CDLI Literary 000389, ex. 002 (P346161)

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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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 2.04.01.04 Ur-Namma D (witness) Ur version)

Language(s)

Sumerian

Measurements

-

Has fragments Witness

tablet
obverse
  beginning broken
1'. [...] mu-un-ba-[al-e]
 en: Who will dig the canal here?
2'. i7# [pa4-bi]-luh-ha a-ba mu#-un#-[ba-al-e]
 en: The canal whose (outlying) ditches are clean, who will dig the canal here?
3'. i7# {gesz}gisal-a-gar-ra# a#-ba# mu#-[un-ba-al-e]
 en: The canal in which the oar is set (to start a journey?), who will dig the canal here?
4'. i7 a-ba mu-un-ba#-al#-[e]
 en: Who will dig the canal here?
5'. ur-{d}namma ku3-tuku mu-un-ba-[al-e]
 en: Ur-Namma, the one who has silver, will dig here
6'. i7 a-ba mu-un-ba-al#-[e]
 en: Who will dig the canal here?
7'. {d}szul-gi nig2-tuku mu-un-ba#-[al-e]
 en: Shulgi, the one who has possessions, will dig here
8'. i7 a-ba mu-un-ba-al-e
 en: Who will dig the canal here?
9'. lugal sza3 zi-da nam tar-ra nam-nir-ra sag il2
 en: The king whose fate was decided in the fertile womb, who raises his head in authority
10'. ur-{d}namma sul igi il2-la kur-gal u4 {d}en-lil2-la2-ke4
 en: Ur-Namma, the youth who is watched by the Great Mountain, the storm of (i.e. that is?) Enlil
11'. {d}nun-nam-nir ki-en-gi uri-e me-am3 mu-un-suh-e
 en: Where in Sumer and Akkad will Nunamnir chose?
12'. nibru{ki}-e hur-sag nam-ti-la-ka nam-mi im-mi-in-tar
 en: In Nippur, at the “mountain range of life,” he decreed my(!?) fate
13'. uri2{ki}-e e2-mud-kur-ra-kam
 en: At Ur, it being in the Emudkura shrine
14'. {gesz}gu-za-a-ni suhuszx(DU@s)-bi im-mi-in-gin6
 en: He secured the foundations of his throne
15'. aga me-lam2 me-tesz2 nam-lugal-la sag-ga2 im-mi-gal2
 en: The crown and the (accompanying) aura, (eliciting) the “praise” of kingship, he(!?) put on my(?) head
16'. {gesz}gidri ku3 ug3 1(szar2) si-si-e sa2 szu-ga2 im-mi-in-sa2
 en: He made the pure scepter that puts the many people in order the equal of my hand(?)
17'. enkar szibir#? esz#-giri17# zi#-gal2#? DU#-DU-e [...]
 en: He gave to my hand the enkara weapon, the staff(?) and the nose-rope that convey the people
18'. [...]
 en: ...
19'. [...]-NE
 en: ...
reverse
1. [...] x gal2 sag kun gal2-la#-[...]
 en: ... possessing a head and tail (i.e., the beginning and end of a canal?)/present at the head and tail(?)
2. [...] gur3#-ru ki#-tusz sza3 hul2-la#
 en: ... bearing ..., a dwelling that makes the heart rejoice
3. [...] x-da ur2-bi im-mi-in-gin6
 en: ... made its foundation firm
4. [...]-na-kam gu2-da am bi-szu2
 en: ...
5. [...]-zi ku3-babbar-ra gub-ba-am3 [...] im-mi-ir-mi-re
 en: The gizi reed growth, “standing in silver"(?), flourishes
6. [...] u4 he2-gal2-la bala ub-ba {i7}EZEN-ku3 mu sze
 en: My canal(?) (that furnishes?) a day of abundance, a reign(?) of ..., the “pure ...” canal is named
7. [...] da#-ri ka-ke du-a-ba i7 pa4-bi-luh mu sze
 en: Named an everlasting name that is suitable for the mouth, the canal whose (outlying) ditches are clean canal is named
8. ga2 iri{ki}-ga2 a-ra2-bi ku6-ab te-li-bi mu-sze-na
 en: (As for?) me, the way of (the canal of?) my city is fish(?), its float/excess(?) is birds
9. {i7}EZEN-ku3 iri{ki}-bi ku6-ab te-li-bi mu-sze-na
 en: The “pure ...” canal, it flow(!?) is fish(?), its float/excess(?) is birds
10. i7 pa4-bi-luh a-ra2-bi ku6-ab te-li-bi mu-sze-na
 en: The canal whose (outlying) ditches are clean, its flow is fish(?), its float/excess(?) is birds
11. he2-gal2-bi ku6 hu-ma-ra-ab-de6 e2-kisz-nu-gal2-sze3
 en: Abundantly it brought fish to the Ekišnugal temple
12. gu2-gu2-bi {u2}munzer lu2-e u2-lal3 gu7-e
 en: On its banks are munzer plants which one eats (like?) the “honey plant”
13. a-gar3 gal-bi# sze gu-nu mu2-mu2 {gesz#}tir#-gin7#? su-su-[...]
 en: Making mottled barley/crops grow in its meadows (so that it) sways like a forest/for it to be denuded (at harvest time) like a forest(?)
14. lugal an-ub#-[...]-bi sze-ga {d#?}[...]
 en: The king of the four regions, obedient one of Enlil
15. ur#?-{d#?}[namma ... ki]-en#-gi uri#-[...]
 en: Ur-Namma, the shepherd and provider in Sumer and Akkad, loved by Enlil
16. [...] x [...]
 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:
  • This artifact is composed of fragments.
  • Condition Description:
  • Join Information:
  • Seal no.:
  • Seal information:
  • Artifact comments:

  • Genre(s): Literary (ETCSL 2.04.01.04 Ur-Namma D (witness) Ur version)
  • Language(s): Sumerian

  • history: UET 6, 0076 + 0518

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

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

  • Provenience: Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar)
  • Elevation:
  • Stratigraphic Level:
  • Excavation No: U 16895
  • Findspot Square:
  • Findspot Comments:

Created Creator Type Authors Project Reviewer Status Action
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
2019-06-11 at 11:05:33 Englund, Robert K. Atf Englund, Robert K. CDLI approved View
2019-05-29 at 21:02:01 Englund, Robert K. Atf Peterson, Jeremiah 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 000389 (Ur-Namma D) composite (P469691) View the score

General Notes: -
CDLI Notes:

P346161 leadP346161 lead

Cite this Artifact
“CDLI Literary 000389, Ex. 002 Artifact Entry.” (2006) 2023. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). June 28, 2023. https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346161.
CDLI Literary 000389, ex. 002 artifact entry (No. P346161). (2023, June 28). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346161 (Original work published 2006)
CDLI Literary 000389, ex. 002 artifact entry (2023) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346161 (Accessed: April 20, 2024).
@misc{2023CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2024-04-20]},
	year = {2023},
	month = {jun 28},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000389, ex. 002 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346161},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346161},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2023/6/28/
PY  - 2023
ID  - P346161
LB  - CDLI:P346161
M1  - 2024/4/20/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000389, ex. 002 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346161
ER  -
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