ARM 05, 020 (P338870)
Letter, Old Babylonian, Mari · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE
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| Designation | ARM 05, 020 |
|---|---|
| ID | P338870 |
| Museum no. | NMSD — |
| Collection | National Museum of Syria, Damascus, Syria |
| Language | Akkadian |
| Period | Old Babylonian · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE |
| Genre | Letter |
| Find spot | Mari (mod. Tell Hariri) |
| Coordinates | 34.5504, 40.8887 |
English translation
By Price, Jason R. · Via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative · CDLI (reuse with citation)
| Line | English |
|---|---|
| obverse 1 | To Išme-Dagan |
| obverse 2 | speak! |
| obverse 3 | Thus Išḫi-Addu, your brother: |
| obverse 4 | This word is unspeakable, |
| obverse 5 | yet now may I speak, and |
| obverse 6 | further may my heart relax! |
| obverse 7 | A great king are you. Two horses |
| obverse 8 | as your request you requested from me, and |
| obverse 9 | further I had (them) led to you. |
| obverse 10 | But as for you, 20 minas of tin |
| obverse 11 | you sent to me. To not act |
| obverse 12 | straight with me |
| obverse 13 | may you not desire! This little tin |
| obverse 14 | you sent! If but |
| obverse 15 | you were not sending me anything! |
| obverse 16 | On account of the god of my father, |
| obverse 17 | if but my heart were ill! |
| obverse 18 | The price of horses, |
| obverse 19 | the aforementioned, |
| obverse 20 | with us in Qatna |
| reverse 1 | is 6 hundred (shekels) of silver, |
| reverse 2 | but you, 20 minas of tin |
| reverse 3 | you sent me. Further, the one who hears, |
| reverse 4 | will say what? “He has not dealt so with us.” |
| reverse 5 | This house is your house. |
| reverse 6 | In your house, what is missing? |
| reverse 7 | Does brother to brother |
| reverse 8 | a wish not grant? |
| reverse 9 | If but tin |
| reverse 10 | you were not sending to me! |
| reverse 11 | My heart |
| reverse 12 | would not have been sick at all. |
| reverse 13 | Not a great king are you. |
| reverse 14 | Why have you done this? |
| reverse 15 | This house is your house. |
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 | a-na isz-me-{d}da-gan | |
| 2 | qi2-bi2-ma | |
| 3 | um-ma isz-hi-{d}iszkur a-ha-ka-a-ma | |
| 4 | a-wa-tam an-ni-tam a-na la qa-be2-e-em-ma | |
| 5 | u3 i-na-an-na lu-uq-bi-ma | |
| 6 | u3 li-ib-bi lu-na-ap-pi2-i-isz | |
| 7 | _lugal_ ra-bu-um at-ta 2(disz) _ansze-kur-ra_ | |
| 8 | e-ri-isz-ta-ka te-ri-sza-an-ni-ma | |
| 9 | u3 u2-sza-ri-a-kum | |
| 10 | u3 at-ta 2(u) _ma-na an-na_{a-na-ka-am} | |
| 11 | tu-sza-bi-lam i-na la da-ba-ba-am | |
| 12 | i-sza-ri-isz it-ti-ia | |
| 13 | la ha-asz-ha-ta _an-na_ i-s,a-am an-ni-tam | |
| 14 | tu-sza-bi-lam szum-ma-an | |
| 15 | szu-bu-lum-ma la tu-sza-ab-ba-lam | |
| 16 | asz-szum _dingir_ sza a-bi-ia | |
| 17 | szum-ma-an li-ib-bi im-ra-as, | |
| 18 | szi-im _ansze-kur-ra_ | |
| 19 | a-nu-um-mu-tim | |
| 20 | it-ti-ni i-na qa-ta-na{ki} | |
| reverse | ||
| 1 | 6(disz) me-tim _ku3-babbar_-szu-nu | |
| 2 | u3 at-ta 2(u) _ma-na an-na_ | |
| 3 | tu-sza-bi-lam u3 sze-mu-u2-um | |
| 4 | mi-nam i-qa-ab-bi u2-ul i-ta-pa-la-ne2-ti-i | |
| 5 | _e2_ an-nu-u2-um _e2-ka_ | |
| 6 | i-na _e2_-ka mi-nu-um ha-t,i3 | |
| 7 | a!-hu-um a-na a-hi-im | |
| 8 | e-ri-isz-ta-a-am u2-ul i-na-ad-di-in | |
| 9 | szum-ma-an _an-na_{a-na-ka-am} | |
| 10 | la tu-sza-ab-ba-la-am | |
| 11 | mi-im-ma li-ib-bi | |
| 12 | u2-la-ma-an im-ra-as, | |
| 13 | u2-ul _lugal_ ra-bu-um at-ta | |
| 14 | am-mi-nim an-ni-tam te-pu-usz | |
| 15 | _e2_ an-nu-u-um _e2_-ka | |
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.