CDLI Literary 000763, ex. 013 (P346279)

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 5.03.04 Debate between Tree and Reed (witness))

Language(s)

Sumerian

Measurements

-

Text

tablet
obverse
  beginning broken
1'. [...] mah#-e a#-[...]
 en: May the supreme ... have a contest for me
2'. [...] sa nu-duh#-[...]
 en: In your ... with bindings(?) that are not loosened
3'. [...]-za um-mi-in-hu?-um#?-[...]
 en: After ... snaps you off(?) in your thick(?) reed fence
4'. [...] gal-gal-sze3 um-szi-in-gal2-le#?-[...]
 en: After he sets you towards the great cauldrons (for fuel)
5'. [... {gesz}]banszurx(|GISZGALxGU|)-ga2 ninda kum2 ninda te-en-e si um-ma-ni-[...]
 en: After hot and cold foods are set in order on my table(!)
6'. [zu2]-lum mah saga gesztin-da szar2-ra
 en: After superior quality dates mixed with wine
7'. [...] tur3#? ku3-ga# lal3 ku7-ku7-da kin2 um-ma-ni-[...]
 en: After butter of the pure cattlepen, and sweetening honey are prepared
8'. [...] inim# du10 {d}en-ki-ka-ta# lal3 um-da-szar2#-szar2#?
 en: After honey is mixed with (various) grades(!?) (of?) flour of the good word of Enki (i.e., purified by incantation?)
9'. [...]-re#? e2-gal du10-ga-na {gesz}bun ha-ba-ni-ib2#?-[be2]
 en: Shulgi can have a meal in his good palace
10'. [...] GI# sum4!? ba-du3-a tur3 amasz ki-gub-zu-um#?
 en: ... cheek(?), who fashions a beard(?), the cattlepen and sheepfold is your station
11'. [...]-rux(TE)-da izi-gin7 gir2#? gesz-gin7 ba-ra-dim2-en#?
 en: And therefore(?) unlike wood you cannot be fashioned into arrowheads along with(?) the quiver, flashing(?) like flame
12'. [...] eme!-bi sila# limmu2
 en: And therefore(?) (regarding) the double dur axe, its “tongue” (i.e., blade?) an “intersection of streets”
14'. [...] uruda-da ba-ra#-am3-da-sa2-e
 en: The mitum weapon, (or any) weapon of copper, you(!?) cannot coexist/vie(!?) with(?) (as a binding or handle?)
15'. [...] pa-bi zi2-a nig2-gu7 masz2-ansze
 en: The young reed is stripped of its foilage by the ox, (it is) fodder for livestock
16'. [...]-sze3 e3-a kad5 e zu HU-da
 en: Little sprouts gone out to the wall, binding ...
17'. [...]-si#-ig-ga {gesz}tukul-la x szu x [...]
 en: Arrows ... silent men(?) ... weapons
18'. [...] gi-ir in-sze3 mu-ni-ib2#?-[...]
 en: Again the Tree insulted the Reed
19'. [...]-ti#-la KA NE [...]
 en: Reed at that time(?) ... a living person/sustaining someone(?) ...
20'. [...] sag# mu-un-[...]
 en: The insulter ...
  rest broken
reverse
  beginning broken
1'. [...] x [...]
 en: ...
2'. [...] mu-na-[...]
 en: ...
3'. [...] tigi# mah KA#? [...]
 en: The great ala and tigi drums ...
4'. [...] di mu#-na-ni#-[...]
 en: May our king judge our case and make a decision
5'. [...] x-a-[...]
 en: My king: Tree, my ward/subordinate(?)
6'. [...]-dub2# asz2 la-ga mu-[...]
 en: Has insulted (as with?) clods(?), he has cursed (as with?) clods(?)
7'. [...] ka-asz bar-me [...]
 en: May our king judge our case and make a decision
8'. [...] mu#-un#-[...]
 en: Shulgi was answering them
  rest broken

Text content

Genre(s) Literary (ETCSL 5.03.04 Debate between Tree and Reed (witness))
Language(s) Sumerian

Chronology

Period Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC)
Accounting Period

Record

zzz

LOD URI https://cdli.network/entity/P346279

Physical information

Artifact type Tablet
Dimensions
Weight
Material(s) Clay
Preservation

Provenance

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

Collections

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

External resources

External Resource Identifiers
Ancient Records of Middle Eastern Polities (ARMEP) P346279

References

  • history: UET 6, 0194

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

Revisions and credits

Created Creator Type Authors Project Reviewer Status Action
2023-06-15 at 20:34:30 Rattenborg, Rune Artifact metadata Rattenborg, Rune Geomapping Landscapes of Writing Rattenborg, Rune Approved View
2019-06-11 at 21:58:52 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI Approved View
2019-05-29 at 21:01:58 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI Approved View
2006-11-02 at 00:00:00 CDLI Artifact metadata Foxvog, Daniel A.; Guerra, Dylan; Peterson, Jeremiah; Veldhuis, Niek; Wolfe, Jared N. CDLI Approved View

Cite this Artifact

“CDLI Literary 000763, Ex. 013 Artifact Entry.” (2006) 2023. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). June 15, 2023. https://cdli.earth/P346279.
CDLI Literary 000763, ex. 013 artifact entry (No. P346279). (2023, June 15). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P346279 (Original work published 2006)
CDLI Literary 000763, ex. 013 artifact entry (2023) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P346279 (Accessed: May 18, 2026).
@misc{2023CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-05-18]},
	year = {2023},
	month = {jun 15},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000763, ex. 013 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P346279},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P346279},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2023/6/15/
PY  - 2023
ID  - P346279
LB  - CDLI:P346279
M1  - 2026/5/18/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000763, ex. 013 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P346279
ER  -

Cite this Artifact

“CDLI Literary 000763, Ex. 013 Artifact Entry.” (2006) 2023. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). June 15, 2023. https://cdli.earth/P346279.
CDLI Literary 000763, ex. 013 artifact entry (No. P346279). (2023, June 15). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P346279 (Original work published 2006)
CDLI Literary 000763, ex. 013 artifact entry (2023) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P346279 (Accessed: May 18, 2026).
@misc{2023CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-05-18]},
	year = {2023},
	month = {jun 15},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000763, ex. 013 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P346279},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P346279},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2023/6/15/
PY  - 2023
ID  - P346279
LB  - CDLI:P346279
M1  - 2026/5/18/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000763, ex. 013 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P346279
ER  -
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