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
Image
© [see publications]
Transliteration
tablet
obverse
1. [a]-na a-ad-da-a
ts: ana addaya
en: To Addaya,
2. [qi2]-bi2-ma
ts: qibima
en: speak;
3. [um]-ma ia-as2-ma-ah-{d}iszkur
ts: umma yasmaḫ-addu
en: thus Yasmaḫ-Addu,
4. _dumu_-ka-a-ma
ts: mārkama
en: your son:
5. asz-szum {disz}me-ra-[nim] a-si-i
ts: aššum mērānim asî
en: As to Mērānum the physician’s
6. an-ni-isz a-la-ki#-im
ts: annîš alākim
en: coming,
7. i-na pa-ni-tim-ma
ts: ina pānītimma
en: previously
8. a-na a-ad-da-a aq-bi#
ts: ana addaya aqbi
en: to Addaya I spoke.
9. i-na-an-na
ts: inanna
en: As of now
reverse
1. [ul ik]-szu#-dam-[ma]
ts: ul ikšudamma
en: he has not arrived, and
2. [{disz}]ri-szi-ia
ts: rīšiya
en: Rīšiya
3. i-na# na#-pi2-isz#-[ti]-szu#
ts: ina napištišu
en: in his life
4. na-di ma-di#-[isz]
ts: nadi mādiš
en: is threatened—he is very
5. ma-ru-us, szum-[ma li-ib]-bi
ts: maruṣ šumma libbi
en: sick! If it is the heart of
6. a-ad-da-a me-ra-nu-um
ts: addaya mērānum
en: Addaya, Mērānum
7. ar-hi-isz li-ik#-szu-dam-ma
ts: arhiš likšudamma
en: quickly should arrive, and
8. na-pi2-isz-ti ri-szi-ia
ts: napišti rīšiya
en: the life of Rīšiya
9. li-ik-szu-ud
ts: likšud
en: save!
10. la# i-ma-a-at
ts: lā imât
en: May he not die!