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CDLI Literary needed, ex. 005 ? (P343406)
Literary letter and letter-prayer, Old Babylonian, Nippur · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE
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| Designation | CDLI Literary needed, ex. 005 ? |
|---|---|
| ID | P343406 |
| Museum no. | Ist Ni 09729 |
| Collection | Arkeoloji Müzeleri, Istanbul, Turkey |
| Language | Sumerian |
| Period | Old Babylonian · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE |
| Genre | Literary letter and letter-prayer |
| Find spot | Nippur (mod. Nuffar) |
| Coordinates | 32.1271, 45.2300 |
Transliteration (ATF)
From Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative · CDLI: reuse of catalogue/transliteration data with citation of CDLI; images restricted (not fetched)
Machine draft. The right-hand column is machine English from ixmon/atf-to-english (atf-en-t5base-F, 2026-10-17), generated line by line from the transliteration. It is unreviewed and is not a scholarly translation.
| Line | ATF | Machine English (draft) |
|---|---|---|
| obverse | ||
| 1' | [e-ne-esz2 ga2-a-ra igi zi bar-mu-un-szi-ib ka]-ba-zu# [kukku2 hu-mu-un-zalag-ge] | For me, look faithfully at him, may your mouth shine with kukku. |
| 2' | mu-4(disz)-kam#?-ma#-ta iri#-ga2 nu#?-[me-a sag-gin7 im-ma-an-ti] lu2# gesztu2 hu?-x x | From the 4th year, when I was not in my city, he died like a head; a man ... wisdom |
| 3' | sag#-[sag3-zu] musz3#-me-ga2 ba-ni?-kur2 su?-mu#-[ug-ga GAM-GAM-e im-lah5] | Your “head-scratch"(?), my aura has changed, I am frightened(?) |
| 4' | [nig2-me]-gar szu-mu da-lam im-mi-ib2-[ra KA ab-ba-mu nu-zu] | he made my hand tremble with joy, my mouth did not know my father. |
| 5' | nam#?-ab-ba u4#-ba# til-la-gin7#? [banda3{da} tak4-a ama5-mu ba-ab-bir-bir] | At that time, like one finished by a band, my chamber was smashed |
| 6' | muszen gesz#-bur2#-[ra dab5-ba-gin7 amar-bi gud3-ta ba-ni-ib-sikil-a] | Like a bird caught in a trap, its calves were purified from the oxen |
| 7' | [dumu]-x-[mu bar-ta ba-bir-bir lu2 kin ak-de3 la-ba-an-tuku] | The ... of my son has been scattered from the outside, no workman has been able to do it. |
| reverse | ||
| 1' | u3 im#-ri#-a#-mu-ke4 x [gi4-mu-un-na-ab] | and Imriyamu, ... return it to him! |
| 2' | du11-ga-zu-ta# x [hu-mu-ra-ab-du7] | May your utterance be perfect for you |
| 3' | ur5#-zu gesztu2 tuku-de3 [inim-mu] sag hu#-mu-x-[us2] | In order to acquire your wisdom, I should ... my words |
| 4' | kur su3-ra2 za3 til-la#-bi# [u4] a-ga-[sze3 nam-ba-da-ha-lam-e] | The distant land, whose border is finished, may it not be destroyed forever! |
| 5' | x [...] | |
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 2026-10-18.