CDLI Literary 000782, ex. 008 (P346254)
Literary, Old Babylonian, Ur · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE
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| Designation | CDLI Literary 000782, ex. 008 |
|---|---|
| ID | P346254 |
| Museum no. | BM — |
| Collection | British Museum, London, UK |
| Language | Sumerian |
| Period | Old Babylonian · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE |
| Genre | Literary |
| Find spot | Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar) |
| Coordinates | 30.9607, 46.1063 |
English translation
By Peterson, Jeremiah · Via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative · CDLI (reuse with citation)
| Line | English |
|---|---|
| obverse 1 | In those distant days, in those (even more) distant days |
| obverse 2 | In those distant nights, in those (even more) distant nights |
| obverse 3 | In those distant years, in those (even more) distant years |
| obverse 4 | At that time he was the one of wisdom, the one aware of events, was resident in the land |
| obverse 5 | (The resident of?) Šuruppak, he was the one of wisdom, the one aware of events, was resident in the land |
| obverse 6 | (The resident of?) Šuruppak instructed |
| obverse 7 | (The resident of?) Shuruppak, the son of Ubartutu |
| obverse 8 | Was instructing his son Ziusudra |
| obverse 9 | My son, I shall instruct, may my instruction be grasped |
| obverse 10 | One should not forget my instruction |
| obverse 11 | One should not transgress (my) spoken word |
| obverse 12 | The advice of an elder is something precious, one should pay attention to it |
| obverse 13 | One should not buy a braying male donkey, it will split apart your workforce |
| obverse 14 | One should not put down a field (on) a road, there will be crushing/growling(!?) force |
| obverse 15 | One should not cultivate a field on a road or pathway, there will be ... of the boundary stake(s) |
| obverse 16 | Do not dig(?) a well/cistern in(!) your field, the people will(?) destroy it for you |
| obverse 17 | Do not attach a house(?) to the broad street/town square, there is “binding"(?) (there) |
| obverse 18 | If one has not accepted(?) a pledge(?) (on his behalf?), that man will seize (you)(?) |
| obverse 19 | You, do not make a pledge(?), the one (on whose behalf it was made) will denigrate it(?) |
| obverse 20 | One should not look at (spy on, inspect?) a man, the flood will devastate you(?) |
| obverse 21 | One should not stand (i.e., remain) where there is a quarrel |
| obverse 22 | One should not become a witness in the quarrel |
| obverse 23 | Do not make yourself known in the quarrel (i.e., conceal your identity?) |
| obverse 25 | Set quarreling aside |
| obverse 26 | Regarding abuse, go around it with a different street (instead) |
| obverse 27 | One should not steal anything (and thus) kill yourself (by incurring punishment) |
| obverse 28 | One should not break into a house (and thus) desire the treasure box |
| obverse 29 | The thief is indeed a pirig monster, (but) after he is caught, he is indeed a slave |
| obverse 30 | My son, one should not rob, do not “hew” yourself(?) |
| obverse 31 | Do not sexually penetrate(?) the bridegroom, do not ... yourself |
| reverse 1 | Do not “play”(?) with a married young woman, the slander (arising from it) is formidable |
| reverse 2 | My son, one should not sit in a chamber(?) with someone who is married |
| reverse 3 | One should not quarrel and (thus) spoil yourself |
| reverse 4 | Do not ... lies, (the act?) “thins out/flattens the head/denigrates and ...?” |
| reverse 5 | One should not boast/(overly) praise, your word is set (within it) |
| reverse 6 | One should not advise, a serious gaze is(?) never lifted away from him(?) |
| reverse 7 | One should not eat/consume something stolen(?) with someone else |
| reverse 8 | If your hands are bloody(?) one should not submerge them in ...(?) |
| reverse 9 | One should replace a scratched/ground down(?) bone/foot(?) with an (entire) ox or a sheep(?) |
| reverse 10 | One should not speak ... with inappropriateness |
| reverse 11 | Or else in the future(?), like a trap, ... will bind ... to you(?) |
| reverse 12 | One should not scatter your sheep towards (a place where) pasture has not been sought (before) |
| reverse 13 | One should not hire the ox of another man for (work on) a property line that is not set |
| reverse 14 | A set property line is a set road |
| reverse 15 | Do not go (on) a road (at) night, its midst is (both) good and evil (portending?) |
| reverse 16 | One should not buy an onager you will have spend the day with at its side |
| reverse 17 | One should not have sex with your female worker, she will chew you up(?) |
| reverse 18 | One should not curse(!) with/at your right side(?), ... will return ... towards (your?) hand(?) |
| reverse 19 | Do not pour/bring out(?) water that has not been examined/accepted(?), weakened arms(?) are there for you |
| reverse 20 | Abandon something that is long/offered(?) with pomp(?) and it will abandon ...(?) |
| reverse 21 | One should not kill a strong man or destroy the outer wall |
| reverse 22 | One should not kill a young man/worker(?) (or) turn him away from the city |
| reverse 23 | One should not remove a debt-bearer, that man will be(?) estranged to you |
| reverse 24 | One should not put down a field adjacent to an arrogant/shy(?) (person) |
| reverse 25 | He will leave it to you to go to(?) that female worker |
| reverse 26 | One should not rebel from the ... of that man |
| reverse 27 | (Even if?) “Lead, lead!” they say to you |
| reverse 28 | One should not release the bond(?) at the reed fence of an orchard |
| reverse 29 | “Replace it, replace it!” they will say on (the owner's) behalf(?) |
| reverse 30 | Do not feed a dog/stranger, one should not drag around(?) a quarrel(?) |
| reverse 31 | My son, do not use(!?) force, do not put a man on the ground |
| reverse 32 | One should not rape the child of a man, ... |
| reverse 33 | The slanderer, (like) a spindle(?), spins his(!) eyes/gaze |
| reverse 34 | One is not to stand at the front, you will not have changed your mind (once getting there?) |
| reverse 35 | "Long-tablet" of Damqi-ilišu |
| reverse 36 | It is the month of ..., 3rd day |
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 | [...] u4 su3-ra2 ri-a | |
| 2 | [...] ge6 bad-ra2 ri-a | |
| 3 | [...] ri#-a# mu su3-ra2 ri-a | |
| 4 | u4#-ba gesztux(|GISZ.TUG2|) tuku-ga14-kam inim# zu-a kalam-ma til#?-la#-am3 | |
| 5 | szuruppak{ki}-e gesztux(|GISZ.TUG2|) tuku-ga14-kam# inim zu-a kalam-ma til-la-am3 | |
| 6 | szuruppak{ki}-e dumu#-ni#-ra na na-mu-un-de5-ga#? | |
| 7 | szuruppak{ki!} dumu# ubur-tu-tu-ke4 | |
| 8 | zi-u4-su3-ra2 dumu#-ni-ra na na-mu-un-de5-de5 | |
| 9 | dumu-gu10 na ga-de5# na de5-gu10 he2-dab5 | |
| 10 | na de5#-ga#-gu10# szu nam-bi2-bar-ra | |
| 11 | inim# du11-ga na#-ab-ta-bala-e | |
| 12 | na# de5 ab-ba nig2 kal-la gu2-zu# he2#-em-szi-ke3-e | |
| 13 | dur3{urx(|GA2xKAL|)} gu3 di na-ab-sa10#-sa10 erin2#-zu sza-ra#-ab#-si-il# | |
| 14 | GAN2# kaskal#?-[...] nam-bi2-ib2-ga2-ga2 nam-silig ga-GA2-am3 | |
| 15 | a-sza3#? kaskal# ka#?-giri3-ka nam-ba-e#-uru4#?-re x-u3 bulug-ga-am3 | |
| 16 | GAN2#-zu#?-am3 pu2 na-an-ni-dun#?-[...] ug3# sza-ri-ib-hul-hul | |
| 17 | e2#!? [...]-la nam-bi2-ib2-la2-e kesz2#?-da#? gal2-la!-am3 | |
| 18 | szu-du3#?-a# nu#-mu-un-ti lu2#-bi sza-ba-dab5-be2 | |
| 19 | za-e# [szu] szu#?-du3#-a nam-mu-ak#-[...] lu2# sag bi2-ib2-sal-la-e-a | |
| 20 | lu2#-[...] igi# duh-a na-an#-[...]-bi sza-ri#?-ib#-su#-su | |
| 21 | ki dux(|LU2xKAR2|)#?-da#?-ka [...]-bi2#?-gub#?-[...]-x | |
| 22 | dux(|LU2xKAR2|)#?-de3# lu2#-[...]-ku4 | |
| 23 | dux(|LU2xKAR2|)#?-de3# ni2# [...] | |
| 24 | [...] x [...] | |
| 25 | [...] x x | |
| 26 | [...]-x nigin2-nam-ma#-ni-ib | |
| 27 | [...] ni2#-zu na-an-usz2#-e | |
| 28 | [...]-x mi-si-ISZ-x? al nam-me | |
| 29 | [...] na#-nam# ul-dab sag na-nam# | |
| 30 | [... sa]-gaz# nam-mu-u3-ak-e [...] x bur2#-re nam-bi2-ib-bar-ra | |
| 31 | [...]-an-ak ni2-zu na-an-[...] | |
| reverse | ||
| 1 | [...] tuku#-da# [...] nam-mu-un-KA-x inim-sig-ga [...] | |
| 2 | [...] lu2# dam tuku#-da# dur2# nam-bi2#-e#-ga2-ga2 | |
| 3 | [...]-mu2#?-de3 ni2-zu na-an-pe#-el-la2 | |
| 4 | [...]-gur5#?-gu2-gu2 sag gu2 sal#-sal#-la# | |
| 5 | [...]-tar#-tar#-re inim-zu gar-ra#-am3# | |
| 6 | [...] nam#-gi4-gi4 igi dugud nu-mu-un-da-il2# | |
| 7 | lu2#-[...] nig2-zuh-a nam-mu-da-gu7-e | |
| 8 | szu#-[...] x na-di-ni-ib#-su-su#? | |
| 9 | giri3#? HAR#?-re gu4 sza-ba#?-[...]-ib-su-su# udu# sza#-ba-ri-ib-su#-su# | |
| 10 | u3-nu-gar-ra x-[...] na-ab-be2-e | |
| 11 | egir-bi gesz-bur-gin7 [...] x x-szi-ib2-la2-e | |
| 12 | u2 nu-kin2-ga2-sze3 udu-zu sag2# nam-me | |
| 13 | us2 nu-si-ga-sze3 [...]-hun-e | |
| 14 | us2 si-ga [...]-am3 | |
| 15 | kaskal ge6 na-an-du-un# [...] hul#-a | |
| 16 | ansze-edin-na na-ab#-[...]-e-zal | |
| 17 | geme2-zu gesz3 na-an-[...]-in-sa4 | |
| 18 | u2 a2 zi-da#? [...]-ni10#-ni10 | |
| 19 | a szu nu-gid2#-de3# [...]-ra-gal2 | |
| 20 | mah-bi# nig2#?-[...] x-[...]-x-szub-be2# | |
| 21 | a2#-tuku na-an#-usz2#?-e szul#-hi na-[...]-x-gul#?-[...] | |
| 22 | x-x na-an#-usz2#-e iri#-ta na-an#-gur!-re# | |
| 23 | [... na]-an#-bad#-e lu2-bi sza-ba-e#-[...]-x-kur2? | |
| 24 | [...] GAN2 nam-ba-e-ga2-ga2# | |
| 25 | [...]-de3# szi-mu-un-szi-ib2-da13#?-da13#? | |
| 26 | x [...] lu2#-ka na-ab-ta!-bala-e | |
| 27 | igi# du-un# [igi] du#-un szi-mu#-un#-szi-ib2-be2-e-ne | |
| 28 | gi#-sig# {gesz#}kiri6#-ka da-x nam-bi2-duh-e | |
| 29 | sug4-ga-ab# sug4#-ga-ab szi-mu-un-szi-ib2-be2-e-ne | |
| 30 | ur nam-mu#-un#-gu7-en dux(LU2) nam-ur3-ur3-re | |
| 31 | [...]-mu#-gu7-en lu2 ki nam-us2-sa | |
| 32 | [...] gesz3# a2 zi na-an-e3 GISZ-e ba#-e#-x-du11? | |
| 33 | [...] x igi#?-bi x szi-sir5-re# | |
| 34 | [...] sza3-ge nu-mu-e-KAR2#-[...] | |
| 35 | [...] {disz}dam-qi2-i3-li2-szu | |
| 36 | [...] u4# 3(disz)-kam | |
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.