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, USAMetadata / catalogue
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Museum Collection(s)
Penn Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USAMuseum Number
CBS 02189 + CBS 02227 + CBS 02297aProvenience
Nippur (mod. Nuffar)Artifact Type
TabletMaterial(s)
ClayGenre / 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
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):
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history: JCS 67 (pp. 39-43), 039-043
[Peled2015JCS67] Peled, Ilan. 2015. “A New Manuscript of the Lament for Eridu.” Journal of Cuneiform Studies 67 (1): 39–43. https://doi.org/10.5615/jcunestud.67.2015.0039.
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history: BE 30/1, 10
[Radau1913BE30/1] Radau, Hugo. 1913. Sumerian Hymns and Prayers to God Dumu-Zi, or, Babylonian Lenten Songs from the Temple Library of Nippur. Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania. Series A, Cuneiform Texts 30/1. http://www.etana.org/sites/default/files/coretexts/14920.pdf.
- 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:
- Period: Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC)
- Dates Referenced:
- Alternative Years:
- Date Comments:
- Accounting Period: 0
| 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 |
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| 2023-06-15 at 19:55:18 | Rattenborg, Rune | Artifact | Rattenborg, Rune | Geomapping Landscapes of Writing | Rattenborg, Rune | approved |
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| 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 |
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| 2015-06-05 at 10:17:41 | Englund, Robert K. | Atf | Peled, Ilan | CDLI | approved |
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| 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 |
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Consult this artifact as presented on the website of collections and projects:
- The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature transliterations (2.2.6)
- The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature translations (2.2.6)
- Penn Museum (578104)
- Penn Museum (578105)
- Penn Museum (578106)
- Electronic Babylonian Library (CBS.2189)
- Electronic Babylonian Library (CBS.2297.A)
- Ancient Records of Middle Eastern Polities (P259244)
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:
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CDLI Notes:
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