Introduction
This article publishes fifteen cuneiform tablets dating to the Ur III period (2112–2004 BCE) housed in the Iraq Museum, Baghdad.Footnote 1 The tablets entered the museum via various institutional channels, including the Iraqi National Intelligence Service and the Ministry of Interior, which work to safeguard antiquities, whether recovered in Iraq by ordinary citizens or seized abroad in collaboration with foreign authorities. The tablets here published were acquired by the Iraq Museum between 2005 and 2008. Thanks to the careful archival research conducted by Abather Saadoon, the chronology of their acquisition can be established as follows: (1) tablets labelled with inventory numbers starting with 203 were confiscated by the Technical Committee of the Museum in 2006; (2) inventory numbers starting with 204 were acquired in 2005; (3) inventory numbers starting with 205 entered the museum in 2007; (4) tablets labelled with the sequence 212 were returned by Jordanian Authorities to the Iraq Museum in 2008. Moreover, tablets starting with 204 and 205 belong to the same group of documents published in Al-Taee and Feliu (Reference Al-Taee and Feliu2021) and Saadoon and Vacín (Reference Saadoon and Vacín2024).
Most of the tablets are dated with ambiguous year formulas of the Ur III period: 1) “the year Simurrum was destroyed”, 2) “the year after Simurrum was destroyed”, 3) “the year Ḫaršum was destroyed”, 4) “the year after Ḫaršum was destroyed”. We refer to a recent study by Manuel Molina on Ur III year formulae (Molina Reference Molina and Pomponio2023) which tried to solve these and other ambiguities.
As for the provenience of the tablets, two belong to the Irisaĝrig administrative archives (Texts 1 and 15), one can be attributed to either Ur or Ĝirsu/Lagaš (Text 8), and the remaining twelve originate from the Umma region. Among the latter, some exhibit numerous peculiarities – non-standard formulary and administrative jargon, unorthographic spellings, defective writings, and the use of Akkadian – suggesting that they were drafted by scribes who did not follow the well-established conventions typical of institutional settings. These features indicate that the administrative reality portrayed by these documents lay outside the local economy managed by the Umma governor and covered by the Umma institutional archives.
Furthermore, these documents mention top-ranking administrators unknown from other archives, as well as unfamiliar or poorly attested toponyms; however, they do record specialized workers who can be cross-referenced in the provincial archives of Umma and Ĝirsu/Lagaš. On this basis, a plausible explanation for the nature of these tablets is that they originated in a non-institutional environment, such as a private rural estate, likely of a royal nature. Such estates employed an administration and a core staff of their own, yet they occasionally resorted to external labour from surrounding areas, probably leveraging royal authority to mobilize personnel beyond provincial borders.
We propose that the place of redaction for some of these tablets (certainly Texts 6 and 9, and possibly 3 and 11) was the estate of Princess Šat-Eštar, daughter of the king and wife of Šarakam (see her sealing on UCTIM 2). The tablets attributed to this archive were smuggled following illegal excavations; many remain unpublished or are only transliterated in unpublished dissertations, while the few published examples are scattered across diverse works.Footnote 2 This fragmented state of publication makes it difficult to assess the actual extent of the archive and the administrative organization of the Princess’s estate. What can be stated with a responsible degree of certainty is that the estate’s economic activities ranged from the processing of foodstuffs and garments for everyday consumption to cereal production, orchard cultivation, and animal husbandry. Whether some of the by-products were destined for trade remains unclear. Inspection records of personnel (Al-Taee and Feliu Reference Al-Taee and Feliu2021) show that the estate functioned as a largely self-sufficient economic unit, equipped with specialized craftsmen, menials, guards, kitchen staff, and entertainers. Onomastic evidence has already allowed scholars to place the estate in the Umma region (Al-Taee and Feliu Reference Al-Taee and Feliu2021: 22–23); however, the presence in our texts of personal names and administrative terminology traceable primarily to Umma but also—albeit to a lesser extent—to Ĝirsu/Lagaš, supports a more precise localization of the Princess’s estate in the border area between the two provinces. As shown by Molina and Steinkeller (Reference Molina, Steinkeller, Feliu, Karahashi and Rubio2016, especially p. 234), other royal estates appear to have been established in this same area.
Our texts also share several textual peculiarities with the Šat-Eštar archive. Orthographic variations have already been observed by Al-Taee and Feliu (Reference Al-Taee and Feliu2021: 20-22) for that archive. Since such variations were regularly found across the archive, but occur only once within the same tablet, the authors convincingly argued that they reflect the activity of a team of scribes working for the estate. In our tablets, however, we also observe mixed formularies within a single text (e.g., Text 11). This feature suggests that, alongside highly standardized institutional scribal traditions, other modes of scribal training and practice existed. The unconventional style may result from the selective adoption of dominant local scribal conventions or of textual formats used in institutional administrative contexts with which the scribe(s) of our tablets occasionally interacted. This would account for the striking textual patchwork observable within individual documents. The unusual combination of mixed formularies and orthographic variants employed by scribes working in these private estates suggests that they were trained outside formal institutional environments and ultimately—albeit unintentionally—developed their own scribal “tradition”.
Publishing these miscellanea thus has the purpose of providing new data to feed the present debate about two distinct issues. The first question is how we can detect non-institutional socio-economic agents operating in the Ur III kingdom outside the constraints of institutional economy which is the only one carefully monitored in the major archives currently at our disposal. Beyond the obvious discovery of new archives, hopefully through legal archaeological excavations, the answer lies in piecing back together dossiers and archives related to non-institutional entities through prosopography and internal criteria, often starting from hints left by the interaction of these agents with the institutional ones and thus recorded in institutional archives.
Secondly, observing patterns of variance in orthography, formularies, or administrative formats allows a better understanding of scribal milieux in the Ur III period. This enquiry encompasses both scribal traditions as the result of a specific training, be it formal or informal, and scribal products, that is, the documentary evidence left behind by scribes as an indirect proof of the scholarly, working, and social background in which they originated and operated.
Text Edition
Text 1
Museum number: IM 202853 = Nisaba 15/2 968
Measurements: 3.5×3.1×1.3 cm
Provenience: Irisaĝrig
Date: Ibbi-Suen 3
See fig. 1
[IM 202853]
obverse
-
1. 20.0.0 še gur
-
2. ki dšul-gi-i3-li2 / šabra-ta
-
3. diĝir-a-su2
-
4. šu ba-ti
reverse
-
1. ⸢ĝiri3⸣ ur-lugal / nu-banda3
blank space
-
2. mu si-mu-ru-umki / ba-ḫul
Translation
obverse
-
1. 6000 litres of barley
-
2. from Šulgi-ili the šabra-administrator
-
3. Ilum-asu
-
4. received
reverse
-
1. via Urlugal the overseer
blank space
-
2. The year Simurrum was destroyed
Commentary
The tablet was published in Nisaba 15/2 as text no. 968. It records a consignment of 6000 litres of barley to Ilum-asu from the šabra-administrator Šulgi-ili,Footnote 3 via the overseer Urlugal. Ilum-asu was the son of Bibi, the “scribe of oils”, and he worked for the Irisaĝrig administration for almost twelve years. He appears in several transactions involving barley and other foodstuffs, acting either as the disbursing or receiving party, and often as the conveyor of these commodities to workers.Footnote 4 His role brought him to interact with the granary system under the supervision of the chief of the granary (ka-guru7) Ilum-bani.
Text 2
Museum number: IM 203542
Measurements: 3.2×2.8×1.4 cm
Provenience: Umma
Date: Šulgi 26 / 33 / 45 / Ibbi-Suen 4.viii
See fig. 2.
[IM 203542]
obverse
-
1. 10.0.0 še gur lugal
-
2. zabalam6 ki-ta
-
3. 50.0.0 ab-ba-ta
-
4. iti min-eš3
-
5. erased
-
6. erased
reverse
-
1. ur-ĝišgigir
-
2. šu ba-ti
-
3. iti e2-iti-6
-
4. mu us2-sa si-mu/-ru-umki ba-ḫul
Translation
obverse
-
1. 3000 litres of barley (according to) the royal gur
-
2. from Zabalam
-
3. 15000 (litres of barley) from Abba
-
4. Month vii
-
5. erased
-
6. erased
reverse
-
1. Urgigir
-
2. received
-
3. Month viii
-
4. The year after Simurrum was destroyed
Commentary
The occurrence of Zabalam as point of departure in transfers of grain is unique. Moreover, the writing of Zabalam as zabalam6(AB.MUŠ3) is rare within the Ur III corpus and, to the best of our knowledge, it is used only in four tablets, all coming from the Umma region.Footnote 5
Abba is difficult to identify due to the lack of a patronymic and professional title. A certain Abba is attested between Šulgi 31 and Šulgi 36 as the disbursing party in transfers of grain. According to AAICAB 1/2, Ashm. 1937-91, in Šulgi 32.vii he delivered 696 litres of emmer to Urgigir, possibly the same recipient recorded in our text. On these premises, the most plausible date for this text is either Šulgi 26 or Šulgi 33; this hypothesis seems corroborated by the writing zabalam6, which only occurs in tablets dated to Šulgi’s reign.
Text 3
Museum number: IM 204032
Measurements: 7.5×4×2.1 cm
Provenience: Umma region
Date: Šulgi 27 / 48
See fig. 3
[IM 204032]
obverse
-
1. 20 nindan gid2 1 nindan daĝal 3 kuš3 buru3
-
2. a-ša3-bi [60] sar
-
3. 180 nindan gid2 1 nindan daĝal 2 kuš3 buru3
-
4. a-ša3-bi 360 sar
-
5. 40 nindan gid2 1 nindan daĝal 3 ⸢kuš3⸣ <buru3>
-
6. a-ša3-bi 120 sar
-
7. 380 nindan gid2 1 nindan daĝal 3 kuš3 buru3
-
8. a-ša3-bi 1140 sar
-
9. 200 nindan gid2 1 nindan daĝal 4 kuš3 buru3
-
10. a-ša3-bi 800 sar
-
11. 1632 nindan gid2
-
12. saḫar nu-kiĝ2
-
13. ⸢ša3⸣ i7 me-dLAMMA
-
14. [10] nindan gid2 5 nindan daĝal 1/2 nindan / 4 kuš3 <buru3>
reverse
-
1. a-ša3-bi 500 sar
-
2. kun-zi-da me-dLAMMA
blank space
-
3. šu+niĝin2 1632 nindan gid2
-
4. [saḫar] nu-kiĝ2-am3
-
5. […+180]+50 nindan gid2
-
6. [šu+niĝin2 a-ša3-bi] 2860 sar
-
7. ka i7-da me-dLAMMA
-
8. ša-ad-da-ad-ZU.ḪARki
-
9. u3 ti-im-mi-li2-šuki-/ka
-
10. muru13-ba i3-ĝal2
-
11. a-ša3 ga-wa-ar-ru-um
-
12. mu ḫa-ar-šumki / ba-ḫul
Translation
obverse
-
1. 120 m length 6 m width 1.5 m depth
-
2. its volume [1080] m3
-
3. 1080 m length 6 m width 1 m depth
-
4. its volume 6480 m3
-
5. 240 m length 6 m width 1.5 m
-
6. its volume 2160 m3
-
7. 2280 m length 6 m width 1.5 m depth
-
8. its volume 20,520 m3
-
9. 1200 m length 6 m width 2 m depth
-
10. its volume 14,400 m3
-
11. 9792 m length
-
12. earthworks not performed
-
13. in the area of the mê-Lamassim canal
-
14. [60] m length 30 m width 5 m
reverse
-
1. its volume 9000 m3
-
2. the barrage of mê-Lamassim
blank line
-
3. Total: 9792 m length
-
4. [earthworks] that are not performed
-
5. […+1080]+300 m length
-
6. [The total of its volume:] 51480 m3
-
7. The inlet of the canal mê-Lamassim
-
8. between Šaddad-ZU.ḪAR
-
9. and Timilišu
-
10. is placed
-
11. (It is in) the field of Gawarrum
-
12. The year Ḫaršum was destroyed
Commentary
The text is a workplan for earth excavationsFootnote 6 in the area of the mê-Lamassim canal,Footnote 7 a hydronym so far undocumented in the Ur III corpus. A rural area named after the temple of Lamma (e2 dlamma), located in the district of Apišal in the Umma province, is mentioned in a small dossier of less than twenty tablets dated between Amar-Suena 2 and Šu-Suen 2. The texts specifically mention a barrage (kun-zi-da) and a spill-basin (bar-la2).Footnote 8 The topographic connection between this area and the canal mentioned in our text remains, however, speculative.
Three other toponyms are recorded in the document, whose readings Šaddad-ZU.ḪAR, Timilišu, and Gawarrum are to be considered as tentative.Footnote 9 Notably, a tablet recently published in Saadoon and Vacín Reference Saadoon and Vacín2024 as Text no. 6 (IM 201694) records the field name ti-im-a-ni-[…] (obv. 6), possibly a variant spelling of Timilišu or a toponym that was constructed grammatically in the same way. Other similar toponyms are in fact known in the Ur III sources, such as ti-im-i-mi-lumki, ti-im-tumki, ti-im-bu(7)-bu(7) (ki), ti-im-š/si-nu-nu(ki), ti-im-bu-na-(d)aš3-gi5 (ki), and ti-im-da-ga-li. This element could be interpreted as dim/timmu, “pole, post, pillar”, as already suggested by Heimpel (Reference Heimpel2009: 311).
The absence of personal names of workers, supervising officials, or high-ranking administrators – as it is often the case with workplans – further hinders the identification of the place of origin of our document.
Text 4
Museum number: IM 204157
Measurements: 4.5×3.8×1.9 cm
Provenience: Umma region
Date: Šulgi 27 / 48
See fig. 4
[IM 204157]
obverse
-
1. 414.1.0 še gur / lugal
-
2. a-ša3 ⸢x-x-ma⸣-tum / 40.0.0 ⸢la2 ?-i3⸣
-
3. […še] gur
-
4. ⸢a-ša3 x⸣-NE-bi
-
5. 3.2.0 še gur
reverse
-
1. a-ša3 ḫi-ba-ri2-tum
-
2. še šu ti-a
-
3. ša-i3-li2
blank space
-
4. mu ḫa-ar-šum/ki ba-ḫul
Translation
obverse
-
1. 124260 litres of barley (according to) the royal gur
-
2. The field …12000 litres arrears?
-
3. […] litres of barley
-
4. The field …
-
5. 1020 litres of barley
reverse
-
1. The field Ḫibaritum
-
2. Barley received
-
3. Šat-ili
blank space
-
4. The year Ḫaršum was destroyed
Commentary
Due to the damage on the obverse of the tablet, many signs are illegible, preventing an accurate reading of the toponyms. The field Ḫibaritum was situated in the Umma region (see, e.g., NATN 374). Since this field is attested only from the year Šulgi 45 onward, we are inclined to suggest Šulgi 48 as the most plausible date for this document.Footnote 10
Text 5
Museum number: IM 204307
Measurements: 3.6×3.1×2.3 cm
Provenience: Umma region
Date: Šulgi 25 / 32 / 44 / Ibbi-Suen 3.viii
Sealed
See fig. 5
[IM 204307]
obverse
-
1. la2-i3 0.4.2 / še gur (sic)
-
2. la2-i3 še zi-ga
-
3. da-gi4
reverse
-
1. su-su-dam
blank space
-
2. iti e2-iti-6
-
3. mu si-mu-ru-um/ki ba-[ḫul]
seal
-
1. i-⸢da?⸣-ra-x
-
2. arad2 dšara2
Translation
obverse
-
1. Arrears of 260 litres of barley
-
2. Arrears of the disbursed barley
-
3. Da’agi
reverse
-
1. has to repay
-
2. Month viii
-
3. The year Simurrum was destroyed
seal
-
1. …
-
2. servant of Šara
Commentary
Da’agi might be the chief plot manager (nu-banda3-gu4) of the Umma province, who was active from the middle of Šulgi’s reign (e.g., MVN 15 390; Princeton 1 248; Princeton 1 191) until Šu-Suen’s access to the throne (e.g., BPOA 6 328). As such, Da’agi oversaw people, equipment, and cereal production, but also the collection of fees and loans issued in relation to the cultivation of fields (ZA 91, p. 218). Thus, the compensation of arrears fell rightly in his purview. The proposed identification of Da’agi led us to discard Ibbi-Suen 3 as a possible date of the document.
The tablet features a sealing, which is rolled across the entire obverse and in the space purposely left blank on the reverse; however, the personal name is difficult to read and no parallel has been found for this seal legend in the Ur III corpus.
Text 6
Museum number: IM 204458
Measurements: 5×4×1.5 cm
Provenience: Šat-Eštar archive
Date: Ibbi-Suen 3.vii
See fig. 6
[IM 204458]
obverse
-
1. 0.1.0 še a-da-lal3 ?
-
2. 0.1.0 arad2-dšara2
-
3. 0.1.0 lu2-dsuen
-
4. 0.1.0 ab-ba-ge-na
-
5. nim
-
6. 0.1.0 arad2-da-ni
-
7. 0.2.0 šeš-ama-na
-
8. 0.1.0 ze2-ra-am
-
9. 0.0.3 ur-d⸢iškur⸣
-
10. ša3-gu4-me-eš2
reverse
-
1. 0.0.4 mi-ni-mi
-
2. 0.1.0 e-zi-id
-
3. 0.0.4 lu2-dšara2
-
4. 0.0.3 mi-na-ša
-
5. gab2-ra-me-eš2
-
6. 0.0.5 diĝir-sukkal
-
7. 0.0.3 ma-šum
-
8. 0.0.5 ur-dur3-bar-tab
blank line
-
9. šu+niĝin2 2.3.3 še gur
-
10. iti min-eš3 mu si-mu/-ru-umki ba-ḫul
Translation
obverse
-
1. 60 litres of barley Adalal
-
2. 60 litres Arad-Šara
-
3. 60 litres Lu-Suen
-
4. 60 litres Abbagena
-
5. (They are) Elamites
-
6. 60 litres Aradani
-
7. 120 litres Šešamana
-
8. 60 litres Zeram
-
9. 30 litres Ur-Iškur
-
10. (They are) ox drivers
reverse
-
1. 40 litres Minimi
-
2. 60 litres Ezid
-
3. 40 litres Lu-Šara
-
4. 30 litres Minaša
-
5. (They are) junior herdsmen
-
6. 50 litres Diĝir-sukkal
-
7. 30 litres Mašum
-
8. 50 litres Ur-Urbartab
blank line
-
9. Total 810 litres of barley
-
10. Month vii. The year Simurrum was destroyed
Commentary
The tablet records the disbursement of monthly wages to workers, for a total expenditure of 810 litres of barley. Based on the onomasticon, we propose that this document belongs to the Šat-Eštar archive.Footnote 11 Three groups of workers are identified in the text: four Elamites – all bearing Sumerian and Akkadian personal names –, four ox drivers, and four junior herdsmen. The occupation of the last three men is not specified; however, Diĝir-sukkal and Ur-Urbartab are identified as junior herdsmen in Murad, Unpublished Ration Texts, Diss., IM 204966, whereas Diĝir-sukkal features as groom (kir4-dab5) in BMO 18 5. According to the rosters of the Šat-Eštar estate,Footnote 12 Mašum was a cupbearer (sagi).
Text 7
Museum number: IM 204658
Measurements: 3.5×2.8×1.4 cm
Provenience: Umma region
Date: Šulgi 25 / 32 / 44 / Ibbi-Suen 3
See fig. 7
[IM 204658]
obverse
-
1. 4.0.0 še gur ⸢apin-la2⸣
-
2. a-ša3 u2-gu-⸢ub⸣
blank space
reverse
blank space
-
1. mu si-mu-ru-um/ki ba-ḫul
Translation
obverse
-
1. 1200 litres of barley from rented fields
-
2. The field Ugub
blank space
reverse
blank space
-
1. The year Simurrum was destroyed
Commentary
The only other known attestations of the field name Ugub can be found in YOS 4 311 (a-ša3 u2-gu-ub) and the unpublished Hermitage 3 459 (a-ša3 ša3 i7-da u2-gu-ub), both from Umma. The dating of YOS 4 311 (Šulgi 31) suggests an early date for our text.
Text 8
Museum number: IM 204705
Measurements: 3.6×3.5×1.5 cm
Provenience: Ur or Ĝirsu/Lagaš
Date: Šulgi 26 / 33 / 45 / Ibbi-Suen 4.xi
See fig. 8
[IM 204705]
obverse
-
1. 30 nindan gid2 1/2 nindan daĝal / 1 kuš3 buru3
-
2. kiĝ2-bi 15 sar
-
3. 60 nindan gid2 1/2 nindan daĝal / 1 1/2 kuš3 buru3
-
4. kiĝ2-bi 45 sar
-
5. 120 nindan gid2 1/2 nindan daĝal / 2 kuš3 buru3
-
6. kiĝ2-bi 120 sar
-
7. 60 nindan gid2 1/2 nindan daĝal / 1 1/2 kuš3 buru3
reverse
-
1. kiĝ2-bi 45 sar
-
2. 62 nindan gid2 ⸢1/2⸣ nindan daĝal / 1 kuš3 buru3
-
3. kiĝ2-bi ⸢31!(51)⸣ sar
-
4. 1 nindan gid2 1 1/2 nindan daĝal ⸢1/2⸣ nindan / 2 kuš3 buru3
-
5. kiĝ2-bi 12 sar
-
6. 10 sar kab2-ku5 a-egir
-
7. šu+niĝin2 kiĝ2-bi ⸢268⸣ sar
-
8. a-ša3 d[nan]na([ŠEŠ].KI)-gu2-gal
-
9. iti ezem an-[na]
lower edge
-
10. mu us2-sa si-mu-ru-um/ki ba-ḫul
Translation
obverse
-
1. 180 m length 3 m width / 50 cm depth
-
2. its workload 270 m3
-
3. 360 m length 3 m width / 75 cm depth
-
4. its workload 810 m3
-
5. 720 m length 3 m width / 1 m depth
-
6. its workload 2160 m3
-
7. 360 m length 3 m width / 75 cm depth
reverse
-
1. its workload 810 m3
-
2. 372 m length 3 m width / 50 cm depth
-
3. its workload 558 m3
-
4. 6 m length 9 m width 4 m depth
-
5. its workload 216 m3
-
6. 180 m3 the backFootnote 13 of the flow divider
-
7. Total workload: 4824 m3
-
8. The field Nanna-gugal
-
9. Month xi
lower edge
-
10. The year after Simurrum was destroyed
Commentary
The tablet records the maintenance works on the irrigation system serving the field Nanna-gugal, which was located in the province of Ur (UET 3 1339), towards the border with Ĝirsu/Lagaš. The homonymous Nanna-gugal canal ran in the proximity of the Ĝirsu/Lagaš waterway called Inun, with which it shared a breach (durux).Footnote 14 This indicates that both the Nanna-gugal canal and the Nanna-gugal field itself extended across the two neighbouring provinces. The hypothesis that the canal acted as a territorial boundary between the regions of Ĝirsu/Lagaš and Ur was already suggested by Jacobsen (Reference Jacobsen1960: 177–178) on the basis of two royal inscriptions of Ur-Namma, in which the epithet used for the Nanna-gugal canal is the “boundary canal of Ninĝirsu” (i7-ki-sur-ra-dnin-ĝirs2-su).Footnote 15 A provincial survey from Ĝirsu/Lagaš (MVN 6 547, date broken) mentions a rural area extending from the banks of the Tigris and the Nanna-gugal canal to the Bau-ḫeĝal canal, thus suggesting an east-west course for our canal. Apart from Text 8, the flow divider (kab2-ku5) of the Nanna-gugal canal is known from one Ĝirsu/Lagaš document dated to Šu-Suen 2 (MVN 12 452), which records the allocation of barley to the workforce employed for the maintenance of the canal. Since our tablet features the month name “Festival of An”, the document could either have stemmed from the Ur archiveFootnote 16 or it made use of the Reichskalender. Assuming the latter hypothesis, the tablet was drafted at Ĝirsu/Lagaš. Indeed, texts related to works on the irrigation system are often dated with the Reichskalender in virtue of the fact that the maintenance of the hydraulic network was subject to the direct supervision and planning of the central administration. In this sense, the use of the Reichskalender was instrumental in facilitating effective coordination among the provinces. Given that the Nanna-gugal canal was located across both Ur and Ĝirsu/Lagaš, it makes sense that its maintenance fell under the economic responsibilities of the two provincial administrations regardless of the fact that the overall work planning was established by the Crown.
The volume in rev. 3 should be 31 sar according to the measurements given in the previous line; however, the scribe erroneously wrote five tens, which leads to a notation of 51 sar. The volume of the back part of the flow divider (rev. 6) is not counted in the total workload. As customary in workplans, no personal name is mentioned.
Text 9
Museum number: IM 204959
Measurements: 11.5×5.5×2.3 cm
Provenience: Umma region (Šat-Eštar archive)
Date: Šulgi 25 / 32 / 44 / Ibbi-Suen 3
See fig. 9
[IM 204959]
obverse
-
1. 7.0.0 gan2 uru4-a
-
2. še-numun mur-gu4-bi 11.3.2 / gur
-
3. a2 lu2-ḫuĝ-ĝa2-bi 5.4.0 6 sila3
-
4. 19.3.4 še-ba iti nesaĝ-ta / iti dpa4-u2-e-še3
-
5. 0.3.⸢2⸣ ša3-gal šidim e2-a gub-ba
-
6. 0.1.2 ša3-gal lu2-kiĝ2-gi4-a lugal / še šu ba-re-de3 DU-a
-
7. ĝiri3 dšara2-zi-da a-ra2 1-kam
-
8. 0.0.4 ša3-gal lu2-kiĝ2-gi4-a lugal / a-ra2 2-kam
-
9. ĝiri3 ur-diškur ma2-laḫ5 !(DU)
-
10. ⸢0.1.x⸣ ša3-gal lugal-ur2-ra-ni ad-KID
-
11. 1.4.0 ša3-gal amar gu4-apin 3-kam
-
12. 100 gu-kilib gi še-bi 3.1.4 / še gur
-
13. a-ša3 akšak2 a.ki
-
14. 8 1/3 sar saḫar kun-zi-da / i7 si-sa2-a
reverse
-
1. saḫar-bi al-e 12 gin2-ta
-
2. ĝuruš-bi 83 1/3 u4 1!-še3
-
3. a2 6 sila3-ta
-
4. še-bi 1.3.2 a2 lu2-huĝ-ĝa2
-
5. kun-zi⟨-da⟩ i7 si-sa2-a
-
6. 2.4.3 še gur i7 ba-al-la / ša3 buru14-a su-birx(ŠIM)-še3
-
7. a2 0.0.1-ta
-
8. 10.4.4 še gur a2 lu2-ḫuĝ-ĝa2 še / lugal il2-la ba-šim-eki
blank space with traces of erased signs
-
9. šu+niĝin2 62.3.1 6 sila3 še gur
-
10. ki za-ri2-iq-ta ba-zi
-
11. iti nesaĝ-ta iti dpa4-u2-e-še3
-
12. mu si-mu-ru-⸢um⸣[ki ba]-⸢ḫul⸣
Translation
obverse
-
1. 45.36 ha of cultivated land
-
2. its seed and fodder 3500 litres
-
3. its cost for the hirelings 1746 litres
-
4. 5920 litres of barley allocations from month iv to month xi
-
5. 200 litres rations for the builders standing at the house
-
6. 80 litres rations for the royal emissary who went to release the barley
-
7. via Šara-zida, the first time
-
8. 40 litres rations for the royal emissary, the second time
-
9. via Ur-Iškur, the sailor
-
10. [60+x] litres rations of Lugalurani, the mat-maker
-
11. 540 litres rations for the young cattle of three plough-teams
-
12. 100 bales of reeds, its barley value 1000 litres
-
13. The field Akšak
-
14. 150 m3 of earth, barrage of the Sisa canal
reverse
-
1. its earth (of) the hoe-work 3.6 m3 each
-
2. its man-days 83 1/3
-
3. wage of 6 litres each
-
4. its barley 500 litres, wages of the hirelings
-
5. barrage of the Sisa canal
-
6. 870 litres for excavating the canal at harvest time, for the Subareans (?)
-
7. wage of 10 litres each
-
8. 3280 litres, wages of the hirelings transporting the grain of the king (to) Pašime
blank line
-
9. Total: 18796 litres
-
10. expended from Zariq(’s account)
-
11. from month iv to month xi
-
12. The year Simurrum was destroyed
Commentary
The tablet is an account of barley expenditures incurred by Zariq over a seven-month period, totaling 18796 litres. The first section of the text (obv. 1–13) records the barley needed for the cultivation of the field of Akšak and the sustenance of the personnel living in the homonymous settlement.
The Zariq mentioned in this text is very likely the šabra-administrator attested in the Šat-Eštar archive.Footnote 17 He deals with barley remainders intended to pay workdays (CUSAS 40/2 1249, Ibbi-Suen 2.iii), with the reception of cereals coming from Umma or stored in silos located in Akšak (CUSAS 40/2 1252, undated), and, most notably, he is in charge of the cultivation of the rural area of Akšak (Athar Al-Rafedain 9, p. 166 no. 2). According to this latter document, this area was composed of plots located in different fields for a total amount of 65 ha (=10 bur3).
While the sailor Ur-Iškur is also mentioned in two documents from Ĝirsu/Lagaš (BPOA 1 6; Amar-Suena 3.vi) and Ur (UET 3 962; Ibbi-Suen 6.xi), and the personal name Šara-zida is almost exclusively documented in texts from the Umma region,Footnote 18 no mat-maker named Lugalurani is known from other sources. If one considers the dates of the documents mentioning Ur-Iškur and Šara-zida, attributing Text 9 to Ibbi-Suen’s reign is more likely than a Šulgi date, thus confirming the trend established by Molina (Reference Molina and Pomponio2023: 286) for the year name mu si-mu-ru-umki ba-ḫul.
The second section of the text (obv. 14–rev. 17) deals with works on the Sisa canal, which required ca. 83 man-days. Hirelings employed in earthworks received 6 litres per person, while men digging the canal at harvest time received daily wages of 10 litres each. Additionally, ca. 3300 litres of barley were spent on wages for hirelings engaged to transport grain to Pašime (Tell Abu Sheeja). The Sisa canal is documented in Umma texts as well as in two records from Ĝirsu/Lagaš that mention a storage facility attached to the canal.Footnote 19
Again, it seems plausible that we are dealing with records drafted in a non-institutional context, most likely the estate of Šat-Eštar, which as the texts indicate could have been located in the Umma territory bordering on the Ĝirsu/Lagaš province. Besides toponyms, this is further corroborated by the fact that the administration of the estate resorted, when necessary, to external personnel belonging to the workforce of both provinces. It is evident that the mobilization of labour across provincial boundaries was a prerogative of the Crown, as the governor’s authority was confined to the administrative limits of their own province.
Text 10
Museum number: IM 204970
Measurements: 9.8×5.6×2.5 cm
Provenience: Umma region
Date: Amar-Suena 1.iv
See fig. 10
[IM 204970]
obverse
column i
-
1. 10.0.0 še gur sila3 72/-ta
-
2. še gan2-gu4-ka
-
3. 6.2.0 arad2-dam išib
-
4. 4.1.0 lugal-e2-maḫ-e
-
5. 22.0.0 šeš-kal-la
-
6. 6.0.0 i3-la
-
7. 10.0.0 i3-a-mu
-
8. 2.0.0 ur-da-šar2
-
9. ⸢2.0.0⸣ ur-mes
-
10. […] e2-gal-kam
-
11. […] i3-la
-
12. […] ⸢i3⸣-a-mu
-
13. […] lu2 apin-la2/-ka
-
14. [… x]-dsuen
-
15. [… ur]-dur3-bar-tab
-
16. […] ⸢niĝar⸣ĝar-ki-du10
-
17. [še šuku-r]a a2-an gu2 / min-a-ba
-
18. ⸢12⸣.[0.0] ⸢še⸣ lugal-nesaĝ-e
-
19. 14.0.0 ur-niĝarĝar
column ii
-
1. še šuku-ra a2-an / gu2 min-a-ba
-
2. 40.0.0 ur-teš2
-
3. 42.0.0 lugal-a2-zi-da
-
4. 45.0.0 nim
-
5. 32.2.0 dumu peš2-a
-
6. 42.0.0
blank line
-
7. še apin-la2-a a2-an / (erased sign) gu2 min-a-⸢ba⸣
-
8. ⸢še d⸣suen-ba-ni [a2] / bi2-dar-r[a]
-
9. 4.2.0 ur-NI.NI
-
10. 2.0.0 wa-ta2-⸢ru⸣-[um]
-
11. 2.2.0 lu2-diĝir-ra
-
12. 4.0.0 lugal-ḫe-ĝal2
-
13. 1.0.0 an-ne2-ba-du7
-
14. 1.2.0 u3-ma-ni
-
15. 2.0.0 ur-mes zadimza
blank line
reverse
column i
-
1. še šuku-ra-ni
-
2. UN-e-ne ba/-an-de6-eš2
-
3. še dsuen-ba-ni / inim i3-na-ĝal2-la-a
-
4. […] lugal-e2-maḫ-e
-
5. […] lu2-dšara2 ⸢x⸣
-
6. [x] ⸢ĝiri3-se3⸣-ga
-
7. [x] ⸢lugal⸣-me:lam2
-
8. […] ⸢ur⸣-mes
-
9. [… ḫa]-ba-⸢lu5⸣-[ge2]
-
10. […] še ur-da-⸢šar2⸣
-
11. arad2-dam
-
12. šeš-kal-la
-
13. i3-a-mu
-
14. i3-la
-
15. ⸢lugal⸣-nesaĝ-e
-
16. 5.3.0 (erased) ⸢ur⸣-teš2
blank space
-
17. še apin-la2-a ki-su7 / igi e2-duru5
-
18. še gur gan2-gu4-kam
-
19. ki-su7 igi e2-duru5
column ii
-
1. ⸢še⸣ gan2 še šuku-ra u3 / apin-la2
-
2. [a]-ša3 a-egir a-ša3 / dinana
-
3. ⸢lugal-nesaĝ-e⸣
-
4. ⸢x x x⸣
-
5. [a]-ša3 […]
-
6. […] e2-duru5 […]-e
-
7. […]
-
8. […] ⸢še gur⸣ šeš-⸢kal⸣-[la]
-
9. [še] gub-ba a-ša3 ⸢egir? / igi⸣ ⸢x⸣-še3
-
10. erased signs
blank space
-
11. iti nesaĝ
-
12. mu us2-sa ḫa-ar/-⸢šiki ba⸣-ḫul
Translation
obverse
column i
-
1. 3000 litres of barley, (gur) of 72 litres
-
2. barley from domain land
-
3. 1920 litres Aradam, the purification priest
-
4. 1260 litres Lugalemaḫ
-
5. 6600 litres Šeškala
-
6. 1800 litres Ila
-
7. 3000 litres Iamu
-
8. 600 litres Ur-Ašar
-
9. ⸢600 litres⸣ Urmes
-
10. […] is of the palace
-
11. […] Ila
-
12. […] Iamu
-
13. […] men of the tenant land
-
14. […x]-Suen
-
15. […] Ur-Urbartab
-
16. […] Niĝarkidu
-
17. [sustenance grain] in a two-talent an-basket
-
18. [3600 litres?] of grain Lugalnesaĝe
-
19. 4200 litres Urniĝar
column ii
-
1. sustenance grain in a two-talent an-basket
-
2. 12000 litres Urteš
-
3. 12600 litres Lugalazida
-
4. 13500 litres Elamites
-
5. 9720 litres son of Peša
-
6. 12600 litres
blank line
-
7. barley from tenant land in a two-talent an-basket
-
8. Suen-bani has seized the barley
-
9. 1320 litres UrNINI
-
10. 600 litres Watarum
-
11. 720 litres Ludiĝira
-
12. 1200 litres Lugalḫeĝal
-
13. 300 litres Annebadu
-
14. 420 litres Umani
-
15. 600 litres Urmes, the stonecutter
reverse
column i
-
1. sustenance barley
-
2. menials have brought
-
3. Suen-bani has claimed the barley
-
4. […] Lugalemaḫe
-
5. […] Lu-Šara
-
6. [x] personnel
-
7. [x] Lugalmelam
-
8. […] Urmes
-
9. […] Ḫabaluge
-
10. […] grain Ur-Ašar
-
11. Aradam
-
12. Šeškala
-
13. Iamu
-
14. Ila
-
15. Lugalnesaĝe
-
16. 1680 litres (erased) Urteš
blank space
-
17. grain from tenant land at the threshing floor in front of the village
-
18. grain from domain land
-
19. at the threshing floor in front of the village
column ii
blank space
-
1. barley from domain, sustenance, and tenant land
-
2. the field (located) at the back (of the weir of) the field of Inana
-
3. Lugalnesaĝe
-
4. …
-
5. field …
-
6. […] village […]
-
7. […]
-
8. […] litres of barley Šeškala
-
9. [barley] standing at the field at the back […] in front of […]
-
10. erased signs
blank space
-
11. Month iv
-
12. The year after Ḫaršum was destroyed
Commentary
This multi-column tablet records the barley revenues and allocations of barley quotas to various recipients. The amounts of barley are identified as grain coming from land managed according to the three land tenure regimes in force during the Ur III period: domain land (še gan2-(gu4)), sustenance land (še šuku), and tenant land (še apin-la2). The fields from which the barley came were all located in the Umma region, as also confirmed by most of the personal names borne by the people listed in the document.Footnote 20
Noteworthy is the mention of a different bariga standard in the first entry: it is specifically recorded that the bariga container used for measuring barley (obv. 1) had a capacity of 72 sila3 instead of the regular 60 sila3.Footnote 21 Likewise, note the very rare mention of the “two-talent an-baskets”, which appears only in one other tablet from Umma, OrSP 47–49 364, dated to Amar-Suena 7. The term describes the type of container with which barley coming from tenant fields was measured.Footnote 22 The use of such measuring containers in relation to amounts of barley coming from tenant land is also documented in the Umma text CHEU 11.
Text 11
Museum number: IM 204982
Measurements: 10.8×4.5×2.3 cm
Provenience: Umma region
Date: Šulgi 27 / 48
See fig. 11
[IM 204982]
obverse
-
1. 350 la2 1 nindan us2 353 nindan
-
2. 61 1/2 nindan saĝ 60 nindan saĝ
-
3. a-ša3-bi 11.2.3 1/4 gan2
-
4. 470 la2 1 us2 490 la2 1 nindan
-
5. 240 la2 1 1/2 nindan saĝ ḫi-a
-
6. a-ša3-bi 63.1.2 1/2 gan2
-
7. 490 la2 1 nindan us2 760 la2 1 nindan
-
8. 1 1/2 nindan saĝ ḫi-a
-
9. a-ša3-bi 0.1.3 1/4 gan2
-
10. 512 nindan us2 542 nindan
-
11. 176 1/2 nindan 2 kuš3 193 1/2 nindan / 2 kuš3
-
12. a-ša3-bi 54.0.3 1/2 1/4 gan2
-
13. 46.2.1 gan2 bar sig5 [(x)]
-
14. 43.1.3 gan2 a nu-⸢e11⸣ [ša3] ⸢temen⸣
-
15. 22.2.5 ⸢gan2⸣ […]
-
16. 1.2.1 gan2 […]
blank line
-
17. šu+niĝin2 121.2.[…]
-
18. šu+niĝin2 63.0.3
-
19. […]
-
20. […]
reverse
-
1. 480+40+[…]
-
2. 120+30+4 […]
-
3. ⸢a-ša3⸣-bi […]
-
4. 17.0.2 1/4 ⸢gan2⸣
-
5. 2.2.0 gan2 a nu-⸢e11⸣(DU6.[DU])
-
6. 6.0.1 gan2 bar nu-⸢e11⸣(DU6.[DU])
blank line
-
7. šu+niĝin2 61.0.2 1/2 gan2
-
8. šu+niĝin2 8.2.1 gan2 a nu-e11
-
9. lugal-ĝišgigir-re šabra
-
10. 540 nindan us2 520 nindan
-
11. 269 nindan 4 kuš3 saĝ 269 nindan / 2 kuš3
-
12. a-ša3-bi 70(bur3) la2 2(eše3).3 1/4 gan2
-
13. 52.1.1 gan2 bar sig5
-
14. 2.0.5 gan2 a nu-e11 ša3 temen
-
15. 2.0.0 gan2 i7
-
16. 19.0.1 gan2 bar nu-e11
-
17. šu+niĝin2 121.1.3 1/2 1/4 gan2
-
18. šu+niĝin2 23.1.0 gan2 a nu-e11
-
19. ḫe2-ti šabra
-
20. a-ša3 ga-wa-ru-um
-
21. a-ša3-bi du3-a-ba za3-10-bi nu-zi
-
22. mu ḫa-ar-šumki ba-ḫul
Translation
obverse
-
1. 2094 m long side, 2118 m (other long side)
-
2. 369 m short side, 360 m short side
-
3. its area 76.77 ha
-
4. 2814 m long side, 2934 m (other long side)
-
5. 1437 m short sides
-
6. its area 411.66 ha
-
7. 2754 m long side, 4554 m (other long side)
-
8. 9 m short sides
-
9. its area 3.33 ha
-
10. 3072 m long side, 3252 m (other long side)
-
11. 1060 m (short side), 1162 m (other short side)
-
12. its area 351.27 ha
-
13. 302.76 ha the outer part, (which is of) good quality
-
14. 281.88 ha the water has not risenFootnote 23 in its inner part
-
15. 148.68 ha […]
-
16. 11.16 ha […]
blank line
-
17. Total: 788.4 ha […]
-
18. Total: 409.32 ha
-
19. […]
-
20. […]
reverse
-
1. +2888 [m long side…]
-
2. + 924 [m short side…]
-
3. its area […]
-
4. 110.97 ha
-
5. 17.28 ha the water has not risen
-
6. 39.24 ha the outer part, (the water) has not risen
blank line
-
7. Total: 396.18 ha
-
8. Total: 56.52 ha the water has not risen
-
9. Lugalgigire, the šabra-administrator
-
10. 3240 m long side, 3120 m (other long side)
-
11. 1616 m short side, 1615 m (other short side)
-
12. its area 450.45 m2
-
13. 339.48 ha the outer part, (which is of) good quality
-
14. 14.76 ha the water has not risen in its inner part
-
15. 12.96 ha canal
-
16. 123.48 ha the outer part, (the water) has not risen
-
17. Total: 787.59 ha
-
18. Total: 151.2 ha the water has not risen
-
19. Ḫeti, the šabra-administrator
-
20. The field Gawarrum
-
21. Of the raised field, its tithe was not levied
-
22. The year Ḫaršum was destroyed
Commentary
The tablet deals with the measurement of plots located in the rural area of Gawarrum, a toponym also mentioned in Text 3 rev. 11. The document uses the classic formulary of land surveys, recording first the linear measurements of the long (us2) and short (saĝ) sides,Footnote 24 which make up the perimeter of the plot, and finally its area in iku.Footnote 25 The two long sides and the two short sides composing the quadrilateral shape of the field often differed from each other in length, thus separate notations for each long and short side were required (obv. 1–2). When calculating the perimeter or the area, an average length between the two measurements was used. This may have been the case in obv. 5 and 8, where the notation “short sides” (saĝ ḫi-a) appears. However, the use of the plural ḫi-a after a linear measurement is never attested in these types of documents at Umma, but it is employed exclusively in land surveys from Ĝirsu/Lagaš (cf., e.g., ASJ 14, p. 228 no. 79). Moreover, when averages are used, they are applied consistently to each entry – arguably for the sake of convenience – and the plural ḫi-a is always written after the first line of the entry, that is, after the measurement of the long side (us2). Furthermore, note also the use of la2 in rev. 12, which is never used in the Ur III corpus to record the area.
References to “inner parts” (temen) and “outer parts” (bar) of the plot are used in field plans alone; in particular, the expression “in the inner part” (ša3 temen-(na)) is attested only at Umma. However, the obverse of field plans always shows the drawing of the field.Footnote 26 Furthermore, additional information on topographic features – such as measurements of canals – and soil quality (cf. rev. 13: bar sig5) are either very rare or absent from this type of documents. These data are in fact reported on a different type of land survey – the so-called “cadastres” – which are never concerned with linear measurements (e.g., CHEAU 100). From an administrative perspective, the reference to a tithe is quite unusual.
Based on what has been presented above, our field survey is peculiar in many respects. The unique mixture of administrative elements used in different provincial archives and of data usually elaborated on separate documents – so far never attested elsewhere – raises questions about the background of the scribe that drafted Text 11. While the anthroponyms mentioned in the text clearly point to Umma or Ĝirsu/Lagaš,Footnote 27 the field name Gawarrum – which also features in Text 3 – and the textual peculiarities outlined above suggest a provenience from a non-institutional context, possibly related to a private rural estate.
Text 12
Museum number: IM 204998
Measurements: 8×4.8×2.2 cm
Provenience: Umma region
Date: Šulgi 26 / 33 / 45 / Ibbi-Suen 4.xii
See fig. 12
[IM 204998]
obverse
-
1. 14 engar 10 sar-ta
-
2. kiĝ2-bi 140 sar
-
3. 10 la2 1 IGI-nu-um 5 sar/-ta
-
4. kiĝ2-bi 45 sar
-
5. 11 UN-ĝa6 1 sar / 15 gin2-ta
-
6. kiĝ2-bi 13 2/3 sar / 5 gin2
-
7. 11 nim 2 1/2 sar
-
8. kiĝ2-bi 27 1/2 sar
reverse
-
1. šu+niĝin2 226 sar 15 /gin2
-
2. lugal-ba-ta-e3 / i3-dab5
-
3. a-ša3 du6-mu-ru-la-ka
-
4. iti ezem-ddumu-zi
-
5. mu us2-sa si-mu-ru/-umki / ba-ḫul
Translation
obverse
-
1. 14 farmers 180 m3 each
-
2. its workload 2520 m3
-
3. 9 IGI-nu-um 90 m3 each
-
4. its workload 810 m3
-
5. 11 menials 22.5 m3 each
-
6. its workload 247.5 m3
-
7. 11 Elamites 45 m3
-
8. its workload 495 m3
reverse
-
1. Total: 4072.5 m3
-
2. Lugalbatae took them
-
3. The field Du-murula
-
4. Month xii
-
5. The year after Simurrum was destroyed
Commentary
The tablet records the workload assigned to four teams employed in agricultural works. We are unable to propose a satisfying reading and interpretation of IGI-nu-um (obv. 3), a term that should identify the profession, social status, or geographic provenience of the team of workers. A speculative hypothesis is that IGI-nu-um is a defective writing of ⟨lu2⟩ ši-⟨ma⟩-nu-um⟨ki⟩. The overseer to whom the four teams of workers were entrusted is Lugalbatae, a name almost exclusively attested in Umma texts.Footnote 28
A total volume of 4072.5 m3 of earth had to be removed for the maintenance of the irrigation infrastructure of Du-murula. This toponym is known from 18 documents using month names from the Reichskalender, all but two dated to the years Ibbi-Suen 1 and 2.Footnote 29 The dossier dated to Ibbi-Suen deals primarily with deliveries of fresh reeds (gi-zi) and ukul-plant from the state chancellor to two officials: Sugali and Nur-Adad. Over half a year, Sugali received from Du-murula via the state chancellor 7971 1/3 talents of fresh reeds, corresponding to ca. 240 tons (YOS 4 301). The use of fresh reeds as fodder for fattening sheepFootnote 30 – a purpose explicitly mentioned in most of the documents – confirms the involvement of these two officials in animal husbandry.Footnote 31
Du-murula was a well-known locale for procuring reeds, weeds, and other timber, as suggested by the deliveries of hundreds of wooden planks obtained from its orchards (Sumer 55, p. 163). This rural area was situated in the vicinity of Umma, as evidenced by its proximity to the field pu2-a2-uz (JCS 20, p. 35 no. 3) in the Da-Umma district.Footnote 32 Like Du-murula, also the field pu2-a2-uz was exploited for reeds to be used as fodder for fattening sheep (Nisaba 24 9).
The Du-murula rural settlement might have been under the direct control of the Crown. Such an assumption is put forth because of the presence of the state chancellor as the only authorizing party and of royal officials as recipients. In the Umma archive, no other transaction involving the state chancellor as disbursing party and using the expression “from the state chancellor” (ki sukkal-maḫ-ta) exists beyond this small dossier.Footnote 33
That the exploitation of riverine thickets had ties with the royal economy comes as no surprise. Du-murula could thus be one of the many settlements established in the southern provinces by royal orders and inhabited by prisoners of war. The inclusion of Elamites, and possibly men from Simanum, among the men enrolled for the works on the field Du-murula might point toward this direction as it does the employment of conscripts (dumu dab5-ba) at the order of the state chancellor for the collection of reeds (BPOA 6 1128).
Text 13
Museum number: IM 205131
Measurements: 8.9×4.5×2.3 cm
Provenience: Umma region
Date: Amar-Suena 1.v
See fig. 13
[IM 205131]
obverse
-
1. 7.3.0 še gur lugal
-
2. saĝ-niĝ2-gur11-ra-kam
-
3. ⸢ša3⸣-bi-ta
-
4. 0.4.0 še ⸢gur⸣
-
5. 0.1.0 ziz2 gur
-
6. 0.0.3 ⸢gig gur⸣
-
7. 0.0.3 ⸢gu2 gal-gal⸣
-
8. i3-na-⸢x⸣ nu-banda3-gu4
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9. 1.0.0 [še] ⸢gur⸣
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10. 0.1.0 ⸢ziz2 gur⸣
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11. ur-dlugal-banda3 da nu-banda3-gu4
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12. 0.4.3 še gur ur-dsuen dub-sar
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13. 0.1.0 še gur 0.0.3 ziz2 gur
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14. ba-ba-a naĝar
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15. 0.1.0 še gur ⟨⟨lu2 !⟩⟩ lu2-su-bir5 ⟨ki⟩
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16. 0.1.0 še gur šam2 am3 ĝišgu-za diri ši/-ir-da
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17. 0.0.3 ziz2 0.0.3 gig gur
-
18. ⸢e2 ?⸣ lu2-du10-ga
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19. 1.0.0 gu2 šum2 [si]kil dam ur-dsuen
blank space
reverse
blank space
-
1. šu+niĝin2 3.1.3 še gur lugal
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2. šu+niĝin2 0.0.3 ziz2 gur
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3. šu+niĝin2 0.0.3 gig gur
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4. šu+niĝin2 0.0.3 gu2 gal-gal gur
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5. šu+niĝin2 1.0.0 gu2 šum2 sikil
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6. du11-ga ge-na ur-gu2-eden/-na
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7. ba-an-sa6 in-ge-en6
-
8. iti RI
-
9. mu us2-sa ḫa-ar-šiki ba/-ḫul
blank line
Translation
obverse
-
1. 2280 litres of (various) grains (according to) the royal gur
-
2. it is the capital
-
3. from it
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4. 240 litres of barley
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5. 60 litres of emmer
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6. 30 litres of wheat
-
7. 30 litres of big pulses
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8. Ina…, the chief plot manager
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9. 300 litres of barley
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10. 60 litres of emmer
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11. Ur-Lugalbanda, the chief plot manager
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12. 270 litres of barley Ur-Suen, the scribe
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13. 60 litres of barley and 30 litres of emmer
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14. Baba’a, the carpenter
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15. 60 litres of barley, Lu-Subir
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16. 60 litres of barley, the equivalent (price) for an extra sedan chair
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17. 30 litres of emmer and 30 litres of wheat
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18. the household of Luduga
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19. 300 litres of pulses and alliaceous plants, the spouse of Ur-Suen
reverse
-
1. total of 990 litres of barley
-
2. total of 180 litres of emmer
-
3. total of 60 litres of wheat
-
4. total of 30 litres of big pulses
-
5. total of 300 litres of pulses and alliaceous plants
-
6. by order of Urguedena
-
7. Bansa has confirmed
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8. Month v
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9. The year after Ḫaršum was destroyed
Commentary
The tablet records an expenditure of cereals and pulses destined mainly for mid-level employees. Out of the initial capital of 2280 litres, only 1560 litres of cereals, pulses, and vegetables were disbursed, and the totals reported in the summary entry match the sum of the individual disbursements. The expenditure was authorized by Ur-Guedena, probably to be identified with the governor’s scribe who rolled his seal on Bonhams 20667 L. 147 6.Footnote 34
Although the month name (iti RI) clearly shows that Text 13 comes from the Umma region, it should be noted that the carpenter Baba’a (obv. 14) is only attested in texts from Ĝirsu/Lagaš (ASJ 9, p. 325 no. 1; TCTI 2 3538). Noteworthy is the orthographic spelling ši-ir-da (obv. 16) for ser3-da.
Text 14
Museum number: IM 206598
Measurements: 5.5×4×1.8 cm
Provenience: Umma region
Date: Šulgi 25 / 32 / 44 / Ibbi-Suen 3
See fig. 14.
[IM 206598]
obverse
-
1. 0.1.0 še lu2-dšara2 nar
-
2. 0.1.4 niĝ2-sam2 am3 gi/-zi
-
3. ⸢0.0.4⸣ niĝ2-diri ma2
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4. ⸢0.0.2⸣ a-bi2-ma
-
5. 0.0.2 nam-ḫa-ni
-
6. 0.0.1 a-da-lal3
-
7. 0.0.1 DIĜIR-AN.DUL3
reverse
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1. še im-ḫur
-
2. 26.2.0 še gur ĝiš ⟨ra⟩-a
-
3. e2 ur-lugal si-ga
-
4. ša3-bi 8.1.2
-
5. i3-ma-ra-de6
-
6. mu si-mu-ru-umki/ ba-ḫul
Translation
obverse
-
1. 60 litres of barley Lu-Šara, the singer
-
2. 100 litres the price of fresh reeds
-
3. 40 litres extra for the boat
-
4. 20 litres Abima
-
5. 20 litres Namḫani
-
6. 10 litres Adalal
-
7. 10 litres DIĜIR-andul
reverse
-
1. He (Urlugal) received the barley
-
2. 7920 litres threshed barley
-
3. deposited in the house of Urlugal
-
4. From that (amount) 2540 litres
-
5. were brought here
-
6. The year Simurrum was destroyed
Commentary
The date formula of Text 14 corresponds to three different years of Šulgi (year 25, 32, and 44) or to Ibbi-Suen 3. Based on prosopography alone, it is impossible to determine which year is meant here. A very similar document, listing both Abima and Namḫani, is AfO 25, pl. 4 Boellinger 3, which bears the same year formula as our text.
Among the people bringing barley, Lu-Šara is the only one who can be identified with certainty as the singer of the district of Apišal (Nisaba 11 44, rev. 6). An amount of barley defined as “extra for the boat” is attested once in the Ur III corpus, in relation to the boat of heaven (cf. Nisaba 33 543, rev. 5). The expression še im-ḫur at rev. 1 is unique in texts dated to the Ur III period; the only other attestation of the conjugated form im-ḫur can be found in UET 9 936 from Ur.Footnote 35 The verbal clause at rev. 5 is never attested as such in the Ur III corpus. It is documented only three times with the variant spelling im-ma-ra-de6 (AUCT 2 230; MVN 14 500; ZA 53, p. 56 no. 5) and once as i3-im-ma-/ra-de6 (AnOr 7 342). The writing of the syllable combining the vocalic prefix {i} and the ventive {mu} as im- instead of i3-, as well as the sequence i3-im-, are indeed more common in the corpus.
Text 15
Museum number: IM 212750
Measurements: 4×3.5×1.4 cm
Provenience: Irisaĝrig
Date: Amar-Suena 6.i
Sealed
See fig. 15
[IM 212750]
obverse
-
1. ⸢0.1.0⸣ eša
-
2. 0.1.0 zi3-dub-dub
-
3. sizkur2 ensi2-ka
-
4. ki nam-maḫ-ta
-
5. ⸢ur-mes⸣ šu ba-ti
reverse
-
6. iti šu-ĝar
-
7. zi-ga u4 7-kam
blank space
-
8. mu ša-aš-ruki / ba-ḫul
Translation
obverse
-
1. 60 litres of eša-flour
-
2. 60 litres of flour for (ritual) sprinkling
-
3. offerings of the governor
-
4. from Nammaḫ
-
5. Urmes received
reverse
-
6. Month i
-
7. Expenditure of the 7th day
blank space
-
8. The year Šašrum was destroyed
seal illegible
Commentary
The tablet records quantities of flour to be offered on behalf of the governor. Based on the month name (iti šu-ĝar), the document was written at Irisaĝrig. An official named Nammaḫ features in Irisaĝrig texts as one of the main disbursing parties of processed and unprocessed cereals (see, e.g., CUSAS 40/2 388 and CUSAS 40/2 1039). However, to the best of our knowledge no other sizkur-offerings are associated with the governor of Irisaĝrig.
Open access
