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

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

Text

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

Text content

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)

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 000383 (Lament for Eridu) composite (P469685) Q000383 View the score

Record

LOD URI https://cdli.network/entity/P259244

Physical information

Artifact type Tablet
Dimensions
Weight
Material(s) Clay
Preservation fragment

Provenance

Provenience Nippur (mod. Nuffar)
Written In
Archive
Excavation Number
Findspot
Stratigraphic Level
Elevation

Collections

Collection(s) Penn Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Museum Number CBS 02189 + CBS 02227 + CBS 02297a
Accession Number

External resources

External Resource Identifiers
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature transliterations (ETCSL transliterations) 2.2.6
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature translations (ETCSL translations) 2.2.6
Penn Museum (Penn) 578104 + 578105 + 578106
Electronic Babylonian Library (eBL) CBS.2189 + CBS.2297.A
Ancient Records of Middle Eastern Polities (ARMEP) P259244

References

Revisions and credits

Created Creator Type Authors Project Reviewer Status Action
2024-09-07 at 12:04:21 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
2023-01-19 at 10:20:17 Pagé-Perron, Émilie Artifact metadata 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. Transliteration Peled, Ilan CDLI, CDLI Approved View
2005-04-25 at 00:00:00 CDLI, CDLI Artifact metadata Englund, Robert K.; Fitzgerald, Madeleine; Foxvog, Daniel A.; Frayne, Douglas R.; Peterson, Jeremiah; Veldhuis, Niek; Zimmermann, Lynn-Salammbô Penn Museum CDLI, CDLI Approved View

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: October 20, 2026).
@misc{2024CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-10-20]},
	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  - 2026/10/20/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000383, ex. 011 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P259244
ER  -

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: October 20, 2026).
@misc{2024CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-10-20]},
	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  - 2026/10/20/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000383, ex. 011 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P259244
ER  -
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