UET 6, 0247 (P254862)

Literary 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

Cite

Photo

Lineart

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)

Literary, Scholarly or scientific > Mathematical (calc., proverb)

Language(s)

Measurements

Text

tablet
obverse
blank space
1. u5-munu4{muszen} [...]
en: The umunu (bird) ... .
2. munu4 tilla2 [...]
en: Malt in(?) the city square ... .
3. i3-ib2-bulug3 [...]
en: It reared/grew ... .
blank space
reverse
blank space
1. 1(disz) 4(u)
2. 1(u) 3(disz) 2(u)
3. 1(disz) 2(u) 8(disz) 4(u) 3(disz) 2(u)
left
1. 2(gesz2) 3(u) n 8(disz) 6(disz) 4(u)
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)

Text content

Genre(s)	Literary, Scholarly or scientific > Mathematical (calc., proverb)
Language(s)

Chronology

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

Record

CDLI number	P254862
LOD URI	https://cdli.network/entity/P254862

Physical information

Artifact type	Tablet
Dimensions
Weight
Material(s)	Clay
Preservation

Provenance

Provenience	Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar)
Written In
Archive
Excavation Number	U 17207.052
Findspot
Stratigraphic Level
Elevation

Collections

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

References

primary: UET 6, 0247

[Gadd1963UET6] Gadd, Cyril J., and Aaron Shaffer. 1963, 1966, 2005. Ur Excavations Texts Vol. VI.
history: Alster Proverbs, 296

[Alster1997Proverbs] Alster, Bendt. 1997. Proverbs of Ancient Sumer: The World’s Earliest Proverb Collection.
history: OECT 14, fig. A.5.14

[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), 357

[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	Reviewer	Status
2024-09-02 at 08:45:16	Firth, Richard	Artifact metadata	Firth, Richard	Firth, Richard	Approved
2024-09-02 at 07:32:18	Firth, Richard	Artifact metadata, Other metadata	Firth, Richard	Firth, Richard	Approved
2024-09-02 at 07:29:31	Firth, Richard	Artifact metadata, Other metadata	Firth, Richard	Firth, Richard	Approved
2024-06-26 at 19:03:36	Firth, Richard	Artifact metadata, Other metadata	Firth, Richard	Firth, Richard	Approved
2019-06-01 at 14:34:08	Englund, Robert K.	Transliteration	Englund, Robert K.	CDLI	Approved
2019-06-01 at 08:59:46	Englund, Robert K.	Transliteration	Englund, Robert K.	CDLI	Approved
2019-05-29 at 21:01:59	Englund, Robert K.	Transliteration	Peterson, Jeremiah	CDLI	Approved
2005-02-01 at 00:00:00	CDLI	Artifact metadata	Friberg, Jöran; Guerra, Dylan; Middeke-Conlin, Robert; Peterson, Jeremiah	CDLI	Approved

Cite this Artifact

“UET 6, 0247 Artifact Entry.” (2005) 2024. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). September 2, 2024. https://cdli.earth/P254862.

UET 6, 0247 artifact entry (No. P254862). (2024, September 2). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P254862 (Original work published 2005)

UET 6, 0247 artifact entry (2024) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P254862 (Accessed: June 14, 2026).

@misc{2024UET,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-06-14]},
	year = {2024},
	month = {sep 2},
	title = {UET 6, 0247 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P254862},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P254862},
}

TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2024/9/2/
PY  - 2024
ID  - P254862
LB  - CDLI:P254862
M1  - 2026/6/14/
TI  - UET 6, 0247 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P254862
ER  -

Cite this Artifact

“UET 6, 0247 Artifact Entry.” (2005) 2024. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). September 2, 2024. https://cdli.earth/P254862.

UET 6, 0247 artifact entry (No. P254862). (2024, September 2). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P254862 (Original work published 2005)

UET 6, 0247 artifact entry (2024) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P254862 (Accessed: June 14, 2026).

@misc{2024UET,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-06-14]},
	year = {2024},
	month = {sep 2},
	title = {UET 6, 0247 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P254862},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P254862},
}

TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2024/9/2/
PY  - 2024
ID  - P254862
LB  - CDLI:P254862
M1  - 2026/6/14/
TI  - UET 6, 0247 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P254862
ER  -