CDLI Literary 000539, ex. 014 & 000540, ex. 016 & 000559, ex. 017 & 000574, ex. 015 & 000582, ex. 012 (P346259)
Literary letter and letter-prayer, Old Babylonian, Ur · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE
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| Designation | CDLI Literary 000539, ex. 014 & 000540, ex. 016 & 000559, ex. 017 & 000574, ex. 015 & 000582, ex. 012 |
|---|---|
| ID | P346259 |
| Museum no. | BM — |
| Collection | British Museum, London, UK |
| Language | Sumerian |
| Period | Old Babylonian · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE |
| Genre | Literary letter and letter-prayer |
| 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 col 1 2' | When you speak to the king whose shining is like the moon manifested in the lands |
| obverse col 1 6' | When you repeat (the message) to the king who justly decides legal decisions, who properly executes decisions like Ištarān, who is attentive to the šud prayer |
| obverse col 1 7' | Thus says lugal-nesag, a citizen of Nibru, <you servant(?)> |
| obverse col 1 8' | ... has cast (me) into (the role of?) eating plants with my mouth like a sheep |
| obverse col 1 9' | I ceased scrubbing (myself) |
| obverse col 1 11' | Like a bull that is not held in the yoke, I was compelled to go in the plain |
| obverse col 1 13' | Like a cow not in the proximity of its calf, (I) shout with compassion |
| obverse col 1 15' | Like a ewe whose lamb was seized in the milking pen, ...'s hand has seized (me) |
| obverse col 1 17' | Like a boat that was not left behind in a reliable harbor, the wind has floated (me) downstream |
| obverse col 2 2' | His elite soldiers, which were 5 thousand in number |
| obverse col 2 3' | Stood apart from ... at its right and left |
| obverse col 2 4' | He established six fattened bulls and sixty fattened sheep as a meal |
| obverse col 2 5' | He had appropriated/regularly performed(?) the šuluh rite of my king |
| obverse col 2 6' | They(?) were standing (idle) at the gate of the palace |
| obverse col 2 7' | No one was letting (me) enter towards him |
| obverse col 2 8' | When I was to enter |
| obverse col 2 10' | Someone brought(?) a chair whose knobs were inlaid with gold for me and said “sit!” |
| obverse col 2 11' | (I said:) It is the orders of my king that I am serving, who has said not to sit |
| obverse col 2 12' | They placed one fattened bull and six fattened sheep (on) the table |
| obverse col 2 13' | In order to not insult (me?), the soldiers of my king overturned the table |
| obverse col 2 14' | The 15th day of the month "festival of Ninazu,” (the day) elapsing |
| obverse col 2 15' | My king thereupon(?) made orders |
| obverse col 2 16' | It is the 1st day of the month "Ubi,” (the day) elapsing |
| obverse col 2 18' | To my king, (I) am sending someone as a messenger |
| obverse col 2 19' | The day has not yet been half completed, and it has (already) approached battle |
| obverse col 2 20' | My king should know (this) |
| obverse col 2 21' | When you speak to Aradgu |
| obverse col 2 22' | Thus Shulgi, your king, speaks |
| obverse col 2 23' | Your man who I sent to ..., ... |
| obverse col 2 24' | Aren't orders(!?) taken from your own hand ...? |
| obverse col 2 25' | Why do you not ... anything ..., such as it is(?) |
| obverse col 3 1' | Come into agreement, establish the foundation of the land! |
| obverse col 3 3' | When you speak to Ibbi-Sîn, my king |
| obverse col 3 5' | Thus Puzur-Shulgi, the governor of Kazallu, speaks |
| obverse col 3 7' | The messenger of Išbi-Erra ... before me |
| obverse col 3 8' | He devoted his attention to me (and said) |
| obverse col 3 10' | Išbi-Erra, my king, has sent a message to you |
| obverse col 3 12' | Enlil, my king, has expounded upon(?) the shepherdship of the land |
| obverse col 3 15' | The banks of the Tigris, Euphrates, Abgal and Me-Enlil canals |
| obverse col 3 17' | Their cities, gods, and ... armies |
| obverse col 3 18' | From the land of Hamazi |
| obverse col 3 19' | Until the Persian Gulf(?) |
| obverse col 3 20' | And Magan |
| reverse col 1 4' | I shall have their shrines/places of honor built inside Isin |
| reverse col 1 5' | I shall ... their ... |
| reverse col 1 8' | I shall make my statues and emblems and my en and erešdigir priestesses dwell in their cloisters |
| reverse col 1 11' | Before Enlil in the Ekur temple, before Nanna in the Ekišnugal temple my children(?) shall enact the siskur rites |
| reverse col 1 12' | And you, the one who you trust(!?) |
| reverse col 1 13' | I shall stand him apart from his land |
| reverse col 1 14' | I shall build the walls of Isin |
| reverse col 1 16' | And shall name them(?) Idil-pašunu |
| reverse col 1 17' | It was as he said |
| reverse col 2 2' | When your speak to Nintinuga, the true steward of the Ekur temple, the physician of the land |
| reverse col 2 4' | The lady whose performed spell sustains the many people, whose incantations/murmuring ... the people |
| reverse col 2 5' | Lady of compassion who sustains a man |
| reverse col 2 6' | ... when you repeat to her |
| reverse col 2 8' | Thus says Inannaka, daughter of Enlilamah |
| reverse col 2 9' | Twice/twofold(?) (in) the midst of my bedroom |
| reverse col 2 15' | My mistress, ... built a house for me (and) (I) dwell (in it) suspiciously(?) |
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 col 1 | ||
| 1' | [...] kur#?-kur#?-ra# | |
| 2' | [...]-du11# | |
| 3' | [...] ku5-da#? | |
| 4' | [...]-sa2#-ra# | |
| 5' | [...] gesz# tuku-gu10-ur2 | |
| 6' | [...]-de3#-tah# | |
| 7' | [...] nibru#!{ki#} na#?-ab#?-be2#?-a# | |
| 8' | [...] u2 gu7 mu-ni-in-szub | |
| 9' | [...] naga# dub2#-ba i-ni-til | |
| 10' | [...]-x nu-ub-ha-za-gin7 | |
| 11' | [...] ba-ab-gen-ne-en | |
| 12' | [...] nu#-ub#-ta-la2-gin7 | |
| 13' | [...] arhusz#?-a i-im-me | |
| 14' | [...]-ubur#-ra dab5#?-ba#-gin7# | |
| 15' | [...] ba-ab-dab5#?-be2 | |
| 16' | [...] li#-bi2-ib-tak4-a-gin7 | |
| 17' | [...]-ab#-diri#-ge | |
| 18' | [...] x x | |
| obverse col 2 | ||
| 1' | [...] x x [...] | |
| 2' | [...]-ga2-na 5(disz)# li#-mu#-[...] | |
| 3' | zi#?-da#? gab2-bu-ba ib2-ta-gub#?-bu#-[...] | |
| 4' | asz3#? gu4 niga gesz2 udu niga-am3 zu2-gub-sze3 in-[...] | |
| 5' | szu#-luh lugal-ga2-ke4 sa2 bi2-in-du | |
| 6' | ka2#? e2-gal-la-ta i3-gub-bu-ne | |
| 7' | [...] nu#-mu#-un#-szi#-ku4-ku4 | |
| 8' | ku4-ku4-da#-gu10-ne | |
| 9' | {gesz#}gu-za# gar3#-ba ku3-sig17 gar-ra#!? | |
| 10' | lu2# ma#?-x-de6#? tusz-a bi2-in#-[...] | |
| 11' | a2 ag2#-[...]-ga2-kam# i3#-gub#-be2#?-[...] nu#-tusz#-a# bi2-in#-[...] | |
| 12' | 1(disz) gu4 niga asz3 udu niga {gesz}banszur# [...]-gar# | |
| 13' | nu-kar2-kar2-de3 aga-us2 lugal-[...] {gesz}banszur ib2-bala-[...]-esz# | |
| 14' | {iti}ezem-{d}nin-a-zu u4 1(u) 5(disz)-kam ba-[zal]-le#? | |
| 15' | lugal-gu10 a2-szu mu!?-da-[...] | |
| 16' | {iti}u5-gu7{muszen} u4 1(disz)-kam ba-[zal]-le#? | |
| 17' | lugal#-gu10 lu2-kasz4#?-[...] | |
| 18' | lu2# mu#-un-szi-in#-gi4#-gi4# | |
| 19' | u4# nu-mu-un-da#-sa9 szen#-e# ba-te | |
| 20' | lugal#-gu10 he2-en-zu | |
| 21' | [...]-ra# u3-na-a-du11# | |
| 22' | [...] lugal#?-zu#? na-ab#-[...]-a# | |
| 23' | [...]-x lu2-x-x | |
| 24' | [...]-zu#-ta x am3# [...] x szu# la-ba-ra-ab-ti | |
| 25' | a-na-asz-am3 nig2-nam-bi? x ur5 i-me nu-um-me#?-x | |
| obverse col 3 | ||
| 1' | [...] x x x-ne | |
| 2' | i3-bi2-{d}suen lugal-gu10-ra | |
| 3' | u3-a-na-du11 | |
| 4' | {disz}puzur5-{d}szul-gi! ensi2 ka-zal-lu!(KU){ki} | |
| 5' | ARAD-zu na-ab-be2-a | |
| 6' | {lu2}kin-gi4-a disz-bi-er3-ra-ka#? | |
| 7' | ugu#-gu10#-[...]-DU#-en | |
| 8' | igi#-ni ma-an-gar#-ma | |
| 9' | disz-bi-er3-ra lugal-gu10 | |
| 10' | ugu#-zu-usz kin2-gi4-a# im-mi#?-[...] | |
| 11' | {d}en-lil2 lugal-gu10 nam-sipa kalam-ma# | |
| 12' | ka-ga14#-a#-ni ba-an-szum2# | |
| 13' | gu2# {i7}idigna gu2# {i7}buranun#?-[...] | |
| 14' | gu2 i7 {+ab2}abgal-x | |
| 15' | u3 gu2 {i7#}me-{d}en-lil2-la2# | |
| 16' | u3#? iri#?-bi-ne#?-ne#? dingir#?-bi#?-[...] | |
| 17' | u3 ugnim x [...] | |
| 18' | ma#-da# ha-ma-zi2#[{ki} ...] | |
| 19' | en#-na# a#-a#-[...] | |
| 20' | u3 ma2-gan#-[...] | |
| reverse col 1 | ||
| 1' | x-[...] | |
| 2' | sza3# i3#-si#-in#?{ki#?}-[...] | |
| 3' | {gesz}za3-gu-la2-ne-ne#? | |
| 4' | ga-bi2-ib-du3-du3# | |
| 5' | DA?-la-a-ne-ne ga-x-[...] | |
| 6' | alan-gu10-ne {gesz?!}szu-nir#-gu10#-[ne] | |
| 7' | en-gu10-ne eresz#-dingir#?-gu10-[ne] | |
| 8' | ge6-par4#-ra-ne-ne-a# ga#?-[...] | |
| 9' | igi {d}en-lil2-la2-sze3 sza3 e2-kur-ra#-[...] | |
| 10' | igi {d}nanna-sze3 sza3 e2-kisz#-[...] | |
| 11' | TUR-TUR-gu10 siskur2#?-bi#? he2#?-[...] | |
| 12' | u3 za-e lu2# x-[...] | |
| 13' | sza3 ma-da-ni#-ta# [...] | |
| 14' | i3-si#-in{ki} bad3#-bi# [...] | |
| 15' | [...]-di-il-KA-szu#-[...] | |
| 16' | [...] x ga-bi?-NE-[...] | |
| 17' | [...]-in#-du11#-ga#?-gin7#-[...] | |
| 18' | [...] x [...] | |
| reverse col 2 | ||
| 1' | [...] x [...] | |
| 2' | [...]-ma#-ra u3#-ne#-du11#!? | |
| 3' | [...]-ga#-a-ni ug3# 1(szar2)# ti-le# | |
| 4' | [...]-x-ni ug3 si-ge | |
| 5' | [...]-sza4 lu2 ti-ti | |
| 6' | [...] u3#-ne-de3-tah | |
| 7' | [...] {d#}en-lil2-a2#-mah | |
| 8' | [...]-a | |
| 9' | [...] x min-ta#? | |
| 10' | [...]-gu10# | |
| 11' | [...]-um#?-zu | |
| 12' | [...]-mu-da-an-tar | |
| 13' | [...] x-ra-an#?-x | |
| 14' | [...]-du3 | |
| 15' | [...]-tusz | |
| 16' | [...]-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 2026-10-11.