CDLI Literary 000577, ex. 001 (P254853)

Literary letter and letter-prayer tablet excavated in Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar), dated to the Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC) period and now kept in Penn Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

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Text / annotations

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Chemical Data

Seal Chemistry

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Metadata history Transliteration history

Museum Collection(s)

Penn Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Museum Number

UM 52-30-273

Period

Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC)

Provenience

Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar)

Artifact Type

Tablet

Material(s)

Clay

Genre / Subgenre(s)

Literary > Literary letter and letter-prayer (ETCSL 3.03.05 Letter from ensi and sanga to King (witness) Survey; letter)

Language(s)

Sumerian

Measurements

-

Witness

tablet
obverse
1. a-sza3 PA?-am3{ki} x [...] GAN2#-am3
 en: (A plot in?) the ... field, which consists of ... iku
2. esz2#-gar3 {d}en-lil2 u3 {d}nin-urta
 en: The land assigned to Enlil and Ninurta
3. sza3-bi!-ta 3(bur'u) GAN2-am3
 en: From among this(!) 30 bur3
4. kur6 lu2-NIG2-PAD-e-ne
 en: (is) the ration (providing land)/share of the (temples'?) requisitioners(!?)
5. e!?-bi?-sze3 sahar 2(iku) GAN2 x-a
 en: Towards its embankment(?), earth (was piled?), 2 iku ...
6. al-ta ba-dub2 erin2!?-ta x-ze2#?
 en: Was struck by the hoe and cleared of (weeds)(?) by the workforce(?)
7. kinx?(TUK)-sze3! SAR a sza3-gu4 lu2-engar-bi nu-gal2?
 en: (But) in order to do the work (of plowing)(?) ... there are not drover(s) or plowmen/farmer(s) present(?)
8. iq-bi2-sum2 u3 a-bi!?-x-x
 en: Iqbisum and ...
9. inim mu-e-de!-gar-re-esz
 en: made a legal claim about (the portion of the field or the lack of procured labor?)
10. tukum-bi lugal-gu10
 en: If this to my king,
11. an-na-du10
 en: is amenable,
12. ra-gaba hu-mu-un-gi4-gi4
 en: he should send a rider (to this effect)
reverse
1. kin2#? ak bulugx(BUR2?) a-sza3-ga-bi?
 en: The working(?) and boundary stakes(?) of the field
2. KA KA? KA mu-ni-ib!?-x-x-NE?
 en: He will ...
  blank space

Consult previous versions and their differences
Consult sign list of Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC)
Consult word list of Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC)

  • Artifact type: Tablet
  • Material: Clay
  • Measurements (mm):
  • Weight:
  • Artifact Preservation:
  • Condition Description:
  • Join Information:
  • Seal no.:
  • Seal information:
  • Artifact comments:

  • history: UET 5, 862

    [Figulla1953UET5] Figulla, Hugo H., and William J. Martin. 1953. Letters and Documents of the Old-Babylonian Period. Ur Excavations. Texts 5. London: The Trustees of the two Museums.

  • Composite No.:
  • Museum No.: UM 52-30-273
  • Accession No.:

  • Provenience: Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar)
  • Elevation:
  • Stratigraphic Level:
  • Excavation No: U 16833
  • Findspot Square:
  • Findspot Comments:

Created Creator Type Authors Project Reviewer Status Action
2023-06-28 at 23:15:35 Rattenborg, Rune Artifact Hafford, William B.; Rattenborg, Rune Geomapping Landscapes of Writing Rattenborg, Rune approved View
2023-06-15 at 19:55:18 Rattenborg, Rune Artifact Rattenborg, Rune Geomapping Landscapes of Writing Rattenborg, Rune approved View
2023-01-19 at 10:11:27 Pagé-Perron, Émilie Artifact Földi, Zsombor J.; Jiménez, Enrique; Pagé-Perron, Émilie Electronic Babylonian Library Pagé-Perron, Émilie approved View
2019-05-29 at 21:01:59 Englund, Robert K. Atf Peterson, Jeremiah CDLI approved View
2011-10-07 at 07:38:46 Wagensonner, Klaus Atf Wagensonner, Klaus CDLI approved View
2005-02-01 at 00:00:00 CDLI Artifact Friberg, Jöran; Guerra, Dylan; Middeke-Conlin, Robert; Peterson, Jeremiah CDLI approved View

Consult this artifact as presented on the website of collections and projects:

This artifact is a witness to the following composite(s):

Composite Score
CDLI Literary 000577 (Governor to King) composite (P479849) View the score

General Notes: -
CDLI Notes: -
Cite this Artifact
“CDLI Literary 000577, Ex. 001 Artifact Entry.” (2005) 2023. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). June 28, 2023. https://cdli.earth/P254853.
CDLI Literary 000577, ex. 001 artifact entry (No. P254853). (2023, June 28). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P254853 (Original work published 2005)
CDLI Literary 000577, ex. 001 artifact entry (2023) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P254853 (Accessed: May 17, 2025).
@misc{2023CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2025-05-17]},
	year = {2023},
	month = {jun 28},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000577, ex. 001 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P254853},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P254853},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2023/6/28/
PY  - 2023
ID  - P254853
LB  - CDLI:P254853
M1  - 2025/5/17/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000577, ex. 001 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P254853
ER  -
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