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CDLI Literary 000383, ex. 011 (P259244)

Literary tablet excavated in Nippur (mod. Nuffar), 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

CBS 02189 + CBS 02227 + CBS 02297a

Period

Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC)

Provenience

Nippur (mod. Nuffar)

Artifact Type

Tablet

Material(s)

Clay

Genre / Subgenre(s)

Literary (ETCSL 2.02.06 Lament for Eridu (witness) Ishtar bewails miserable condition and solitude of her house, temples and harems.)

Language(s)

-

Measurements

-

Witness

tablet
obverse
1. e2 na-ag2-u3-mu-un-e ba-ab-du7-a-gu10
 en: x my house, suitable for rule,
2. e2 lal3 u5-nun bal-bal-e-gu10
 en: x my house of libated syrup and ghee,
3. ama5-gu10 ag2 ki-sikil tur-ra-gu10 hi-li-zu nu-du8-a me-e!(a) er2-zu ga-[tum3]
 en: x the woman’s abode of my childhood maiden (years), no longer filled with your charms: I am the one who would carry your tears!
4. me-e er2-zu ga-tum3 er2-zu nu-gul-e sza3-gu10 nu-sed4-de3#
 en: I am the one who would carry your tears! Your tears do not cease, my heart is not assuaged.
5. na-ag2-bi-sze3 balag#-di# ba-da-gub u3 nu-um-szi-ku#-[ku]
 en: Because of this, the lamenter is at the ready (and) does not sleep.
6. lu2-e11-de3 ba-<da>-ra-ak-a-gin7 sag nu-mu-un#-[ga2-ga2?]
 en: Like the dagger-wielding ecstatic, (s)he does not approach?.
7. pi#-li-pi-li szu-bal-ak-a-gin7# sila# dagal-[ta ba-gen?]
 en: Like the changing pi-li-pi-li, (s)he went along(?) the public square.
8. [ki]-sikil#-e sig2-bar#-ra# bi2#-in-du8 sa6# [x x x]
 en: The maiden(?) lets her hair hang loosely backwards. A good […]
9. [x x x] i-si-isz mi#-ni-ib2-la2 [...]
 en: … began to wail …
10. [x x x] uru2-zu zag bi2-in#-tag# e2?# [x x x]
 en: … he destroyed your city. … the house(?) …
11. [x x e2? {d}]am#-an#-ki# zag# bi2#-in-tag# [x]
 en: […] he destroyed the house of(?) Enki(?) …
12. [x x] x szu#-ba# szu he2-bi2#-[in-tag?]
 en: … he seized(?) their hands.
13. [x x] x me nam-nun-na [x x]
 en: … the princely rites …
14. [x x] bi2-ak zag e2-gar8-e [x x]
 en: … made, … at the side of the wall.
15. [x x x]-gu10 inim su3-ud-da-asz dingir gal-gal#-[e-ne]
 en: My …, the eternal command of the great gods.
16. [u3-mu]-un# {d}mu-ul-lil2 u3#-mu-un kur-kur-ra-[ke4]
 en: Lord Enlil, lord of the lands,
17. [ki-en]-gi-ra i-bi2# [hul he2]-en#-szi#-bar# giri3#-[bal-a he2-em-mi-in-ra]
 en: Looked maliciously at Sumer, devastated it with a flood-storm.
18. [ki-ur3] ki# gal# [zag he2-bi2-in-tag]
 en: He destroyed Kiur, the great place.
  rest broken
reverse
  beginning broken
1'. [mu-ud-na-gu10 me-na ba-du3-e me-na ba-gul?]-e# [me-tesz2 abzu? ...]
 en: “My beloved, for how long was it built? For how long is it destroyed? … adornment of the Abzu.”
2'. [gesz-gi4]-gal2#-bi#-[im]
 en: Its gešgigal.
3'. [u3-mu-un {d}am-an-ki uru2-zu uru2-ze2-eb gul-la a-ba]-a# igi# mu-ni-in#-[du8]
 en: “Lord Enki, who has seen a destruction (like that) of your city Eridu?
4'. [esz3 abzu e2-zu]-gin7# hul#-a# a#-ba-[a igi mu-ni-in-du8]
 en: Who has seen a misfortune like that of the Abzu shrine, your house?
5'. [ki-szu-tag-ga-zu lu2 nu-e11-de3]
 en: No one goes up to your cultic place.
6'. [kin-sig unu2 gal-ni mu-ni] li#-bi2-in#-pa3#-[de3]
 en: At the afternoon meal, in his great dining hall, they do not call his name.”
7'. [{d}en-ki] lugal# abzu#-[ke4]
 en: Enki, king of the abzu,
8'. [sza3 ba-an]-sag3# ur5-ra-ni# [ba]-usz2# inim# nitalam#-na#-[sze3]
 en: felt distresssed, felt anxious. At the words of his spouse,
9'. ni2#-te#-a#-ni i-si-isz mi#-[ni]-ib#-la2# sza3-ka-tab ba#-[an-nu2]
 en: he himself began to wail, and lay down fasting.
10'. lugal#-gu10 ur5# nam#-ba#-usz2#-e# [sza3] nam#-ba#-sag3#-ge#
 en: “My king, you must not be distressed, you must not be anxious!”
  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: fragment
  • Condition Description:
  • Join Information:
  • Seal no.:
  • Seal information:
  • Artifact comments:

  • Genre(s): Literary (ETCSL 2.02.06 Lament for Eridu (witness) Ishtar bewails miserable condition and solitude of her house, temples and harems.)
  • Language(s):

  • Composite No.:
  • Museum No.: CBS 02189 + CBS 02227 + CBS 02297a
  • Accession No.:

  • Provenience: Nippur (mod. Nuffar)
  • Elevation:
  • Stratigraphic Level:
  • Excavation No:
  • Findspot Square:
  • Findspot Comments:

Created Creator Type Authors Project Reviewer Status Action
2024-09-07 at 12:04:21 Firth, Richard Artifact, Other Entity Firth, Richard Firth, Richard 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 10:20:17 Pagé-Perron, Émilie Artifact Földi, Zsombor J.; Jiménez, Enrique; Pagé-Perron, Émilie Electronic Babylonian Library Pagé-Perron, Émilie approved View
2015-06-05 at 10:17:41 Englund, Robert K. Atf Peled, Ilan CDLI approved View
2005-04-25 at 00:00:00 CDLI Artifact Englund, Robert K.; Fitzgerald, Madeleine; Foxvog, Daniel A.; Frayne, Douglas R.; Peterson, Jeremiah; Veldhuis, Niek; Zimmermann, Lynn-Salammbô Penn Museum 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 000383 (Lament for Eridu) composite (P469685) View the score

General Notes: -
CDLI Notes: -
Cite this Artifact
“CDLI Literary 000383, Ex. 011 Artifact Entry.” (2005) 2024. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). September 7, 2024. https://cdli.earth/P259244.
CDLI Literary 000383, ex. 011 artifact entry (No. P259244). (2024, September 7). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P259244 (Original work published 2005)
CDLI Literary 000383, ex. 011 artifact entry (2024) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P259244 (Accessed: April 23, 2025).
@misc{2024CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2025-04-23]},
	year = {2024},
	month = {sep 7},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000383, ex. 011 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P259244},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P259244},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2024/9/7/
PY  - 2024
ID  - P259244
LB  - CDLI:P259244
M1  - 2025/4/23/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000383, ex. 011 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P259244
ER  -
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