CDLI Literary 000351, ex. 046 (P346089)

Literary 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

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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)

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)

Literary (ETCSL 1.06.02 Ninurta’s Exploits (witness))

Language(s)

Sumerian

Measurements

-

Witness

tablet
obverse
1. kur#-[...]
 en: The mountain shall make the livestock teem for you
2. hur-sag-e nig2-ur2-limmu2-e#? numun# ha#-ra#?-[...]
 en: The mountain range shall make the quadrupeds proliferate for you
3. za-e# nin me-ni-da me nu-sa2#-a#-[...] an-gin7 ni2 husz gur3-ru#?
 en: You, a lady with whose cosmic powers no other cosmic powers compare, who wears a furious/reddish aura like heaven
4. dingir-mah inim# diri-ga hul gig
 en: Digirmah, who hates excessive speech
5. munus zi nin-hur#-sag# ki#-sikil#
 en: The true lady, Ninhursag, the young woman
6. {d}nin#-tur5# a2#? MUSZ3#-bi#?-sze3? x-bi-x-ba!?-a
 en: Nintur, who ... when it cools (in the evening?)
7. te-mu-da nin me mah ma-ra-an-szum2 za-e he2-em-il2-e
 en: Draw near(?), lady, I(!) have given you supreme cosmic powers so that you shall be exalted/shall wield them
8. munus! zi me-ni me diri-ga nin nagar-sza3-ga
 en: True lady(!?), her cosmic powers surpass (other) cosmic powers, lady, “carpenter of the womb”
9. {d#}a-ru-ru nin gal {d}en-lil2-la2 gaba-na ba-e-gub
 en: Aruru, the elder sister of Enlil, stood at his front
10. ur-sag gal ur-sag ug5-ga-za
 en: "Great hero, when you killed the hero
11. u3-mu-un a-a-ni-gin7 du11-ga-ni nu-kur2-ru na-ag2 nu-um-mi-tar
 en: Lord, who like his father his utterance cannot be changed, you have not (yet) decreed a fate”
12. [...]-e {na4}u2-e gu3 ba-de2-e in-ti bi2-ib2-ku-kur
 en: The lord was speaking to the emery stone, he was wishing for/observing (its) path(?)
  double ruling
13. en#? ib2-ba kalam-ma inim mu-na-ni-ib-be2
 en: In the homeland, the angry lord(?) spoke a word to him
14. [{d}]nin-urta en dumu {d#}en-lil2-la2-ke4 asz2? im-mi-ib2-sar-re
 en: Ninurta, lord, son of Enlil was cursing him
15. {na4#}u2 kur-ra ma#-an#?-zi-ge#-en-na-gin7
 en: Emery stone, you who (the Asag) mustered against me in the mountain
reverse
1. [...]-gu10-sze3 mu-e-dab5-ba-gin7
 en: As one who seized ... in order to render/place my hands(?) ...
2. nam# ug5-ge-gu10 ba-e-ku5-da-gin7
 en: As one who swore to commit(?) my murder
3. en {d}nin-urta-me-en ki-tusz mah-ga2 ba-e-hu-luh-en-na-gin7
 en: As one who terrified me, lord Ninurta, in my own supreme dwelling
4. kal-ga# sul e2-gar8 tuku diri-ga-zu alan-zu he2-em-ta-be4
 en: Mighty one, youth possessed of form, your surpassing(ness) and you stature shall be diminished
5. nemur# usu-bi-ta nir gal2-la-am3 he2-me-zi-ir-zi-re-ne
 en: Leopards that rely on their strength shall tear you up
6. usu tuku a-gar5-re szu he2-gid2-de3
 en: The powerful one shall accept a test of strength(?) (with you)
7. gurusz {na4}u2 szesz-zu zi3!-gin7 he2-me-dub-bu-ne
 en: Young man emery, your brother(s) shall heap you like flour
8. gurusz-me-en gu3 de2-zu he2-gal2 he2-dub2?-x he2!?-til!?-e
 en: You, young man, your shout shall be present and tremble(!?), (but) it shall end(?)
9. li-li-zu szu#? ha-ba-ab-zi-ge-en adda-ba zu2 e3-ni-ib
 en: You shall raise a hand (violently) against your offspring, show the teeth against their corpses!
10. am gal lu2 szar2-ra gaz#-za-gin7 nig2 ba-ta gar-ra
 en: Like a great bull killed by many men/a slaughterer(?), make (yourself) into/set (yourself) apart as(!?) something divided into shares(?)
11. {na4}u2 {gesz}tukul-ta ur-gir15 me3-ta
 en: Emery, by means of(?) the weapon dog, away from battle,
12. nig2 sipa# tur-re al-sar-re-gin7
 en: like something chased away by the junior shepherd
13. en#-me-en# {na4}gug me-re-kul-la-za mu-bi he2-sze21
 en: I am the lord, (you) shall be named according to(?) your having pecked at/demolished(?) carnelian
14. i3#-ne-esz nam tar-ra {d}nin-urta-ka
 en: Now, (this) is the decreed fate of Ninurta
15. u4-da {na4}u2 ub-tag {na4}gug buru3-da ur5 he2-en-na-nam-ma
 en: Today (and henceforth), when emery touches (another stone), it will be in order to perforate carnelian, thus it is so!
  double ruling
16. ur#-sag#-e {na4}szu-u {na4}ka-sur#-ra-ke4# gu3 im-ma-de2-e#
 en: The hero was speaking to the šu'u and gasura stones
17. [en-e a ri-a] bi2#?-[ib2-szid-de3]
 en: ...
  rest broken

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:
  • Condition Description:
  • Join Information:
  • Seal no.:
  • Seal information:
  • Artifact comments:

  • Genre(s): Literary (ETCSL 1.06.02 Ninurta’s Exploits (witness))
  • Language(s): Sumerian

  • history: UET 6, 0004

    [Gadd1963] Gadd, Cyril J., and Aaron Shaffer. 1963, 1966.

  • history: Lugale, 2 (1983) 015 S1

    [vanDijk1983Lugale] Dijk, Johannes J. A. van. 1983. Lugal Ud Me-Lám-Bi Nir-G̃ál : Le Récit Épique et Didactique Des Travaux de Ninurta, de Déluge et de La Nouvelle Création. Leiden : E. J. Brill.

  • Composite No.:
  • Museum No.: BM —
  • Accession No.:

  • Provenience: Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar)
  • Elevation:
  • Stratigraphic Level:
  • Excavation No: U 16877
  • Findspot Square:
  • Findspot Comments:

Created Creator Type Authors Project Reviewer Status Action
2024-07-12 at 15:29:36 Firth, Richard Artifact, Other Entity Firth, Richard Firth, Richard approved View
2023-06-28 at 23:15:35 Rattenborg, Rune Artifact Hafford, William B.; Rattenborg, Rune Geomapping Landscapes of Writing Rattenborg, Rune approved View
2023-06-15 at 20:34:30 Rattenborg, Rune Artifact Rattenborg, Rune Geomapping Landscapes of Writing Rattenborg, Rune approved View
2019-05-29 at 21:01:59 Englund, Robert K. Atf Peterson, Jeremiah CDLI approved View
2017-09-22 at 08:06:27 Englund, Robert K. Atf Englund, Robert K. CDLI approved View
2011-10-07 at 08:44:50 Wagensonner, Klaus Atf Wagensonner, Klaus CDLI approved View
2006-11-02 at 00:00:00 CDLI Artifact Foxvog, Daniel A.; Guerra, Dylan; Peterson, Jeremiah; Veldhuis, Niek; Wolfe, Jared N. 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 000351 (Ninurta's Exploits [Lugale]) composite (P469530) View the score

General Notes: -
CDLI Notes: -
Cite this Artifact
“CDLI Literary 000351, Ex. 046 Artifact Entry.” (2006) 2024. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). July 12, 2024. https://cdli.earth/P346089.
CDLI Literary 000351, ex. 046 artifact entry (No. P346089). (2024, July 12). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P346089 (Original work published 2006)
CDLI Literary 000351, ex. 046 artifact entry (2024) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P346089 (Accessed: May 7, 2025).
@misc{2024CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2025-05-07]},
	year = {2024},
	month = {jul 12},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000351, ex. 046 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P346089},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P346089},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2024/7/12/
PY  - 2024
ID  - P346089
LB  - CDLI:P346089
M1  - 2025/5/7/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000351, ex. 046 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P346089
ER  -
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