CDLI Literary 000796, ex. 080 (P254868)

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 6.01.02 Proverbs Collection 02 (witness) math. calc., proverb)

Language(s)

Sumerian

Measurements

-

Witness

Text

tablet
obverse
  blank space
1. [...]-x mu#? disz#!-am3 he2-en-zu#
 en: If a scribe knew/learned (only) one line of text
2. [...]-ni#? he2-sa6-sa6
 en: And his hand was (nevertheless) very good
3. [e]-ne#-am3 dub-sar-re
 en: He is a scribe
  single ruling
4. [...]-e#? en3-du 1(disz)-am3 he2-zu#!?
 en: If a singer knew/learned (only) one song/hymn
5. [...]-ni# du10-ga-am3
 en: And his lament/vocalization(?) was (nevertheless) good
6. [e]-ne-am3 nar-am3#
 en: He is a singer/musician
  blank space
reverse
  blank space
  (numerical notations)

Text content

Genre(s) Scholarly or scientific > Mathematical, Literary > Wisdom or proverb (ETCSL 6.01.02 Proverbs Collection 02 (witness) math. calc., proverb)
Language(s) Sumerian

Chronology

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

Composites

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

Composite Composite Number Score
CDLI Literary 000796 (Proverbs: collection 2 + 6) composite (P603496) Q000796 View the score

Record

LOD URI https://cdli.network/entity/P254868

Physical information

Artifact type Tablet
Dimensions
Weight
Material(s) Clay
Preservation

Provenance

Provenience Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar)
Written In
Archive
Excavation Number U 17207.088
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) 6.1.2
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature translations (ETCSL translations) 6.1.2
Ancient Records of Middle Eastern Polities (ARMEP) P254868

References

  • history: Alster Proverbs, 043

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

  • history: UET 6, 0268

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

  • history: Gordon SP, 519 IIII

    [Gordon1959SP] Gordon, Edmund I. 1959. Sumerian Proverbs : Glimpses of Everyday Life in Ancient Mesopotamia. Museum Monograph of the University Museum. University of Pennsylvania. University Museum.

  • history: OECT 14, fig. A.5.37

    [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.

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
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 10:15:35 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI, CDLI Approved View
2019-05-29 at 21:01:58 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI, CDLI Approved View
2005-02-01 at 00:00:00 CDLI, CDLI Artifact metadata Friberg, Jöran; Guerra, Dylan; Middeke-Conlin, Robert; Peterson, Jeremiah CDLI, CDLI Approved View

Cite this Artifact

“CDLI Literary 000796, Ex. 080 Artifact Entry.” (2005) 2024. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). September 2, 2024. https://cdli.earth/P254868.
CDLI Literary 000796, ex. 080 artifact entry (No. P254868). (2024, September 2). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P254868 (Original work published 2005)
CDLI Literary 000796, ex. 080 artifact entry (2024) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P254868 (Accessed: October 29, 2026).
@misc{2024CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-10-29]},
	year = {2024},
	month = {sep 2},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000796, ex. 080 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P254868},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P254868},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2024/9/2/
PY  - 2024
ID  - P254868
LB  - CDLI:P254868
M1  - 2026/10/29/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000796, ex. 080 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P254868
ER  -

Cite this Artifact

“CDLI Literary 000796, Ex. 080 Artifact Entry.” (2005) 2024. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). September 2, 2024. https://cdli.earth/P254868.
CDLI Literary 000796, ex. 080 artifact entry (No. P254868). (2024, September 2). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P254868 (Original work published 2005)
CDLI Literary 000796, ex. 080 artifact entry (2024) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P254868 (Accessed: October 29, 2026).
@misc{2024CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-10-29]},
	year = {2024},
	month = {sep 2},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000796, ex. 080 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P254868},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P254868},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2024/9/2/
PY  - 2024
ID  - P254868
LB  - CDLI:P254868
M1  - 2026/10/29/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000796, ex. 080 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P254868
ER  -
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