CDLI Literary 000801, ex. 005 (P254881)

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

Lineart Photo

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 6.01.08 Proverbs Collection 08 (witness) calc., proverb)

Language(s)

Sumerian

Measurements

-

Text

tablet
obverse
  blank space
1. szah2 lu-hum-ma su-a
 en: A pig splattered with mud:
  single ruling
2. szah2 ninda pad-ra2
 en: that pig (even) bread crumbs
3. i-ib2-il2-x
 en: carries off.
  blank space
reverse
  blank space
  (numerical notations)

Text content

Genre(s) Scholarly or scientific > Mathematical, Literary > Wisdom or proverb (ETCSL 6.01.08 Proverbs Collection 08 (witness) calc., proverb)
Language(s) Sumerian

Chronology

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

Record

LOD URI https://cdli.network/entity/P254881

Physical information

Artifact type Tablet
Dimensions
Weight
Material(s) Clay
Preservation

Provenance

Provenience Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar)
Written In
Archive
Excavation Number U 17207.083
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) 6.1.8
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature translations (ETCSL translations) 6.1.8
Ancient Records of Middle Eastern Polities (ARMEP) P254881

References

  • history: Alster Proverbs, 166 coll.8

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

  • history: UET 6, 0300

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

  • history: OECT 14, fig. A.5.44

    [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 10:52:51 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI Approved View
2019-05-29 at 21:02:01 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Peterson, Jeremiah 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 Artifact

“CDLI Literary 000801, Ex. 005 Artifact Entry.” (2005) 2024. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). September 2, 2024. https://cdli.earth/P254881.
CDLI Literary 000801, ex. 005 artifact entry (No. P254881). (2024, September 2). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P254881 (Original work published 2005)
CDLI Literary 000801, ex. 005 artifact entry (2024) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P254881 (Accessed: May 18, 2026).
@misc{2024CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-05-18]},
	year = {2024},
	month = {sep 2},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000801, ex. 005 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P254881},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P254881},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2024/9/2/
PY  - 2024
ID  - P254881
LB  - CDLI:P254881
M1  - 2026/5/18/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000801, ex. 005 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P254881
ER  -

Cite this Artifact

“CDLI Literary 000801, Ex. 005 Artifact Entry.” (2005) 2024. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). September 2, 2024. https://cdli.earth/P254881.
CDLI Literary 000801, ex. 005 artifact entry (No. P254881). (2024, September 2). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P254881 (Original work published 2005)
CDLI Literary 000801, ex. 005 artifact entry (2024) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P254881 (Accessed: May 18, 2026).
@misc{2024CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-05-18]},
	year = {2024},
	month = {sep 2},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000801, ex. 005 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P254881},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P254881},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2024/9/2/
PY  - 2024
ID  - P254881
LB  - CDLI:P254881
M1  - 2026/5/18/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000801, ex. 005 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P254881
ER  -
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