MSVO 1, 002 (P005069)

Administrative tablet excavated in Uncertain (mod. Jemdet Nasr), dated to the Uruk III (ca. 3200-3000 BC) period and now kept in Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK

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Chemical Data

Seal Chemistry

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Metadata history Transliteration history

Museum Collection(s)

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK

Museum Number

Ashm 1926-0583

Period

Uruk III (ca. 3200-3000 BC)

Provenience

uncertain (mod. Jemdet Nasr)

Artifact Type

Tablet

Material(s)

Clay

Genre / Subgenre(s)

Administrative

Language(s)

Undetermined

Measurements

87.0 mm × 56.0 mm × 18.0 mm

tablet
obverse
1.a1. [4(N34)] 5(N14)# , [1(N57)] GAL~a SZAB~a
 en: 290 (ninda), the length, of the chief exchange agent,
1.a2. 1(N34) 4(N14) , 1(N58)
 en: 100, the width:
1.b1. 1(N50) 6(N14) , GAN2
 en: 16 bur3 field,
1.b2. 2(N22) , BAR
 en: 2 eše3 perimeter;
  calculation: 290 × 100 = 29,000 sar, = 16 bur3 + 2 iku (?)
2.a1. 5(N34) 1(N14) 2(N01) , [1(N57)] PA~a# GIR3@g~b
 en: 312 (ninda), the length, of the equid herder,
2.a2. 1(N34) 3(N14)# , 1(N58)#
 en: 90, the width:
2.b1. 1(N50) 5(N14) , GAN2#
 en: 15 bur3 field,
2.b2. 1(N22) 4(N01) 7(N08) ,
 en: 1 eše3 4 7/10 iku;
  calculation: 312 × 90 = 28,080 sar, = 15 bur3 + 10 8/10 iku
3.a1. 4(N34) 5(N14) , 1(N57) NAM2 DI
 en: 290 (ninda), the length, of the chief justice,
3.a2. 1(N34) 3(N14) 3(N01) , 1(N58)
 en: 93, the width:
3.b. 1(N50) 5(N14) , GAN2
 en: 15 bur3 field,
  calculation: 290 × 93 = 26,970 sar, = 15 bur3 less 3/10 iku
4.a1. 4(N34) 5(N14) , 1(N57) ME~a
 en: 290 (ninda), the length, of the priest,
4.a2. 1(N34) 2(N01) , 1(N58)
 en: 62, the width:
4.b. 1(N50) 2(N08) , GAN2
 en: 10 bur3 2/10 iku field,
  calculation: 290 × 62 = 17,980 sar, = 10 bur3 less 2/10 iku (?)
5.a1. 5(N34) , [1(N57)] EN~c SAL
 en: 300 (ninda), the length, of the wife of the lord,
5.a2. 1(N34) 5(N14) , 1(N58)
 en: 110, the width:
5.b1. 1(N50) 8(N14) , GAN2
 en: 18 bur3 field,
5.b2. 1(N14) 2(N22) , [...]
 en: 1 bur3 2 eše3 ...
  calculation: 300 × 110 = 31,900 sar, = 18 bur3 6 iku
reverse
column 1
1. 2(N45) 3(N50) 4(N14) , EN~a GAN2
 en: 2 šar2 34 bur3 field of the lord;
  calculation in bur3: 77 × 2 = 154
2. 1(N45) 1(N50) 7(N14) , KI BU~a
 en: 1 šar2 17 bur3 field, measured;
  calculation in bur3: 16 + 15 + 15 + 10 + 17 = 73 (?; using “correct” calculations, not entries to text)
3. 1(N14) 2(N22) 5(N01) , GISZ KI BAR
 en: 1 bur3 2 ee3 5 iku, wooded perimeter land;
  calculation in iku: 12 + 10 8/10 - 3/10 - 2/10 + 13 = 35 (?; using “correct” calculations, not entries to text)
column 2
1. 3(N45) 5(N50) 2(N14) 2(N22) 5(N01) , GAN2 AB~a |NI~a.RU| IL# [...]
 en: 3 šar2 52 bur3 2 eše3 5 iku, field, households of NIRU, ... .
  calculation: 2 šar2 34 bur3 + 1 šar2 17 bur3 + 1 bur3 2 eše3 5 iku = 3 šar2 52 bur3 2 eše3 5 iku

Consult previous versions and their differences
Consult sign list of Uruk III (ca. 3200-3000 BC)
Consult word list of Uruk III (ca. 3200-3000 BC)

  • Artifact type: Tablet
  • Material: Clay
  • Measurements (mm): 87.0 high × 56.0 wide × 18.0 thick
  • Weight:
  • Artifact Preservation: complete
  • Condition Description:
  • Join Information:
  • Seal no.:
  • Seal information:
  • Artifact comments:

  • primary: MSVO 1, 2

    [Englund1991MSVO1] Englund, Robert K., Jean-Pierre Grégoire, and Roger J. Matthews. 1991. The Proto-Cuneiform Texts from Jemdet Nasr. I: Copies, Transliterations and Glossary. Materialien Zu Den Frühen Schriftzeugnissen Des Vorderen Orients (MSVO), Band 1. Berlin: Gebr. Mann.

    87x56x18 - nearly complete surface measurement text - first edited C. Allotte de la Fuÿe, RA 27 (1930) 65-71 - A. Vaiman, Peredn. sbornik 1966, 13-15 (= BagM 21, 1990, 101-103) - discussed by P. Steinkeller, Jb. f. Wirtschaftsgeschichte 1987/S, 13ff., H. Niss

  • history: RA 27, p.65-71, p. 65-71

    [AllottedelaFuÿe1930mesures] Allotte de la Fuÿe, François-Maurice. 1930. “Mesures Agraires et Calcul Des Superficies Dans Les Textes Pictographiques de Djemdet-Nasr.” Revue d’Assyriologie et d’Archéologie Orientale 27: 65–71.

  • history: Englund, OBO 160/1, p. 206-207 fig. 83

    [Englund1998OBO160/1] Englund, Robert K. 1998. “Texts from the Late Uruk Period.” In Annäherungen 1: Mesopotamien. Späturuk-Zeit Und Frühdynastische Zeit, edited by Pascal Attinger and Markus Wäfler, 13–233. Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis 160/1. Freiburg Schweiz: Universitätsverlag.

    copy

  • history: AfO 44/45 (pp. 1-58), 19ff.

    [Friberg1997AfO44] Friberg, Jöran. 1997/98. “Round and Almost Round Numbers in Proto-Literate Metro-Mathematical Field Texts.” Archiv Für Orientforschung 44/45: 1–58.

    discussion of text

  • history: OECT 7, 100

    [Langdon1928OECT7] Langdon, Stephen H. 1928. The H. Weld-Blundell Collection in the Ashmolean Museum. Pictographic Inscriptions from Jemdet Nasr, Excavated by the Oxford and Field Museum Expedition. Oxford Editions of Cuneiform Texts, Vol. 7. London: Oxford University Press.

  • history: JESHO 39, p.1-41, p. 11-12

    [Liverani1996landscape] Liverani, Mario. 1996. “Reconstructing the Rural Landscape of the Ancient Near East.” Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient 39: 1–41.

    with Frühe Schrift figure

  • history: Frühe Schrift, 96-99 (catalogue no. 12.1)

    [Nissen1991FrüheSchrift] Nissen, Hans J., Peter Damerow, and Robert K. Englund. 1991. Frühe Schrift Und Techniken Der Wirtschaftsverwaltung Im Alten Vorderen Orient. Informationsspeicherung Und -Verarbeitung Vor 5000 Jahren. Franzbecker.

  • history: A. Vaiman, Peredn. sbornik 1966, 13-15 (= BagM 21, 1990, 101-103)

    [sec2095] N.d.

  • Composite No.:
  • Museum No.: Ashm 1926-0583
  • Accession No.:

  • Provenience: uncertain (mod. Jemdet Nasr)
  • Elevation:
  • Stratigraphic Level:
  • Excavation No: Ashm 1926,583
  • Findspot Square:
  • Findspot Comments:

Created Creator Type Authors Project Reviewer Status Action
2024-07-22 at 14:41:50 Firth, Richard Artifact, Other Entity Firth, Richard Firth, Richard approved View
2024-07-03 at 09:17:18 Firth, Richard Artifact, Other Entity Firth, Richard Firth, Richard approved View
2024-06-08 at 08:38:45 Firth, Richard Artifact, Other Entity Firth, Richard Firth, Richard approved View
2020-10-12 at 04:37:43 Dahl, Jacob L. Atf Dahl, Jacob L. CDLI approved View
2017-02-19 at 21:23:46 Englund, Robert K. Atf Englund, Robert K. CDLI approved View
2014-09-28 at 17:13:38 Englund, Robert K. Atf Englund, Robert K. CDLI approved View
2007-02-02 at 15:13:18 Dahl, Jacob L. Atf Dahl, Jacob L. CDLI approved View
2006-10-12 at 12:12:59 CDLI Atf CDLI CDLI approved View
2001-12-04 at 00:00:00 CDLI Artifact Englund, Robert K. CDLI approved View

Consult this artifact as presented on the website of collections and projects:

    There is no external resource for this artifact yet.

General Notes: -
CDLI Notes: -
Cite this Artifact
“MSVO 1, 002 Artifact Entry.” (2001) 2024. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). July 22, 2024. https://cdli.earth/P005069.
MSVO 1, 002 artifact entry (No. P005069). (2024, July 22). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.earth/P005069 (Original work published 2001)
MSVO 1, 002 artifact entry (2024) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.earth/P005069 (Accessed: May 2, 2025).
@misc{2024MSVO,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2025-05-02]},
	year = {2024},
	month = {jul 22},
	title = {MSVO 1, 002 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.earth/P005069},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.earth/P005069},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2024/7/22/
PY  - 2024
ID  - P005069
LB  - CDLI:P005069
M1  - 2025/5/2/
TI  - MSVO 1, 002 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.earth/P005069
ER  -
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