CDLI Literary 000799, ex. 006 (P254856)

Mathematical 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)

Scholarly or scientific > Mathematical, Literary > Wisdom or proverb (ETCSL 6.01.05 Proverbs Collection 05 (witness) calc., proverb)

Language(s)

Sumerian

Measurements

-

Text

tablet
obverse
  blank space
1. ur#-mah-e szah2 gesz-gi4# in#-dab5#?
 en: A lion caught a marsh boar
2. gu3# mu-ra-ra-ra en-na-bi-sze3
3. uzu-zu ka-gu10 nu-ub-si
 en: He shouted “How much longer will your flesh not fill my mouth?”
4. za-pa-ag2-zu gesztux(|GISZ.TUG2|)#-gu10
5. ulu3{+lu}-un e#-[sze]
 en: (So that(?)) my ears can forget(?) your squeal
  blank space
reverse
  blank space
  (numerical notations)

Text content

Genre(s) Scholarly or scientific > Mathematical, Literary > Wisdom or proverb (ETCSL 6.01.05 Proverbs Collection 05 (witness) calc., proverb)
Language(s) Sumerian

Chronology

Period Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC)
Accounting Period

Record

Permalink https://cdli.network/entity/P254856

Physical information

Artifact type Tablet
Dimensions
Weight
Material(s) Clay
Preservation

Provenance

Provenience Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar)
Written In
Excavation Number U 17207.112
Findspot
Stratigraphic Level
Elevation

Collections

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

External resources

External Resource Identifiers
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature transliterations (ETCSL transliterations) 6.1.5
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature translations (ETCSL translations) 6.1.5
Ancient Records of Middle Eastern Polities (ARMEP) P254856

References

  • history: Alster Proverbs, 119 M

    [Alster1997Proverbs] Alster, Bendt. 1997. Proverbs of Ancient Sumer: The World’s Earliest Proverb Collection.

  • history: UET 6, 0211

    [Gadd1963UET6] Gadd, Cyril J., and Aaron Shaffer. 1963, 1966, 2005. Ur Excavations Texts Vol. VI.

  • history: OECT 14, fig. A.5.7

    [Robson1999OECT14] Robson, Eleanor. 1999. Mesopotamian Mathematics, 2100-1600 BC. Technical Constants in Bureaucracy and Education. Oxford Editions of Cuneiform Texts, Vol. 14. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

  • history: AOAT 297 (pp. 325-365), 356

    [Robson2002AOAT297] Robson, Eleanor. 2002. “More than Metrology: Mathematics Education in an Old Babylonian Scribal School.” In Under One Sky - Astronomy and Mathematics in the Ancient Near East, edited by Annette Imhausen, 297:325–65. Alter Orient Und Altes Testament.

Revisions and credits

Created Creator Type Authors Project Reviewer Status Action
2024-09-02 at 08:45:16 Firth, Richard Artifact metadata Firth, Richard Firth, Richard Approved View
2024-09-02 at 07:32:18 Firth, Richard Artifact metadata, Other metadata Firth, Richard Firth, Richard Approved View
2024-09-02 at 07:29:31 Firth, Richard Artifact metadata, Other metadata Firth, Richard Firth, Richard Approved View
2024-06-26 at 19:03:36 Firth, Richard Artifact metadata, Other metadata Firth, Richard Firth, Richard Approved View
2023-06-15 at 19:55:18 Rattenborg, Rune Artifact metadata Rattenborg, Rune Geomapping Landscapes of Writing Rattenborg, Rune Approved View
2019-06-12 at 10:23:06 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI Approved View
2019-05-29 at 21:01:58 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI Approved View
2014-08-18 at 14:30:04 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Firth, Richard CDLI Approved View
2005-02-01 at 00:00:00 CDLI Artifact metadata Friberg, Jöran; Guerra, Dylan; Middeke-Conlin, Robert; Peterson, Jeremiah CDLI Approved View

Cite this Artifacts

“CDLI Literary 000799, Ex. 006 Artifact Entry.” (2005) 2024. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). September 2, 2024. https://cdli.earth/P254856.
CDLI Literary 000799, ex. 006 artifact entry (No. P254856). (2024, September 2). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P254856 (Original work published 2005)
CDLI Literary 000799, ex. 006 artifact entry (2024) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P254856 (Accessed: April 11, 2026).
@misc{2024CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-04-11]},
	year = {2024},
	month = {sep 2},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000799, ex. 006 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P254856},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P254856},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2024/9/2/
PY  - 2024
ID  - P254856
LB  - CDLI:P254856
M1  - 2026/4/11/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000799, ex. 006 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P254856
ER  -

Cite this Artifacts

“CDLI Literary 000799, Ex. 006 Artifact Entry.” (2005) 2024. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). September 2, 2024. https://cdli.earth/P254856.
CDLI Literary 000799, ex. 006 artifact entry (No. P254856). (2024, September 2). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P254856 (Original work published 2005)
CDLI Literary 000799, ex. 006 artifact entry (2024) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P254856 (Accessed: April 11, 2026).
@misc{2024CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-04-11]},
	year = {2024},
	month = {sep 2},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000799, ex. 006 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P254856},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P254856},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2024/9/2/
PY  - 2024
ID  - P254856
LB  - CDLI:P254856
M1  - 2026/4/11/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000799, ex. 006 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P254856
ER  -
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