MVN 11, 004 (P116018)

Administrative tablet & envelope excavated in Girsu (mod. Tello), dated to the Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC) period and now kept in Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Museum Collection(s)

Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Museum Number

SM 1909.05.001

Period

Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC)

Provenience

Girsu (mod. Tello)

Artifact Type

Tablet & envelope

Material(s)

Clay

Genre / Subgenre(s)

Administrative (SM catalogue: unbroken envelope--account of silver and nikiptu-plant (šim-d nin-urta-tum = nikiptu))

Language(s)

Sumerian

Measurements

57.0 mm × 47.0 mm × 30.0 mm

Has seal impression(s)

Text

tablet
obverse
1. 3(disz) ma-na 1(disz) 1/2(disz) gin2 1(u) 5(disz) sze ku3-babbar
 en: 3 mana 1 1/2 shekel 15 grains silver,
2. 4(disz) 2/3(disz) ma-na SZIM {d}nin-eb-tum
 en: 4 2/3 mana resin of Ninebtum (?),
  blank space
  seal impression
3. si-i3-tum
 en: the remainder of
4. mu us2-sa bad3 ma-da ba-du3
 en: year after: “The wall of the land was erected;”
reverse
1. 2(barig) sze lugal
 en: 2 barig barley, royal (measure),
2. si-i3-tum
 en: remainder
  some text moved to next line
3. mu en {d}nanna
 en: of year: “The high-priestess of Nanna;”
4. kiszib3 ur-sa6-ga nu-banda3 su-su-dam
 en: under seal of Ur-saga, manager, to be repaid;
5. dam-gar3-ne-bi gi-ne2-dam
 en: the trade agents will confirm;
6. mu {d}amar-{d}suen lugal
 en: year: “Amar-Suen (is) king.”
seal 1
1. ur-sa6-ga
 en: Ur-saga
2. nu-banda3
 en: manager
3. gu-za-la2
 en: of throne bearers.

Text content

Genre(s) Administrative (SM catalogue: unbroken envelope--account of silver and nikiptu-plant (šim-d nin-urta-tum = nikiptu))
Language(s) Sumerian

Chronology

Period Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC)
Accounting Period Šulgi.38.00.00 (us2 year) to Amar-Suen.01.00.00

Seals

This artifact is impressed by the following seal(s):

Seal Seal Number Provenience Period Date
CDLI Seals 004676 (composite) (P457386) S004676 Girsu (mod. Tello) Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC)

Record

LOD URI https://cdli.network/entity/P116018

Physical information

unopened envelope

Artifact type Tablet & envelope
unopened envelope
Dimensions 57.0 mm × 47.0 mm × 30.0 mm
Weight
Material(s) Clay
Preservation
complete.

Provenance

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

Collections

Collection(s) Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Museum Number SM 1909.05.001
Accession Number 06165

External resources

External Resource Identifiers
Database of Neo-Sumerian Texts (BDTNS) 024133

References

  • primary: MVN 11, 4

    [Owen1982MVN11] Owen, David I. 1982. Selected Ur III Texts from the Harvard Semitic Museum. Materiali per Il Vocabolario Neosumerico 11. Roma: Multigrafica Editrice.

  • history: BBVO 10, p. 36-37

    [Englund1990Fischerei] Englund, Robert K. 1990. Organisation Und Verwaltung Der Ur III-Fischerei. Berliner Beiträge Zum Vorderen Orient, Band 10. Berlin: Dietrich Reimer.

Revisions and credits

Created Creator Type Authors Project Reviewer Status Action
2016-12-15 at 17:09:24 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI Approved View
2016-01-19 at 13:26:57 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI Approved View
2015-06-12 at 09:52:39 CDLI Transliteration CDLI CDLI Approved View
2014-03-16 at 14:45:55 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI Approved View
2011-07-22 at 13:40:06 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI Approved View
2011-05-02 at 14:19:22 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI Approved View
2006-10-12 at 12:20:48 CDLI Transliteration CDLI CDLI Approved View
2001-12-20 at 00:00:00 CDLI Artifact metadata CDLI CDLI Approved View

Cite this Artifact

“MVN 11, 004 Artifact Entry.” 2001. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). December 20, 2001. https://cdli.earth/P116018.
MVN 11, 004 artifact entry (No. P116018). (2001, December 20). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P116018
MVN 11, 004 artifact entry (2001) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P116018 (Accessed: May 14, 2026).
@misc{2001MVN,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-05-14]},
	year = {2001},
	month = {dec 20},
	title = {MVN 11, 004 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P116018},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P116018},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2001/12/20/
PY  - 2001
ID  - P116018
LB  - CDLI:P116018
M1  - 2026/5/14/
TI  - MVN 11, 004 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P116018
ER  -

Cite this Artifact

“MVN 11, 004 Artifact Entry.” 2001. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). December 20, 2001. https://cdli.earth/P116018.
MVN 11, 004 artifact entry (No. P116018). (2001, December 20). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P116018
MVN 11, 004 artifact entry (2001) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P116018 (Accessed: May 14, 2026).
@misc{2001MVN,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-05-14]},
	year = {2001},
	month = {dec 20},
	title = {MVN 11, 004 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P116018},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P116018},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2001/12/20/
PY  - 2001
ID  - P116018
LB  - CDLI:P116018
M1  - 2026/5/14/
TI  - MVN 11, 004 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P116018
ER  -
This website uses essential cookies that are necessary for it to work properly. These cookies are enabled by default.