CDLI Literary 000343, ex. 033 (P346094)

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

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 1.04.01 Inanna's Descent (witness))

Language(s)

Sumerian

Measurements

-

Witness

Text

tablet
obverse
1. abul# 5(disz)-kam-ma ku4-ku4-da-ni-ta#
 en: As Inanna was entering the5th gate
2. tu-di-tum lu2 ga2-nu ga2-nu lu2 ba-da-an-zi
 en: The man removed the toggle pin/pectoral (that says) “Come, man, come!”
3. a-na-am3 e-ne
 en: What? How?
4. si-a {d}inanna me! kur-ra-ke4 szu al-du7-du7#
 en: Be satisfied, Inanna! This is the rite of the netherworld that is being completed
5. [{d}]inanna# garza kur-ra-ke4 inim-zu na-be2-e
 en: Inanna! This is the procedure of the netherworld, you should not speak aloud (to anyone to interrupt it)
6. [abul] 6(disz)#-kam-ma ku4-ku4-da-ni-ta
 en: As Inanna was entering the 6th gate
7. [...] sag-ki-na lu2 ba-da-an-zi
 en: The man removed the allure(?) from upon her forehead
8. [a-na]-am3# e-ne
 en: What? How?
9. [si-a {d}]inanna# me kur-ra#-ke4 szu al-du7-du7#
 en: Be satisfied, Inanna! This is the rite of the netherworld that is being completed
10. {d#}inanna# garza# kur-ra-ke4 inim-zu na-be2-e
 en: Inanna! This is the procedure of the netherworld, you should not speak aloud (to interrupt it)
11. abul 7(disz)-kam-ma ku4-ku4-da-ni-ta
 en: As Inanna was entering the 7th gate
12. tug2 palax(|NAM.EN.NA|) tug2 nam-eresz-a lu2 ba-da-an-zi#
 en: The man removed the pala garment, the garment of queenship
13. a-na-am3 e-ne
 en: What? How?
14. si-a {d}inanna me kur-ra-ke4 szu al-du7-du7
 en: Be satisfied, Inanna! This is the rite of the netherworld that is being completed
15. {d}inanna garza kur-ra-ke4 inim-zu na-be2-e
 en: Inanna! This is the procedure of the netherworld, you should not speak aloud (to interrupt it)
16. gir-gir-ma-ni ugu za3-ga?-sze3#
 en: When she bent over, upon the shoulder(?) ...
17. ze2-ze2-la#?-ni lu2 ma-an-de6
 en: When she split apart(?), the man brought ... away
18. nin9-x-[...]-za#-ta im-ma-an-zi-ga
 en: He sister raised her up from her throne
19. [...] nin9?-a-ni dur2 bi2-in-gar#
 en: She sat upon the throne of her sister
reverse
1. [...] imin#-bi di mu-un-da-ku5-ru-ne
 en: The seven judges of the Anuna were judging her
2. x [...]-in#-e3-a inim gig-ga in-e#?
 en: The one who brought out .../appeared in ... was speaking a bitter word(?)
3. gu3 mu-un-na-de2-e gu3 nam-tag-ga-ka
 en: They(?) shouted at her, it was a(n accusatory) cry of wrongdoing
4. nig2-lil2? dal-la2#-gin7 dal-la2 lu2#? [...]-ta#? ba-ni-in#-[...]
 en: The man(?) ... her from ... as something ... hung(!?) like ...
5. iti imin-kam zal-la-ta#?
 en: After seven months had passed
6.a. sukkal-a-ni {d}nin-szubur-ra
 en: Her vizier Ninšubur
6.b. inim ga-sza-an-na-ke4 gesztux(|GISZ.TUG2|)# [...]-szi-in-[...]
 en: paid attention to the word of the lady
7. er2 du11-du11-dam ba-gar-ra-x
 en: She made “the lament of ruin heaps” for her(?)
8. szem3#!? gu3-en-na ma#?-x-x
 en: She played(?) the šem drum of the assembly/throne room for her
9. e2# dingir-re-e#-ne# x-x-nigin#?
 en: She circled(?) the temples of the gods for her
10. igi mu-un-hur#? giri17#? mu#-un#-hur#
 en: She scratched her face, she scratched her nose
11. ki lu2-da nu-u6?-di# hasz2#? gal#? mu#?-un#?-hur#?
 en: The place unseen (when) with a man, she scratched her (inner) thigh
  blank space

Text content

Genre(s) Literary (ETCSL 1.04.01 Inanna's Descent (witness))
Language(s) Sumerian

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 000343 (Inanna's Descent) composite (P468903) Q000343 View the score

Record

LOD URI https://cdli.network/entity/P346094

Physical information

Artifact type Tablet
Dimensions
Weight
Material(s) Clay
Preservation

Provenance

Provenience Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar)
Written In
Archive
Excavation Number U 16873
Findspot
Stratigraphic Level
Elevation

Collections

Collection(s) British Museum, London, UK
Museum Number BM —
Accession Number

External resources

External Resource Identifiers
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature transliterations (ETCSL transliterations) 1.4.1
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature translations (ETCSL translations) 1.4.1
Ancient Records of Middle Eastern Polities (ARMEP) P346094
Ur Online Project (UrOnline) 17772

References

  • history: UET 6, 0009

    [Gadd1963UET6] Gadd, Cyril John, and Aaron Shaffer. 1963, 1966, 2005. Ur Excavations Texts Vol. VI.

Revisions and credits

Created Creator Type Authors Project Reviewer Status Action
2023-06-28 at 23:15:35 Rattenborg, Rune Artifact metadata Hafford, William B.; Rattenborg, Rune Geomapping Landscapes of Writing Rattenborg, Rune Approved View
2023-06-15 at 20:34:30 Rattenborg, Rune Artifact metadata Rattenborg, Rune Geomapping Landscapes of Writing Rattenborg, Rune Approved View
2019-06-09 at 20:56:56 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI, CDLI Approved View
2019-05-29 at 21:01:59 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Peterson, Jeremiah CDLI, CDLI Approved View
2014-10-19 at 09:43:17 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI, CDLI Approved View
2014-08-27 at 15:48:10 Heinle, Michael Transliteration Heinle, Michael CDLI, CDLI Approved View
2006-11-02 at 00:00:00 CDLI, CDLI Artifact metadata Foxvog, Daniel A.; Guerra, Dylan; Peterson, Jeremiah; Veldhuis, Niek; Wolfe, Jared N. CDLI, CDLI Approved View

Cite this Artifact

“CDLI Literary 000343, Ex. 033 Artifact Entry.” (2006) 2023. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). June 28, 2023. https://cdli.earth/P346094.
CDLI Literary 000343, ex. 033 artifact entry (No. P346094). (2023, June 28). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P346094 (Original work published 2006)
CDLI Literary 000343, ex. 033 artifact entry (2023) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P346094 (Accessed: October 28, 2026).
@misc{2023CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-10-28]},
	year = {2023},
	month = {jun 28},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000343, ex. 033 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P346094},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P346094},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2023/6/28/
PY  - 2023
ID  - P346094
LB  - CDLI:P346094
M1  - 2026/10/28/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000343, ex. 033 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P346094
ER  -

Cite this Artifact

“CDLI Literary 000343, Ex. 033 Artifact Entry.” (2006) 2023. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). June 28, 2023. https://cdli.earth/P346094.
CDLI Literary 000343, ex. 033 artifact entry (No. P346094). (2023, June 28). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P346094 (Original work published 2006)
CDLI Literary 000343, ex. 033 artifact entry (2023) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P346094 (Accessed: October 28, 2026).
@misc{2023CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-10-28]},
	year = {2023},
	month = {jun 28},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000343, ex. 033 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P346094},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P346094},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2023/6/28/
PY  - 2023
ID  - P346094
LB  - CDLI:P346094
M1  - 2026/10/28/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000343, ex. 033 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P346094
ER  -
This website uses essential cookies that are necessary for it to work properly. These cookies are enabled by default.