Sumerian Cuneiform Tablet, 2027 BCE
Clay
3.58 x 6.29
CT.004
Sumerian cuneiform is one of the earlies known forms of written expression. Firs appearing in the 4th millennium BC in wha is now Iraq, it was dubbed cuneifor (‘wedge-shaped’) because...
Sumerian cuneiform is one of the earlies known forms of written expression. Firs appearing in the 4th millennium BC in wha is now Iraq, it was dubbed cuneifor (‘wedge-shaped’) because of the distinctiv wedge form of the letters, created b pressing a reed stylus into wet clay. Earl Sumerian writings were essentiall pictograms, which became simplified in th early and mid 3rd millennium BC to a serie of strokes, along with a commensurat reduction in the number of discrete sign used (from c.1500 to 600). The scrip system had a very long life and was used b the Sumerians as well as numerous late groups – notably the Assyrians, Elamites,
Akkadians and Hittites – for around thre thousand years. Certain signs and phoneti standards live on in modern languages o the Middle and Far East, but the writin system is essentially extinct. It wa therefore cause for great excitement whe the ‘code’ of ancient cuneiform was cracke by a group of English, French and Germa Assyriologists and philologists in the mi 19th century AD. This opened up a vita source of information about these ancien groups that could not have been obtained i any other way.
Cuneiform was used on monument dedicated to heroic – and usually royal –
individuals, but perhaps its most importan function was that of record keeping. Th palace-based society at Ur and other larg urban centres was accompanied by remarkably complex and multifacete bureaucracy, which was run by professiona administrators and a priestly class, all o whom were answerable to central cour control. Most of what we know about th way the culture was run and administere comes from cuneiform tablets, which recor the everyday running of the temple an palace complexes in minute detail, as in th present case. The Barakat Gallery ha secured the services of Professor Lamber (University of Birmingham), a renowne expert in the decipherment and translatio of cuneiform, to examine and process th information on these tablets. The following i a transcription of his analysis of this tablet:
This tablet consists of 85 lines of Sumerian cuneiform on obverse and reverse the left side of the tablet is well preserved on both side, save for one small gash on the reverse, but some of the right-hand side is lacking resulting especially in he loss of line ends. The script is a large, finely written scribal band. It is an administrative document from the period of the Third Dynasty of Ur, dated to the second year of Ibbbi-Sin, last king of the dynasty, c. 2027 B.C.
The content is a roster or state employees in some branch of the government service with, apparently, wages specified in some cases. There is a curious use of numerals. As often, each new person is introduced with the numeral “1”, but some have the normal numeral “1” used with them others have an archaic form of “1”. It is not clear why this difference, but clearly it was purposeful to them. We have used roman numerals for the archaic “I” etc., and ordinary numerals for their normal: “1” etc.
Translation:
Column I:
I Ur-Nungal, scribe. I Dadae, ploughman. The son of 1 Enum. The son of 1 Ali-abi, female. 1 Irdum-ilshin, male. 1 Palu-namari, male.
1 Na, female.
1 Heir of ……. His Children. I Bubu. I Lugal-inim-gina. I Shu-Adad. Ox drivers.
1/3 Qarri, ploughman.
1 Shat-ili.
I Isdu-kin, his brother.
I Zena.
I Ur-Shulpa’e. Ox drivers. Plow of the ox drivers.
I Ili-andulli, herdsman.
I Puzur-Sin.
I Irib-Sin.
I Ili-iddinashu.
His sons.
I Bagagalum.
1 Daughter…..
I Dushumum.
Column II: …… [ ….
I 54 .. [ …. I 54 Adallal.
Sailors.
I 54 Beli-arish, the miller.
I 33 Akkadi, the same.
Son of Arshi-ah, shepherd. The brewery.
I 54 Shu-Ahtar, engraver.
I 61 Bur-Adad.
I 61 son of Ir-…… his sons.
Died on the road: Puzur-zanni, basket-maker.
I 33 Shalim-nirum ……, son of Ilu’a.
I 33 Abi-qaru’e.
I 33 Me-Ish …
I 33 Sin-nuri, son of sons of Babazu.
I 33Mamma-x [……], son of Iddin – Adad.
I 33 Shat – […. Ishar-lum [….
………. [ ……….
I 33 Sin – [………], wife of Ur –[…….
1 ….. [ …….
Column III:
I 33 . [……
I 33 Shu-.. [……] son of Irrib - . [ …..
I 33 She ……
I 33 Shat- [……..] son of Iddin-abum.
I 33 Umme-nuri.
1 61 the son of Ir …….
I 33 Quradum, son of Ili-ashra [ ……
I 33 Ali- [……..
I 33 Ali [ …….] son of Ahu’a, ox driver.
I 33 Kuba […..] son of A. [……..
Column IV:
Total: XIII serfs receiving rations.
Total: IV serfs at 54 minas each.
Total: 1 serf at 33 minas.
Total: 1 son of [……..
Total: 4 sons of Ir-…..[…..]
.[………….
Total: 17 slave girls at 33 minas each.
Total: 2 female children.
Total: 3 female children.
Total: 2 serfs died on a journey.
26 male slaves. 22 female slaves. 2 serfs died on a journey.
Ir ..[…].. the throne. From ….. shaga, , via Ire-banlah. Month Gisigga, year: The high priestess of Inanna of Uruk was chosen by divination.
This is an important tablet and much more research is needed to understand it fully. The above is the first attempt.
Akkadians and Hittites – for around thre thousand years. Certain signs and phoneti standards live on in modern languages o the Middle and Far East, but the writin system is essentially extinct. It wa therefore cause for great excitement whe the ‘code’ of ancient cuneiform was cracke by a group of English, French and Germa Assyriologists and philologists in the mi 19th century AD. This opened up a vita source of information about these ancien groups that could not have been obtained i any other way.
Cuneiform was used on monument dedicated to heroic – and usually royal –
individuals, but perhaps its most importan function was that of record keeping. Th palace-based society at Ur and other larg urban centres was accompanied by remarkably complex and multifacete bureaucracy, which was run by professiona administrators and a priestly class, all o whom were answerable to central cour control. Most of what we know about th way the culture was run and administere comes from cuneiform tablets, which recor the everyday running of the temple an palace complexes in minute detail, as in th present case. The Barakat Gallery ha secured the services of Professor Lamber (University of Birmingham), a renowne expert in the decipherment and translatio of cuneiform, to examine and process th information on these tablets. The following i a transcription of his analysis of this tablet:
This tablet consists of 85 lines of Sumerian cuneiform on obverse and reverse the left side of the tablet is well preserved on both side, save for one small gash on the reverse, but some of the right-hand side is lacking resulting especially in he loss of line ends. The script is a large, finely written scribal band. It is an administrative document from the period of the Third Dynasty of Ur, dated to the second year of Ibbbi-Sin, last king of the dynasty, c. 2027 B.C.
The content is a roster or state employees in some branch of the government service with, apparently, wages specified in some cases. There is a curious use of numerals. As often, each new person is introduced with the numeral “1”, but some have the normal numeral “1” used with them others have an archaic form of “1”. It is not clear why this difference, but clearly it was purposeful to them. We have used roman numerals for the archaic “I” etc., and ordinary numerals for their normal: “1” etc.
Translation:
Column I:
I Ur-Nungal, scribe. I Dadae, ploughman. The son of 1 Enum. The son of 1 Ali-abi, female. 1 Irdum-ilshin, male. 1 Palu-namari, male.
1 Na, female.
1 Heir of ……. His Children. I Bubu. I Lugal-inim-gina. I Shu-Adad. Ox drivers.
1/3 Qarri, ploughman.
1 Shat-ili.
I Isdu-kin, his brother.
I Zena.
I Ur-Shulpa’e. Ox drivers. Plow of the ox drivers.
I Ili-andulli, herdsman.
I Puzur-Sin.
I Irib-Sin.
I Ili-iddinashu.
His sons.
I Bagagalum.
1 Daughter…..
I Dushumum.
Column II: …… [ ….
I 54 .. [ …. I 54 Adallal.
Sailors.
I 54 Beli-arish, the miller.
I 33 Akkadi, the same.
Son of Arshi-ah, shepherd. The brewery.
I 54 Shu-Ahtar, engraver.
I 61 Bur-Adad.
I 61 son of Ir-…… his sons.
Died on the road: Puzur-zanni, basket-maker.
I 33 Shalim-nirum ……, son of Ilu’a.
I 33 Abi-qaru’e.
I 33 Me-Ish …
I 33 Sin-nuri, son of sons of Babazu.
I 33Mamma-x [……], son of Iddin – Adad.
I 33 Shat – […. Ishar-lum [….
………. [ ……….
I 33 Sin – [………], wife of Ur –[…….
1 ….. [ …….
Column III:
I 33 . [……
I 33 Shu-.. [……] son of Irrib - . [ …..
I 33 She ……
I 33 Shat- [……..] son of Iddin-abum.
I 33 Umme-nuri.
1 61 the son of Ir …….
I 33 Quradum, son of Ili-ashra [ ……
I 33 Ali- [……..
I 33 Ali [ …….] son of Ahu’a, ox driver.
I 33 Kuba […..] son of A. [……..
Column IV:
Total: XIII serfs receiving rations.
Total: IV serfs at 54 minas each.
Total: 1 serf at 33 minas.
Total: 1 son of [……..
Total: 4 sons of Ir-…..[…..]
.[………….
Total: 17 slave girls at 33 minas each.
Total: 2 female children.
Total: 3 female children.
Total: 2 serfs died on a journey.
26 male slaves. 22 female slaves. 2 serfs died on a journey.
Ir ..[…].. the throne. From ….. shaga, , via Ire-banlah. Month Gisigga, year: The high priestess of Inanna of Uruk was chosen by divination.
This is an important tablet and much more research is needed to understand it fully. The above is the first attempt.