-{d}suen lugal
 en: the year: “Ibbi-Suen is king.”

Text content

Genre(s) Administrative (metro-mathematical)
Language(s) Sumerian

Chronology

Period Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC)
Accounting Period

Record

LOD URI https://cdli.network/entity/P107220

Physical information

Artifact type Tablet
Dimensions
Weight
Material(s) Clay
Preservation

Provenance

Provenience Girsu (mod. Tello) [uncertain]
Written In
Archive
Excavation Number
Findspot
Stratigraphic Level
Elevation

Collections

Collection(s) British Museum, London, UK
Museum Number BM 020054
Accession Number 1895-10-17, 0094

External resources

External Resource Identifiers
Database of Neo-Sumerian Texts (BDTNS) 041457
Electronic Babylonian Library (eBL) BM.20054
British Museum Collection (BM) W_1895-1017-94

References

  • primary: JESHO 31, p.121-185, p. 178-179

    [Englund1988timekeeping] Englund, Robert K. 1988. “Administrative Timekeeping in Ancient Mesopotamia.” Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient 31: 121–85.

    (from Sigrist)

  • history: CBT 2, BM 020054

    [CBT21996] Sigrist, Marcel, Hugo H. Figulla, and Christopher B. F. Walker. 1996. Catalogue of the Babylonian Tablets in the British Museum. Vol. 2. British Museum Press.

Revisions and credits

Created Creator Type Authors Project Reviewer Status Action
2023-08-19 at 13:27:14 Rattenborg, Rune Artifact metadata Rattenborg, Rune; Smidt, Gustav Ryberg Geomapping Landscapes of Writing Rattenborg, Rune Approved View
2023-07-28 at 14:24:41 Firth, Richard Artifact metadata Firth, Richard Firth, Richard Approved View
2023-01-19 at 09:57:24 Pagé-Perron, Émilie Artifact metadata Földi, Zsombor J.; Jiménez, Enrique; Pagé-Perron, Émilie Electronic Babylonian Library Pagé-Perron, Émilie Approved View
2021-10-09 at 14:55:48 Jagersma, Bram Transliteration Jagersma, Bram CDLI Approved View
2021-10-09 at 14:30:06 Jagersma, Bram Transliteration Jagersma, Bram CDLI Approved View
2021-10-09 at 14:27:48 Jagersma, Bram Transliteration Jagersma, Bram CDLI Approved View
2017-06-23 at 12:19:32 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI Approved View
2014-08-11 at 08:26:47 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI Approved View
2012-04-09 at 13:19:02 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI Approved View
2011-07-22 at 13:26:56 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI Approved View
2011-05-02 at 14:10:22 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI Approved View
2009-12-02 at 01:50:57 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI Approved View
2009-12-02 at 01:49:58 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI Approved View
2001-12-20 at 00:00:00 CDLI Artifact metadata CDLI CDLI Approved View

Cite this Artifact

“BM 020054 Artifact Entry.” (2001) 2023. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). August 19, 2023. https://cdli.earth/P107220.
BM 020054 artifact entry (No. P107220). (2023, August 19). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P107220 (Original work published 2001)
BM 020054 artifact entry (2023) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P107220 (Accessed: May 14, 2026).
@misc{2023BM,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-05-14]},
	year = {2023},
	month = {aug 19},
	title = {BM 020054 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P107220},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P107220},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2023/8/19/
PY  - 2023
ID  - P107220
LB  - CDLI:P107220
M1  - 2026/5/14/
TI  - BM 020054 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P107220
ER  -

Cite this Artifact

“BM 020054 Artifact Entry.” (2001) 2023. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). August 19, 2023. https://cdli.earth/P107220.
BM 020054 artifact entry (No. P107220). (2023, August 19). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P107220 (Original work published 2001)
BM 020054 artifact entry (2023) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P107220 (Accessed: May 14, 2026).
@misc{2023BM,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-05-14]},
	year = {2023},
	month = {aug 19},
	title = {BM 020054 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P107220},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P107220},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2023/8/19/
PY  - 2023
ID  - P107220
LB  - CDLI:P107220
M1  - 2026/5/14/
TI  - BM 020054 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P107220
ER  -
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