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Prag 440 (P359068)
Letter, Old Assyrian, Kanesh · c. 1950 BCE–1850 BCE
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| Designation | Prag 440 |
|---|---|
| ID | P359068 |
| Museum no. | Prague I 440 |
| Collection | Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic |
| Language | Akkadian |
| Period | Old Assyrian · c. 1950 BCE–1850 BCE |
| Genre | Letter |
| Find spot | Kanesh (mod. Kültepe) |
| Coordinates | 38.8517, 35.6365 |
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 | a-na be-lum2-ba-ni / qi2-bi4-ma | Speak to Bēl-bani! |
| 2 | um-ma ta-ri-sza-ma | Thus Tariša: |
| 3 | _tug2_ / isz-ti2 / _tug2#_-[ba-ti2-ka3-ma] | a garment with your garment |
| 4 | na-asz2-u2-ni-kum / s,u2-ba-at | “You are the one who holds you back, |
| 5 | ra-mi3-ni-a-ma / ah-mu-us,-ma | “My love, I have slain, and |
| 6 | u2-sze2-bi4-la2-kum / szu-ma | he will send to you. |
| 7 | a-ta / la2 ta-la2-kam | “From where will you not go? |
| 8 | szi2-im s,u2-ba-ti2-a isz-ti2 | the price of my garments with |
| 9 | pa2-ni-im-ma / sze2-bi4-lam | Send me a report! |
| 10 | a-ta-ma / sza te2-zi-ba-ni | Why did you abandon me? |
| 11 | i-na li-bi4-ka3-ma / ti2-de8-e | In your heart you will listen. |
| 12 | u2 s,u2-ba-ti2 / a-ta-ma# ti2-de8-e | And ṣubatu-plant, why did you bring it to me? |
| 13 | sze-am / sza ta#-aq#-bi4-a-ni | The barley that you said |
| 14 | um-ma a-ta-ma# [<...> sze]-am# | Thus (says) ...: barley |
| 15 | i-na _e2_ a-bi4-ka3 / u2-la2 i-ta-ad-nu-nim | in the house of your father he shall not give to me |
| 16 | u4-ma-am / sze-am asz2-ta-na-am | “Day, I want to eat barley!’ |
| 17 | u4-ma-am / te2-ta-[na?-ti2?]-ir!-ma | The day of the extispicy(?) |
| 18 | t,up-pe3-e / a-na um-mi3-ka3 | Tablet to your mother: |
| 19 | tu3-usz-te2-ne2-ba-lam | do not abandon him! |
| 20 | um-ma a-ta-ma / szu-ma _e2_ a-bi4-sza | Thus (says) he: “The house of her father |
| 21 | ta#-la2-ak / te2-er-ti2-ki / li-li-kam | You are going, may your extispicy come to me! |
| 22 | pa-ra-as2 _e2_ a-bi4-ka3 la2 ti2-de8-ma | the dowry of the father’s house you shall not give, and |
| 23 | t,up-pa2-am sza ta-asz2-pu-ra-ni | The tablet that you wrote me |
| reverse | ||
| 1 | a-na <a>-bi-a um-ma / a-ta-ma | To Abiya, thus: “Why |
| 2 | ma-la2 / sza-ku-li-ki / _e2_ a-bi4-a | as much as the šakkullītu of the house of my father |
| 3 | la2 ma-su2 / ma _e2_ a-bi4-ki | “The house of your father’s house, |
| 4 | ta-at-ta-la2-ki / ba!?-ri-ti2 | “You have carried away my sins, |
| 5 | ta-asz2-me-ma / t,up-pa2-am isz-te2-en | You heard, and the tablet is with it. |
| 6 | a-na a-bi4-a u2 um-mi3-ka3 | To Abiya, the nursemaid |
| 7 | tu3-sze2-bi4-lam u4-ma-am isz-tu3 | You will send me a day from |
| 8 | i-szi2 u2 qa2-ti2-a ag-mu-ru | (Sum) The one who eats my handiwork (Akk) I am the one who consumes my hands |
| 9 | _e2_ a-bi4-ka3 isz-tu3 i-szi2 u2 qa2-ti2-a | the house of your father from she and my hand |
| 10 | ag-mu-ru-ni / i-na _sze_-im | with barley |
| 11 | szi2#!?-[ta-u2-mi3-im ag-mu-ru-ni] | šitā-u’um, he presented to me. |
| 12 | i-na _iti 1(disz)-kam_ <<sza>> qa2-ra-a-tim | in the 1st month of the qarrātu |
| 13 | sze-am _gin2-ta_ i-di2-nu-nim | barley of one shekel each they gave to me. |
| 14 | u2 isz-ka3-ra-am / e-pa2-szu-nu-ti2 | and Iškaram will perform for them. |
| 15 | a-bi4 / iq-bi4-a-kum-ma um-ma szu-ut-ma | My father said to you thus: |
| 16 | mi3-nam a-na s,u-ha-ar-tim | what to the ṣuhartu-office |
| 17 | te2-zi-ib um-ma a-ta-ma | You swore, thus: |
| 18 | zi-iq-na-am la2 za-qu2-na-ku-ma | (Sum) I am the one who is not praised, I am praised (Akk) My laudation is not praiseworthy |
| 19 | hu-ur-szi2 / sze2-szu-ra-am | “At the threshing floor of the šēru-tree, |
| 20 | la2 <a>-le-e szu-ma-me-en6 | <I am> the one who does not have a spouse. |
| 21 | _la2 e2_ a-bi4-a / a-e-sza-me-en6 | the deficit of the house of Abiya, I am |
| left | ||
| 1 | a-lik sza?-am-na-am / sza te2-zi-ba-ni | the one who goes to the ša-am-na-am of the teši-bani temple |
| 2 | a-na pi3-ta-szi2-a / u2 _tug2_ a-na li-tab-szi2-a | for her release, and clothing for her return |
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.