PBS 01/2, 050 (P261026)
Letter, Middle Babylonian, Nippur · c. 1400 BCE–1100 BCE
Open in the reader & map →See it among all tablets
| Designation | PBS 01/2, 050 |
|---|---|
| ID | P261026 |
| Museum no. | CBS 04757 |
| 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 2 | ...(pl.) confinement# ? ... |
| obverse 3 | ... of my lord is lacking. ... |
| obverse 4 | and two ṣābu workers for the digging of wells ... |
| obverse 5 | And now on the 5 th day the garden ... |
| obverse 6 | when the ox driver has chopped (?) wood from the garden ... |
| obverse 7 | Now, when he carried it off-for how many days to ... |
| obverse 8 | will he return? May the two workers, who I have detained, dig wells, |
| obverse 9 | so that they may give water for drawing and so that the house may? live. |
| obverse 10 | On the first day I let the total of the workers repeatedly cross back and forth over the Dūr-Adad canal (= i.e. to check which parts need redigging/repair?). |
| obverse 11 | I will have the Dūr-Adad canal dug up until the 1 0 th day and |
| obverse 12 | I will open the water for the pīḫātu Pān-ṣēri. Regarding the fact that I wen[t to (the ḫarbu fields of ?)] |
| obverse 13 | the iššakku farmers of the city Āl-Ninurta-muballiṭ ... |
| obverse 14 | when I checked the number of men, then each one ... |
| obverse 15 | (on the fields/canals) there I placed each of them and then 5(disz) ... |
| obverse 16 | to each man, who was counted, ... |
| obverse 17 | when I had inspected (?) the cattle of Ibni-Amurru, the ones of the six ḫarbu fields, |
| obverse 18 | and when# to scatter (them on the fields) they had divided them evenly (i.e. between the fields), |
| obverse 19 | are [...] filled with [wa]ter. In the garden(s) are fires |
| obverse 20 | your (Pl. m) ... and the cattle of the city Dūr-Marduk |
| obverse 21 | ... when I inspected 3 1 ḫarbu fields ... he ... them |
| obverse 22 | don ’t ... your female and male servants |
| obverse 23 | 6(disz) ḫarbu fields strongly ... |
| obverse 24 | ... after/that I saw Tukultī-Amurru and ... |
| obverse 25 | "the [...] cattle is strong. And which city have you [...] |
| obverse 26 | [... in order to co]llect (levies) the seeds are inspected (?). Regarding the city Āl-rē’î: |
| obverse 27 | out of? (the barley) seeds of the dēkû officials ... barley seeds remain and seeds ... |
| obverse 28 | [(in?)] his [sa]ck(s) ... until ... in the collecting of levies he did ... |
| obverse 29 | ... seeds? ... the (person) ... 22 gur ... |
| obverse 30 | ... servant ... the riksu preparation (for the offering) |
| obverse 31 | ... he may observe# ? |
| reverse 1 | ... the seeds to water ... |
| reverse 2 | ... with me? and water in the well ... |
| reverse 3 | ... and they will go deep. Why has Amīl-... the gardens |
| reverse 4 | ...? I have given for the gardens. Regarding the Dūr-Adad canal, |
| reverse 5 | ... which my lord wrote to me about the following: “Because in the month simanu, the month du’ūzu, |
| reverse 6 | .. . and the month abu the digging, which I had ordered you to do, you did not dig |
| reverse 7 | (because of that) ... The Dūr-Adad canal has dried up.” All I can say is: I have not dug. |
| reverse 8 | It may dry up, since I have completed the digging in the month simanu already. |
| reverse 9 | ... Now# it has been left there to dry up. My account was ... |
| reverse 10 | when my lord inspected it ... in Babylon. Regarding the fact that from the month simanu |
| reverse 11 | until the month abu reed has .... Now my lord may return and |
| reverse 12 | ... he may act upon it. After he will have finished (off) the reed, my lord may treat me according to his heart. |
| reverse 13 | Why are the worktroops idle and I have to wait? |
| reverse 14 | Regarding the city Emūqāt-Marduk, which my lord wrote to me about the following: |
| reverse 15 | Because he has not cultivated, they may collect barley from him. In the city Emūqāt-Marduk |
| reverse 16 | my lord has not dug the nāru canal. I will let it lie fallow. When he wants to cultivate it, |
| reverse 17 | then it might be the case that the workers,which were (assigned) for me, are already set free for him. The following: "Because with the help of the workers |
| reverse 18 | you did not dig a canal and you did not cultivate, because of that either the iku irrigation canal or the nāru canal are covered (?)." |
| reverse 19 | Without my lord(' s permission) I will not dig. Now the workers,which had been (assigned) to me, |
| reverse 20 | are set free. Therefore my dullu work duty, that of myself, according to (his) heart/mind, he will order (me to do). I have been staying here (waiting) |
| reverse 21 | for my lord to return. The following: "When you performed this dullu work duty on your own ( = in that of yourself) |
| reverse 22 | you did not dig the canal …šu-Marduk." |
| reverse 23 | When the workers of my lord were idle, then he did not give. But because it was not the offence of the workers (?) |
| reverse 24 | they will take the barley, which my lord ordered them to take: That of my lord (i.e. from his stocks) |
| reverse 25 | and his bread, that of my lord. Whenever they are hungry don’t I (usually) receive rations from the house of my lord? |
| reverse 26 | Regarding the horses,which my lord wrote to me |
| reverse 27 | the following about: "The horse, which I gave to you, let it be brought to me!" Which horses |
| reverse 28 | are the ones of my lord and which ones are mine? I have the horses |
| reverse 29 | of my lord, as well as of my servants and the shepherds of the horses .... |
| reverse 30 | They have been seized and the horses of so and so, which he spoke about, are ... |
| reverse 31 | and the horses of my lord are numerous. By my side ... |
| left 1 | ... has mercy with you. Where shall we search for them? The steppe will be filled ... |
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 | [...]-_mesz_ mu#?-[...] | |
| 2 | [...]-_mesz_-u2 gi#?-na#?-ta#? [...] | |
| 3 | [x x-x]-s,a# be-li2-ia ia-nu [...] | |
| 4 | u3 2(disz) _erin2-hi-a_ bu-ri a-na hu-[ur-ru? ...] | |
| 5 | i-na-na-ma _{gesz}kiri6_ i-na _u4 5(disz)-kam#_ [...] | |
| 6 | ki-i kul-li-[zu] i-s,i _{gesz}kiri6_ [...] it-ta-ak#?-[su? ...] | |
| 7 | i-na-an-na ki i-tab-la a-na ki ma2-s,i u4-mi a-na [...] | |
| 8 | i-tu-ur-ra 2(disz) _erin2-hi-a_ sza ak-lu-u2 bu-ri li-[ih-ru ...] | |
| 9 | u3 me-e a-na da-li-i li-id-[di]-nu-ma _e2_ na-pisz-ta5 [...] | |
| 10 | _u4-1(disz)-kam_ nap#-har _erin2-hi-a_ a-na _{i7}bad3-{d}iszkur{ki}_ ul-te-bi-ir | |
| 11 | _{i7}bad3-{d}iszkur{ki}_ a-di _u4 1(u)-kam_ usz-ta-[na]-as-sa#-ha#-ma# | |
| 12 | me-e e-pe2-et-te a-na pa-an-_edin_ sza al-li-[ka? har-bi? sza?] | |
| 13 | _ensi2-hi-a_ sza _uru_-{d}nin-urta-mu-bal-li2-it,[...] | |
| 14 | re-e-sza ki-i asz-szu-u2 il-te#-en#-nu-u2 zu-[...] | |
| 15 | i-na mu-uh-hi al-ta-ta-ka-an u3 5(disz)# x [...] | |
| 16 | a-na il-te-en-nu-u2 a-wi-le-e ma-nu-ti [...] | |
| 17 | _gu4-hi-a_ sza {disz}ib-ni-{d}kur sza 6(disz) har-bi ki-i a-ma#?-ru | |
| 18 | szum#-ma# a-na bu-ul-lu-[li] im-me2-esz-szi-lu | |
| 19 | [...]-me#-ma lu-u2 _{gesz#}kiri6_-ru-um-ma i-sza-ta-ti | |
| 20 | [...]-ak-ku-nu u3 _gu4-hi-a {iri}bad3-{d}marduk{ki}_ | |
| 21 | [...] 3(u) 1(disz) har-bi ki-i a-mu-[ru?] i-[...]-na-ap?-szu-nu-ti | |
| 22 | _geme2 ARAD_-ka szu-nu-ti la# [...] | |
| 23 | 6(disz) har-bu da-an-ni-isz szu-[...] | |
| 24 | [...] {disz}tu-kul-ti-_{d}kur_ ki-i a-mu-ru-ma a-[...] | |
| 25 | [...] _gu4#-hi-a_ da-an-nu-ma a-a-u2 _uru_ tu-nu-[...] | |
| 26 | [... de]-ke-e _numun_ um-mu#-ru sza _uru_-re-e-i{ki} [...] | |
| 27 | [i-na? _sze?]-numun_ de-e-ki [...] _sze-numun_ uh-hu-ur u3 _numun_ [...] | |
| 28 | [u2]-du-u2-szu a-di ki-[...]-i# i-na de-ke-e u2-ni-x?-[x-x?] | |
| 29 | [...]-ir _numun_ [...] _lu2_ ha-[...]-i-di 2(u) 2(asz) _gur#_ [...] | |
| 30 | [...] _ARAD_ [...] ri!#-ik-su | |
| 31 | [...]-re-e li#-bar-ru#? | |
| 32 | [...] gi#-ti _hi-a#?_ [...] | |
| reverse | ||
| 1 | [...] di# _numun_-u2 a-na me-e za-la-[...] | |
| 2 | [...] it-tu-u2 u3 mu-u2 i-na bu-ri-[i? ...] | |
| 3 | [...]-ma i-sza-ap-pi2-lu _{gesz#!}kiri6-mesz_ am-mi-ni _lu2_-{d}[...] | |
| 4 | [...] a-na _{gesz}kiri6-mesz_ a-na-ku a-nam-din asz-szu14 {i7}bad3-{d}iszkur{ki} | |
| 5 | [...] sza be-li2 isz-pu-ra um-ma-a _{iti}sig4-a {iti}szu-numun-na_ | |
| 6 | [...] u3 _{iti}ne-gar_ he-ra-a ki#-i# aq-ba-ak-ku! ul te-eh-ri | |
| 7 | [...] _{i7}bad3-{d}iszkur{ki}_ ab-la-at [ma?]-a ul ah-ri | |
| 8 | [lu]-u2 ab-la-at i-na _{iti}sig4-a_-ma i-na he-re-e ug-dam-mi-ir# | |
| 9 | [...] i#-na-an-na-ma a-na a-ba-li [uh]-hu-ra-at _nig2-szid_-ia [...] | |
| 10 | [... i]-na _ka2-dingir-ra{ki}_ be-li2 ki-i [i-mu-ru] sza ul-tu _{iti}sig4-a_ | |
| 11 | [a]-di _{iti}ne-gar_ qa2-nu-u2 a-[...] i-na-na be-li2 li-tu-ur-ma | |
| 12 | [... li]-pu-usz-ma ul-tu qa2-nu# u2#?-qat-tu-u2 be-li2 ki li-ib-bi-szu | |
| 13 | li#-[pu-usz]-sza-an-ni [a]-na mi#-ni#-i _erin2-hi-a_ ri-iq-ma u3 a-na-ku a-da-gal | |
| 14 | asz-szu14 {iri}e-mu-qa2-at-_{d}marduk_ sza be-li2 isz-pu-ra um-ma-a | |
| 15 | asz-szu14 la i-ri-szu ut,-t,e4-ta li-si-ru-szu i-na {iri}e-mu-qa2-at-_{d}marduk_ | |
| 16 | be-li2 _i7_ ul ih-ra-a a-na-ad-di ki-i ir-ri-isz | |
| 17 | u3 lu _erin2-hi-a_ a-na pa-ni-ia mu#-usz#!-szur#?-szu# um-ma-a i-na _erin2-hi-a_ | |
| 18 | _i7_ ki la te-eh-ri-ma# la te-ri-isz lu _e_ lu _i7_ hal-pu | |
| 19 | i-na ba-lu4 be-li2-ia ul e-he-[er]-ri i-na-an-na _erin2-hi-a_ a-na pa-ni-ia | |
| 20 | mu-usz-szur-ma u3# dul#-li# ra#-ma#?-ni#-ia i-na _sza3_ i-qa2-ab-ba a-tasz-bu [...] | |
| 21 | be-li2 a-na tu#-[ur-ri-x] um-ma-a ki-i dul-la an-ni-a-am i-na ra-ma-[ni-ka] | |
| 22 | te-pu-szu _i7#_ [...]-szu-{d}marduk# ki-i la te-eh-[ri ...] | |
| 23 | _erin2-hi-a_ be-li2 ki-i re-qi2#? ul i-di-nam ki-i la hi-t,u2-u2 _erin2#-[hi-a?] | |
| 24 | ut,-t,e4-ta sza be-li2 le-qa2-a iq-bu-u2 i-le-qu2-ma sza be-li2-ia-ma | |
| 25 | u3 _ninda_-szu-ma sza be-li2-ia-ma ki-i ib-te-ru-u2 i-na _e2_ be-li2-ia | |
| 26 | ip-ra-a ul a-ma-har asz-szu14 _ansze-kur-ra_ sza be-li2 isz-pu-ra | |
| 27 | um-ma-a _ansze-kur-ra_ sza ad-di-na-ku szu-bi-la12 a-a-u2-tu# _ansze-kur-ra_ | |
| 28 | sza be-li2-ia-ma a-a-u2-tu at-tu-u2-a a-na-ku# _ansze#-kur-ra_ | |
| 29 | sza be-li2-ia a-ki ki-na-tu-u2-a _sipa ansze-kur-ra-[mesz_ ...] | |
| 30 | s,a-ab-tu-ma _ansze-kur-ra_ sza an-na-an-na i-qab-bu [...] | |
| 31 | u3 _ansze-kur-ra_ sza be-li2-ia ma-a-di i-tu-u2-[a ...] | |
| left | ||
| 1 | [...] ir-te-mu-ka a!-a-ka-a nu-ba-'a-a-szu-nu-ti _edin_ i#?-ma-al?-lu | |
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.