PBS 01/2, 027 (P261018)
Letter, Middle Babylonian, Nippur · c. 1400 BCE–1100 BCE
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| Designation | PBS 01/2, 027 |
|---|---|
| ID | P261018 |
| Museum no. | CBS 04749 |
| Collection | Penn Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Language | Akkadian |
| Period | Middle Babylonian · c. 1400 BCE–1100 BCE |
| Genre | Letter |
| Find spot | Nippur (mod. Nuffar) |
| Coordinates | 32.1271, 45.2300 |
English translation
By Zimmermann, Lynn-Salammbô · Via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative · CDLI (reuse with citation)
| Line | English |
|---|---|
| obverse 1 | Your servant Tarību: |
| obverse 2 | I shall go as my lord’s substitute! |
| obverse 3 | (Say) the following to my lord: |
| obverse 4 | Regarding Šamaš and Marduk, about whom my lord had sent (a letter) to me: |
| obverse 5 | (saying) the following: “The bread is not good, and the first quality beer |
| obverse 6 | is not good tasting, also the rites are not correct. |
| obverse 7 | What had I, personally, been doing at all?” |
| obverse 8 | [In] the town of my lord, in which I am living, for … […] |
| obverse 9 | of my lord, day and night, |
| obverse 10 | I am carrying my blood as my crime/punishment (arnu). |
| obverse 11 | How could I let not-good bread and not-good tasting first quality beer |
| obverse 12 | enter into the houses of the gods of my lord? |
| obverse 13 | Regarding the riksu-preparation (for the offering), about which my lord had sent (a letter) to me: |
| obverse 14 | The riksu-preparation (for the offering) is good. It is ready for the inspection of my lord. |
| obverse 15 | And they let the oxen of the ḫazannu eat (= feed them) out of <my?> hand. |
| obverse 16 | Regarding the birds, |
| obverse 17 | about which my lord had sent (a letter) to me: |
| obverse 18 | I have let 10 ducks, which they had let be fattened with barley, |
| obverse 19 | be brought to my lord. |
| obverse 20 | Five ducks, four geese, |
| obverse 21 | which my lord had sent (a letter) to me to let them eat flour and groats. |
| obverse 22 | Since the eighth day, |
| obverse 23 | after I had separated (these) nine birds, they are eating (flour and groats). |
| obverse 24 | Nine(+) ducks, separated for barley |
| obverse 25 | nine(+) ducks and 11 geese ... [...] |
| reverse 1 | including 3 speckled ducks (mottled ducks), |
| reverse 2 | later (?): a total of 38 birds. |
| reverse 3 | After I had sent three donkeys to Arad-eššēši, your servant, |
| reverse 4 | (I found that) six minas of wax [...] |
| reverse 5 | he had sealed on his sealed document. After he had let them be brought, |
| reverse 6 | I have let them be brought to my lord. |
| reverse 7 | One aribû garment and two naḫlaptu garments |
| reverse 8 | I have let be brought to my lord. |
| reverse 9 | Regarding the basket maker, the potter, and the sailor |
| reverse 10 | about whom my lord had sent (a letter) to me: the storehouses |
| reverse 11 | are full, and they have seized/collected (them/it). […] Regarding |
| reverse 12 | Sîn-mušabši, the governor of ⸢Sūḫu⸣ (?): |
| reverse 13 | after I/he had let a log out of musukkannu-tree |
| reverse 14 | let cross from Dūr-Sîn-muballiṭ, |
| reverse 15 | after I/he had followed me/travelled to Arad-bēlti, |
| reverse 16 | […] Sîn-us-[…] after he/they had said |
| reverse 17 | […] I had entered […] |
| reverse 18 | And he/they entered […] |
| reverse 19 | he inspected […] |
| reverse 20 | good. In/from ⸢Dilmun (?)⸣ […] |
| reverse 21 | and the sailor […] |
| reverse 22 | when I/he is going to carry […], and as soon as I will have let the two ewes (?), which ..., eat (= feed), |
| reverse 23 | and after the tablet of my lord |
| reverse 24 | had arrived, after I had said the following to the ḫazannu: |
| reverse 25 | “Give ṣābu work troops and they shall carry the birds (?)!” |
| reverse 26 | He has not given (them) to me. The … have slaughtered (them). |
| reverse 27 | In order to send the son of Sîn-ašarēd-ni together with the birds, |
| reverse 28 | Rīš-aṣûšu (?), your servant, |
| reverse 29 | has slaughtered it (them). |
| left 1 | And because of that, which I am saying, and … they are not going to become lost. |
| left 2 | For the going onto the slaughtering block (?) I have placed the birds there. |
Transliteration (ATF)
From Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative · CDLI: reuse of catalogue/transliteration data with citation of CDLI; images restricted (not fetched)
| Line | ATF | Machine English (draft) |
|---|---|---|
| obverse | ||
| 1 | _ARAD_-ka {disz}ta-ri-bu | |
| 2 | a-na di-na-an be-li2-ia lul-lik | |
| 3 | um-ma-a a-na be-li2-ia-a-ma | |
| 4 | asz-szum-ma _{d}utu_ u3 _{d}marduk_ sza be-li2 isz-pu-ra | |
| 5 | um-ma-a _pad_-ma ul ba-ni _kasz-sag_-ma | |
| 6 | ul t,a-a-ab u3 kib-su-um-ma ul ba-ni | |
| 7 | a-na-ku-ma mi-na-a s,a-ab-ta-ku# | |
| 8 | a-na-ku be-li2-ia u2-ba-qar2-ru [...] | |
| 9 | sza be-li2-ia ur-ra u3 mu-u2-sza | |
| 10 | da-mi-ia i-na ar2-ni-ia na-sza-a-ku | |
| 11 | ki-i-ki-i _pad_ la ba-na-a u3 _kasz-sag_ la t,a-ba | |
| 12 | a-na _e2-dingir-mesz_ sza be-li2-ia u2-sze-er-ri-ib | |
| 13 | asz-szu14 rik-si sza be-li2 isz-pu-ra | |
| 14 | rik-su ba-ni a-na a-mar be-li2-ia sza-ri-iq | |
| 15 | u3 _gu4_ sza ha-za-an-ni i-na qa-ti | |
| 16 | u2-sza-ak-ka-lu4 asz-szu14 _muszen-hi-a_ | |
| 17 | sza be-li2 isz-pu-ra | |
| 18 | 1(u) _uz-tur{muszen}_ sza i-na _sze-bar_ szum-mu-ru | |
| 19 | a-na be-li2-ia usz-te-bi#-la | |
| 20 | 5(disz) _uz-tur{muszen}_ 4(disz) _kur-gi{muszen}_ | |
| 21 | sza be-li2 _zi3-da_ u3 ar-sa-a-ni szu-ku-la | |
| 22 | isz-pu-ra _ta u4 8(disz)-kam 9(disz) muszen-hi-a_ | |
| 23 | ki-i ap-ru-su ik-ka-lu4 | |
| 24 | 9(disz) _uz-tur{muszen}_ a-na _sze-bar?#_ par#?-su | |
| 25 | 9(disz) _uz-tur{muszen}_ 1(u) 1(disz) _kur-gi{muszen}_ u2-[x] | |
| reverse | ||
| 1 | _en 3(disz) uz-tur{muszen}_ bu-ur-ru#-[mu-ti] | |
| 2 | ar-ki-ti _pap 3(u) 8(disz) muszen-hi#-[a_] | |
| 3 | a-na _{disz}arad-u4-esz3-esz3 arad_-ka 3(disz) i#-me#-ri#-ia | |
| 4 | ki-i asz-pu-ru 6(disz) _ma gab-lal2_ [...] | |
| 5 | i-na _{na4}dub_-szu2 ka-ni-ik ki-i u2-sze-bi#-la | |
| 6 | a-na be-li2-ia usz-te-bi-la | |
| 7 | 1(disz) {tug2}a-ri-bu u3 2(disz) _{tug2}gu2-e3_ | |
| 8 | a-na be-li2-ia usz-te-bi-la | |
| 9 | asz-szu14 _{lu2}ad-kup4 {lu2}dug-qa-bur_ u3 _{lu2}ma2-lah4_ | |
| 10 | sza be-li2 isz-pu-ra na-ak-ka-ma#-tu | |
| 11 | ma-la-a u3 s,a-ab-tu-ma [u3] asz-szu | |
| 12 | _{disz}{d}3(u)_-mu-szab-szi _gar_-nu sza {iri}su#-[u2]-hi | |
| 13 | gi-isz-ra sza _gesz-mes-ma2-gan{an}-na_ | |
| 14 | i-na _{iri}bad3-{d}3(u)_-mu-bal-lit, ki-i usz-bal-ki-ta | |
| 15 | a#-na# _{iri}ARAD-gaszan{ki}_ ki ir-da-a | |
| 16 | [...] {disz}{d}3(u)-uz-[...] ki-i iq-bu-u2 | |
| 17 | [...] e#-ru#-ub#? [...] | |
| 18 | u3# I#-ru#-[ub/bu ...] | |
| 19 | i-ta-ta-mar# [...] | |
| 20 | _du3-ga_ i-na _ni#?-tuk#?[{ki}_ ...] | |
| 21 | u3 _{lu2#}ma2#-lah5#_ [...] | |
| 22 | ki-i u2-za#-bal#? u3# 2(disz) _u8_ ki#-i#-da#/it#/du#-ta | |
| 23 | usz-ta-ki-il u3 t,up-pu sza be-li2-ia | |
| 24 | ki-i ik-szu-da a-na ha-za-an-ni ki-i | |
| 25 | [aq]-bu-u2 um-ma-a _erin2-hi-a_ i-din-ma _muszen-mesz_ lisz-szu-u2 | |
| 26 | ul id-di-na _lu2 x-mesz_ up-tal2-<li>-qu | |
| 27 | _dumu# {disz}{d}3(u)-sag-kal_-ni#? it-ti _muszen-mesz_ | |
| 28 | a-na sza-pa-ri-szu2 {disz}sud-u4-szu2 _arad_-ka | |
| 29 | up-ta-al-li-iq-szu | |
| left | ||
| 1 | u3 a-na sza a-qab-bu-u2-ma x# x# ul# i-req-qu2#-u2#? | |
| 2 | a-na a-la-ki i-na ta-ka-s,i _muszen-hi-a_ e-te#-en-da | |
Sources & licences
- Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative · CDLI: reuse of catalogue/transliteration data with citation of CDLI; images restricted (not fetched) · Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI), https://cdli.earth/ ; cite CDLI and the P-number
Cite the original edition and translator. Page generated by Unread Atlas from the public corpus export of 2026-10-11.