CDLI Literary 000585 (Letter to Generals) composite (P448239)

Literary letter and letter-prayer artifact excavated in Nippur (mod. Nuffar), dated to the Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC) period

Museum Collection(s)

-

Museum Number

-

Period

Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC)

Provenience

Nippur (mod. Nuffar)

Artifact Type

-

Material(s)

-

Genre / Subgenre(s)

Literary > Literary letter and letter-prayer (ETCSL 3.03.13 Letter from Administrator to Generals (composite))

Language(s)

Sumerian

Measurements

-

Composite

Text

object composite text
surface a
1. szagina-e-ne
 en: (To the) generals
2. u3-na-a-du11
 en: speak
3. {disz}du-du nu-banda3-gu4
 en: what Dudu, the overseer of oxen,
4. na-ab-be2-a
 en: says:
5. gu2 i7 buranun
 en: “As to the bank of the Euphrates
6. i7 tum-ma-al-sze3
 en: toward the Tummal canal—
7. durux(U3) kab2-ku5-mah-e
 en: the bridge Kabkumaḫe
8. ba-ni-ib-dun-dun?
 en: has been washed away.
9. a zi-da
 en: The true water
10. 1(disz) 1/2(disz) kusz3 im-ma-zi
 en: has risen 1 1/2 cubits.
11. tukum-bi
 en: If
12. utu x nu-ub-ta-e3-a
 en: the sun has not come out,
13. [x x]-ni-gub-be2-e
 en: ... will be stationed.
14. [...]-be2-en
 en: ...
15. x [x] x-da-BAD
 en: ...
16. ub-la 1(iku) GAN2-a mu-na-DU
 en: ...
17. sza3 1(bur3) GAN2 1(gesz2) 3(u) gur i3-gub?
 en: in 1 bur3 field, 90 gur stand(?).
18. 3(u) guru7 he#?-ni-dub-e
 en: 30 silos may pour out,
19. a? la-ba-ab-de2-e
 en: but not water(?).”

Text content

Genre(s) Literary > Literary letter and letter-prayer (ETCSL 3.03.13 Letter from Administrator to Generals (composite))
Composite Number Q000585
Language(s) Sumerian

Chronology

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

Witnesses

This artifact is a composite text. View the score of CDLI Literary 000585 (Letter to Generals) composite. See below for a list of its witness(es):

Witness Period Provenience
CDLI Literary 000585, ex. 001 (P250813) Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC) uncertain (mod. uncertain)
CDLI Literary 000585, ex. 002 (P252297) Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC) uncertain (mod. uncertain)

Record

LOD URI https://cdli.network/entity/P448239

Physical information

composite text

Artifact type
composite text
Dimensions
Weight
Material(s)
Preservation

Provenance

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

Collections

Collection(s)
Museum Number
Accession Number

External resources

External Resource Identifiers
electronic Pennsylvania Sumerian Dictionary, Literary Corpus (ePSD2, Literary) Q000585

References

  • history: ETCSL, 3.3.13 Letter from an administrator to the generals

    [BlackETCSL] Black, Jeremy Allen. 1998-2006. “Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature.” https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk. 1998-2006.

  • history: Kleinerman, Alexandra, Diss 2011

    [sec112418] N.d.

Revisions and credits

Created Creator Type Authors Project Reviewer Status Action
2026-07-15 at 20:56:08 Pagé-Perron, Émilie Artifact metadata Pagé-Perron, Émilie Towards Universal Access to Cuneiform Heritage Pagé-Perron, Émilie Approved View
2024-06-07 at 13:32:34 Firth, Richard Artifact metadata Firth, Richard Firth, Richard Approved View
2024-06-07 at 13:24:18 Firth, Richard Artifact metadata, Other metadata Firth, Richard Firth, Richard Approved View
2019-08-29 at 18:18:22 Englund, Robert K. Transliteration Englund, Robert K. CDLI, CDLI Approved View
2013-01-06 at 00:00:00 CDLI, CDLI Artifact metadata Kleinerman, Alexandra CDLI, CDLI Approved View

Cite this Artifact

“CDLI Literary 000585 (Letter to Generals) Composite Artifact Entry.” (2013) 2026. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). July 15, 2026. https://cdli.earth/P448239.
CDLI Literary 000585 (Letter to Generals) composite artifact entry (No. P448239). (2026, July 15). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P448239 (Original work published 2013)
CDLI Literary 000585 (Letter to Generals) composite artifact entry (2026) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P448239 (Accessed: October 5, 2026).
@misc{2026CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-10-05]},
	year = {2026},
	month = {jul 15},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000585 ({Letter} to {Generals}) composite artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P448239},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P448239},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2026/7/15/
PY  - 2026
ID  - P448239
LB  - CDLI:P448239
M1  - 2026/10/5/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000585 (Letter to Generals) composite artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P448239
ER  -

Cite this Artifact

“CDLI Literary 000585 (Letter to Generals) Composite Artifact Entry.” (2013) 2026. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). July 15, 2026. https://cdli.earth/P448239.
CDLI Literary 000585 (Letter to Generals) composite artifact entry (No. P448239). (2026, July 15). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P448239 (Original work published 2013)
CDLI Literary 000585 (Letter to Generals) composite artifact entry (2026) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P448239 (Accessed: October 5, 2026).
@misc{2026CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-10-05]},
	year = {2026},
	month = {jul 15},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000585 ({Letter} to {Generals}) composite artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P448239},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P448239},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2026/7/15/
PY  - 2026
ID  - P448239
LB  - CDLI:P448239
M1  - 2026/10/5/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000585 (Letter to Generals) composite artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P448239
ER  -
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