Letter tablet excavated in Mari (mod. Tell Hariri), dated to the Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC) period and now kept in National Museum of Syria, Damascus, Syria
Image
© [see publications]
Transliteration
tablet
obverse
1. a-na ia-as-ma-ah-{d}iszkur
ts: ana yasmaḫ-addu
en: To Yasmaḫ-Addu
2. qi2-bi2-ma
ts: qibima
en: speak!
3. um-ma isz-me-{d}da-gan
ts: umma išme-Dagan
en: Thus Išme-Dagan,
4. a-hu-ka#-a-ma#
ts: aḫukama
en: your brother:
5. te-re-et# ni#-qi2-i#
ts: têrēt nīqī
en: The extisipicies of the sacrifice
6. tu-sza-bi#-lam#-ma a-mu-ur-szi-na-ti
ts: tušābilamma amūršināti
en: you sent here, and I saw them;
7. u3 ki-a-am# ta-asz-pu#-ra#-am um-ma-mi
ts: u kiam tašpuram ummami
en: further, in the following way you wrote me, thus:
8. sza-ma!-an li-ib-bi-im
ts: šaman libbim
en: The fat of the center
9. i-mi-tam-ma ta-ri-ik
ts: imittamma tarik
en: to the right is black;
10. li-ib-bu-um szu-u2
ts: libbum šū
en: The heart itself
11. i-mi-tam u3 szu-me-lam ta-ri-ik
ts: imittam u šumēlam tarik
en: to the right and left is dark.
12. u3 szi-it-hu-um sza-ki-in
ts: u šitḫum šakin
en: Further, a thick scar is there.
13. te-ri-ik szu-me-lim
ts: terik šumēlim
en: The dark spot of the left
reverse
1. pi2-qa-at u2-ul u2-ka-al-ka
ts: pīqat ul ukâlka
en: might not concern you.
2. a-nu-um-ma te-re-tim szi-na-ti
ts: anumma têrētim šināti
en: Now, these extispicies
3. ut-te-er-ra-kum
ts: uttērrakkum
en: I have sent back to you.
4. a-mu-ur-szi-na-ti
ts: amuršināti
en: Read them!
5. it-ti te-er-ki
ts: itti terkī
en: With the dark spots,
6. pi2-it-ru-su-tim
ts: pitrusūtim
en: the contradictory (patches),
7. u3 szi-it-hu-um sza-ki-in
ts: u šitḫum šakin
en: further a thick scar is there.
8. mi-im-ma u2-ul sza na-'a4-di!-im
ts: mimma ul ša na’ādim
en: There is nothing to be concerned about.