The Amherst Tablets (1) .Pinches PDF

THE
AMHERST TABLET
BEING AN ACCOUNT OF
THE BABYLONIAN INSCRIPTIONS

IN
The Right Hon.
THE COLLECTION OF
LORD AMHERST OF HACKNEY,
F.
AT
DIDLINGTON HALL, NORFOLK

BY
THEOPHILUS
G.
PINCHES, LLD.
PART
!.
TEXTS OF THE PERIOD EXTENDING TO AND INCLUDING

THE REIGN OF BUR-SIN
(about 2500
B.C.)
WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS

AND
FIVE COLLOTYPE PLATES
BERNARD OUARITCH,
jNDON
11.
1
'}08
GRAFTON STREET.
THE AMHERST TABLETS
Digitized by the Internet Archive

in
2010 with funding from

University of Toronto
http://www.archive.org/details/amhersttabletsbeOOpinc
r47d.
THE
AMHERST TABLETS
BEING AN ACCOUNT OF
THE BABYLONIAN INSCRIPTIONS

IN
The Right Hon.
THE COLLECTION OF
LORD AMHERST OF HACKNEY,
F.S.A,
AT
DIDLINGTON HALL. NORFOLK

BY
THEOPHILUS
G.
PINCHES, LLD.
PART
I.
TEXTS OF THE PERIOD EXTENDING TO AND INCLUDING

THE REIGN OF BUR-SIN
(about 2500
1177'//
B.C.)
NUMEROUS /LLUSTR AT/ON
LUSUON
1)1
IC
PRIKTEO BV WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, UMITBD,

STREET,
STRKET, STAMFORD STREET, S.K., AND GREAT WINDMILL
CONTENTS
1.
An Archaic List of Fishermen's Offerings
2.
Archaic List of Officials^ &c.
3.
The baked Clay Label of Uru-ka-gina
4.
Archaic Text.
of gutium
lo
A Delivery of
Salt,
&c
S.
A Receipt of
9.
Deliveries of Butter
Salt, &c
31.
Grain Account
55
32.
Account of the Produce of Fields
5S
33.
A Delivery of Grain
60
Receipts of Meal
2,63
Work
64
Consignments of Butter
A Delivery of Butter
a
.20
.21
An Archaic Text referring to Wine
The Produce of
GuDEA
24
15.
16.
Receipt of Grain for Wages
17.
A List of Offerings
18.
List of Amounts of Grain
Work
distrip-uted
.
Receipt of Grain
Account of Livestock
21.
Receipt of Grain
22.
Apparently a Consignment of Plants
23.
Receipt of Grain
24.
Grain for
Temple
Workmen
Garment
25.
Offering of
26.
Receipt of Grain
27.
Deliveries of Grain
28.
List of Workmen's Names
Note of Sheep received
A Payment
41.
Note of a Consignment of Flour
72
42.
Delivery of Grain for E-Babi
11
43.
Names of People
44.
Delivery of Slaughtered Sheep,
45.
Account of Grain received
46.
Note of Decrease of Flock
Grain for the Labourers, &c.
of
Wages
in
70
kind
71
26
-hurhur
in
75
&c.
76
78
79
28
47.
48.
Receipt of Grain
31
49.
Account of Grain and Meal received
84
.35
50.
Temple or Palace Accounts
S7
ig.
39.
40.
29
20.
65
G6
23
A Text referring to Grain and Meal

An Archaic Text concerning three
for a
Certificate of
n- Grain as Wages
38. Accounts of Cattle, Asses, &c.
22
Time of
Field:
supplied for
34. 35.
19
.
10.
Men
54
36.
17
18
11.
14.
14
.16
Birds, &c., delivered
Archaic Text concerning Grain at Kis
13.
52
30.
15
5.
12.
Grain for Feeding Oxen
Receipt of Produce
Cattle for the King
6.
7.
29.
I
....
.
36
51.
Note of
-37
52.
Accounts of Asses, Cattle, &c.
39
53.
Delivery of Cattle
41
54.
The Produce of Plantations
108
III
Decre.'VSE of
young Cattle
94
95
106
44
55.
Fields and their Produce
-45
-47
56.
Supplies for the Temple of a
57.
Deliveries of Grain
113
48
58.
Grain-Account
115
59.
Grain-Transactions
60.
Sheep and Kid from a \'iceroy
-49
-31
....
112
117
119
THE AMHERST TABLETS

6i.
Consignments of Drink, Foon, .wd On. 120
93.
Grain-Account
65
62.
Cattle-Account
94.
Receipt of Grain for Cattle
167
95.
Deliveries of Drink
168
96.
A Receipt of Grain
i6g
97.
Rations of Drink, Food, and Oil
98.
Consignments
Oil
129
99.
Deliveries of Drink, Food, and Oil
130
00.
Deliveries of Cloth and Clothing
174
131
01.
A Delivery of Young Animals
176
02.
Deliveries of Drink and Food
^77
03.
Deliveries of Drink
04.
A Delivery of Grain
121
.122
Drink, Meal, and Oil

64.
ArPARKNTLY PoLlCEMEN,
AND THEIR WaGES
TIIKIR
123
.126
Ceremony
65-
Provisions for a
G6.
Account of Ship-Material
67.
Offerings of Meal, &c
68.
Deliveries of Provisions
69.
Herbs, Salt, &c
Consignments
AND Oil
of
.127
Drink, Food
....
71, 72.
WoKK
137, 138, 139
....
of
Drink,
Food,
171
ani
172
^7i
178
...
7i-
A Receipt of Grain
7-\-
Consignments of Drink, Food, and Oil 142
05.
Consignments of Drink, Food, and
75-
A Receipt for Oil
143
06.
76.
A Consignment of Dkink
144
07.
Wages of the We.wing-Women

A Dole or Payment of Grain
77-
08.
Consignments of
Oil
09.
Deliveries of Cloth or Clothing
184
147
10.
Grain for the C.\ttle-Khepers
185
148
11.
Consignments of Drink, Food, and Oi
186
149
12.
Grain for the Cattle-Keepers
187
140
78.
Meal for the Chariot-Caretaker
146
79-
Grain for Sheep
146
....
....
D."?ink,
179
Oh
180
181
182
and
Meal,
183
80.
Consignments of Food {iwo
81.
Receipt of Flour
82.
Grant to the
83-
Receipt of Sesame and Dates
150
13.
A Consignment of Grain
188
84.
Rations as
Wages
152
14.
A Receipt of Grain
189
83.
A Delivery of Grain
155
15.
Consignments of Drink
190
86.
Grain received for the Servants of

THE Temple of Istar
157
16.
A Delivery of Grain
191
17.
Receipts of Sesame
192
Patesi's
tablets)
Wife
....
87.
A Receipt of Food and Meal
88.
89.
Delivery of Sheep-Skins
161
90.
Meal for Granary-Labourers
162
91.
Receipt of Grain
92.
Receipt of Sheep
....
....
159
18.
19.
A Receipt of Grain
A Delivery of Hides and
of
194
Skins
195
Food, and
20.
Contributions
Oil
163
21.
A Label-Tablet referring to Grain
198
164
22.
A Receipt of Grain
199
Drink,
....
197
PREFACE
/^F
the importance of the
Amherst Collection
the earliest period to which
of
we can go back
beginning, as they do, almost at
tablets,
to the centuries immediately preceding the Christian Era, there
the extent of time which they cover
and from
its
great length
is
bound
may be
moment, and extending down
at the present
down
set
no need to speak.
is
more than
as rather
a series of most important epochs
to offer
Roughly,
four milleniums,
in the history
of those branches of the Hamitic and the Semitic races which used the cuneiform characters
Those who have made
for their records.

in its history,
find of
from the
first
Hittite remains
at
their speciality
it
know
Boghaz Keui
and
of the different sections of the
position
Amherst
Collection
At what
by others who are already acquainted with
date the civilization of Babylonia had
ment, was En-sag-kus-ana, "lord of Kengi

the style of his inscriptions, his date
beginnings
its
is
"
that
is,
scheme
historical
will,
the
this class for
first
Sumer
The
unknown.
is
in the
earliest
sequence of their develop-
or southern
From
Babylonia.
regarded as having been before 4500
but until
B.C.,
get more precise indications, this estimate of his period must be regarded as more or less
On the limit of 4500

whose time are given on
tentative.
tions of
to the reign
of Lugal-anda,
B.C.
comes Uru-ka-gina or Uru-enima-gina of Lagas,
pp. 1-14, unless the
who was probably
from an examination of the copies on pp.

of the
first
wedges
in
tablet translated, the lines of
3-5,
his
10,
immediate predecessor.
11,
and
14,
As
will
be seen
and the reproduction on
pi.
i.
which the characters were formed had already become
consequence of their being impressed by the corner of a square or triangular stick
period to reach the date of their early hieroglyphic forms.

details of the first beginnings of
we must still go back a considerable

Whether we shall ever get authentic
Sumero- Babylonian writing
is
doubtful,
improbable that certain exceedingly archaic tablets found at Susa,

unusual wedge-written characters,
published
inscrip-
which has no king's name, belongs
first,
instead of being drawn thereon with a point, showing that
'
the
in
its
few remarks upon the
it.
king of our records, judging from the forms of the characters
we
fully.
be welcomed by the reader who approaches documents of
time, as well as
of romance
full
of surprises in the discoveries which
full
present advanced state enables the student to appreciate so
therefore,
as a study
it
guesses to get at the readings of the characters to the noteworthy
in this
See V. Scheil and
may
point out the way.^
As
will
in
but
it
is
not at
all
Elam, and inscribed with
be seen from several tablets
volume, there was constant intercourse between Babylonia and Susa,^ which
J.
de Morgan: DHegatiou en Perse, Mhnoires,
vol. vi., pp.
59
IT.
"
Pp. 18, 119, 137, 138, 145.
seems
Christ,
and
lx.'en
have been
to
also,
iIk-
formidable
earlier
to
rival
As
the present
is
Siisa,
the
was Ansan
(also written
'
city,
ASsan, and,
milleiiiiini
before
which must have

Anzan), the
later,
Cireat
of Babylonia at the earliest period
shows, the laniûajê
collection
generally called
middle of the third
Another important Elamite
still.
Cyrus the
capital of the fatherland of
non-Semitic, and
of Klain, in
early capital
probal)Iy,
Sumerian,
Sumero-Akkadian.
better,
or,
It
was
a])pears to
be closely allied to certain Turko-Tataric and also Mongolian dialects, and was agglutinative,
as in the following examples
"heart-rest";
Sa-bat,
ia-fytila,
"heart-joy"; su-amsi, "ivory,"
(=
lit.,
"tooth
(of)
horned
tusked) bull."^
This agglutination takes various forms, and shows Sumero-Akkadian as a language of some
rtexibility
numbers
in
at
Judging from the bilingual
respect.
this
Kouyunjik (the great palace-mound
given above {Sa-bat, "heart-rest")

of the world, and appears
is
the
at
Hebrew
lists
which have been found
Nineveh) and elsewhere, the
shabbath, which has entered
English under the form of " Sabbath."
in
Akkadian words may have become naturalized
in
What
first
in
such
example
many languages
other Sumero-
European languages we do not know, and
comparisons which might be made would need supporting with proofs.
Sumero-Akkadian was
and was
to
here and there
'
in
use for temple-accounts and similar documents 2500 years
B.C.,
appearance the vernacular of the country, though the Semitic names found
all
testify to the
presence of people speaking the tongue which ultimately supplanted
By 2000 years d.c. the language of Babylonia had probably become entirely Semitic,
though Hammurabi (Amraphel) sometimes used the older idiom, as did also Assur-bani-apli
it.
("the great and
noble Asnapper") and his brother Samas-sum-ukin (Saosduchinos), king of
Babylon, as late as 650
but was used
in
B.C.
It practically
ceased to be a spoken tongue about 2000 n.c,
legal formulae during the time of the
before Christ), and as a priestly language until the
Dynasty of Babylon (i9th-2ist centuries
end of the Babylonian empire.
But the progress of the Semitic Babylonian language
was slow.
The
eariiest Semitic
king of
whom we
in
the central and southern states
have record was Sargon of Agad6, whose
date, according to
Nabonidus, went back as far as 3800 B.C.

Several Assyriologists, however,
have long been of opinion that this date was too high, which seems probable, though all will
doubtless admit that more light is needed.
It would seem that Nabonidus or his scribes,
not
having taken into consideration that some of the dynasties overlapped
of the existence
had
all
in
in
consequence
Babylonia of several small states, had calculated the chronology as
followed on in the order in which they are written.
Dynasty of Babylon,
to
if
they
This brings down the date of the
which Hammurabi or Amraphel belonged, by about 150 )ears that
Pp. 168, 190.
See also p. xv., dates 9, 13, 14, and pp.

^ iât is, "tooth of the elephant."
45, 47.
meaning "The king is my god," p. 76; Ahi-milu' p. 145; Ahwii, "Our brother," p. 171 ; Nahalu",
180; Tabu", "Good," Addu-baui, " Hadad creates," and jV/afini or Ma/i/i (cp. MatilW, on p.
78), p. 183, and several
' Sarrv^-ili,
p.
others.
After Dungi, the kings of
Ur were
Bfir-Sin, Gimil-Sin,
and
Ibi-Sin, all Semitic
names,
if
correctly transcribed.
end of the third and the beginning of the second millenium B.C., and it is possible
It may be regarded as doubtful,
that the farther we go back the greater the discrepancy.
years
from
the
chronology
when all the lists are
however, whether it will take a thousand
is,
to the
complete
but even with every possible reduction, the tablets printed on pp. 1-14 are certainly
very archaic, and exceedingly valuable for the insight they give into the early period to which
they belong.
The
its
known
earliest
written, in later inscriptions, with
Sargon of Assyria, 722

Babylonian Sargon,
with
the
sar
addition
of which the
capital,
B.C.,
state
one of the most important
and though
there
set
is
it
and was read
seems now
calls
to
His name
of the country existed.
the
in
same way, namely, Sarru-Jikin;
himself Sargani, an
"king of the
dli,
little
spirit
is
same characters as one of the forms of the name of
the
his records,
in
the
Sargon of Agade, must have been a king renowned
ruler,
Babylonia as long as the national
throughout
Agad6 was
of which
centre of Semitic influence seems to have been the state
and
capital,
probably
city,"
Agade
was seemingly exceedingly proud

Babylonia.
cities in all
but the
word meaning "powerful,"
old
or
Akkad
indeed,
(Gen.
it
x.
g),
the
must have been
Sargon of Agade warred
and wide,
far
be proved that he never crossed the Mediterranean to Cyprus,
no doubt that he was acknowledged as lord of Amurru, the land of the Amorites, and
up statues of himself
whom
the Semites over

the south
in fact, the
there.
His domain lay
in
northern district of Babylonia, and
the
he ruled often came into contact with the non-Semitic populations on
two
races, thus
brought into close relationship, must have been constantly
Thus it came about that the Semitic Babylonians borrowed

and spread abroad the Sumero- Akkadian style of writing, and on the other hand, Semitic
words are found in inscriptions which are otherwise distinctly non-Semitic. These mutual
borrowings naturally go back to a period long before the time of Sargon of Agad6, who
acting and reacting on each other.
was probably not by any means the
That the kings of

his
against
often
the
quarrelled
common
that
among
conqueror of Semitic Babylonian nationality.
great
first
realm had been able to hold their
Sumero-Akkadian
of the south
states
themselves, and were
own from remoter
times than
was owing
to the fact that the latter
seldom
united
therefore
sufficiently
to
make
cause against their northern neighbours.
Other Semitic
Agade seem
besides
states
we have no
same direction.
history
the
little
information.
which
Siihu,
Gutiu
is
in
to
have existed, but concerning their early
Media was
fatherland of Bildad, in the book of Job,
may
also
somewhere
where that
The god
river runs into the Euphrates.
Cuneifoi'm Inscriptions of Western Asia,
'
omen
in
See pp. 15 and
pi.
in
also Lulubu,"
xvi.
state
is
of the place, as given in vol.
60, line 20,
See pp.
which lay
and
in
Shuhites, and the

associated
the neighbourhood of the Khabour,

ii.
of the
seems to have been Malik, possibly
which the Ammonites delighted.
20.
and
home of the
be mentioned. With this
Mair,^ and both are supposed to have lain
the Moloch of evil
one,^
generally regarded as the
71.
Judging from the names of the
See
p.
72.
PREKACK
iv
which have come clown to
rulers
but
is
it
us,
Semitic Babylonian was the lanjjuage of the inhabitants,
doubtful whether SCihu and Mair can properly be rejârded as states of Babylonia.
Besides Babel, the city of the Tower, and Erech of the
"the
had "trouble
if
for a day,"
Akkad
along with
almost,
Nippur
Gilgames, and
hero
the
heavenly grove"
city of the
but "peace for a year"
not quite as ancient, though less renowned
Among
Maimer
Lagas,
now
Tel-loh, from which most,
also called Karraga, the seat of a
Isin,
city of the holy
Genesis
throne"
of less
note.
It
in
kingdom
if
not
now
Ur
Among
importance at an exceedingly early date.
Ellasar of the
14th chapter of
Noah
many other
of the Babylonian
with
among
away and
those carried
It will
settled in
was a country of considerable
the less noted but
still
noteworthy
were Borsippa, sacred to Nebo, and Cuthah, the seat of Nergal, god of war and
both of them situated near Babylon.
Nisin
or Larsa, called " the
an ancient Chaldean king
after
their
mounds
of the Chaldees
Ararma
Surippak, the birthplace
Genesis
of the tablets published in this
all,
therefore be seen that Babylonia
will
represented by the
of the ancient
site
in
many others,
and played
later times, existed,
renowned goddess
named
Ibi-Tutu. in the south, apparently so

cities
which are mentioned
identified with the
{7iru aSte azaga),
Larak, the classical Larancha
being
which the pilgrim journeying
to
cities
these were Kis,
volume came; Uru, now called Mugheir, the

or
Calneh),
the
as the beginning of Nimrod's (properly Merodach's)
part in the history of the country.
of
with
(identified
many names, among them
and "the sacred enclosure," where dwelt of old
{iir-atnta)
cities
pestilence,
be remembered that inhabitants of Cuthah were
Samaria by Sargon of Assyria, and these may be
numbered among the ancestors of the modern Samaritans, the only people who celebrate
the
Jewish
Passover as the
Marad, which was likewise a

city
lay
in
southern
Israelites
of old kept
city dedicated to
Babylonia,
it.
still
Closely connected with Cuthah was
Nergal, though, according to
Hommel,
and was the birthplace of the hero Gilgames, who
this
later
became king of Erech.

This, too, reminds
us
that there are other discoveries to be
made than
those connected
with Babylonian chronology, history, and literature, important as they are, namely, the discovery
cities, each having a history of its own, and the site of many a tragedy and comedy of
human life. Where are we to look for Rahiana and Rakitmi, the beloved cities of the goddesses
Nani and Gula ? Was Seieb, the Semitic Babylonian name of which seems to have been Bagdadu,
the origin of the modern Bagdad, scene of the nightly rounds of the Caliph Haroun er-Rasheed ?
Does the name of Dur-Kuri-galzu commemorate a victory on the part of Kuri-galzu, the king
after whom it was named ?
And who taking interest in these things would not like to know
about Bclu"\ the lord god of Esnunna
Aa-Hubian, the deity of Hubsan Armannu, the
of old
divine king of
Rapiqa
divine queen of Gimil-Sin, a place
so
many
And
tablets are printed in this
then there
is
Kaniiurra, the god of Ekallati, the
named
volume
celebrated
was
this
that
Hiraitu'", the
whose time
the question of hridu, the blessed city,
city
after the successor of the BOr-Sin, of
simply ziqqurafu, "the Tower," perhaps because
So
city of palaces
it
was the
Nabonidus (550-517
first
r.c.)
whose temple-tower was

of
is
its
kind built
in
sometimes called
called
Babylonia.
"king of
Eridu
"
Ur
bank of the Euphrates, east of
left
The
instead of "king of Babylon."
site
be of great importance, not only on account of

because of the religious and historical
also
describes
Babylon
him
on the sea
as lying
it
being an exceedingly ancient
its
and the substitution of
coast,^
An
attached thereto.
interest
"
but
city,
early inscription
for "
"
king of Eridu
king of
probably refers to Nabonidus's unpopularity, suggesting that the scribes regarded
"
as a kind of alien from that part, though
be found,
regarded as being Abu-Shahrein, on the
is
of the Chaldees, and excavations there would probably
meaning of the
for the
plant typical of the tree of
Though
name
was a
it
"the good
is
title
city,"
with which but
and
little
fault could
it
was the place of a wonderful
all
appearance, exclusively from
life.
the inscriptions in the present volume came, to
Ur
Tel-loh, the ancient Lagas, the great majority are dated in the reigns of the kings of
Sur-Engur Lagas was not under the dominion of Ur, and that
to imply that in the time of
Dungi brought
One
into subjection.
it
of
This would seem
the Chaldees, namely, Dungi, son of Sur-Engur, and Bur-Sin, his successor.
of the newly-published chronicles of the early kings
of Babylonia indicates that Dungi was a conqueror, and therefore not greatly liked, at least
He
at Babylon.
Eridu, and sought
represented as having favoured
is
bringing out the
evil,
property of the great temple -sagila and of Babylon into the street of the land, so that
Bel looked upon him unfavourably, and brought him, seemingly, to an untimely end, though,
as will be seen from the chronological
p.
xiv.,
and from the dated
tablets
list
on
his earlier years, either in religious ceremonies
from date
14,
later,
11,
we
less
Ur
(date
however,
16 on the
that
or in building shrines and temples.
same page) implies preparations
the warlike
expeditions
references
to
"priest") of Eridu,
{i.e.,
the
in
all
for a
campaign.
These are
the
It
of
the
king.
this
be the
case,
Ur under one
with
Humurti mentioned
is
lord
It
is
there
any
probability the bringing forth of the goods of the temple
and
nor
in
the
additional
on
dates given
p.
xvi.,
is
the city did not imply any invasion, and would not therefore be used as an event to date
If this
of
interspersed
all
investiture
mentioned as having been favoured by
city
noteworthy that neither here,

reference to Babylon
among them being
ceremonies,
religious
Judging
The assembling
become numerous, the places mentioned
being Karhar, Simuru, Harsi, Humurti, Kimas, Ansan, and Sasru.

with
From
than 58 years.
Dungi was engaged, during
see that
he placed a princess on the throne of Marhasi or Mar'ash.
the soldiers of
only
he reigned no
p. xiii.,
on pp. 29-1
bj-.
Babylon already belonged to the domains of Dungi, and had been united
rule for
again,
some
time.
In the additional dates
we
find Simuru,
Kimas, and
with the addition of Lulubu and Urbillu.
Dungi's son and successor, Bur-Sin, ruled only 9 years, probably because his birth took
when his father was still a young man, in which case he must have been somewhat
place
when he came
advanced
in
that
expeditions
his
years
'
were
in
to the
Urbillu,
throne.
Sasru,
The
and
In ancient times the Persian Gulf extended
dates
attached to the tablets show
Huhunuri.
much
The
farlhcr inland than
consecration
now.
of
the
PHEKACE
vi
throne
and
1
1
"the older
otherwise
Ellila.
of
are the events chosen
by
date
to
years
exceedingly
fine
volume a few words may be
this
in
show an exceedingly
and plate
Other
envelope).
i.,
of different
of the
108 lines
no.
gods,
an
is
Its
this fjcriod
(p.
of offerings), with 89 lines; no. 38
(list
50 (temple-accounts referring to merchandize
no.
work,
their
first
its series.
and
no.
52
their wages),
(as.ses
42
and
lines
290
cattle),
with
lines
cancelling-lines
no. 69 (herbs, salt, &c.), 88 lines of text enumerating various kinds

and some others which, though not of large size, are nevertheless of interest
the
for
(men,
64
drawn through them

of produce
example of the work of

17
The
said.
probably unique of
is
180 lines (not very well preserved);
kinds),
columns;
fine
fine tablets are no.
(accounts of cattle, asses, &c.),
either
of priests
investiture
referring to expeditions (pp. xvi., xvii.,
specimen of an archaic case-tablet, and
cylinder-seal impressions
16
the
not
ff.).
Concerning the tablets given
in
and
Bel,"
the
in
of the writing, or on
perfection
account of the
contents
(see
p.
iii.,
lower
portion).
When
looking through this volume, the reader will notice that there are several
some of them showing designs which are nearly

but most of them fragmentary.
These are copies of the
pictures,
perfect, as
on pp.
2,
158,
small
1S8, 196,
cylinder-seals with which the tablets
which have envelopes, and sometimes those which are not so provided, are impressed.
the
reason of the clay envelopes and
the seals,
the remarks on pp. x. and
.see
xi.
For
It
is
needless to say that these objects are of considerable interest, not only from an artistic point
of view, but also because of the light shed by them on the mythology of the early Babylonians,
the form of certain vessels, &c.
their dress,
Most of these designs represent the owner of
the cylinder being led into the presence of his
impressions on pp. 61, 63,
y;^,
god
see
fragments of impressions only on pp. 36, 40, and 43.

value, as in the case of the inscriptions
latter
the
on
pi. iv.,
name of
no.
2),
pp.
141,
158,
80, 83, 114, 151, 156, 170, 180, 186,
-jy,
188,
196, less perfect
189 (on the tablet),
Sometimes these have a
on pp. 43 and
y-j
and
historical
(photographic reproduction of the
but as a rule the inscriptions consist of two or three lines only, giving
the owner, his father's name, and sometimes his
title
or calling.
Other designs
than the owner of the seal and his god are rare at this period, and two only occur among
the subjects drawn, namely, men struggling with a lion and a bull
p. 107 and pi. iv.. no. 3
(?),
and a man struggling with a

sketched on p. 166.
This
lion
last
accompanied by a bull-man struggling with a dragon,
(.?),
one of those impressed directly on the
is
tablet,
there being
no envelope.
Naturally the impressing of the .seals on the tablets required a certain amount of care,
and practice must have been needed in order to obtain an even surface. This has been very
successfully done in the case of no.
44, pp. 76-78 (see the photographic reproduction on pi. iv.,
no.
2).
but
it
is
not improbable that
impress the whole
such a case,
name,
&c..
seal,
portions
of the
especially
only are
owner.
As
if
it
was sometimes considered too much trouble
the surface was
generally given,
the
figures
seem
the
to
to try to
large, on these small documents.
In
being
the
parts
which
are
clearest
have been regarded as not altogether
however, the remainder,
indispensable,'
which made the
practice
As
student.
or
of
parts
sometimes rather
latter
a rule, the impressions
come out
were impressed over the
it,
difficult
considerably in the course of the millenniums of their existence.

traces only of the cylinder-seal impressions, will be seen
Lord Amherst of Hackney, of which
The second volume
more noteworthy documents.
v.
pi.
it
They
Ibi-Sin.
and
give
life
similar
v.'hich
historical interest.
Hammurabi
The identification
light
the
upon the language,

Later on those of
belonged will be dealt with,
at this time will be furnished
life
all
Gimil-Sin and
here, namely,
throw further
and
will
be found
of Hammurabi with the Amraphel of the
chapter of Genesis gives his period special
fourteenth
phases of
and
facts,
of the people at the early date to which they belong.
the time of the dynasty to
some
historical
purposed to publish
is
contain the tablets belonging to the
will
period of the two rulers immediately following those translated
to be of
with
tablet,
present volume gives the earlier portion of the important collection of Babylonian
tablets belonging to
religion,
specimen of a
envelope of no. 4 on
the
Appendix, pp. 199-200.)
(text in the
The
in
modern
and have sometimes suffered
shallow,
rather
writing, a
read, at least for the
to
interest,
and glimpses into several
by the tablets belonging thereto.
to the intermediate period of Babylonian history are rare,
Texts referring
but something of the Kassite epoch
be given, with a Tel-el-Amarna fragment, though no additional material of importance
will
is
contained therein.
Inscriptions from Assyria rarely
country will
of that
have
in
public
silence.
in
museums
in
the
All
various parts of the world, and in the
conquests of Assur-nasir-apli H., the annals of Shalmaneser H.,
to
Biblical
Assyria,
who
who
claims
to
in
are
received tribute
have
HL
atoned for by the perfection of the

captured
Samaria,
and
the end, murdered in his palace by his son.
how he "took Menasseh
by those
of
Esarhaddon's
with chains," and brought him to Babylon,
This Biblical statement
but he records the receipt of tribute from him.

to
Tiglath-pileser, the
who
twice invaded Judah, but had to retreat on the second occasion on
account of plague, and was,

account of
but their deficiencies
history,
Sargon of
of
Sennacherib, his son,
own
first
his son,
Mutilated and disconnected are the portions of the records of Tiglath-pileser
from Jehu.
records
rulers
documents of the great
numerous publications concerning them we may read the story of the
referring
many
into the market, so that the reigns of
be passed over
to
Assyrian kings are preserved
come
is
is
wanting,
naturally a testimony
Esarhaddon's dominion over Babylon, which the records of both countries Assyria and
We are helped also to realize it by a tablet in Lord Amherst's collection
Babylonia confirm.
which belongs
to the
eponymy
of Ubar,
mayor
(as
we may
call
him) of Babylon, showing that
The
the Assyrians tried to introduce the system of dating by eponymies into that country.
reign of Samas-sum-ukin (Saosduchinos), younger son of Esarhaddon, who received the throne
'sa
no. 15, lines 14-16, of the late Babylonian letters in Cuneiform Texts from Babylonian Tablets, part xxii.
itfi may be the
itti [lu]tubbu\ " of the seals of the governors the itii [may ?] they impress," where
" sign," instead of the more usual plural itati
" let them impress the signs of the governors' seals."
Compare
kunukke sa kepdni
plural of
itfii,
PREFACF
viii
of Babvlon after his fathers death,

is
bv some
liken-ise represented, as is also that of
is
Kandalanu. who
Interesting contract-tablets of
or Assur-bani-p>al.
identified with Assur-bani-4pli
and the succeeding period are preserved in the collection, which also contains inscriptions
of Xebochadnerrar the Great. Texts referring to Belshazzar will call to mind the position
and relations of that ruler to his father and the kingdom with whose fate he was so closelythis
connected, and also
show something of
of the Persian kings'
who
part of the work, for the
final
Ale.xander and
Arsaddaean kings
the possibilit)'
will
collection
Several
Philip.
his life
and surroundings.
show the
of which was
period
if
in
the reigpns
includes documents
beliefs of the
belie\-ed in
\-alue.
of that period,
and also of
fragments of astrological calculations of the time of the

people with regard to the foretelling of events,
and
Those of the
British
would be of great imjxjrtance
it
in common with
Museum are often
by the Babylonians and Assyrians,
other natkxis of antiquit)-, from the eariiest times.
of considerable hbtorical
Tablets dated
followed the last native Babylonian d)-nasty will be found in the
for the history' of that
more of these documents could be found.*
Naturally the documents in this collection, \-aried as those of later date are, do not
represent all
the branches of Assyro-Babylonian literature, any more than the
Preface exhaust the
in this
number of those which might be mentioned
list
of
cities
as places of great
They wiU serve to show, however, how very important this branch of archaeological
study is, and how greatly it is to be wished that a more prominent part could be taken by
this country in the researches now in progress there.
There is still much to be learned about
importance.
the Assyrian dties referred to in the 14th chapter of Genesis, and as excavations at Nineveh,
in Assyria,
we
were
b^^
by
this country,
are able, as well as to supplement
it
ought to
fall
to our lot to complete
them by researches
die whereabouts of Rehoboth-Ir and Resen would help us to
meant by the
Biblical
and
classical
references to
them as
far as
The discovery
understand much of what
in other parts.
the district, which, as
it
result in the discovery of yet
material.
\\*hat other countries
possible for us,
and would sene
further libraries, with
all
their wealth
is
contains other
pala ces than those already exca\-ated, would almost certainly yield a rich historical booty,
m^t
of
and
and variety of
are doing so la\-ishly and systematically ought also to be
a slight measure to compensate for the meagre encouragement

meted out to the study of Assyro-Babylonian in this country, which, in former years, held
in
therein the foremost place.
See " Notes opoa z Small CoUectkn of Tablets from tbe Kis Mmrood bdonging to Lord Ambeist of Hadcney,"
Veri^mdh^pM da XIII. Imtaimtmimltn OriemtaEOtm-Km^rasa im Hamtbvrg 1902, pp. 267 fil, wbeie the names
of tvo nnfpcis are refened to.
'
in the
Compare The Old TcOamemt
im the Li^kt ef the BhtiirujI Records
(S.P.CK., 1903), pp. 474 C, and 553.
and Legends of Assyria cmd Bahjli>ma
INTRODLCTIOX.
I. GENERAL.
The
present volume contains those documents of the Amherst Collection of Babylonian tablets which,
beginning with the early rulers, Lugal-anda and Uru-ka-gina (about 4,500 years B.C.), go down to the
time of the second and third rulers of the Dynasty of Ur, Dungi and Bur-Sin (about 2,500 B.C.).
Unfortunately there are many gaps between, but as much remains to be done in the way of exploration
in Babylonia, it is just possible that, in the end, some of them may be filled up.
In all probability the first document translated, which has a list of offerings of fish, is one of the
most interesting of its kind known. Several tablets of this class e.xist, though it does not appear that
any of them have envelopes, such as originally enclosed the noteworthy example of an early Babylonian
list of offerings on pp. 1-9.
Prior to the printing, the author had before him copies of all the tablets referring to offerings of fish
.
which were available, and nothing more came to bis notice until almost the whole work had been passed
for press, when an important pamphlet from the pen of M. Nicholas de Likhatscheff, of St. Petersburg,
was sent him by the author. This work treats of various documents firom Tel-loh, the ancient Lagai,
same period as nos. 1-3, that is, the period commonly regarded as preceding 4,000 B.C. The
photo-lithographic and half-tone reproductions which it contains show clay bulls of varions shapes,
some being oblong and pierced with a hole lengthwise, others circular, or roughly so, but having the
marks of rush matting (probably the impression of a rush basket) on the back,^ whilst some are of a
of the
The oblong bulls, which are pierced with a hole, have inscriptions ia
columns, in the same style of writing as is shown on pp. 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, and 14; others, resembUn^
enormous oblong beads smaller at each end than in the middle, and cut in half lengthwise, show on
the back the impression of a thick cord between two others of more ordinarv' size, crossing the width
of the object. These last have stamped upon the rounded obverse three c\-linder-seals, the upper and
lower having designs similar to that printed on p. 2, whilst the middle one gives a decorative design
very irregular form indeed.
(beads drilled in lozenge-form) only.
Most interesting of all, however, are the cylinder-seals on the irregularly-shaped frugments on
M. de LikhatschefTs plates IV. and V. of the brochure, which resemble more closely that of the tablet
reproduced as no. i of the present work indeed, those on plate IV\ are probably firom the same cylinderIn la on that plate we see the name svhich I have read as En-gal-gala, "the scribe of the women's
seal.
house," with the same strange figures beneath. It shows also the open-mouthed man holding the stag,
the strange bird, and the star. 2a has practically the same portion of the design, whilst 2b shows the
woman, the bull with the small animal of the same species on its back, a portion of the inscription, and
the right-hand bull-man beneath.
To all appearance the woman wears a crown with points the
impression is not quite clear, but it is hardly likely to be a fantastic kind of head-dress. 3a and 3b
have a similar design from another cylinder. These fragments are united into a single picture in fig. 55
Fig. 57 shows another seal of En-gal-gala, the design of which is the same,
with the exception of the arrangement of certain details. In this last there is a variation in the inscription.
of the book in question.
'
description of one in the Brussels Royal
Museum
is
given on p.
6,
with transcribed text and
translation.
Lupal-
INTRODUCTION'
not be read, so a statement as to
its
contents was placed
in
XI
'
one of the spaces of the envelope not occupied
by the seal-impressions (see pi. i, obverse of the envelope, lower right-hand angle of the seal-impression'}.
An examination of the text of the tablet within shows that the contents are correctly stated.
Other tablets with envelopes exist, and are preserved in considerable numbers, more especially
during the period of the dynasty of Ur, to which this volume is devoted from p. 29 onwards. The most
noteworthy are nos. 21, 22, 44, 53, 57, 86, gr, no, 112, 114, iig, and that of the appendix. Some of
these documents will be recognized as receipts issued by temple-oflicials, no. 53, for instance, referring
That the
if my attempted translation be correct.
apparently' to offerings to the temple of Nin-marki
casing and sealing should be extended to other tablets and finally to trade, legal, and private documents,
The translation of fUJ], ordinarily
is only what would be expected, and what did actually take place.
rendered "tablet," as "seal," in these inscriptions, which is suggested by Prof. Clay, seems probable, and
have therefore adopted
it.
in the usual set phrase, its
It
is
nevertheless noteworthy that this character on no. 57 seems to keep,

rendering of "tablet," the seal impressed not being that of Gugu,
common
as the inscription (adopting Prof. Clay's rendering) ought to state, but that of Sur-Lama.
Instances are
known, however, of people using the seals of others, and this was especially the case when a son inherited
the seal of his father.
Perhaps some tablet exists confirming the indication here given, that Gugu was
the son of Sur-Lama. With regard to fUJlI, the reader may adopt the translation which seems to him
to be the most suitable, for, though Prof. Clay's rendering is to all appearance the best, the tablet, until
handed to the payer, was the property of the person who sealed it, and might therefore be regarded as
his.
Exceptionally, no. 82 has the wording of the inner tablet, not that usually found on the envelope.
In no. 107 the two formulae, by a mistake of the scribe, are mingled together.
There are many examples of sealed tablets without envelopes, but precisely resembling the envelopes
of the case-tablets in that they have the seal-impressions rolled all over the inscription, which suffers
considerably in legibility thereby. An example of this is no. 93, where the part referring to the sealing
reads as follows
Mh
(11)
Uvu-kalla
" In the
The
name
seal
(12) iiu-banda îîida-kn
(13)
(14) ditiiin li-ab-sagga
duba Siir-Ban
(15) ibra.
of Uru-kalla, the cattle-keeper, Sur-Ban, son of E-ab-sagga, has impressed the seal."
impressed was Sur-Bau's own, not Uru-kalla's.
Other interesting inscriptions are the archaic list of names (no. 2) the baked clay label of the same
which more will be said in a future volume (no. 3) the agricultural tablet of the time
of Gudea (no. 13); the consignment of plants (edible, probably) by the ship "Morning" (no. 22); the
;
period, concerning
grain-account with the unusual chronological indications (no. 31); the tablet referring to E-id-a-edina
(no 37) the cattle-accounts (nos. ^7 and 52), the one because of the perfection of the inscription, the
other because of its long and interesting date; the tablet with the seal of En-sinibzu, one of Dungi's
scribes (no.
;
the list of plantations (no. 54) the account of ship-material (no. 66) the tablet dealing
;
44)
and the te.xt referring to hides and skins (no. 119), with its poetical
rendering of " fleece " as "sheep of the sky." The tablets referring to "the grain of the priest of
Tammuz" (nos. no, 112, and 114) may be added to these as a noteworthy group.
There is a numerous series referring to consignments of provisions, of which the text on p. 120 and
others are examples. These inscriptions testify to the intercourse between Babylonia and the surrounding
nations, which must have begun at an exceedmgly early date, as is shown by the more archaic texts on
to a Susian [Lu-Susana), p. r8 and
pp. 15-21, which refer to Guti (identified with Media), pp. 15, 20
the capital of a neighbouring state called Adaba (p. 21). The places mentioned in the lists of consignments
of food, &c., are Anscvi in Elam (pp. 168, 190), Kimas (pp. 123, 197), Nibri, the modern Niffer, identified
with the Calneh of Gen. x. 10 (pp. 144, 168), Sabw" (p. 130), Susa (pp. iig, 137, 138, 145), and Urinva
with herbs,
salt,
&c. (no. 69);
'
copy, transcription, and translation of
more, are given on
p.
7.
this,
which
is
practically a short docket,
and nothing
INTRODLiCTION
xii
or
Urof the Chaldces
Several other place-names occur in tablets of this class which will
(pp. ly), 142).
be published later.
In the course of the work certain slips of the pen and misprints were inadvertently allowed to pass,
though some of them were unavoidable in consequence of some of the sheets having had to be passed
Thus, on pp. 36, 39, 73, 106, and 1S7, the word " tablet " occurs
for press before the whole was in type.
instead of "seal," concerning which a few remarks were made above.
the notes to no. ill, Ahsiilw" appears in the notes instead of Absalw".
some way,
In
The
~,
also,
however,
on
is
and the proper transcription may be Ab.uilu"', with dotted s, equivalent to the
many improvements will be made in the renderings as the
.\kkadian language becomes better known, and any corrections which may be found needful will
By an oversight, no. 64 was etched
witli the improved renderings, in the succeeding volumes.
means
certain,
fade.
It
is
expected, however, that
p.
186, in
not by any
Hebrew
Sumerobe given,
an inch
too short, but the remainder of the inscriptions are probably as near as possible to the size of the original
in
most cases.
As an e.xample of the
attending really accurate translations, the case of no. 60, p. 119, may
is a reference to Za-uru-gal, viceroy of Susa, which I have regarded
No. 325 in Thureau-Dangin's Rccueil de Tablctlt's Chaldcennes, however, gives this name with
as a name.
the character for " man " before it
f ', ^ Za-uru-gal, which makes it probable that
l.!5^ Jt
be noted.
difficulty
In this short text there
tD
merely a title " the za-uni-gal (of) the viceroy of Susa."

the same work, which gives the same word without urn, ]^J^
it
is
This
'!,]
rather supported by no. 326 in
is
fSi, likewise with the
words "viceroy
From
TÎl$^ ItJ X^ ]0, / Sur-gi'^gibii, in no. 328 of the same work (which is
followed by the words issag (J>a-ic-si) a-dam-iali, "viceroy of Adamsah "), arguments for either rendering
of Susa " following.
could be adduced.
VJj^s-,
As Sur-gibii appears elsewhere as a personal name, it would seem that the prefix
difference.
On the other hand, Snr-gibis might be rendered "charioteer," or
But perhaps the best argument in favour of these words being names is the absence
"man," made no
something similar.
of the postposition fczf, ge, " of."

An example of the difficulty in deciding the exact nature of the tablets
is shown by the texts of which

an example. That it was a label is indicated by the holes in the edge, but the diverse renderings
of the first word, ga-dubba, show how much uncertainty attends their true decipherment.
Lau renders
the word as " house-list," Prof. G. A. Barton, of Erin Mavvr College, Haverford, U.S. .A., translates it
" office." There is hardly any doubt, however, that it was sometimes a personal title, as Reisner has
no. 121
is
two cases it follows the name of a man.

{Tcuipelurkunden aus Tclloh, 163 on pi. 134) the words duba ga-dubba c-<fNin-îr-SH?\
occur, in which "tablet of the accountant of the temple of Nin-Girsu" seems a very suitable rendering,
though " tablet (containing) the house-list," and " tablet of the office " might also suit the sense and
the circumstances.
indicated in his exceedingly useful vocabulary, for in at least
In his no.
ibj,'^^
An effort has been made to give, as far as they are known, the Sumero-.\kkadian pronunciation of
each word and character according to the syllabaries. In one case, however, that of the group <^^* ,7~y
The
IIlÎj$^> it is probable that another transcription than se-gur lugala ought to have been adopted.
first
and
third characters of this group,
<^^< IIl*Îj$^,
se lugala, have, in the syllabary published in the
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society for October, 1905, the pronunciation of lillan. This transcription,
however, would have necessitated the displacing of the word gur in transcribing, and as the method
adopted here may really have been that of the ancient Babylonian scribes when reading, ie gur lugala
is probably not incorrect, and has therefore been allowed to stand.
Lilian was borrowed by the Semitic
Babylonians under the form of lillanu, a synonym of which watS ya ra It /lu, from the Semitic root represented
in
Hebrew by
riT,
"to be white." The rendering of "grain" which

meaning being probably " wheat."
therefore be too general, the true
have used
in
this
book may
'
'
Notwithstanding the indications of the important text referred to above, it seems probable that
the word lugala, "king," refers to the measure ("royal gur," instead of "royal grain"), but upon this
point Colonel de la Fuye's collection will most likolv throw liqlu.
INTRODUCTION
Xlll
use at the period of these tablets was the simpler form of the sexagesimal,
for i (gi), or for 60 {si/s), but not, as a rule, for higher numbers, which
In grain-measure, horizontal wedges indicate
600, and t^, sar, 3,600.
are rendered by ](_, ncr, 60 x 10
In
the number of gur, and upright ones the number of qa, which was a 300th part of the gur.
enumerations of cattle, the circles and half-circles show the numbers in hand, and the wedges those which
The numerical system
in
which the
single
in
wedge stands
had been distributed or
lost (see pp.
65
ff.,
95
ff.).
II. CHRONOLOGICAL DATA.

which throw the most light on the chronology of the period of
are those which have been obtained by the American explorers at Niffer,
where not only chronological lists of the kings, with the lengths of their reigns, have been found, but
also lists of the events which took place in each year, drawn up for the purpose of dating contracts and
There
is
no doubt that the tablets
the dynasty of
Ur
other documents.
importance
I.
(pp. 29
ff.)
Both these
series
for the present inscriptions,
The
have been published by Prof. Hilprecht,' and as they are of

I reproduce the entries bearing upon them here
lengths of the reigns of the kings
Urum
{ki)-i!ia
S!ir-l"S^''Eiig!tr-ra lugal-ain
INTRODUCTION
The events
2.
of the regnal years of the kings, drawn up for the purposes of dating, as exhibited
the dated tablets of this volume Creigns of Dungi and

((j)
The
reign of
I'.iir-Sin)
Dungi
Obverse.
2.
Mil
iîr
3.
Mn
higal-e Untiiia {ki)
4.
J/
t)ia{?) '^Nin-lil-la
ba-gaba
Year he invested the gir of Nippur. (Radau, 7.)

Year the king
Ur.
(Radau, 8.)
Year he consecrated the ark(?) of Beltis.' (Ra-
5.
Mu
JNannar-kar-zida
ca
Year Nannar-kar-zida
Nibri
{ki) \ba-tiiga\
....
dau,
ba-giir
9.)
entered
the
temple.
(Ra-
dau, 10.)
6.
Mil
L-ltiir-sag litgala ba-du
7.
Mu
dGu-siliin DAr-rab-tli (it)
8.
Mu
<iNu-ku-vtuS-da Ka-sal-ln (ki)
Mu
Mu
e-hala-bi lugala ba-du
Year the king built h-hursag.

Year the goddess Gu-silim of
entered the temple.
c-a ba-tiira
10.
11.
Mu
<^Xaniiar Nibri (ki) e-a ba-tura
(Radau,
12.)
(Ra-
dau, 15.)
Year the king proclaimed the lord true priest of
eu nir zi an-na en
<tNannar uias-c ni-pada
Mu
12.
11
Year the god Nukusda of Kasalla

entered the temple.' (Radau, 13.)
Year the king built his e-hala? (Radau, 14.)
Year Nannar of Nibri entered the temple.
e-a ba-tura
9.
(Radau
Diir-rab-ili
Anu and
the
Nannar by the
of
lord
(Radau, 16.)
Year he constructed the image of
alain <^Nin-lil-/a ba-du
Beltis.'
oracle.
(Radau,
17.^)
Mu
13.
en nir ci an-na en <îVannara

da
14.
Mu
lug-ga
ni-kil (F)-mi-da-su duniu-sal lugala
nant-nin
Marka-si
-ku ba-ila
(ki)
15.
Mu
Di'iru (ki) ki-bi ba-ab-gi
16.
Mu
dumu Uruin
17.
Mu
i^Ni-rig issag gala Ên-lil-la-ge
18.
{Mu
Year he invested the lord true priest of .^nu and

lord of Nannar.
(Radau, 18.)
Year he raised Nikis(?)-midasu, the daughter of the
king, to the dominion of Marhasi."
(Radau, 19.)
Year he restored the emplacement of Duru. (Radau, 20.)
(ki) -via lu gis-bu
dtig ba-ab-ser
dur-
Year he assembled the children of Ur, strong and

mighty soldiers.' (Radau, 21.)
Year of Nirig, the great viceroy of Enlila. (Radau,
22.)
J]En-lil-la dNin-lil-la-ge
....
'
'
ba-dug.ga
Year he decreed the .... of

(Radau, 23 and
Enlila and Beltis'
.
24.)
Or
Nin-lilla, the spouse of En-lilla or Ellilla (Ellil).

Variant from a tablet in the possession of Randolph Berens, Esq.
Mu
^.Vu-mus-da c-a ba-tur-ra,
" Year the god Numusda entered the temple."

^ This may mean "the house of his vision " (revealed
-/jala-an-ki (possibly
to him in a dream).
" the house of the vision of heaven and earth ") is mentioned in the Proceedings of the Society of Biblical
Archaeology for Dec, igoo, p. 367 (1. 7), as the seat of Zer-panitu'", Merodach's spouse.
*
Or Nin-lilla. This date is given by the Berlin tablet transcribed and translated on p. 30 " Year
:
of the image of Nin-lilla."

^
p.
29:
"
'
''The year after the image of Beltis," which probably corresponds with Radau's no. iS, occurs on
"Year of the image after."
Identified with Mar'ash in northern Syria (Hommal, Ancient Hebrew Tradition, p. 37).
* Or Nin-lilla.
As in the Old Testament, "Children" here means "men."
INTRODUCTION
Reverse.
Mu
Mu
Mu
Mu
Mu
usliigal
nuxk
(?)
Kar-har {ki) ba-hula. (Reisner,

\Si\nm-ru-utn {kt) ba - hula
Si-mu-ru-uin
a-du
{ki)
27.)
mina-kai>i-ma-ru
ba-hula
Mu
Mu
Mu
Ha-ar-si
(ki)
ba-hula
Gurudug {ki) -ga ba-tug-ga

us-sa en Gunidug {ki) -ga ba-tug-ga
Year
Year
Year
Year
Year
(Radau, 25.)
(Radau, 26.)
he devastated Karhar.^ (Radau, 27.)
he devastated Simuru.' (Radau, 28.)
he devastated Simuru for the 2nd time.
(Radau, 29.)
Year he devastated Harsi.^ (Radau, 30.)
after
the king the supreme
....
Year he invested the lord of firidu. (Radau, 31.)

Year after he invested the lord of Eridu. (Ra-
en
dau, 32.)
j\Iu duviu-sal lugala issag
ana {ki)
Kar-har
Mu
An-sa-
-ge ba-tuga
{ki)
a-du mina-kaina-ru ba-hula
Year the daughter of the king took* the viceroy

of Ansan.
(Radau, 33.)
Year he ravaged Karhar for the 2nd time.' (Radau,
Mu
Si-mu-ru-um
{ki)
a-du esa-kama-ru ba-hula
34(7.)
Year he devastated Simuru
for the
3rd time.
(Ra-
dau, 35.)
Mu
Si-mu-ru-um a-du esa-kaina-ru
us-sa
ba-
Year
hnila
Mu
Mu
Mu
13-
15-
An-sa-an
{ki)
{ki)
a-du niina-kaina-ru e-a ba-tura

17-
Mu
Mu
bad ma-da {ki) ba-du

us-sa bad via-da {ki) ba-du
i8.
Mu
ig.
Mu-Hs-sa
i6.
Pi-sa-isi-'Wa-gan-na
ba-du
"The
3rd time.
42.)
Year after Pi-sa-isi-Daganna

(Radau, 43.)
e Pi-sa-isi-
liDa-gan-na ba-du
'
for the
Year he devastated Ansan." (Radau, 2i7-)

Year after he devastated Ansan." (Radau, 38.)
Year Nannar of Kar-zida entered the 2nd time
(Radau, 39.)
into his temple.
Year he built the wall of the land.* (Radau, 40.)
Year after he built the fortress of the land."
(Radau, 41.)
Year PI-sa-isi-Daganna built the temple.'" (Radau,
ba-hula
us-sa An-sa-an (ki) ba-hula
'^Nannar-kar-zi-da
after he devastated Simuru

(Radau, 36.)
year after he devastated Karhar" occurs on
p. ^^.
It
built
the temple."
probably corresponds chronologically
with Radau's no. 28.

-
For
this date, see pp. 35,
See
p. 39,
'"
See
See
p. 44.
36, and 38.

which has the longer form " Year he devastated Harsi, Humurti, and Kimas." The
inner tablet (see p. 40) has the short form of the above text, but with a character omitted. On p. 41
Harsi is written Arsi, and on p. 43 it is given as Arsi. But see the Azotes and Corrections, p. x.xvi.
* I.e.,
"took in marriage." Radau translates, "Year the daughter of the king became viceroy of
Ansan."
"
'
p.
45.
" Year after Ansan."'

See p. 47
See pp. 48, 49, and 51.
P. 57: "Year after the fortress of the land."
:
"
''
this date,
10
"
but
The
text
printed on
pp. 195-200
probably has
defectively written.
"Year Pi-sa-Isi-Dagan
"Year after Pi-sa-isi-da
Dagan for Daganna.
-2;
P. 54:
but gives
is
built the
(sic)
temple (of) Dungi."

temple"; p. 57 has the date as
built the
in
the te\t above,
INTRODUCTION
Xvi
V<ar
Afii-iiH-sa S /'t-itiiii-'Da-gannii hn-dii [;// /-]
20.
after Pi-sa-ii5i-Daganna
after that.'
S(i{-ti-bi'\
^r.
Afii Stj-aS-ni (i-i)
_'j.
[.Uii <]
hi
'XiviHina
At
tills
point the diite-list published by Hilprecht brcuks
indicated by Radau, in
Iiis
Early Babylonian Histoiy
(Radau,
Year
after he
Ki-mas {ki) ii IJii-inur-ti {ki) ba-hula

us-sa Ki-maS {ki) Hu-vtur-ti {ki) ba-hula
Mu
ui-sa
dau,
{kt)
Hu-mur-ti
{ki)
Year
ba-hula inn
uS-sa-a-bi
{b)
Nannar by
i.
the
(Radau,
in
the order
Lulubu
for
the
47<7.)
ravaged Simuru and Lulubu

i.*
(Radau, 47(5.)
for the
no.
127
in
vol.
I.,
50rt.)
after
he ravaged Kimas and PJumurti

year after that." (Radau,
part
J,
of
The
Babylonian
Expedition of the
50/;.)
(Radau, 51.
University of
2.
Mn
Mu
'Biir-''Sin lugal-e
3.
Mu
&<'gu-za mail <'En-lil-la ba-gim
1.
of
46.)
Year he ravaged Harsi and Humurti.
{Hu-snur-ti {ki)) ba-hula
Hilprecht's
Pennsylvania
(Radau, 45.)
lord
Year ho ravaged Urbillu.'" (Radau, 48.)

Year he ravaged Kimas and ûmurti.' (Radau, 49.)
Year after he ravaged Kimas and Humurti.' (Ra-
Ur-bil-liim (ki) ba-hula
{ki)
year
loth time less
Mu
Mu
Mu
Ha-ar-ii
the temple
and the dates are given
loth time less
kama-ni ba-hula
Ki-mai
off,
the
he devastated Simuru and
Year
Mil Si-inu-ru-uin (X/) Lu-lu-bu-um (ki) a-dii u-lalgi-kama-ni ba-hula

Mh ui-sa Si-mu-ni-Hin Lit-lii-bu (//) a-dii u-lal-gi-
Sasru.''
he proclaimed
Yi.ar
vi-f>aiia
l)uilt
(Ratlaii, 44.)
Year he devastated
//i//ir
i/i.ii'-r
oracle.^
Mu
dBilr-^Sin lugala-avt
Ur-bil-lunt {ki)
mu-hula
Year Bur-Sin became king.* (Radau, i.)

Year Bur-Sin the king ravaged Urbillii.'"
Year he constructed the sublime throne of

(Radau, 4.)
(Radau,
Ellilla."
Sec p. 58.
See pp. 60, 62, 63, where Sasru is in each case written with the mimmation. The same is
the case with the date " Year after Sasru " (p. 65), which probably corresponds with Radau's no. 46.
^ See
p. 6g, where, however, the verbal form is i/>-/>a{da).
* See
In the same date on p. 72 the name of Lulubu is omitted.
p. 71.
* See
The te.xt on p. 94 has simply " Year
p. 73, where an interesting variant, Urbilli, is given.
Lau reads the name Urbelu. The date "Year after he devastated Urbillu"'" occurs
of Urbillu."
on p. 12S, and may belong to this place, and be identical with Radau's no. 49.
' See p. 78.
On pp. 75 and 76 Kimas only is mentioned. P. 79 has simply " Year of Kimas."
'
See pp. 80, 82, 85, 91, 94 ("Year after Kimas" only), and 103. The last-named is long and
'
and has "year after that" at the end, omitting "after" at the beginning.
See pp. 106, 109, and iii, in all of which, however, Humurti is omitted.
' See
The text in every case reads "Year (of) Bur-Sin, the king," without
pp. 1x3, 115, and 117.
-aw.
Radau has the date of the "jcar after," corresponding with no. 2.
'"
See pp. 120, 121, and 125.
On p. 128 is the date of the "year after," in which the name
of the king is omitted, suggesting that it really belongs to Dungi's reign, no. 48b, if Radau's reckoning
be adopted, and corresponds chronologically with his no. 49. The use of the verbal form ba-hula
instead of mu-hnla would seem to support this (cp. Radau's 48 above).
" See pp. 130, 135.
detailed,
'
INTRODUCTION
en
il/;/
4.
Mil en
Mh
6.
mah gal
uiiii
Ûniianiia lui-lnsâ
ira/
Sa-as-ru
Year he invested the supreme great lord of Ann.'

(Radau, 5.)
Year he invested the lord of the great festival-hall
of Istar.(Radau, 6.)
Year he ravaged Sasru." (Radau, 7.)
Year he ravaged Huhnuri.* (Radau, 8.)
Year he invested the lord of Eridu.'^ (Radau, g.)
Year [he proclaimed] the lord of Nannara-[karzida?]."
(Radau, 11.)
Year Gimil-Sin became king.
Year he invested the lord of Nannara of Kar-zida.
Year he consecrated the ark ina-dara-abzii.
Year he ravaged Simalu.
Year he built the western fortress.
Year he built the western fortress year after that.
Year he made the sublime inscription of the god
au-na ha-tiiga
[ki)
ha-hiila
Mti Hii-iih-nii-ri {ki) ba-hul,i

Mil en Gurudiiga [lei) ba-tiiga
\Mu~\ en '^Nannar
7.
8.
....
g.
iGiniil-'lSin
lugal-am
10.
\J[l7i
II.
Mil en <iNannar-kar-zi-da ba-tuga.

Mil ma dara abzu ba-ab-gaba
14.
Mu
Mn
16.
Mii\ bad Mar-tu ki ba-du mu

na viaha dEn-lil-la ba-du
17-
Mu
Si-ma-liim {ki) ba-hida
bad Mar-tii
{ki)
ba-du
iis-sa-bi
Mu
Ellilla.
'^Giinil-'^Sin
Za-ab-sa-li
Though
full,
lugal
Uru
{ki) -ina-gt
in a -da
Year Gimil-Sin, king of Ur, ravaged the land of
viu-lntla
{ki)
Zabsali.
the reign of Gimil-Sin does not occur in the present volume, the above
list
has been given in
and to show the sequence of the dates, if we take the text translated
This tablet, which indicates that the first year of Gimil-Sin immediatel}' preceded
for the sake of completenes.s,
below as an authority.
This date
the word-order
is
is
a very frequent one,
and occurs with certain
variants.
On
pp. 137, 138, i3g,
and 145
mah gal, "lord supreme great," which

has eii-me mah gal, apparently "lords supreme
en gal mah, "lord great supreme," instead of en
occurs on pp. 140, 142, and 143. On p. 146 the te.xt

great."
All these texts add also the words en Nannara, "lord of Nannara," and, except those on pp. 140,
No. 78 (p. 146) has ba-tug-a, and no. 74 (p. 142) has no verb
143, and 146, give the verb as ba-a-tuga.
at
The "year
all.
the next date (no.
after"
5),
is
and
the date of the two tablets on p. 147.

given in a very abbreviated form.
This corresponds chronologically with
is
See pp. 148, I4g, and 150. In no. 82 the name of Istar is wanting. The "year after" on p. 153
considerably as to its wording, and may not be the equivalent of date no. 6. That an investment
of two priests of the great temple of Anu and Istar at Erech should take place at the same time, however,
In the above, line 5, I have transcribed the third character as unu, regarding it as
is not unlikely.
-
differs
^>y, the
first
character of ^?\ p^, unu, with additions {gitnu). (It is worthy of note that in the
lists unu is written i^f ?:*<<<"'[. in which the second component is tXl with additions.
Assyrian bilingual
See
p.
155.
Sasru
is
generally written with the
mimmation.
See pp. 157, isg, 160, 161, 162, 163, 165, and 167. Huhnuri is often
the text transcribed above, line 7 has no less than three scribal errors.
"
written
Iluhunuri.
In
See pp. i6g, 171-174, 176. The verbal form is generally ba-a-tuga. I have regarded the dates on
The "year after" (p. iSi) is equivalent
pp. 177 and 179 as being variants of this (see pp. 178 and 180).
to date no. g, Radau's no. 11.
'"
text, "
Year he invested the high-priest of Nannar-kar-zida," be correct

date is represented by the dates on pp. 182, 184, 185, 187,
i8g, igi, 192, 194, 195, ig6, and 198.
Variants due to scribal errors occur in nos. 107 (p. 182) and the
envelope of 119 (p. ig6). The tablet of this has the short form: "Year of the lord of Nannar-kar-zida."
^
(but
If
cf.
Radau's restoration of the
the translation below,
p.
xviii.), this
INTRODUCTION
the year of the investiture of the lord of
Nannar Kar-zida,
possession (acquired in 1904) and reads as follows
is
inscribed on a case-tablet in the author's
OlJVERSE OF THK TaHLHT.

1.
Usu
2.
3is
3-
ki
lama
a
Lu
flSi
udu
i.\
mas
6 kids,
<}
from
ta)
ma
ku
sheep,
Ita-<}a.
Lu-Simaku
Reverse.
the
kii
dug ''Dumu
7.
Iti
8.
mu
Izin
ftiiit,
due of Tammuz.
tlDumu
Month Izin-Dumuzi,
Gimil
ilSin
lugala
year of Gimil-Sin, the king.
Obverse of the Envelope.

Usu lama udu
is
sa-dug
ciDumu-zi-
ki
ta
mas
34 sheep, 6 kids,
due for Tammuz,

from Ita-oa.
Seal of Lu-Simaku, the ada.
ku
e-a-ta
Duba Lu-^Si-ma-ku aba

Reverse.
Izin
Iti
mu
''Ba
on ^Nannar
kar
In this inscription
it
zi'
will
Month Izin-Bau,
year he invested the lord of
ba-tuga
Nannar-kar-zi.'
be noticed that the tablet has a different date from the envelope, and as
the former must have been written before the latter,
it
is
clear that,
if
the tablet
is
dated
in
the accession-
year of Gimil-Sin, the envelope, which bears another date, must have been written in the year which
followed.
The date of the investiture of the " lord of Nannar-kar-zida," therefore, would seem not to
have been, as was formerly supposed, one of the dates of the reign of Bur-Sin, but of that of Gimil-Sin.
This gives to Bur-Sin a reign of 9 years, as stated also in the text published by Hilprecht,- and necessitates
the rejection of three dates formerly attributed to him, namely, the year after he invested the Lord of
Eridu (w us-sa en Guruduga {ki) ba-tuga), Radau's loth, which must therefore be the election-y&zx of
the lord of Nannar-kar-zida the investiture of the lord of Nannar-kar-zida, which, as has been shown, is
the 2nd date of Gimil-Sin and a very doubtful date published by Scheil in the Recueil des Travaux
;
li r ^g)'ptologie et F Assyriologie,
vol. xix., p. 59, no. 338.
But there is another point which is set at rest by the determination of the true length of Bur-Sin's
reign, as given on the fragment published by Hilprecht, naincly, that all the "years after" and "2nd
relatifs
'
For Kar-zida,
just as
Dnmn-zi (Tammuz)
is
for Diimu-zida.
See
p. xiii.
'
;;
:;
INTRODUCTION
XIX
in the official lists), are not to be counted.

Thus " the year after Bur-Sin
became king" is the same as the year in which that king ravaged Urbillu "the year after he devastated
Urbillu" must be the same as that in which he constructed the supreme throne of Enlila and the same
3'ears after " (unless given
probably the case for all similar datings in the reigns of other Babylonian kings. Naturally the reason
for this cannot be stated with absolute certainty, but it may be regarded as exceedingly probable that it
took place when the scribe did not know what the event of the year was, and therefore took the last event
used by him for dating, modifying the formula in the date of any document upon which he might be
is
make
"year after," or "two years after," as the case might be. Ambiguity was not
and he was saved trouble. In the case of the official lists, the e.xpression "j'ear
after," or "years after," was probably used on account of there being no event of sufficient importance.
In all probability the events chosen to date by were sent out by some central office to the scribes,
upon small clay tablets similar to that of the reign of Samsu-iluna in the American College at Beirut,
engaged, so as to
it
likely to arise therefrom,
Fund
published in the Quarterly Statement of the Palestine Exploration
III. THE
1900, pp. 269
for July,
ff.
CALENDAR.
An
exceedingly important inscription for the order of the names of the months is that published by
in his Recueil de Tablettes Clialdeennes, no. 180, which belongs to his fourth series,
tablets resembling those of the small texts printed on pp. 15-28, and which may, therefore, have come
F.
Thureau-Dangin
from that portion of the Tel-loh
This interesting inscription reads as follows
site.
Obverse.
qa of good
Reverse.
oil,
14-
month Mes-en-du
1 qa month Se-gur-a
3 qa month Izin-sc-illa
;
16.
17-
qa Sablulu gone to Ercch

3 qa the 2nd time,
gone to the house of A-urI
3 qa
month Gan-mas
qa month Dim-ku
qa
As
all
result of a
the
iS.
19.
.
qa Sur-Utu,
scribe,
tlie
month Iîn-Bau
\ qa month Mu-su-du;
3 qa month Mes-en-du
li qa month Amar-aasi
2 qa 15 g'ni month Se-gur-a;
1= qa month Izin-se-illa
;
Utu-ilat.
Total
month Tas
qa month Izin-Bau
qa month Mu-su-du
/^?
of
[Utu-ilat
13
24.
4 qa less 5
good
_^!,''/;/
oil
taken away (by) Sur-nigin.
?].-
months
in tablets of this
mentioned
class are
combination of the indications given
in
chronological order, the following
is
the
Izin-se-illa, lines 4
and
20.
Gan-mas, line 8.
Dim-ku, line g.
Tas, line
10.
Izin-Ban, lines 11 and
Mu-su-du,
lines
12
'
Ur, Snr, Lig, and other readings are also possible.
Restored thus from
stood in this
line.
the
traces,
and from
line
21,
and
Or
but
15.
16.
is it
the
Tis
name
Tisritu, Tisri
of another
agent
may have
INTKODUCTION
XX
Mes-en-dii, lines 17 and
Amar-aasi, line
2.
18.
Se-gur-a, line ig.

"<<<] ^ "^^ r*-< S^-^tr-kiidu, must be the last
immediately followed, in line 20, by/// Izin-Se-illa, "the
month of the festival of seed-raising," hence the arrangement here. As will be seen, this tablet gives
the names of nine months, the wanting ones being the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and the intercalary month of Adar,
"px
inoiitli
^ ^^
Se-gxir-(t,
y^,
being naturally a variant of
of the year, notwithstanding that
it
is
more
called at this period, as later, Dir-Se-gur-a (or,
generally, Dir-Se-gur-kuda).
According to M. Thureau-Dangin, the names of the months at the time of Sargon of Agadc- were
similar to those at a later date, so that months three to five would seem to have been Gud-du-nc-sarSar,
Iriti-Bilsi, and Su-uiuna, and the following may therefore be regarded as their most probable order
down to the time of the dynasty of Ur:
Izin-se-illa
7.
.H.
Izin-Bau
3.
(ian-mas
Gud-du-ne-sarsar
g.
Mu-su-du
4.
Izin-Hilsi
10.
Mes-en-dii
Su-umuna
Dim-kua
11.
Amar-aasi
12.
Se-gur-a
5.
6.
Dir-se-gur-a.
12b.
At this point
Tas
1.
2.
tlie
question whether there were two or three Dungis, or only one, comes
in.
The
unproven, though not altogether impossible.

On the birth of the first royal personage named Dungi, however, or during his reign, a new month-name
was introduced, called Icin- Dungi, ''the festival of Dungi." This probably took place on his deification,
present author
is
inclined to think that the
first
hypothesis
is
which may have been coincident with his birth it is not likely that the building of a temple to Dungi
(see pp. 52-5g) was to celebrate the occasion, because the institution of his festival antedates it, as does
Either at this period or earlier, the month Tas fell into disuse, and
also the divine prefix before his name.
that of the festival of Tammuz took its place, though the former is still sometimes found (see p. 30).
The festival of Tammuz was an exceedingly old one, and that of Dungi could not, without danger of
causing discontent, take its place but it may be supposed that the Babylonians of that period were of
opinion that a god should take precedence of a goddess, so the festival of Bau was shifted from the 8th
to the gth month, Mu-su-du, which immediately followed, became the lOth, and the old month Mcs-cn-du
was rejected, leaving the position of the nth and 12th months, like that of the first six, unchanged.
The following is a list (in late Babylonian characters) of the months as found on the tablets of
the period of the dynasty of Ur
;
I.
INTRODUCTION
ir:in
or
e.':en,
"festival," prefixed in cases
Lziti-se-illa (i),
hin-Gan-Dias
The
where
it
does not at the later period
Icin Gud-du-ne-sara (for Gud-dii-ne-sarsnr)
(3),
exist.
Thus we have
Isin-dim-kua
(6),
and
month appears once with
a fuller writing, 3<<1t ^"^M ""4" J^^T ""TKSI >-a!.'

izin '^Ne-su-na, agreeing with the Ninevite text printed on plate 43 of the 5th vol. of the Cuneiform
possibly others.
///
(2),
4th
of Western Asia, where this month occurs as equivalent to Sivan.- That this is a probabU*
is supported bj' the fact that the characters
occur in the preceding
;J^?'^yy ttfcT
section, suggesting that we have here the month -^J tj-i- tCrTf tt^ ^tJ. for -i!lj tT'^ t-TT ^^-I
gEy E^tl. '/^ gud-ra-ne-sarsar (see p. 106) whilst Su-umuna Tammuz next follows, occupying its
After this, however, the list from Nineveh does not help, but rather confuses the
proper place.
student, for the only names which can be completed (the text is very mutilated) so as to agree with
those in this ancient series of months are Izin-<^\puiiiu-zi-d\i in line 23, one of the names of Ab, and
Inscrifitious
Û
identification
Izi>i-'^\Puii\-gi in line 40,
one of the names of Marcheswan, but according to the tablets of the dynasts'
and Tisri respectively. There would then seem to be no
of Ur, these ought to correspond with Elul
doubt that the Ninevite text is not a compilation of the earliest

comparatively late date, or in use in other parts of the country.
The
question of the shifting of the names of the months
is
may even have a chronological bearing.

Hebrew Tammuz, among the Semitic population
Babj'lonian calendar, and

of Du'iizu, the
lists,
but contains only those of
of importance in
understanding the
Su-utuiina had to the last the

of the country, but
if
name
the restoration
have proposed for line 23 of the Ninevite list be correct and the traces in the published copy
then Ab was the real month of Tammuz, i.e., the 5th month of the year, and it is noteworthy
that, as Radau points out {Early Babylonian History, p. 291), this would correspond with July-August,
instead of June-July. This implies that the year was often regarded, in the earliest times, as beginning
with Gan-mas, instead of Se-illa, the latter then becoming the last month of the preceding 5-ear, as is
indicated by the British Museum tablet 18343 (Cuneiform Texts from Babylonian Tablets, part III.,
which
support this
and several others.

month-names have variants, as has already been pointed oat. Thus iti Se-illa appears
as iti Izin-se-illa, "the month of the festival of the seed-growing"; iti Gan-mas as '< \ t'^ftf ^\ *{-,
iti Icin-gati-mas, "the month of the festival of field-produce"; ;'// Gud-du-ne-sarsar appears as iti Gudplates 3-8),
Some
of the
Gud-ta-ne-sara occurs in Thureau-Dangin's

iti
Gud-ta-ne-sarsar (p. 137)
iti
(p. 106) ;
Recueil de Tablettes Chaldeennes, no. 326, and iti Gud-du-ne-sara in 357, 366, and 397. Iti Izin-Bihi is
read by Thureau-Dangin and Radau as Ezen-Nesu, which is possible, whilst Meissner gives to the second
ra-jte-sarsar
component, when by itself, the transcription Bildar. From the tablet containing the names of months,
Cuneiform Inscriptions of JVestern Asia, vol. V., pi. 43, 1. 37^^^, this would seem to be a name of Nebo as
emug Itti, " the strength of might," in which case the reading dar for -K^T would be justified, but no
Elsewhere, when
evidence seems to exist as to the true pronunciation of the first character, i:^::y.
standing for "strength" (uzzu), it has the Sumero-Akkadian pronunciation of ^-vV, so that the name of
Besides Nebo,
f ^^î^^ "!<^! also stands for the
the deity may be Girdar, but all is uncertainty.
moon-god Sin, and for Nirig, god of war.
Iti Dim-kna is transcribed by
Iti Su-umuna is also found written -:r:T f T "7^^ Tf. Su-umun-a.
Radau as iti Zib-ku. It is composed of Ar -V' "to increase," and ^Z^^vJ, "to eat," and is the name of
Iti IrAn-Dumuzi (or -Dumu-zidd), iti Izin-Dungi, and iti Izin-Bau, are
an exceedingly ancient festival.
the months of the festivals of
legend of the god
Tammuz
is
Tammuz, Dungi, and

well
shown by the
the goddess Bau, respectively. The antiquity of the

that his name occurs frequently in inscriptions of
fact,
an exceedingly early period (4000 years B.C. or thereabouts) see, for example, p. 10, col. iii., line 2, where
we have the name Ura-Dumu-zt, "servant of Tammuz," and many other examples could be quoted.
Thureau-Dangin's Recueil de Tablettes Chaldeennes, no.

column, end, the name occurs without Î^, na.
'
It
has the variant
of -j^tT
transcription of nc instead of
/'//.
for
"^^X.^,,
53,
rev., col.
implying the reading
;//
iv.
In no. 68, rev., middle
or ne, and confirming Radau's
INTKODUCTIDN
XXII
in the name of the month iti Mu-Su-dii,

homophonic characters. As mn means "year,"
and Su-du cither "to open" or "to complete," the name would mean "year-opening" or "year completing,"
according as it was written 3<I? "^ T X^ or 3il? "^^ !E! K^TÎ^îs would suggest that there had been
a time when the Babylonian year began about the middle of December, or at least some time before the
end of that month the winter solstice, practically. This cannot, of course, be proved, but should it turn
out to be correct, it would not only be noteworthy as showing an early coincidence with our own timereckoning, but a very satisfactory explanation of the name of the month and its variant spellings as well.
There is much doubt as to the meaning of Amar-aasi (variant Amar-asi on p. 144), but the
suggestion may be made that a possible meaning is " the steer, father (i.e., possessor, as in Oriental usage)
Here, as on many other points, more information is required.
of the horn."
The reading of the name of the last month of the year, iti Se-gur-kudu, is based on no. 55, rev., in
Thureau-Dangin's Raucil de Tablettcs Ckald^cnms, where, after the character which may be read either
tar or kud, both meaning "to cut," traces of jr^-'T, du, the phonetic ending, are to be seen.
Though it
As
is
mcnlinncl on
p. 6i,
there
is
an
interestinfj variant
the last syllable bcin;; written almost indifferently with two
is not quite certain, /// Se-gur-kudu is to be preferred to ///' Se-gur-tara, which, by inadvertence, has been
allowed to remain on pp. 40, 41, 43, 76, 129, 130, 155, 168, 191, 193, 194. As the phonetic ending is but
rarely written, it is doubtful whether the final ?< was always pronounced.
On p. 145 the verb kud(u) or
tar{a) is wanting.
It is to be noted that two different pronunciations are sometimes indicated.
As to
the meaning of this month-name, there is no doubt whatever it is " the month of grain-reaping," and
from the earliest to the latest times.

The intercalary month /// dir Se-gur-kudu means " the additional grain-reaping month."
There is still much to learn concerning the calendar of this early period, and the reasons which caused
the changes to which
seems from time to time to have been subjected. These changes, also, did
remained
in use
not cease until the adoption of the
common
beginning with Nisan.
The
elsewhere, the following
names occur: Nisan,
calendar
well
known
Nisan-series seems to have been in
to us from the
common
Hebrew
writers
from the time of the

Dynasty of Babylon (that to which Hammurabi belonged) onwards, though other month-names arc
found during the earlier period, among them being a Semitized form of the Sunierian name of I\'yar,
Gu(d)-sisa, which appears as Gusisi (probably genitive).
In a series used in the omen-tablets and
Tammuz,
lyyar,
.;
-dari
use
Sivan, Ser'i cburi ("the abundance
month of the goddess

Mali"); Elul, Abi; Tisri, Lalube; Marcheswan, Sibuti; Chisleu, Ser'i criSi ("the abundance of the
garden (?)")
Tebet, Tamhiri; Sebat, Sililili; Adar, Hul-dubba-e. Four other series occur on pi. 43
of the 5th vol. of the Cuneiform Inscriptions of Western Asia.
of harvest");
Pcti bdbi ("the opening of the gate"); Ab, 2lfak ("the
The
length of the year seems to be well established, as
each, with an intercalary
month whenever the year seemed
130, 145, 155, 168, 191, 192, 194).

in the
consisted of 12 months of 29 and 30 days

it
(see pp. 39, 41, 43, 62, 63, 76, 129,
In later times, apparently, other
months were inserted, and we find

months had to do with the
a second Nisan, as well as a second Elul.
changes
it
to need
In
all
calendar which have been referred
probability these additional
to,
or to different usages in the Babylonian provinces.
The present work was begun some time ago, in the midst of many occupations, and whilst
Lord Amherst's collection was being constantly augmented by fresh acquisitions. In addition to this,
the author had not the advantage of seeing the whole work in type before the earlier sheets were printed
off, so that the chance of want of uniformity between the beginning and the end was much increased.
He expresses his regret if inconsistencies should occur in the transcriptions and translations; could the
whole have been kept in type, he would have tried to avoid them. It will probably be regarded as some
compensation
for possible
shortcomings that a great deal of new material could,
in
consequence, be
included.
I
am
indebted to Monsieur Francois Thureau-Dangin for the kind permission to reproduce his copy
and here express my best thanks.
of the text printed on p. 25,
THE MONTHS
AND THEIR PROBABLE EQUIVALENTS.
The
Se-illa
series
'
SOME NOTES AND CORRECTIONS.

Page 10, Col. III., line i. Kidiir-lu is probably not a name, but a
would mean "scat-man" (? one who carried the seat of a worshipper
Ciintiform Inscriptions of Western Asia, vol.
is ki-kit-lii,
in
accordance with
in the plural
on
and
if
correctly read here,
a temple).
Accordinjj to the
wef, however, the true reading and explanation

The same word occurs on p. 42, line 4 of the transcription
153, reverse, line
p.
in
II., pi. 48, line
Semitic rid Alpe, "cattle raiser."
and translation, and
title,
i.
The note on
p.
154 requires modification
this.
P. 41, no. 22, translation, line
An
2.
rendering
alternative
for
"the ship
'
Morning'
"
would be
" the morning-boat."

P. 68, col.
III.,
and
lines 5
P. 84, no. 49, line
7.
It
doubtful whether Rug(:;a
is
Sur-f^^-laglag
6.
may
is
a proper name.
also be read Sur-ll-babbara, as on p. 128, line 14 of the
reverse.
line
Pp. 95-99, cols. I., line 8; ix., 1. 13; x., 1. 14: Ugndca may not be a
Un-iUi has been elsewhere read Uku-ila (p. 191, no. 116, 1. 7, etc.).
21
proper name.
Col.
xi.,
Pp. 117-118.
The
of the obverse (Col.
Mr. John Quinn, Jr., has the following between the last line
and the right-hand column of the reverse (Col. iii., 1. 2) dutntt Sila-mu
The imperfect clauses would therefore read " 6 gtir on two tablets
tablet belonging to
11.,
line
14)
lama bar gin ku-babbar se-bi.

the tablet of Mani i gttr 120 qa
ti
the tablet of Lu-Nin-sah, son of Sila-mu, 14J shekels of silver, (which

value of) his grain, 9 gitr 200 qa. Official
Sur-abba Sur-Nina, brother of Igi-zu-barra, has
received it."
Lu-Nin-Girsu son of .Sila-mu is also mentioned on p. 150 (no. 83, lines 8 and g).
is
the
P.
14:;,
no. 74, line
P. 153, reverse, line

P. 183, line
4.
8.
i.
For "the
For gin-na, read
The
soldier (?)," read
See the note to
D.\ti;s
p.
in,
"the courier
(?)."
above.
gin-ni.
referrinc, to the
(Cf. pp. XV., xvi.,
Devast.xtion de H.\rsi.
and 39-43
Notwithstanding the remarks given on pp. 40 and 43, Radau is probably right in assigning this date
to the end of the reign of Dungi, and not, as I thought more probable, to the 30th year of his reign.
This is shown by a case-tablet acquired and opened by the author in March, 1908, in which the inner
tablet has the date, " Year after he devastated Kimas, year after that " {i.e., the second year after the
devastation of Kima.s), and the envelope, " Year he devastated Harsi (and) Hurti."
The former would
therefore be Radau's date 501J, and the latter his date 51.
It is possible, however, that it may correspond
with Radau's 50^, as the inner tablet implies.
'
'
first
Either a contraction of
syllable.
IJiti>tu)ti {fjinuiiiti),
or a mistake of the scribe,
who
has
left
out the
THE AMHERST TABLETS

I. AN
npHIS
inscription,
though not unique of
which
tablet from
is
ARCHAIC LIST OF FISHERMEN'S OFFERINGS.

it
was taken, when
Its
kind,
first
of considerable
is
many
would account
of
series known to have possessed this kind of protective coverino-.

them must originally have had a similar envelope or case, and this
for the very perfect state of preservation in
THE ENVELOPE OR
When
which they are often found.
CASE.
purchased, the envelope was broken at the lower edge of the obverse, and the
The
lower part of the inner tablet was visible through the opening.
91
mm., and
envelope
is
has been
of
its
original
height must
have
skilfully rolled
on
to
width of the case
The obverse
the edge right and
left
of
the
at
the
top,
over the surface, and going downwards, passes round the lower edge
the reverse, at the lower edge of which
long band of impressions the same cylinder-seal
in relief
full
been about the same.
uninscribed, but has impressions of a cylinder-seal which, beginning
the obverse
this
that the
in
only one of the
the
Nevertheless
is
importance
found, was enclosed in a clay envelope, and
and across the reverse, the
it
On
finishes.
each side of
repeated, the imprints passing over
is
result being
two broad bands with figures
arranged at right angles, and shaping roughly a cross of the form known as Greek.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CYLINDER-SEAL.

The
central
portion of
the design
shows two
and
rearing,
lions
the head of one being to the right, and that of the other to the
lions are well indicated,
from above.
The
lion
and
same manner.
towards their enemies, but
rearing with their breasts
in
all
probability,
crossin<if,
of both
heads are turned sideways, so that their faces are seen as

whose head is to the right is in the act of seizing a stag by the
way, their horns and tails being held by two human

These personages are shown with massive thighs and
due,
bodies
The manes
their
throat, whilst the other lion attacks a bull in the
are
their
left.
to
arrangement of the design.
the
engraver's
The
spectator, with wide-open mouth,
figure
technical
on the
and staring eyes.
their
figures,
nude, which flank the design.
legs, but
disproportionately thin arms,
knowledge
right,
He
which
is
Both the animals attacked

heads are turned the other
is
to all
having
that
of
failed
him
in
the
a man, faces the
appearance bearded.
B
The
TABLETS
TIIK AMIII-RST
on the
figure
which
left,
is
that of a female, looks towards the bull which she holds.
She
has a very prominent nose and a pointed chin, but her mouth must have been rather faintly
engraved, as no
indication of
emblems
or devices are
space between the stag
and hoof,
fetlock
it
appears
in
the
the back of the bull,
space between
man-headed
bulls,
the
their
long tresses of
with
is
They have
spectator.
left
of
a scorpion with very short
and a seated
calf,
clinging,
as
it
seen between the last-named and the female figure on the
two human
bodies
horns,
figures
large
these bull-men, an
man,
the
prominent eyes,
ears,
hanging down
hair
(behind
eight-rayed
star,
the
to
In
two
but their faces regard
the
open mouths, and long beards,
As
backs.
their
were,
left.
impression) are
the
in
crossing like those of the lions,
THE SEAL ON THE ENVELOI'E, RESTOREU FROM THE
the
spaces of the
blank
the
engraved between the stag and the lions
is
claws appears between the bodies of the lions
the
In
impressions.
many Babylonian cylinder-seal designs of a later date, certain

engraved. Thus a bat-headed bird with outspread wings occupies the
and the man
an object in outline, which looks like an animal's
case of
as in the
r.ubjcct,
there
is
little
extra
space on
VAlllOfS IMPRESSIONS.
emblem
of
divinity,
has
been
inserted
there.
The two
figures last described
have been purposely kept rather squat bv the engraver,
so as to give space for seven characters arranged

instead of vertically
in
two divisions as
follows, but horizontally
En-gal-
En-gal -gala,
gala
dup-sara
e
This name
is
not found
in
sala
scribe
(of)
the women's house.
the Inscription of the inner tablet, but occurs on other texts of this
Louvre. En-galgala was superintendent of the women's house,

and evidently a very important personage, during the time of Lugal-anda and Uru-ka-gina.
collection,
and on tablets
in the
Judging from the size of the impressions, the cylinder-seal employed was of more than
the usual height, and that
fact,
made
portion
of
shell,
probably a
with
of
the style of the work, suggests that the original was

the
thick
hinge
of
a bivalve
like
the
iridaoia,
of
AN ARCHAIC
LIST OF FISHERMEN's OFFERINGS
which large specimens, engraved with various designs, are preserved
Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities of the British Museum.
in
the
The work on
Department
seals
of
made from
rough rougher, in fact, than that of the present specimen.

Notwithstanding the technical shortcomings of the design, the progress made in intao-lioengraving at the early period to which this document belongs is most marked. Though the
this hinge is generally
forms of the animals represented are not always

style
artistic
produced
and
the
inscription
in good proportion, the germ of a really

and the modulated depths of the design were
the drill is clearly shown in the engraving of the eyes,
outlines
not known, but the use of
is
may be surmised
it
The
How
appears.
that a similar instrument
was, of
course,
engraved
was largely used
backwards,
so
as
to
in
other parts of the work.
read
the
right
way
in
the
impression.
THE INNER TABLET.

This document, which seems to have been baked with
its
envelope,'
is
also
cushion-
shaped, but flatter on the obverse than on the reverse, like most clay tablets from Babylonia
The
As was
and Assyria.
inscription,
each
to be
which is very clearly written, is arranged in four columns on

expected from an object protected by its clay envelope throughout
the four or five milleniums of its existence, it is in a perfect state of preservation, and is
only slightly roughened where the envelope adhered.
Some small fragments of this still
side.
remain
taken
in
off,
certain signs,
and a few
but those seen
in
slight cracks
were apparently made when the envelope was
the obverse probably appeared
when
it
was baked.
The
tablet
measures almost exactly three inches each way.
The
following
is
the text with which
it
is
inscribed
Obverse.
It
may have been
already baked
subjected to the process twice.
when
the envelope was moulded round
it,
in
which case
it
was
;;
;;
; ;
; ;
THE AMHERST TAItLETS

Transcription and Translation.'
Column
1.
lo tara fish
tara ha
540 kina fish

\'6o pei fish, dried
IHma sus kina ha

E sus pes ha tar-ra
Mina ner
IHma sus
la nim:i ha
5 ninia fish
la gis-dubduba ha
5 giS-dubduba fish
la us kina ha
300 kina fish

\%oo pei fish, dried
1200 aSagara fish lc?s
1560 suhiir
gis-pi j)a tar-ra
540
Column
lis
^'i/*/ fish,
Mina ner
dried
lal
dried
tar-ra
salt
fish, salt
Ne-saga
Es ner
10 tara fish
lal
as suhur ha
1800 stilinr fish less I

bdo pei fish, salt
480 asagara fish, salt
Ner sus pes ha munu

Ussa sus asagara ha munu
Es ner
III.
tara ha
3,
Column IV.
^bo pei fish,

180 asagara
Ne-saga
cs asagara ha
II.
As sus pis ha munu

Es aâgara ha munu
Column
nor pes ha tar-ra
fish
&s suS suhur ha
es sus suhur I)a
1980 sulfur
fish
Lugal-sala-tug.
Lugal-sa-la-tug.
Reverse.
Ite^
Transcription and Translation.
Column V.
la su5 kin
Mina
ha
300 kin fish

120 pes fish, dried;
480 suhur fish
Ussa sus suhur ha

sus pes ha munu
Mina sus asagara ha munu
Column
fish, salt
VL
ha
la nim ha
10 tara
X} tara
nim
as possible, each
single line of print.
60 pes fish, dried;

1^0 pes fish, salt
Sus pes ha tar-ra

Es sus pes ha munu
fish
fish
Column VII.
salt
Amar-Kununa
far
sus suhur ha
^60 pes fish,

120 asagara
Amar-Ku-nuna
As
360 kin fish

360 suhur fish
sus kin ha
sus pes ha tar-ra
As
'
As
As
Mina sus asagara ha munu

Mina sus sukuda ha munu
Ner suhur ha
120 sukuda fish,

600 suhur fish
Gala-tura
Gala-tura.
Sus kin ha
Imina sus suhur ha
As sus asagara ha munu
60 kin fish
420 suhur fish
case" or section of column
in
the original
120 asagara
fish, salt
salt
360 asagara
is
fish, salt
represented here
bj'
AN ARCHAIC LIST OF FISHERMEN's OFFERINGS

Column VIII.
izin-dim-ku
iti
month
(in the)
of eating
the feast of increase,
Sag dib-ba
Sag-dibba.
D.P. Nina-gu
for the
Ha
Fish taken
mu-du
brought.
ila-kam
On
may
the side which
was a short
that there
be regarded as the reverse of the envelope are traces indicating
inscription in the upper right-hand corner,
now lost by a
same are the following words, which describe
the lower left-hand corner of the

of the inner tablet
The former
Chaldeennes, nos. 30
of
For the goddess Nina.
Su-ha ab-ba-e-ne
The
sea-fishermen.
above);
II.,
tarra,
wife of
it
hoped
is
society.
The
Thureau-Dangin
F.
his
in
the
Museum
Recueil de
Tablettes
in
to issue the latter before long in the
following
is
list
Transactions
summary
of these texts, with a
of
Thureau-Dangin,
Col.
by
are published
and
i'],
some Belgian learned
of their contents
the contents
D.P. Nina-gu
Several tablets of this class exist, and are preserved in the Louvre and
Brussels.
In
fracture.
V^^X" ^3f^î^
at
goddess Nina
no.
two columns on each
Small,
30.
superintendent
En-gal-gala,
Lugal-anda, patesi of
This also
Lagas.
Ne-saga, fishermen (see
side.
the women's house (see p. 2);
of
is
list
of
Bara-nam-
the fish offered on the
occasion of the feast of increase.
No.
Small, two columns on each side.
31.
apparently presented
Fish
appears, and his
En-gal-gala
storehouse
No.
title
of
festival
differs
Ne-saga, fisherman of the [women's] house.
Nin-Girsu, the god
Three columns on each
Names
side.
of
Lugal-me-galgala, fisherman of the bitter (or
by the sea-fishermen
at
and the
festival
there
the
the end
characters
No. 34.
water
{su-ha
Nin-Girsu."
No.
is
Apparently
fish
Month Gud-du-ne-sara,
offered
Brought
of
name
eating grain. ^
of
Fish brought for the eating of the
The
festival
fishermen seem not to be indicated, but
Lugal-anda without
that of
his
consort,
followed
by the
meaning "not invested," which would imply that

patesi, or viceroy, had not yet been formally conferred on him.
Amar-Kununa, fisherman of the enclosed
"5^ "jEy
the power of
of
goddess Nina.
for the
12,.
of increase
The name
Lagas.
Ne-saga and Lugal-sala-tug, sea-
salt) water.
on behalf of Bara-nam-tarra, wife of the patesi Lugal-anda.
No.
of
somewhat, being apparently superintendent of the
= larder).
(?
32.
fishermen
for
JJZJ, nu-tug-ga, apparently
"
a-dun-a-gi),
Month
of
the
the
of
festival
eating of
increase,
brought
for
En-gal-gala appears as superintendent.
35.
Lugal-sala-tug,
About the same

Gala-tur,
size as the present text, four
Amar-Kununna (mentioned
The
character for
"month"
is
as
columns on each
fisherman
with
wantinsr in both cases.
side.
the
net
Ne-saga,
for
the
AMHKRST TAHUETS
TIIK
womon's house,
sa/ame), and
for the
whole was dedicated,
Lugal-kis,
Apparently the
another class of fishermen.
of
festivals of grain
and of increase-eating,
to
the goddess Nina.
This inscription likewise has the name of En-gal-gala, the superintendent of the women's
house," and Bara-namtarra, wife of Lugal-anda, the viceroy.
No.
No.
two columns on
Small,
36.
Month
sea-fishermen.
Ma-lu-ur-ka.
each
of
Ne-saga and
Lugal-Sala-tug,
Small, two columns on the obverse, and one on the reverse.
i"/.
caught by Udu, the fresh-water fisherman
Month
a-dugga-gi).
{iit-ha
Fish apparently
the dedication
of
This text seems likewise to have been drawn up
Hln-gal-gala, superintendent.
produce.
Names
side.
En-gal-gala, superintendent of the women's house.
of
for
Bara-namtarra, consort of Lugal-anda, viceroy of LagaS.
The
each
larger of the Brussels tablets measures 2J
Additions
side.
otherwise
to
names
the
Gala-tur, "the junior priest,"
fisherman of the
enclosed
The month
water."
En-gal-gala
increase, the deity being Nin-Girsu.
The
is
with
the Brussels
tablets
may be
t^cT<T
}}<
but
study,
is
it
are
of
the festival of
the
eating
of
the superintendent, but this time
merely a piece of baked clay of circular form,
a-dug-ga-e-ne mu-du-a Bara-nam-tar-ra
and
(by) the sea fishermen
The
first
reconstructed as follows
m^ ST ^tT ^T :wT i^^^T

t^ -+ "tn ^ ^T "+T -4-
E^T
is
two short columns of writing.
but the whole
fracture,
that
again
is
require
The names mentioned
described as Su-f}a a-dun-a-we, "the
is
is
will
class.
this
behalf of Sagsaga, consort of Uru-ka-gina, king of Lagas.
made on
smaller of
inscribed
of
and Amar-Kununa, who
(?)
each way, and has three columns on
in.
occur which
fish
agreement with the remaining tablets
in
the offering
the
of
the
IeT
SL<
%1
Tt
-"eI
two
^w^ ^ST :=^^T
"cases" are damaged by a
^,
dam Lugal-an-da
fresh-water fishermen to
-^ t^TI?
Ga-duba
pa-te-si
su-ha
Lagas
eS
^\t
^ "m
ab-ba-e-ne
D.S., " Label
Bara-namtarra, consort of
su-ha
sent
Lugal-
anda, viceroy of Lagas."
On
the reverse
is
the impression of a woven rush basket, with a hole through which a
cord was evidently passed.

simply a label, and there
It
is
was therefore not a
tablet in the true sense of the word, but
hardly anv doubt that the receptacle to which
it
was attached
at one time contained the fish offered on behalf of Bara-namtarra, the viceroy's consort.
NOTES.
It
fish
naturally impossible to identify at present with anything like exactness the various kinds of
is
mentioned
in
is
This is due in part to the fact that their names are rather rare in the
and where they are preserved, they are either incomplete or the Semitic translation
this text.
bilingual inscriptions,
defective.
The
the root
fish-name in these lists is usually the tara (see cols. I., III., and VI.). The meaning of
" to cut," " divide," " decide," &c. As one of its Semitic meanings is hara^ti Ja frsitim, " to
first
is
it may be conjectured that another, namely, />iu sa tnc, lit., " to open, of water,"
manner, " to cut through " that element.
The tara fish may therefore have been so
named from the swiftness of its motion. As, however, the Semitic equivalent was ziqtit, according to
dig, of the earth," so
means,
in
The
like
original seems to have "the enclosed house {c urra), the house of the women."
Other
than the consort of the viceroy may have dwelt there, but there is no indication that he had
more than one wife, so that the rendering "harem" is doubtful.
'
women
AN ARCHAIC
Delitzsch "thorn," "spur," and "sting"
which
scorpion),
(of a
its
OFFERINGS
name may be due
to
the spines with
was armed.
it
The
the root
FISHERMEN
LIST OF
kin fish (case

is
2,
col.
I.,
case
III., &c.)
col.
4,
is
equally difficult to identify.
The meaning
This would point to a
of a pugnacious
"to send," "to seek out," and "to attack."
fish
of
character.
The
pes fish would seem to be so called either on account of its plumpness or its numbers, in
we add together the dried and the salted, it is surpassed only by the suhur.
W?//;- (mentioned in col. I., case 4, col. IV., case i, col. V., case 3, col. VII., case 6) is written
which, when
The
with a character which forms part of the group used for the name of the goat-fish, the constellation
Capricorn in the signs of the Zodiac, so that there is just the possibility of a chance of identifying it
from such ancient pictures of the sign as exist. Of the Semitic Babylonian equivalent only the first
character, bu-. .^
is
preserved.
Judging from the
^,
IV., case
fact that in col.
would seem to be a
there
difference
more than the
bearded," and
IJWff
.^<^><
>f
^,
the character used

of
is
^^5<, whilst
these two
forms,
in
the
case 4 it is
possibly
first
Naturally, the Babylonians had no idea of species, so that
indicating a fish larger than the second.

neither these two, any
i,
the meaning
in
^<^>< K^MI
T"
^K>
i"
Semitic Babylonian zik\nu\, "the
"the lipped," evidently indicating a
)/[/],-
of which
fish
the
lower jaw projected, need have been in any way identical. All that can be said is, that the bodies of
these three probably had a general likeness.
in the lowest case of col. I. are possibly for tf "gf i}^-, a group which,
The characters t^
without the determinative suffix }l^ (l'^). stands for uznu, "ear," a meaning which also belongs to j(l
If this be the case, a fish with projections on its head suggesting ears is probably intended.
alone.
i^
rare, as it is only mentioned in one other place besides this.

case 2) is one of the best-known fishes of the inscriptions, but its
In the fifth volume of the Cuneiform Inscriptions of W. Asia,
identification is as uncertain as the others.
namely, nunu, which, when
pi, 39, 1. 30, Jfyff appears as having the same Semitic pronunciation as
To
appearance
all
The asagara
it
was somewhat
fish
(col.
II.,
^J^,
applied to the latter character,

the nunu
(>fl^)
asagara or not
means
"fish."
with 7 abra (wings or

is
fins)
is
In the second volume of the same work, pi. 19, 1. 65B,

mentioned, but whether it is the same creature as the
uncertain.
'v^ in the 2nd case of the third

combined with ^? Whatever it is,
there would seem to be no doubt that, like the determinative suffix iCj; which follows it, it is the
picture of a fish indeed, it is not unlikely that it is a variant of that character, in which case there
As the numeral by which it is accompanied
is just the possibility that it had the pronunciation of ha.
is written small, each imprinted cypher is probably a unit (compare also col. VI., case 3), and fish
presented five at a time must have been sufficiently large whether the fish par excellence or not future
And
column.
this
Is
it
leads to the question of the identity of the character
a form of
^^T.
"''>
may
or
it
not be
"C^,
sar,
discoveries alone can reveal.
The meaning
of the root of gis-dubduba
pieces," "cleave asunder," &c.
Whether
the
case 3) seems to be "to destroj'," "dash to

"wood," indicates that the fish
(col.
Ill,
first
character, tj, gis,
possessed an instrument of destruction or not cannot at present be determined, though

In this case likewise the numeral seems to indicate units, and not
to be not unhkely.
it
would seem
sixties, so that
fish is probably intended.

suhur, above.
Concerning the fish designated by the characters #< f\, see the note upon
The sukuda (col. VII., case 2) is written with a character which has the meaning of "sharp,"
"pointed," and this may refer to the shape of the fish, or to some defensive weapon with which it is
in j:^
armed. Whether a difference in the meaning is indicated by the presence of the character
or not is doubtful, but it is noteworthy that all sign of this is absent in the later form S<^.
a large
|^,
The name
^<^><
-
of
the
constellation
Capricorn
ought really to be the late form of

Or saptu saplitn, " the lower lipped."
^,
is
written
not of
with the
^.
characters
4<^><
HfiJi.?
?^<.
THE AMUr.KST TAHI-ETS
The character ^^>, in Thureau-Dangin's list, is given as equivalent to -i^, tnunu,

Semitic Habylonian idbtu. There is but little doubt that this identification is correct, and
of fish as a means of preserving them would seem to have been customary at a very early
suggested that the tarra in col. I., case 5, &c., stood for " fresh," but on consideration it
"salt," the
the salting
This
date.
was judged
fish hardly needed a special description, and those designated thus may readily have
Confirmation of such a rendering is furnished by'the expression nutara in the Cuneiform
Inscriptions of W. Asia, vol. V., pi. 52, 1. 52B, where it is translated by ul innipi, "it (the food) has
not been baked." The possibility that the word means "baked" in these lists of fish is therefore
to be admitted, but the probability is that fish was prepared by cooking only immediately before
that
uncured
been dried.
being eaten.'
An examination of the tablets published, with those in the Brussels Museum, seems to show that
all the fishermen mentioned drew their catches from salt water, either from the Persian Gulf, or from
some inlet enclosed for the purpose of retaining the fish, as is indicated by the short inscription on
Ne-saga and Lugal-sala-tug are both described as fishermen of this class

Thureau-Dangin's nos. 32 and 36, and this is confirmed by no. 35, which includes
and Lugal-kis, the text varying so as to give the plural form su-lia abbaene. In the
Amar-Kununa is called su-lia a-dun-a-we (no. 34, a-dun-a-gi), which apparently means
the envelope.
in
{su-ha abbawe)
Amar-Kununa
text of no. 37
" fisherman of
water," whilst no. 35 apparently describes him as " the fisherman of the net " {iu-ha sa
su-bad-du-ice), in which sa is the determinative prefix for "net," hi-haddu describing the special kind.
The only fresh-water fisherman referred to is the one mentioned in the description of Thureauthe
dammed
Dangin's no. y] (see p. 6). His name was apparently Udu, and two kinds of fish are credited to him.
The following, taken from all the tablets relating to offerings of fish known to the present writer,
will show the relative importance of the fishermen
Ne-saga is mentioned six times. Once he is the only fisherman named, four times he is first on
:
the
and once second.

is mentioned three times, and is second in each case.
Amar-Kununa is once the only fisherman, the second on the list once, third once, and fourth once.
Gala-tur occurs three times, being the former of two once, third on the list once, and fourth once.
Sag-dibba is only mentioned in the present text.
list,
Lugal-sala-tug
Besides the above, the following also occur

Lugal-kis, who is former of two once, and last once.
:
Lugal-me-galgala
is
the second of two once.
is the only one mentioned, or first on the

being second only once, the question naturally arises whether his name
From
the fact that Ne-saga
meaning "he who
is
first"
{iie
for nig,
"he who," and
saga, "head").
list
no
may
than four times,
less
not
really be
title,
be the case, Gala-tur

especially one occupying a
If that
title, meaning "the junior official," from gala, "man,"

"young." In favour of this may be quoted the month-name Nisan, which undoubtedly
comes from the Sumerian nig, "that which," and san for sang, a nasalized form of sag, "head," the
month being so called because it was the first of the Sumero-Akkadian year.
Another point is that concerning the goddess Nina, to whom these offerings of fish were made
According to the
(see col. VIII., last line but one, and the short inscription on the envelope).
Citneifonn hiscriptions of W. Asia, vol. IV., pi. i, 11. 38 and 39B, she was the daughter of the god fia
or Aa,' lord of the sea and of deep wisdom, and was consequently, like her father, a deity of the
used for her name, which represents a fish, jcj,
sea
in fact, this is indicated by the ideograph
is
probably also a
position,
and
tur,
"
Herodotus
refers
to
the drying,
salting,
and baking of
fish
by certain
tribes
of
Babylonians
(see p. 9).
' A name compounded
in the usual Babylonian style, and forming a sentence in itself, occurs in
Thureau-Dangin's no. 53. It couples the reigning viceroy and the goddess thus, " Nina is the mother
of Lugal-anda" (Nina-ama-Lugal-anda), making an interesting expression of devotion and loyalty.
ARCHAIC LIST OF FISHERMEN

within the usual sign for a kind of reservoir,
p^,
OFFERINGS
the latter being used in the
compound group
for
"sea,"f|f f:^ 3f-> a-abba, literally, "water-reservoir," in the short inscription on the envelope.
All the tablets referring to the offerings of fish seem to have been brought to light by native
where they were found cannot, at present, be decided. There is hardly

any doubt, however, that they were discovered in the ruins of the temple or temples of Nina and
Nin-Girsu at or near Lagas, and this tract, though at present rather far from the sea, must have been
much closer to it between 3500 and 4500 years B.C., at which date the Persian Gulf extended much
diggers, so that the exact site
farther inland than now.
Like other primitive Babylonian settlements, the city or borough in which the temple of Nina stood
name of that goddess, and was called tjE!T ÎeI> ^'ina {ki).'^ According to Diodorus Siculus
(II., iii. 7), there was a city called Ninus on the Euphrates, founded by the legendary king of that
name, but judging from the description which that author gives, it is Nineveh on the Tigris, the
bore the
well-known capital of Assyria, which is intended. The Nina of the inscriptions found at Tel-loh is
probably to be sought, like Lagas, in one of those ruin-mounds of the Shatt-al-Hai (" the Serpentstream," so-called from its many curves), and being between the Tigris and the Euphrates, could not
be described as situated upoft either of them.
As has been already remarked, the Babylonian Nina was probabh- so called from the goddess
worshipped there, and the same origin may be assigned to the name of the Assyrian Nineveh.
Emigrants from Nina seeking a settlement in the north, lighted, in all probability, on a suitable site
on the eastern bank of the Tigris, opposite the present Mossul, and having founded a temple to their
patron-goddess there, called the city Nina or Ninua, after their old home and tutelary deity.
Its
position ultimately gave it an importance which surpassed by far its Babylonian namesake.
How it
happened that, in later days, Istar of Nineveh took the place of the old Babylonian goddess in the
Assyrian capital is not known, but a likely suggestion is that it arose from the fact that Istar became
The identification of the goddess of Nineveh with her who
the word for "goddess" in general.
corresponded with Venus, the spouse of Adonis, probably took place later.
According to Herodotus, book I., section 200, there were three tribes in Babylonia who ate
nothing but fish. "When they have caught them and dried them in the sun," he says, "they do
thus they throw them into brine, and then pound them with pestles and strain them through muslin
and they have them for food either kneaded into a soft cake, or baked like bread, according to their
:
liking."
The
exclusiveness of the
diet
of these
fish-eaters
is
little
difficult
to
believe,
for
one would
Nina lived
would seem to be certain from the inscriptions here translated and
described, for the fish handed to them dried or salted must have been intended to keep for future
consumption such large quantities as are spoken of could hardly have been needed fresh unless for
immediate sale, and we have no indication that the temple of Nina dealt in fish (though that is not
Whether the priests of Nina in Assyria kept up the practice of fish-eating as their regular
impossible).
diet is likewise unknown, but if they did, they must have contented themselves with fresh-water fish,
imagine that they
largely
upon
this
felt
the necessity of eating other things besides
fish.
That the
priests of
food, however,
which, Mr.
Hormuzd Rassam
Thureau-Dangin,
says, are very plentiful in the Tigris at Mossul.
in his Recueil de Tablettes Ciialdeennes, publishes a text (no. 48)
written t^H<J ^Jgf î^, Nina (ki) {-no), in which the phonetic complement î^, na,
(The groups are given here in their Ninevite forms.)
the reading.
is
is
where the name

given, confirming
:;
THE
2. ARCHAIC
A SMALL
archaic
baked
tablet of
earliest periods generally have.
side,
The
mm.
in
height and width.
and
is
of
surface
is
the rounded
slightly
&c.
It
has three columns of
form
which tablets of the
damaged here and
there,
though not
sufficiently to render the inscription seriously defective.
The
following
the text, with transcription and translation
is
Obverse.
pjti^jMFfB
^^r^
Transcription.
Translation.
Column L
As Lugal-nam-gu-sud
gub rim
As En-lu-sag-ga
the alderman
qa-su-du
the
LuRal-nam-gu-sud,
As Nin-su-el
sal-dis
the priestess
(?)
II.
As Sur-D.P. Ba-u
mu-us-sa
father-in-law
Sur-Bau,
Lugal epin-ni
(of)
As dam Lu-D.P. Ba-u
dim-sara
the record keeper.
Lugal-epinni
the wife of Lu-Bau,
I
I
Lugal-uru
Sur-su-galamma,
son of Sur-e,
Sur-e
the field-worker of the staff
Column
Nin-su-el,
Column
Translation.
epin kal ne-gu-me
En-lu-sagga,
watchman
Transcription.
As Lugal-uru
As Sur-su-ga-lam-ma
dumu
AMHK.R'^T TABLETS
LIST OF OFFICIALS,
clay, 62
on each
inscription
; ;
As Ki-dur-lu
As Ura-D.P. Dumu-zi
As Tir-azaga-gi-si
As Ila
mu
III.
Kidur-lu
Ura-Dumuzi
I Tir-azagi-zi-si
I
Ila,
the baker
As Mur-ti
nu-sara
the gardener
As Duga-nu-si
Mur-ti,
Duga-nu-si,
ARCHAIC LIST OF OFFICIALS, ETC.

Reverse.
Transcription.
Translation.
Column
Transcription.
IV.
the cultivator of the grain of
sar-se-kin-se-kin
the plantation
As Amar-izina,
siba
the shepherd
As
E-ul-li
of the Lagasites
Izin D.P. Ba-u-gu
on the festival of Bau

they were paid (?).
e-ne-ba
Translation,
Lagasa-D.S.-ka-nie
^
Amar-izina,
Column VI.
;
Su-nigin
E-ulli,
i'gi-du
the overseer
As U-du-ni
As Al-mu-ni-dug;
Uduni;
Almunidug
Total
mana lal es
Lu asa-ku
Column V.
20
lu
men
less 3.
For each man
imgaga usa qa-ta

ka-lum mina qa-ta
30 qa of grain-food,
2 qa of fruit,
gukkal-tur
Sag-saga
Sagsaga
su-ba-ti
I qa of meat,
he has received
dam
wife of Uru-ka-gina,
nan.â e sala
(from)
Uru-ka-gi-na
gi
qa-ta
king
lugala
the
field
of
the
women's house.
NOTES.
important mainly on account of the names of officials and employes which
contains, several of them being mentioned, with modified or changed indications of their positions,
other inscriptions found on or near the same site.
This inscription
is
Column
The
it
in
I.
of Lugal-nam-gu-sud (2nd division) is composed of two elements, namely, Tt^^y. gub, one
of the meanings of which is " to be over," and t^, kamas, which is probably its pronunciation when
it
title
stands for ubarru, translated "citizen" by Meissner.
"Alderman"
is
therefore in
all
probabihty the
English equivalent.
En-lii-sagga
(3rd
division)
is
given as *\^ ^:=, En-ln simply, in Thureau-Dangin's no. 50.

As
aiis Tclloh, vocabulary, p. 32, under KA-SU-GABA, the group
pointed out by Reisner, Tempelurkiindeti

C^^ '" division 4
^T ST
The
column
character
(the Vlth,
>-f-
is
the
same
beneath
which
is
is
as the
^f t^,
sii-qa-dii,
referred to
by Delitzsch
probably merely a mark indicating the end of the

left) is simply the summation.
on the extreme
in
list.
his Hatid-
The
ne.xt
THE AMIIKRST TAIIUETS
12
Its exact equivalent is somewhat doubtful,

p. 6S5A, under the heading of iaki), "magnate."
but as one of the meanings of fc>f, qa, is "street, thoroughfare," "city-watchman" may have been its
That the personage intended had considerable power, and might look for recognition
original meaning.
in high places, is implied by the following old Babylonian saying
worterbtuh,
Sumerian.
Semitic Babylonian.
[Sum]-ma'-ab lugalla-gi
[Dugjga su-qa-du-gi
apparently meaning that
and
it
mav be
if
the
Nadfinu sa
Tubbu
official
referred to
king's giving
(is)
the constable's favouring,"
was favoured by the
king, he
was
gratified thereby,
conjectured that in his turn he was easy with the people under his charge.
Column
The name Sur-Bau
so called
"The
sarri
sa saki.
II.
rare.
In Thureau-Dangin's no. 24 a personage
described as " the smith," and as the azagadim, apparently meaning the " silver-worker,"
is
in his no. 61, col.
(division i)
is
from being
far
The same name may
VI.
therefore be intended in each case.
^1D[, dim-sara (in division 5), was apparently a superior class of scribe, and possibly a
variant of one of the names of Nebo in the Cnncifortn Inscriptions of IV. Asia, vol. II., pi. 48, 1. ^Sai),
The
where
A, A,
yl"^
"/"Oi
dim-iura.
glossed "-CA- tifcl>
'S
sanik iatdri, "collector of the writings,"
Lugal-uru (division
6)
bears the
i.e.,
title
of
would probably correspond with the Semitic
It
"record-keeper."
"supreme
(i.e.,
messenger"
chief)
in
the Brussels tablet
no. 3, col. IV.
For the name Sur-e, "servant of the house," in division 8, compare Sur-e-Innanna, "servant of the
temple of Istar," Sur-c-zida, "servant of l-zida" (probably the temple- tower at Borsippa, now called
the Birs-Nimroud). The title of a man named Sur-e on the third of the Brussels tablets of this series
" the high priest of Girsu," near to, or a borough of, Lagas.
is gala inah Girsn ki,
Column
III.
probably means " sanctuary-man," - perhaps a title used as a name. ThureauDangin's no. 56 calls him " son of Si-du," and the same author's no. 61, col. IV., mentions a Kidur-lu
" night-watchman."
with the title /a usana, "man of the night," perhaps
Ura-Dumuzi, "servant of Tammuz" (division 2), is probably a different person from ' S ur-Dumuzi,
Kidnr-lu (division
i)
the o.\-herd, in no. 54 of the tablets published by Thureau-Dangin.

The name Ila (division 4) is rather frequent. A person of that
tablet
name appears in the Brussels

an inscription of a somewhat earlier date, Thureauan Ila was one of the shepherds of the god Gibil.
and
no. 3 as a nutur, or superintendent,
Dangin's no. 14,
in
Column IV.
The first section gives the office held by Duga-nu-si, namely, sar se-kin-se-kin. Sar is the usual
word for "plantation" or "orchard," whilst se-kin means "grain-working," the whole meaning "he
who cultivates the grain of the plantation." As, however, '^^ has also the value of giir, se-gur-sc-gitr
is
a possible transcription, in which case "grain-cutting" or " reaping " will be the correct translation.
In
later days,
and
therefore,
perhaps, during the period to which
regular reaping-hands were employed.
the
person
who had charge
of
It
may
the royal
be supposed that
farms,
in
these
inscriptions
belong as well,
the present case Duga-nu-si
and employed from time
to
was
time such workmen
as were needed.
^
-
The
original has tf, gi^, and not ET, ma, but the
Ki-dur means, literally, " place (of) sitting," and
latter gives a
may
more
satisfactor}- reading.
therefore be the dwelling-place of a god.
ARCHAIC LIST OF OFFICIALS, ETC.
Column V.
The name
is
of
Lagas
here written with
determinative
suffix.
(division
4),
the
the characters -4"-
The
capital
-^y
of the
^,
"^y
district
in
Sir-la-pur-ki,
which the palace was
situated,
the last of the four being the
exact force of the two characters which follow
is
uncertain, but ka seems
me possibly indicates the plural. Assyriologists are also ignorant

the reason why such a simple name as Lagas was written with so many characters, but the
to be simply a lengthening, whilst
of
Akkado-Sumerians has many similar instances, for which explanations will doubtless be
It is noteworthy, however, that in later days the order of the characters
found sooner or later.
The question naturally arises whether the name of Lagas may not
is always -4>->- "g^ >-'f J^.
have been written with these characters as being the "raven-city," the group >-^> "^y 4^, in which
-"^y 4^1 ^re replaced by the determinative suffix for "bird," having this meaning.
The "festival of the goddess Bau" (division 5) is probably short for "the month of the festival"
of the goddess, which would correspond with Chisleu (see Radau, Early Babylonian History, plate
script of the
facing page 306).
Column
VL
imgaga,
meanings of the group
>->f, with the non-Semitic pronunciation of
f^f
is bntuttu, generally translated "pistachio" (see pp. 24, 25), it would seem probable that ^, in division 4,
" edible grain " in
is an abbreviation of this word, here used, however, with the usual meaning of
In this case it would be parallel with ^f^J i^X- in the next line, which seems not only to
general.
As one
of the
mean "date," but
also "fruit" in general.

Following up the parallel, division 5 of this column ought to stand for " meat " in general,
though "mutton" is probably the special meaning of the group );^&\ Jîî^, as it is to be transcribed
into later Babylonian.

It
is
noteworthy that
in
the final
section the
word
for " field "
is
not
|J
^, but Jp
^,
nanga,
"island" has also been suggested. Both terms

are probably due to the system of irrigation by means of canals, which would naturally form a vast
series of "islands" or "watery centres" (|]? *^).
The allowance per man seems to have been 30 qa of grain-food to 2 qa of fruit and i qa of meat.
Semitic nagil, generally rendered "region," though
'4
3. THE
A N
cm.
BAKED CLAY LABEL OF URU-KA-GINA.
of baked
object
3
is
in
An
clay,
the thickest
therefore irregular.
a cord.
in
It
is
is
of a large oblong bead, 43 mm. long by

been roughly moulded by hand, and the shape
shape
has
hole runs through
lengthwise, apparently
it
whose hands
it
it
in
order to attach
before being purchased by Lord
fell
it
to
had been broken, and was probably
Amherst
inscribed lengthwise with seven lines of writing in six divisions, the double
being the fourth,
writing
It
irregular crack about the middle implies that
Hackney.
line
the
part.
joined by one of the persons into

of
AMIIKRST TAIILETS
Till".
in
which the name of the king occurs separated into two
parts.
The
good.
THE
INSCRIPTION.
En
nii-bada
Lupal-tcmen-na
[lu]
enima-dugga
Uru
-
gi
- ka
na
lugala
Lagas
(ki)
NOTES.
The
following seems to be the most probable translation
the intelligence-officer.
" The lord of
the garrison, Lugal-temenna,
Uru-ka-gina, king of Lagas."
This would imply that the object was attached to a parcel sent by the king to the official in question.
To regard the first two characters as one word, and render En-nii bada as " Gift (for) the fortress
(of)," seems to be less probable.
The
mutilated character in line
"fortification."
p.
10, col.
is
The rendering "garrison"
III., division
7,
I&^,
for
equivalent
nu-badi
or nn-gis-sara, with the
is
to
Ê^
with the meaning of bada,

compare nu-iara, "gardener,"
37 and 39, col. III., line 3.
uncertain, but
same meaning,
pp.
Lu has been supplied as the beginning of the third line because jfiliCsa- lends itself best to the traces
visible.
With one exception, the parallel te.xts have titles beginning with ^. which is practically a
synonym of that character. Enima-dugga means, literally, "good word" or "news," and is possibly a
synonym of -ttJ -(^ (the same group, in Assyrian script, without the lengthening jâ). These characters,
with the pronunciation dimmu in Sumero-Akkadian, are equivalent to the Semitic siprii. " message,"
teuiu,
" news," &c., hence the rendering for lu-cnima-dugga suggested.
The common
doubtful.
would probably be
double
is used here, but seems to be somewhat

which the second character has the same transcription as in line 3,
reading of the king's name, Uru-ka-gina,
Uru-eniina-gina,
in
better.
line indicates the
beginning of the inscription.
..
THE KING OF GUTIU"
LIST OF CATTLE FOR
4. ARCHAIC
'
''HE
15
CATTLE FOR THE KING OF GUTIU^.
TEXT.
upper part of a small
tablet
unbaked
of
clay,
mm.
44.5
high
by ^J
mm.
wide.
Colour brownish grey.
About
three-quarters
person into whose hands
an
of
fell
it
inch
lower part
the
of
of
this
tablet
is
lost,
and some
by Lord Amherst has attempted to
prior to being acquired
smooth the broken edge, with the object of leading the purchaser to believe that the
perfect.
The lower edge is therefore much thicker than the upper one, and
document was
the
completion
dition,
To
series,
classic,
similar
of
as far as
all
it
the
is
curve of the
text
is
a fairly
in
good con-
appearance, tablets of this class correspond with those of Thureau-Dangin's third
which, he
says,
are
of
notwithstanding that
to
The
reverse; destroyed.
preserved.
those
S.S.E.
discovered
unbaked
their
and present the forms which may be
clay,
date
sufficiently
is
by M. de Sarzec
in
1S95
early.
'"
the
called
They belong to a collection

centre of a mound about 200
According to information
communicated by M. Heuzey, these tablets were heaped up without order on the remains
of a pavement of baked brick, at a depth of about 3 m. 70 cm.
metres
of
that
The importance
several
documents
of
called
this
by him the "tell des tablettes."
section
of
the
of the reigns of Sargani
collection
will
from
be realized
the
fact
other interesting but subordinate rulers were found.
Obverse.
^
d
^
p
To"
<>-
U-ia
that
(Sargon of Agade), Naram-Sin his son, and many
lid al
15 full-grown cows.
1
cow
cows of
nr
As
TT
Mina
TT
Es gud mina
3 steers of 2 (years).
Lama
4 cows of
lid es
lid
lid
mina
ge
Es gud ge
of 3 (years)
2 (years).
3 steers of
(year)
i (year).
Reverse.
la udu-hi-a
Ki-nu-nir
Gud udu
5 sheep.
Erinada
Erina-da
(ki)
lugala-kam
(of) Kinunir.
Oxen
(and) sheep of the kin^
Gu-ti-um-e
(of) Guti.
Mu
Year the water returned.
a-ba-gi
Tin: AMIIEKST TA11LETS
i6
NOTES.
Lines
I,
and
3,
Instead
5.
of
lid,
the
aba
transcription
is
The meaning would be
possible.
the same.
"tTî Erina-dn, occurs also in Thureau-Dangin's no. 90, showing that
though mutilated, is correctly read. In his no. 91 it is accompanied
by the character J^, '' (Semitic Babylonian ikkaru or irrihi), "planter" or "farmer," indicating
that it is really the name of a man.
Commodities of some kind are referred to as having come from Gutiii' in Thureau-Dangin's
According to Delitzsch this district, which was called also (,)utu, lay east of the lower Zab.
no. 92.
The date in the last line I have not succeeded in identifying elsewhere. The meaning adopted
for ^4f'^ '^ ^^^^ most commonly assigned to it (t<iru, "to return"), but whether it means that the
waters again flooded the land, or that they returned to their former level, is not at present clear.
The latter seems to be the more likely.
JWHI
Line 2 of reverse.
the last character of the
line,
5. BIRDS,
A SMALL
of
tablet
unbaked
clay,
&c.,
DELIVERED.
cm. high
by 27 mm. wide, inscribed with 4 short
on the obverse, and one only on the reverse.
lines of writing
Obverse.
^'
w>T-<^
Mina kun pa
2 ktin-pa,
lU^-^
Ur-nu nara
Urnu, the singer
000
00
Ninnu musen-a
50 birds,
Sur-dumu muscn-du
Sur-dumu the
'W
IT
ILdi^"^^^
bird-catcher,
Reverse.
mu-du
has brought.
NOTES.
The meaning
it
of kuti-pa
kun-sig, or kun-Ziud), the
late
viihri,
Hf'l^ Sfc.
unknown.
'S
If
}^
a plant.)
For the persons named Urnu, see
p. ig.
Uritu seems to be a Semitic
{Cuneiform Inscriptions of Western Asia, II., 24, 11).

The translation of -y<y Jî^, musen-du, as " bird-catcher,"
15,
Babylonian
"f"^ 4f'^ (Thureau-Dangin's Recueil de TahUttcs Chaldcetnics, nos. 213 and 214)
would seem to be a kind of fish. (Compare -fT^ Hh-^-fllf "Vi^ t?TT> gi-kun-zida, Semitic qan
be connected with
it
(or
where tf 4S
*"T^T
of a bird-catcher."
is
name
for " the
indicated by the same,
5^ S'ha-mtiSen-du, is explained by am'" and miitirru

For -]<] with the pronunciation of pag, see p. 35.
setW" Ja
green serpent "
pi. 22,
E^
-y<f
11.
14 and
^, "net
ARCHAIC TEXT CONCERNING GRAIN AT KIS
J7
TEXT CONCERNING GRAIN AT
6. ARCHAIC
KIS.
A N
unbaked clay tablet, about 43 mm. high by 38.2 mm. wide, inscribed with nine lines
them double) of archaic writing of the same period as the foregoing. Some
of the characters are rather doubtful in consequence of damage to the comparatively soft
surface of the clay, but the text is in part restored by comparison with other inscriptions.
(three of
Obverse.
Ninnu
lal
mina
se
50 less 2 gur of grain,
gur
sag-gala
^m
-J^
.te,;.^>^li^l
"^^^m
zi (?)
best quality
gur
10
gur of meal
se gal-la-am
(from) grain set aside
sus se gur
60 gur of grain
se ka-ta
grain for the order
sar-ra-am
renewed.
Reverse.
Su-nigin mina sus
mina
lal
se gur
Total
sag-gala
I^^W
E-zi
se
120 less 2 gur of grain
E-zi,
nanga Kis
ki
(of)
ni-duba
tPjP
|>-
best quality.
(is)
the field of Kis,
the storehouse.
NOTES.
The
line
first
is
restored
from the
first
line of the
reverse,
and the restoration
is
confirmed by
other archaic texts of a similar nature.

The characters transcribed sag-gala and translated
"best quality" mean "making head." According to the syllabary published in the. Journal of t/ie Royal
Asiatic Society, October, 1905, first side, lines 11 and 12, se-sag is a synonym of lillan, and both these
expressions are given as readings of -^ C^=^, se-lugala, " royal grain."
Se gur sag-gala is therefore the
several
same
gur lugala of p. 29 and several of the inscriptions which follow.

character restored in the second line is "^f, which, with the pronunciation of si, means
This was probably included in the account for the sake of convenience, because the scribe
as the se
The
" meal."
did not wish to write a separate total for it.

Line 3. Gallain is from gala, "to be,"
"on
Line
are
^}iso
^ sakdnu,
"to
set,"
"bring about," here, perhaps
order."
5.
Ka-ta sarravi.
possible, its value
is
Apparently this phrase

diminished. Light
much
is
the key of the inscription, but as several renderings
is
thrown upon
it
by Thureau-Dangin's no. 130
THE AMHERST TABLETS
i8
{Rfciieil de TabletUs ChalcUennes, pi. 60), the first parapraph of which reads Mina iuJ {}) H mai-galgala,
uiu lama uz, vtaS igi-ku-am ; man ka-ta iar-ra, " 130 full-grown kids, 34 goats (being the earlier kids)
20 kids for the order renewed " (apparently " to fulfil a new order"). /Ca, "month," pronounced^, also
or inhii, e.xprcsses the word "command."
gE^f (= 3333lll)> '"
means "to speak," and pronounced
Cuneiform Texts from Babylonian Tablets, xii., pi. 29, 1. 33^, is given as standing for AdJuin, "to renew,"
/'
hence the rendering suggested.

Reverse, line
Line
worthj'.
3.
It
2.
Scheil reads
gî
instead of
~/'
in
te.xt
of a similar nature.
The
use of yp ^XÎ instead of jp Jlj (see page 13, note to the

seems to imply that the field was exclusively for grain.
7. A
A TABLET
appearance
similar in
lines (two double)
DELIVERY OF SALT,
but one, 38.2
to the last
section)
final
is
note-
&c.
mm.
high by 32
mm.
wide, four
on the obverse, and three lines on the reverse.
Obverse.
^
fZ^^
ma-na munu
sus GAG I
ID
mana
of
salt,
60 pieces of
li
li,
60 pieces of
sus GAGi ha-alha-lu
/folhalu,
Lu-Susana
Lu-Susana
(ki)
Reverse.
b^J^M-
M^'^^.
sus GAGI se gis-kin
60 pieces gis-kin grain
D.P. gar-ne-ne
their cultivator
t^"^'
du
For the word munu, meaning "salt," sec
p. 8,
^ri
has brought.
NOTES.
The character
published
lists,
-IT-^
so that the transcription gagi
= ganunu,
in
used before
textiles,
1.
(thus in late Babylonian)

is
I,
ff.
in
lines
2,
3,
and
is
not explained
only provisional, and based upon '
"W^ff-
ga
in
the
+ NUN
which each component part is represented in the pronunciation. As the group gagi is
" piece " seems to be the meaning, in the sense of a certain measure. Li and hallialu
are probably the names of herbs.
With the determinative prefix for " wood," li is equivalent to buraiu,
the Hcb. ii>i13, translated "cypress"; but in Thureau-Dangin's Recueil de Tablettes Chaldênnes, no. 234,
it
has the determinative prefix for " herb," {^, and with this and the lengthening a (in Assyrian
tTTT^ '-g^TT Ty, ^'"" li-a), it stands for dihi, a word which also translates the Sumerian iam ebura,
"harvest-plant," and iam Sara, "the plentiful" or "luxuriant plant."
In Thureau-Dangin's no. 221,
rev. col. i. 6, the grain of the li (120 qa) is mentioned.
The word halhalu in 1. 3 has a Semitic look.
RECEIPT OF SALT, ETC.
The
word
nearest
which
is
halhalla in the contracts of the time of
supposed to be " corn
is
-^
19
Nebuchadnezzar and
later,
the meaning of
in the ear."
Babylonian transcription of 1. 4) seems to be a variant of the Assyrian

way of writing Susan, the Semitic form of the name of Susa.
is the fuller (Assyrian) form of (the Babylonian) ^^f, and has itself the pronunciation of Susinak,
"the Susian god"' or "goddess." Another (?) place-name with -^f as its first element is *-xi\ ttj
Jpjf.
The name '^=^ -9! [^'ffff f J^ occurs in Thureau-Dangin's Reaieil de Tablettes Chaldeennes, no. 122, rev.
gis-kin, in Semitic Babylonian kiskami, pointing to an original pronunciation ^w-Zv-rtwa, is the
^T ^'
name of a fruit-bearing tree or bush described as being of three colours, white, black, and "rey, or light,
-V^T
-YJT
-VT JPyffi.!
Iii.^<ir:TI
<M.
(the late
the ideographic
^'
dark, and of a neutral tint.
so described.
This, naturally, suggests the vine,
Se gis-kin \ô\AA
in that
se,
" grain," could be used for the
as
analogous.
plantation
mean "bunch
case
fruit of
whose
clusters of grapes
of grapes."
It
the vine, though the French
of gis-kin {kiskan!i)-\.xees
is
mentioned
may
certainly be
doubtful, however whether
is
gmin
in
de raisin might be quoted

Thureau-Dangin's Recueil de
Tablettes Chaldeennes, no. 137, rev.
^ ^J
^=^-1 S^^T (1- 6 in late Babylonian), pronounced (/) gar-ne-ne,^ apparently means " their
According to Delitzsch, abbuttu (which is the Semitic translation ol qar) means "a
chain," and preceded by the character for "man," possibly means "labouring slave."
In the last line
the singular niu-du is used, notwithstanding the two subjects, Lii-Susana and D.P. gar (or qar").
{nene) cultivator."
8. RECEIPT
A NOTHER
same
tablet of the
series,
OF SALT,
29.5
mm.
&c.
high by 32
mm.
wide.
Obverse.
Ussa ma-na munu
u bar ma-na su-me
10^
Uru-kal-la
Uru-kalla
su-ba-ti
has received.
mana
of salt,
mana
of garlic,
Reverse.
^^^5^ra
Iti
Month Izin-dim-ku.
izin-dim-ku
NOTES.
For munu, "salt," see
>tT
p.
8,
1.
i.
suffix for
in 1. 2 is taken to be the phonetic spelling of

^J ^tJf> '' or suma, with the determinative
" plantation," " garden." This word is probably borrowed from the Semitic Babylonian silmu,
"garlic," the Heb.
The month
Dr>,
Aram.
Izitt-dim-ku
is
Nrji;n,
libo^,
and Arab,
^j-
regarded as equivalent to Elulu (Elul),
In Thureau-Dangin's, no. 224, rev.,
1.
5,
the group has }~,
vie,
i.e.
September
October.
at the end, indicating the plural.
TIIF.
30
AMIIKKST TAllLKTS
OF BUTTER.
9. DELIVERIES
A SMALL
tablet
mm.
32
hand corner.
It
mm.
high by 28.5
has six lines
in
is
wide, slightly
damaged
at the (lower) right-
four sections on the obverse, six lines in five sections
on the reverse, and one rather roughly-written

writing
On
on the left-hand edge.
line
the whole the
very clear.
Obverse.
10 baskets
di-es
zal-nuna
for the
Gu-ti-
ki
um-ne-ku
Gutiites,
Sur-gara the messenger
Sur-gara sukkal-e
ni
has brought
du
(?)
(oO butter,
Reverse.
mina
2 baskets (?)
di-es
(of) butter
zal-nuna
si-du-e-ni-me
the carriers
as utul zal-nuna
1 jar
Nam-mah
Nammah,
mina
qa-su-du
(?)
of butter
the constable;
2 jars of oil (for (?) the land
utul zal Gu-ti-um-
oO
Gutii,
Left-hand Edge.
^^
^t=?^*J
Nina-uru, the courier.
D.P. Nina-uru pa-rim
NOTES.
As the character x$> in lines 10 and 12 means a "jar" or "vase," the meaning of "basket" has
been adopted for J^ ttl, di-es. This, of course, could only be the rendering if the season of the year
was sufficiently cool to allow butter and similar fats to become set.
For Gutium, see p. 15. The syllable ne, which follows this word, apparently indicates the plural,
implying that the people of the place
prepositional
J^
J^T, ki
is
-ta,
meant. Jpf
" from."
t^
The late forms of x^ are j^-< and

of Western Asia, vol. v., pi. 18, lines 3 5,
cfT^ tTTTc <r#I

tTr'^
tsE
tTy'='
5^
tjf-
c^
<ycy fc| .-
<TtT
^!
-^y
<ytT
1-
is
"JIT,
ki
-lu
is
apparently a parallel to the
The following, from the Cuneiform luscriftions

(or 4^).
the authority for the transcription and translation
:
D.P. "-'"i utul

D-P. utul - zal
D.P. utul mar-tu
di[-qa-ru']
di[-qa-ru"']
di-qa-ru"
-v
Wase
or jar.
The first of these is the word with the determinative prefi.x and the pronunciation only the second
has the word for "oil" or "fat" following; and in the third Martu = Amurrfi, probably indicating a
;
special (Amorite) form of vase,
is
added.
CONSIGNMENTS OF BUTTER
10. CONSIGNMENTS
A SMALL
unbaked
tablet
writing on the obverse
cm. high by 27
and four sections
OF BUTTER.
mm.
wide, with two sections (four hnes) of
(five lines)
on the reverse.
Colour grey.
Obverse.
Es
di-es
3 baskets (?) (of)
zal-nuna
butter,
en-en Adaba-
the lords of
(ki)-me
Adaba.
Reverse.
imina di-es
7 baskets (?) (of)
zai-nuna
butter,
usu qa ga-hur
nara
zi
30 qa of cheese
me
(?),
the nara-priests.
Taken away.
ga
NOTES.
As
the second section of the obverse ends with f , me, a termination apparently having the force
JC|^ _IJ, en-en, at the beginning, which,
of a plural (see the third section of the reverse), this must refer to
probably a plural by reduplication. Adaba was a town apparently situated in S. Babylonia

Cuneiform Inscriptiotis of Western Asia, vol. v., pi. 23, 1. 27).
In late Babylonian the third line of the reverse would be written
^\ I^, the second sign
of which is the word for " milk," ga, in Semitic Babylonian sizbu.
The last character, hur, means
therefore,
is
(for the reading, see the
something like " firm."
The use of J^, en (see obv. sect. 2), in certain dates of a few centuries later (see pp. 66, &c.) in the
sense of "priest" (such seems to be the accepted rendering), suggests that "the high priests," and not
"the lords" of Adaba may be intended. It is on this account that ftara-nie (late Babylonian jff^tf' f~)
is translated " wrtr^-priests " (apparently a lower grade), possibly singers or chanters (see p. 15).
THE AMHERST TABLETS
II. AN
A N
ARCHAIC TEXT REFERRING TO WINE.
unbaked clay tablet, 45 mm. high by 35 mm. wide, inscribed with seven lines of writing
on the obverse, and one line on the reverse. The tablet is somewhat damaged, rendering
the latter part of the text imperfect, and in addition to this, erasures and corrections on the
part of the scribe render lines 3
in
and 4
still
period.
The
inscription
as Thureau-Dangin's nos.
The
following
is
it
10,
112,
113,
114,
is
more rounded than
seems, nevertheless, to belong to the same
refers to deliveries of wine,

1
The shape
more obscure.
the case of the three preceding tablets, but
and
is
the main of the
in
and 116.
an attempted rendering of the inscription
same nature
A DELIVERY OF BUTTER
23
The ordinary word
for "strong drink"' from this root has the form sikaru, according to Dehtzsch,
" date-wine," the vessel which contained it being called sakiru, a word which the non-Semitic portion
of the population seems to have borrowed, probably at a rather early date.
In line 3 the reading is doubtful, as several corrections seem to have been made, the characters
#;^ Il!lljt> (hw^ ^) being finally retained. It may be conjectured that this is equivalent to the
5J>
(^ 5w^ i" li"s 5' ^"^ bas been left transposed so as not to make yet another alteration in
^^
the text.
The
first
It is
no.
seventh line
125,
apparently to be completed in accordance with the indications given in the

after the lost number at the beginning, and X^ XÎ at the end.
is
the archaic form of
i.e.,
doubtful
line
characters,
how
the
name on
14 of obverse, col.
and beginning with
-I]^,
12. A
A SMALL
unbaked
is
short
is
probable,
would do as
J^
to be completed.
but
many
other
names
,;^, En-ni (Thureau-Dangin

of two, or, at most, three
well.
DELIVERY OF BUTTER.
baked clay
Imperfectly
or
inscribed with three
the reverse
I.)
lines
in
21.2
tablet,
mm.
high by 21
two sections on the obverse, and one
mm.
line
wide,
on the
reverse, at the bottom.
Obverse.
^^
As ha-ru
zal-nuna
(of) butter
Lu-dingir-ra
Lu-dinsfirra
jar
Reverse.
mu-du
if-^M
has brought.
NOTES.
The only
doubtful portion of the text
upper edge of the tablet.
The
first
is
in the first line, imperfect
character the numeral is
on account of damage
to the
certain, the last fairly so, but the middle
Nevertheless, there is hardly any other

one, which is the most damaged, has lost some of its wedges.
ha, and that being the case, the name of the vessel or measure in which
reading possible than that of
the butter was has been transcribed karu.
This is apparently the phonetic rendering ol the ideogram cfj^ ^r-^KSt. which, as stated by
^,
Fried. Delitzsch, has the Semitic rendering karil, from the non-Semitic haru (or possibly har). Another
ideograph for this word is &!![* Jw^JCh^^j^^^' and both groups are also rendered by namzttu, from the
root mazil, "to press wine." The haru was probably therefore the vessel in which the butter was pressed
to get rid of the buttermilk, or a jar resembling such a vessel.
THE AMHERST TABLETS
24
13.
A N
THE PRODUCE OF A FIELD: TIME OF GUDEA.
iinbaktd or imperfectly-baked tablet, 71.5
mm.
high by 47.6
of wntmjif
writlnjif in
\\\
five divisions on the obverse, and
hncs oi
eii^ht imcs
ei^ht
on
the
reverse, a
blank
space being
preserved, the only wanting sign
left
before
the
being the numeral
date.
at
the
The
^.6rT:^^j:^=?Mt"
wide,
writing
beginning
the obverse, which, however, can be restored with perfect certainty.
TTT<t^
mm.
eight lines
of
insc
inscribed
in
is
six
si)
good and
the
wiih
divisions
fifth
well
line
of
THE PRODUCE OF A FIELD
TIME OF GUDEA
25
The meanings
of grain.
kirasi.
of as and j;ig in lines 4 and 5 are uncertain, but each seems to indicate a kind
as, is short for
fj .-f, which has three pronunciations, parra, imgaga, and
pronunciation imgaga is translated by kutnahi, biuittu, and disiptahhu, the second of which
Perhaps
The
^,
means "pistachio."^ With the prefix ^, this group stood for a drink called ulusinnu. ^tEyî gigy
generally stands for " evil," " bad," &c., meanings possibly derived from the idea of " heaviness."
If
heavy grain, maj'be intended. It is also noteworthy, in this connection, that one
of the meanings of ^^tr/", gig, is kamdsu, " to bow down," in Semitic Babylonian, which might apply
to the thin curved stalks upon which the rice-grains grow.
this be correct, rice, a
Reisner's suggestion that nag-dugga indicates a kind of impost indicates that the group
may mean
"to pronounce {diigga) consecrated," and if so, the first component ÎlU, Jmg, possibly means "to give
to drink," "to water," i.e., to pour out a libation over.
Against this is to be objected, that the consecration of ô gana out of 208 is a very large proportion, especially if the whole of the produce be intended.
It is more likely, however, that the pasture-land (lit., " the gana of the sheep ") was in addition to the
20S gana referred to in the first line, but even in that case the amount would be high, being somewhat
less
than a
fifth.
The
following inscription, Thureau-Dangin's no. 195, which

to a slightly less fertile piece of land
:
Obverse.
Es sar bur sus gana

mina guru lal imina sus
nis
se gura sag-gala
lama sus
sus es
gana
lal
lal
as gura
mina mina qa gig gura
is
of a similar nature, apparently refers
'
; ;
THE AMHERST TABLETS
36
Year he dug the canal Nin-Girsu-usumgala: 891 gur 120 qa of the
No
second.
first
to 42
gur 120 qa of the
gig.
Year he made the balag-ithimgala of the land; 11^7 gur 60 qa of the
gur gig.
Year he made the gii-du-urra
first,
103 gidr 120 qn al, and
10
unbaked or imperfectly-baked
lines (in
The
reverse.
on
inscription
59 gur 120 y^ of as, and 13
^r ^j^.
first line
edge
of
tablet,
of the reverse
the
mm.
35
high by 3 cm. wide, inscribed with six
obverse, and
the
eight
lines
(in
seven
divisions)
on the
obverse and the second line of the reverse are damaged at the
last line of the
the
is
on
divisions)
five
beginning, and the

partly
first,
TEXT REFERRING TO GRAIN AND MEAL.
14. A
A N
S24 gur of the
almost entirely
is
The
lost.
and has the second character
tablet,
last line of all is written
doubtful.
slightly
The
Colour grey.
well written.
Obverse.
1.
w^wwm
wf
-r-
Nimin
sanabi sa
ia
gina
2.
ia
qa gar-hur-ra
4.
ia
qa
5.
u qa
6.
gi
3.
gM
Î^^
z'l
qa
qa of grain meal
at 5 shekels
5 qa of cake (?)
5 qa of grain in the ear (?)
gana
se
z\ niz\
45 and
ia
se
10 qa of coarse
ba-ba
qa of
fine (?)
(?)
meal
meal
Reverse.
7
'^'i
8.
sus as sanabi sa ia
Ife^-fîlg:
10. Su-nigin
!Vll
11. zi
A>
fcU8^<h-BI^
bar qa
66 and
kala
Total
10^ qa of superfine meal
taken away.
ga
13. Iti Izin-D.P.
qa of grain
at 5 shekels
zi
Lugal-igi-saga.
12. Lugal-igi-saga
14.
gina se
9.
Ba-u
imina utu-ba-ni
Month
Izin-Bau,
7th day.
NOTES.
The meaning
word sa in lines i and 8 is doubtful, and more material is needed before it can
be said that the rendering given is certain. The exact kind of meal indicated by "rtT ^, ji-sf, cannot
at present be stated
probably it was ordinary flour.
The group ^
*^J (as the 3rd, 4th, and 5th characters in 1. 2 would be in late Babylonian)
seems to be analogous to J^^ X^, ga-liur, which I have rendered, p. 20, conjecturally, as "cheese."
of the
'
This group, with the meaning of "reduction," "making small," was pronounced
to the bilingual
list
K. 2055.
bi-bi
according
A TKXT REFERRING TO GRAIN AND MEAL
27
"
Several kinds are

If that rendering be correct, then gar-hiin-a ought to be a sort of loaf or cake.
mentioned in the texts published by Reisner, Teinpel-urknnden aus Telloh.
The meaning of ^> (= late Babylonian ^"-k and ^) in 1. 4 is doubtful. The character means
"to bring forth, be fruitful" {alddu, dahddii), and also "bound up" {riksu). Probably the last points to
the right rendering, and indicates the grain still "bound up," as it were, in the ear, and perhaps kept
for sowing when that time should come.
It seems doubtful whether there was a character after J^ in 1. 5, and this makes it probable that
one of the renderings of this sign should be taken without modification. Probably it should be that
indicated by the words rabii, "to grow," and rdbu, "to be broad," namely "large," "coarse," when
referring to meal.
Notwithstanding the gloss referred to in the footnote to 1. 6, the pronunciation ba-ba for ^| ^| has
been retained, bibi (better, perhaps, bebe) being apparently a mere weakening of that root of uncertain
" reduction
.,"
(perhaps somewhat later) date. Baba (glossed bibi) is rendered by niimrrit"'
.,
This implies a
from nasdru, " to make small " (see Delitzsch, Assyrisches Handworterbuch, s. v.).
.
meaning the reverse

Reisner's no. 96,
If the
comes
to
v.
in
J^,
namely, "fine,"
in
only
improbable that this

beginning of the line
^ff ^]
the total
than the amount (66| qa) recorded in 1. 8. It is therefore not

contains the summation, and if this be so, the group to be restored at the
" total," and the broken character at the beginning of line 6
|HtI) su-nigin,
one qa
line
is
"rtf
the sense of "ground small."
" meal dust fine."

^f, si sahar baba, apparently
of the obverse, namely: 456 qa, 5 qa, 5 qa, and 10 qa, be added together,
22 has
amounts
65I qa
contained
that
of
less
should be restored as U- ^> "grain," would seem here to include "^f, "meal."
Line 10 contains a total of \o\ qa of "jEf ^}, zi-kala, the word for " meal " with an adjective
expressed by a character which means everything that is good and noble. This being the case, the
If the rendering
translation " fine meal" in the sense of good quality, seems to be that which is needed.
proposed be correct, it would include the amount of 10 qa of fine-ground meal entered in line 6, and
whatever quantity of meal was entered in line 7 (the first line of the reverse), which would in that case
Zi-kala is frequently mentioned first in the texts published by Reisner.
refer to an amount of half a qa.
Whether Lugal-igi-saga were the receiver or the purveyor is not stated.
The month Izin-Bau is identified by Radau with Chisleu. In the last line of the inscription
the
character for day follows the numeral instead of preceding
J^T Vrr
Jt^'
'^
iniina-ba-7ii ,
"day
7th."
it.
The more
usual arrangement
is
THE AMHERST TABLETS
a8
TEXT CONCERNING THREE MEN SUPPLIED

FOR WORK.
15. ARCHAIC
SMALL
lines
of
tablet
unbaked
of
writing
of
the
clay,
same
somewhat damaged, but the reading and

first
line
mm.
35
period
high
the
as
by
cm. wide, inscribed with twelve

Portions
preceding.
translation are
rendered
of
doubtful
the
text
thereby
in
are
the
only.
Obverse.
[As] Lugal-kura
dumu
'^r-^^'j^
c^ '^^:m^'^f]^
T<|
(?)
[i]
Lugal-kura
(?)
Lu-banda ni-ku
son of Lugal-gislu,
Lu-banda, the superintendent.
AsSur-(D.P.)
dumu
Lugal-gis-lu
Gis-bil,
Sur-Gisbil,
son of Ninis.
Ni-ni-is
Lu-Nina,
As Lu-(D.P.) Nina
dumu
son of Gisgi,
Gis-ei
Reverse.
ft^^
1^"
'^D
jn^
?^M
Ur-nu
Urnu,
ni-ku
the superintendent.
Su-nigin
es kala
Total
men
Ur-nu
Urnu
mu-du
has brought.
NOTES.
The first character, a, has been restored in accordance with the indications of the
Line i.
which requires that a third personage be enumerated. The last character of the line is doubtful.
Line 4. In Sur-Gisbil we have the name of the fire-god, generally written Gibil, as a component
The word occurs in the name Gisbil-games, later pronounced Gilgames, the well-known halfpart.
total,
mythical king of Erech [Urui-
supiiri).
The name
of the father of Sur-Gisbil, Ninis, occurs also in

man or not is doubtful. He is there
though whether it is the same

referred to as having brought something from Gutium.
M. Thureau-Dangin's
no. 92,
In line 7 Gisgi may also be read Gismi, but the m of the latter form would then show that
The group corresponds with the Semitic ;>. sahiii, "dark tree"
the pronunciation was dialectic.
As a name, si//u is found in later times
or " wood," and siilu, " shade," " shadow," " protection."
compounded with names of deities, such as Silli-Bel, Silli-Assur, &c. It seems likely that Sila or
(See Johns,
Silla is simply a shortening of Sillaa, "my protection," or "protection of \a." (Jah).
Assyrian Deeds and Documents, Index.)

As GtUium-ta nidn in Thureau-Dangin, no. 92, means "brought from Guti." so, in all probability,
If
Urnu vtudn, in the last two lines of this inscription, probably means " Urnu has brought."
Sur-Gisbil's father Ninis had dealings with Gutium, it is probable that he, too, carried on commerce
RECEIPT OF GRAIN FOR WAGES.
29
that place, and in this case the three men whose names are given may have been sent
from there to Lagas, where the tablet was probably found.
The name of Urnu occurs as that of a scribe in Thureau-Dangin's no. 82, and as that of an
agent or merchant in no. 84. In no. 91, which is a long list similar to this, a farmer or planter
named Urnu is mentioned. Urnu, the son of U-zi, the superintendent {iiiku), whose name occurs
on Thureau-Dangin's no. 133, is probablj' the person mentioned in this text, as he bears the same
In the last-named inscription he has to do with cattle.
title.
On page 16 the name Urnu occurs with the title ^f^^, iiara, probably " singer."
with
OF GRAIN FOR WAGES.
i5. RECEIPT
TDAKED
three
surface
clay tablet, 3 cm. high by 28.5
sections
slightly
is
mm.
on the obverse, and seven
damaged, and has traces
of the reverse only.
wide, inscribed with five lines of writing in

lines
in
sections on the reverse.
five
end
of incrustation towards the
of the
second
The
line
Colour yellow-brown.
Obverse.
Lama
gi sus se
gur
ur 60 qa of
lugala
Ga
royal
grain,
mu
wage
of
nu-banda gud
Gamu,
the cattle-keeper
dingirPa-gispil.sag
Pa-pil-sag,
(of)
Reverse.
mu
Gis - pi - ku
Mas-gu-la du-gab
in the
e-sala
su
ba
Iti
mu
name
of Gispi,
Mas-gula, the purveyor

of the
women's house,
has received.
ti
Month
Izin-dingirBa-U
Chisleu,
year of the image
e'âlam
after.
NOTES.
Gamu,
name of a person bearing the title of gal-ni in Reisner's no. 155,

probably not the same person. The allowance of grain was possibly in
connection with the post which he held.
The god to whom he was attached, Pa-pil-sag (line 5), corresponds, among the stars, with Architenens.
col.
viii.,
1.
in the third line, occurs as the
17,
but this
is
The name may mean "the staff with the fiery head."
The name Gispi, in line 6, is doubtful it possibly has something
meaning "ear," generally expressed by the
final
character alone
in
to
do with cf
Jgf *y>-, gis-ku-pi,
the Semitic texts,
when
it
is
used
TIIK
30
AMHERST
TAHI.ETS.
and second characters were not really neccssan,'. Besides pi, *Tand jêltan. The question, therefore, naturally arises whether this last
may not be the Sumero-Akkadian word for " ear," with / for i in the first syllable^^-Z/r/w being [or geitan.
If this be the case, the value // would be dialectic for tan, and GUtan or Giilal, instead of Giipi, would
be the reading of this name. On the other hand, if this suggestion be incorrect, another possible reading
is Gismi. of which the 1^ <|:|;, GiSiiii, on p. 28, may be another spelling.
As the meaning of the name Mai-gitla, in line 7, " the greater (elder) twin," may be suggested.
The full form of the date, according to the list on the tablet published by Hilprecht, is as follows:
ideographically, showing that the
could be read mi
(ii'i),
first
(iva), tai,
Mil alam ''"P'^Nin-lilla badii mu uisabi.

" Year he made the statue of Beltis year
date of the year of the actual making of the statue
The
as
it
name
has the
of Mas-gula,
and
is
otherwise a parallel,
is
is
after that."
published by Reisner (no. 256), which,

reproduced here
:
Obverse.
Mina
2 gttr of royal grain
se gur lugala
Nin-salla, the sign-seeker,
Nin-sal-la en-si
su
ba
Gir
has received.
ti
Official
tli'igirKa-usu-gina
Ka-usu-gina,
Reverse.
5.
mu
6.
Iti
7.
mu
8.
Nin-salla
Her
title
of
in the
Mas-gu-la du-gaba-ku
.
Month
tas
may
in
of Mas-gula, the purveyor.

-tas(?),
year of the image
g'âlam
(of)
dingirNin-lil-la
reality
J| }~*^^,
name
be a
title,
which we are
Beltis.
with the meaning, " lady of the women," or something similar.

told to
pronounce
ensi,
seems to indicate that she held some
the group in question being translated, in the lists, by the Semitic sai7u or sa'i/u, apparently
from the root sail/i/, "to ask," in this case, perhaps, "to seek a sign." Sai//i and its feminine sai//u may,
" directress"
however, have had a very general meaning in the present text perhaps something similar to
sacred
office,
of the
women's house.
The person bearing it seems to

in the name Ka-usu-gina, is merely a provisional reading.
have been simply the intermediary between Nin-salla and the man in whose name the grain was delivered
This, however, is only one of many possibilities.
to her, suggesting that '^^, gi'', means "carrier."
Ka-usu,
date of this tablet would correspond with " 17 a" of the reign of Dungi, the Amherst-tablet being
In most cases the word "after" comes at the beginning of the date, but it is noteworthy that a
similar arrangement to that of the latter is to be found in Reisner's no. 257, the text of which is as
The
" 17 b."
follows
(6)
(5)
Ai usu qa gur lugala (2) w Sur-es-lil-la[-ku] (3) Lu-ba-bi{l) (4) Ju-ba-ti.

S"alam d'>'&'''Nin- (7) lil-la ui-sa.
(3) Lu-babi (?)
(2) in the name of Sur-es-lilla
(i) I gur 30 qa of royal (grain)
Month Gan-mas. (6, 7) year of the image of Beltis after.
(l)
(5) ///
Gau-tnas
mu
(4)
has received.
A LIST OF OFFERINGS DISTRIBUTED.
17. A
A BAKED
and the upper part
The
LIST OF OFFERINGS DISTRIBUTED.
clay tablet, 117
The upper
side.
mm.
high by 91
part of the obverse
of the reverse are
brittleness of the clay has also
adding
the text
making
still
is
it
more
is,
as
is
mm,
wide, divided into three columns on each
damaged, and the lower part
caused portions, mostly
to the imperfection of
very clear and legible.
is
the inscription.
The middle column
hand) column, the upper part of which
is
this
"<^
5^ m
If
'>-^
#>
at the edges, to
far as
the
obverse
it
is
crumble away,
preserved, however,
of the reverse (the fifth) is uninscribed,
class, at the
entirely blank.
Obverse, Column
2.
As
column IV. (the right-hand column
usual in inscriptions of
1.
of
broken away, rendering the inscription rather imperfect.
possible that the text ended with
The colophon
31
I.
of the reverse).
end of the sixth (the
left-
;; ;
;
THE AMHERST TABLETS.
32
Column
1.
2.
4w^
1/^
r~i5^^
^T"
}sf
An-
ma
qa of wine
3-
Gi
qa
kas
4-
Ri
qa
gar
I ^<j
of food
5-
Ri
kam
I ifa
of
6.
qa
D.P. Lugal
7.
Gi
8.
gi
g.
gi
10.
Ti
ga of wine
of food
ka
gar
I t/a
kam
gar
qa of
oil
Ti-gar ba.
ba
oil
Lugal-sisa.
sa
- si -
qa
qa
qa
DP.
ga of wine
kas
gar
Gi
D.P. Lugal-zur-zur-ri
kas
qa
ga of food
I t/a of oil
Lugal-zurzurri.
I t/a of wine
18.
gar
qa
kam
qa
Balag-usumgal-kalam-
ga of oil
Balag-usumgal-
19.
20.
Kill
11.
Gi
12.
gi
r-^
ff^
13.
gi
r~H"
15.
16.
gi
17.
gi
14.
II.
An-
qa
qa
qa
kam
^rt
of food
ma
qa
-
gal
ka.s
tur
ture-
the Kingal-turtiire-
ne
ne.'
Column
III.
Su-nigin ia qa gar
kam
su-nigin ia qa
4>
Total
total
ga of food
5 ^ of oil
Kin-gal-dingir-re-ne
the Kingal of the gods.'
^>Hf
Saga-bi
ta
Out of
"ijr
lama qa
gar
4 ga of food
10 ga of oil
<
9-
qa
es gal
igi
kam
sib-ba kam
8 ga of food
u-es qa
kam
13 ga of
12.
ussa qa
IS-
ig-gal-la
M-
Saga-bi
17i8.
uhume
20.
ip
kam
uhume (?)-
anointcrs.
gar
4 ga of food
8 ga of oil
this
;
the anointer
...
the property of the
Out of
ba
-da udu u-[kam]
-
the anointer.
ta
oil
4 ga oi food
8 ga of oil
ka
kam
(?) ti
gub
i(>
gar
lama qa
ussa qa
ti
a third part fur the incantation maker.
gar
Uhume (?)
Lama qa
i6.
this
ussa qa
II.
10.
'
kalamma.
10 ga of wine
remaining
day io[th]
he has
This probably means " the junior stewards," or something similar.
Or
" the gods' stewards."
;; ;
A LIST OF OFFERINGS DISTRIBUTED
33
Reverse, Column IV.
(Lines
gi
5-
mina
mV
^^
^^
qa
kas
qa
gar
ofoil(?);
120 qa of food
qa of food
Gi
qa
gar
II.
kas
ila
mas
the wine-bearers
12.
Gi
qa
kas
the butler
13-
as qa ze
14.
bar qa pa kisal
15.
Su-nigin usu mina bar qa gar
16.
su nigin usu lama qa
17.
Lu- kur-ra-me
as bar qa gar
gi qa gar zal-de-a
mina qa gar ma
(blank) qa kam
(blank) qa kas
kam
man
Total
Gir
Mu
su
us
32i qa of food
26i qa of food
qa of food the oil-distributer.
;
2 qa of food of
(blank) qa of
ma
oil
(blank) qa of wine.
rest is uninscribed.
Dues
ka
for the
D.P. Nin
te
VI.
gibil
34 qa of oil
the commissariat-men.
total
Sa-duga ha-la-a
qa the acolyte.
uninscribed, except for the

nature of jottings.)
is
(?)
qa vegetables
Lu
broken away at the top, and the
pa
(?).
qa of food
6 qa meal of
.-'
pa
21.
m^
9-
Column
ID.
(The upper part
'f^-^
Gi
20.
is
Lulada
I qa of wine
gi
ig.
V.
da
7-
2J.
Column
Lula
(sus) gar
8.
18.
'
zal (?)
4-
6.
'IT
to 3 broken away.)
ka
distributed
new temple
of Nin-Girsu
Lu-kani,
ni
viceroy.
si
few characters of the
Year
sa
Kar-har D.S. ba-
after
Kar-har he (the king)

ravaged.
bul
NOTES.
To
appearance the first eight lines of the first column gave a list of the deposits of wine, food,
and oil, from which the distributions enumerated in the remainder of the inscription were made. It is
unfortunate that the first two lines are wanting, as this defect destroys the perfection of the list, but as
the entries of the quantities dealt out, especially those in column II., give the order as "wine," "food,"
all
"oil," it is probable that that was the order also in lines I

8, e.xcept that the different kinds of each
were enumerated.
What may have been the nature of the produce indicated by the cliaracter ^T<\^5l>-^ is unknown,
"
THE AMHERST TABLETS

as
There
as yet unidentified.
is
it
is
no doubt, however, that
it
indicates
some kind of
field-produce,
occurs on p. iii in connection with grain, and also in inscription no. 159, both texts referrinf;
Th" character is also found in other texts. As it is a compound like the late
to "the field of Istar."
as
it
Babylonian ^t-'^^^T and ^y4^^^' ^^^ sign
what
(^ =
for
sprout or something similar i^]^, pir'u) followed by
apparently a kind of receptacle, in one case containing the character for " intoxicating drink
is
made from the produce of the earth, and, indeed, has been translated in
we should say, " ale "), and in the other the ideograph for " overflowing
some kind of grain is probably meant. The words for the various cereals wheat,
,fmij$^) (which
Germany
plenty"
barley,
The
being numerous, and differing
may
it
is
" beer," or, as
(-^f, /a/ii),
&c.,
whether
different
as
from
this
rather complicated
not stand for pulse of some sort, such as pease, beans, or
character,
the question
is
lentils.
three words, kam-bad, kavt-gii, and kam-kua, from their position, ought to be words for three
kinds of
oil,
but the renderings are doubtful.
suggested that the kind referred to
is
fish-oil,
In the case of the last, however,
it
may
be
the final character, ft, having the meaning of "fish."
The second paragraph seemingly goes
into details of the distribution, which is continued to the

"head," apparently means "capital amount," and ig-ga-ra, in Assyrian
is probably the
^TIT'^f ^.^-S^< of the trilingual list published in the
5th vol. of the Cuneiform Inscriptions of Western Asia, pi. 11, 1. 38, where it is translated by makkuru,
" goods," " property." The syllable kam at the end of the line is probably a termination.
Preceded by the words saga-bi-ta, " from the midst of this," we have an enumeration of the amounts
dealt out wine or ale, pulse (?), other food, and oil, the last indicated by the character kam, which is
apparently a mere prefix in lines 6 8. The characters in line 15 have been regarded as a name, but they
end of the
5^T-T, sag,
tyyy* \:^^, which follows,
te.xt.
may
turn out to be the
we have
After this
title
of
some
official.
The same
applies also to line ig.
a series of entries detailing the distribution of the produce referred to, which
followed by the names of the recipients, succeed

which comes wine only for the kingal-turturene. At
the beginning of column III. there is a reference to totals of food and oil, apparently in the hands of the
kingal dingirene, probably the " stewards of the gods," or something similar, and distributions of these
two items of food and oil to the officials named go on to the end of the column. Oil (?), food, wine,
vegetables, and meal, distributed to certain servants of the temple, complete the list, which finishes at
line 14 of the fourth column, after which a division-line marks the end of the section.
Two more totals
of food and oil are then given, and are followed by other items, probably the portions reserved for the
officials who are mentioned
the "men of the food" and "the oil-pourer" or "distributer." As the
quantities in the last two lines of the column have not been filled in, it is clear that the present
inscription is a copy of the return which must have been drawn up, and it may be conjectured that the
text of that return had in some way become damaged.
The "new temple" of Nin-Girsu does not seem to occur in Reisner's inscriptions, at least in a form
in which it can be recognized, though people named after that building are mentioned.
His no. 308
refers once to the "new temple." in contradistinction to another edifice which was called the "old
temple," but from the remainder of the inscription it is not clear that this " new temple " was the place
where Nin-Girsu was worshipped, Nin-ursag and Nin-gis-zida being the deities mentioned in connection
with the fane in question. Nevertheless, it may have been the same place, but if so, the " new temple "
was not a new erection on account of the destruction of a former one by an enemy, as the old temple of
Nin-ursag and Nin-gis-zida was still standing. The new erections after the ruin of Lagas by the men
of Gis-uha' in the time of Uru-ka-gina, published recently by M. Thureau-Dangin, had probably become
too old in the time of Dungi for them to bear any longer the description " new," so that it would seem
to be unlikely that any historical event is responsible for the name c gibil, " new temple."
The date, " Year after he ravaged Kar-har," does not occur in the ancient list of dates published
by Hilprecht in 0/d Babylonian Inscriptions, which has only the actual year of the ravaging. There
reaches to line 14 of column IV.

in regular
Drink, food, and
order as far as line 18 of column
II.,
oil,
after
being already fifty-one dates referred to this reign by Radau,=

'
Delitzsch
Kesn.
it
seems unlikely that Dungi should have
Early Babylonian History, pp.
254 .265.
AMOUNTS OF GRAIN.
LIST OF
35
had such a long reign as the inchision of all the "years after" and "second years after" would require,
It is therefore probable that the dates based
as this would add to it seven or eight years more.
upon those of foregoing years were used in the absence of knowledge or certainty as to the official
dating issued. This date, therefore, which in Radau's system would be designated 27a, should coincide
" The year when the king devastated Simuru" " (see the three tablets
chronologically with his no. 28
which follow).
The patesi Lu-kani, according to Radau, is the second of the name, contemporary of Dungi, and
one of the predecessors of Gudea.
OF AMOUNTS OF GRAIN.
18. LIST
41.
A WELL-BAKED
tablet, 41
on the reverse, by the

the text of this document
mm.
salt
mm.
somewhat damaged, especially

which had formed upon it. The following is
high by 36.5
incrustation
wide,
Obverse.
Sus qa
Usu
TTT^rra
60 qa of grain,
se Ki-lul-la
as qa A-a-zi-mu
Kilulia.
36 qa Aa-zi-mu.
0-mina qa Da-ga-mu
12 qa
U-ussa qa se gir
18 qa of grain the official
Daga-mu.
Ni-kalla.
Ni-kal-la
Reverse.
Usu qa
30 qa the
gir dingirXina (?)-
official
Nina(?)nizu.
Lu pag-ga
The
me
Su-nigin mina sus usu as qa se
Su
Iti
Mu
Si
urn
(ki)
ba
ru
-
156 qa of grain.
Month Tammuz,
umuna
mu
bird-catchers.
Total
year he (the king) ravaged
the land of Simuru'".
liul
NOTES.
For paga = eseni sa issuri, " to catch, of a bird," see the Cuiieifonn hisniplions of Western Asia,
Lu paggame, " man of bird-catching," followed by the plural sign, therefore stands
vol. v., pi. 29, 1. 63e.
The birds were probably caught for use in the ceremonies of the temples of Lagas.
for "bird-catchers."
Whether
the grain referred to was used in the
have been supplied
The
date
is
work or not
for the bird-catchers' general sustenance.
given by
Radau
is
It may also
uncertain, but not improbable.
^, also " birdcatcher," see p. 16.)
(For
-y<f
as being the 28th of the reign of Dungi.
A BAKED
obverse
clay tablet, 41
is
slightly
IKK ST TAI'.I.FTS.
RECEIPT OF GRAIN.
19.-
"^
AM
Tlir.
36
mm.
mm.
high by 3S
damaged, and the whole
The
with the cylinder-seal of the scribe.
wide.
The
lower left-hand corner of the
surface, including the edges,
inscription, however,
is
rolled over
fairly legible.
is
Obvkkse.
M^
Lama
sc gur
sc
if;
ki
Ku
K^l
li
_tî/r
of grain
grain-property
'""^
from Kuli.
ta
Duba Sur-uga-dur-ra
Tablet of Siir-uga-durr.a.
Reversk.
Official
Gir <1'"si'Nin-mar"''"R'flnnaniia
ki-RU
Mil
ki
Nin-mar-
ki-gu (of) Istar.
Year he (the king) devas-
Si-mu-ru-um
ba
tated Simiiru"\
hul
Cylinder-seal.
E
?4
Siir-uga-dur-ra
Sur-uga-durra
dup
the scribe,
dumu
Sur-tura
sara
son of Sur-tura.
NOTES.
hibati,
As shown by the tablets with envelopes, dudtr Siir-nga-durra is equivalent to Sur-uga-durra
" Sur-uga-durra has received it," so that the delivery of grain was to this personage, who, as his cylindernot a dealer in grain by profession, but a scribe, and as an official of the goddess Innanna
was
was present, it is probable that the delivery was for the benefit of the temple of that goddess
whether by purchase, as a due, or as a free-will offering, is not stated.
The seal-impression, as far as the design is preserved, shows a goddess seated, and looking to the
being
This probably formed part of the common scene in which the owner of the cylinder is
left.
is to be seen on
presented to the divinity whom he worshipped. The outline of the back of the owner
him is visible in front
other side of the inscription, and part of the divine attendant who introduced
seal shows,
or Istar
the
of the seated figure.
For other examples see pp.

and 196.
170, 180, i86, 188, 189
40, 43, 61, 63, 73, 77, 80, 83, 114, 141, 151, ^b^, 158.
ACCOUNT OF LIVESTOCK.
20. ACCOUNT
OF LIVESTOCK.
143.
\
^
CIRCULAR
on each
tablet
clay,
mm.
62
in
diameter, inscribed with two columns
those on the obverse having eight divisions of
side,
on the reverse ten and
column
unbaked
of
of text, the first
As
is
column of the reverse
is
respectively.
six
usual with
on the
writing
right,
each, and those
having more than one
tablets
and the second on the
Obverse.
Column
la
sus
I.
300 sheep,
[ndii]
mina(?)
gukkala
na
gi
ussa sus ninnu

udii
Ka
532 (?)
lambs,
Ka-gina,
the shepherd.
siba
Sus
ia udu gukkala
mina sus masa
Sur-te-me
65 lambs,
120 kids,
Sur-temena,
the shepherd
na
sibn
udu Lu
the
sabra
la
udu
Sus
ia
udu Gar-dingirBa-u
sag
ia
the forester
gis
udu
sus
sheep,
300 kids,
cattle
of Nabasaga,
the forester
sag-gis
sus
lal
Lula
na-kid
(?).
II.
.
masa
udu Na-ba-saga
Es
seer(?).
65 sheep,
sheep of Gar-Bau
Column
.
of Lu-kalkalla,
cattle
kal-kal-
mina masa
-
mu
E-maha
Sus lal gi udu, sus mina masa

udu Sur-mesa-ku
gi
udu
Sus
ia sus masa
180 kids
less
(?).
2,
wage of Lula-mu,
the herdsman of E-maha.
60 sheep
cattle
61
for
sheep,
300 kids.
less
i,
62
Sur-mesa.
kids,
left.
Tin: AMIIF.RST TABLETS.
38
Kkvkrsk.
Column
cattle
Ab-hana - ku
iidu
-
<ii
I.
62
Sus mina tnasa

udu gub - ba - am
Na - a - na na-kid
Sus u-ia udu mina sus masa
udu gub - ba - am
na
75 sheep, 120 kids,

cattle remaining,
Sur-Nina, the herdsman.
76 kids,
thf
kid
Column
Sus as udu
udu gub-ba
dingirNina-kama na-kid
A-sag
(''"g'fLugal-a-
a-sag Sur-d'êifGal-
alim
Si-mu-ru-uni
(ki)
ha-hul
herdsman.
II.
66 sheep,
cattle remaining,
Nina-kama, the herdsman.

Field
of Lugal-a-
2ida,
zi-da
Mu
remaining,
-Nannara,
cattle
-dinRirNannara
-
remaining,
Ndna, the herdsman.
Sus u-as masa

udu gub-ba
.
Abba-
kids,
cattle
Sur-dingirNina, na-kid
for
gina.
field
of Sur-Galalim.
Year he
("the
Simuru"'.
king) ravaged
'
RECEIPT OF GRAIN
21. RECEIPT
npABLET,
OF GRAIN.
with envelope, the former 4 cm. high by 34
mm.
42
39
The
tablet has six lines of writing
between the
in
the
ruled
line
fifth
and sixth
above the
lines of the obverse,
From
latter.
this,
wide, and the latter 5 cm. by
The envelope adhered
the last three lines being separated by a wide space.

tablet
mm.
on the obverse and four on the reverse,
and a portion of
and from the
tightly to the
it is still
to
be seen
irregularity of the surface of
that the envelope was pressed very tightly down at the time it
it would seem
was moulded round the tablet. The envelope has also six lines of writing on the obverse, and
the obverse,
five
on the reverse, and has cylinder-seal impressions between the third and fourth lines of
the obverse and the second and third
some
of
the
reverse, as well as
on the edges.
There are
interesting variants, especially in the date.
:^V
Obverse (Envelope).
1.
As
2.
se har-ra gin-us pa-te-si
3.
ni-duba Bara-si-ga-ta
se gur lugala
dumu Nina
ki
gur of
ro3'al grain,
sustenance of the proctor of the patesi, the Ninaite,

from the storehouse of Bara-siga,
(Impression of Ura-Nina's cylinder.)
4.
5.
6.
ki
Sur-dingir
Duba
dumu
Nina-ta
Ura-dingir
Nina
Ba-zi-gi
This forms two lines on the
from Sur-Nina.
Tablet of Ura-Nina,
son of Bazigi,
tablet, the division
being between gin-us and patesi.
THK AMUKRST TABLETS
40
R EVE USE.
7.
nu-banda
8.
Iti
SuH'i'B''
Ba-u dumu
overseer. Sur-Bau, son of Lu-saga(?).
Lu(?)-saga(?;
Month second Adar,
dir Se-gur-tara
(Seal-impression repeated.)
9.
10.
mu
Ha-ar-si
yu-inur-ti
ii
ki
Ki-mas
ki
On
Year he ravaged Harsi, Humurti, and Kimas.
ba-hula.
11.
the inner tablet lines
to
represented
are
by two
short
only, giving
lines
the
usual variant
6.
Ura-'lingirNina
7.
su
ba
instead of "Tablet of Ura-Nina, son of Bazigi.
But the most important variant

form
is
Ura-Nina
has received.
ti
Overseer:
Sur-Bau, son of Lu-aga(?)."
that of the date, which
given
is
the following short
in
g.
mu
//ar
naturally a mistake for Harsi, the
is
of the date
Ha-ar
which the
latter gives is
30th of the reign of Dungi, as
in
ki
ba-hula
ID.
first
year he devastated Har.
name on
The
the envelope.
longer form
therefore not to be identified with the 51st, but with the
the case of the text immediately following.
NOTES.
C:/t-!tS in
line 2
connection with the
means,
/>rt/^5/'
literally,
" weight-man," whose
was regarded as
name
is
sufficiently identifying him.
not given, probahl)' because his
He
(or
is
it
the fatesi?)
of the city Nina," corresponding with the expression of the translation,

Bara-siga in line 3 seems to be a personal name, but other inscriptions imply that
called
"son
sanctuary.
It
possibly
means "
is
also
"the Ninaite."
it is the name of a
the delightful sanctuary " (Semitic parakkn damkti), but the root of siga
many meanings that it is

The traces at the end of line
has so
difficult to fix
on the one which was
really intended.
7 are almost certainly those of SdlSS^t^, Sur-saga, which occurs in

Reisner's no. 47, III. 14, as the father of Sur-Bau the ,^>; no. 130, obv. 6, 7 (date 42 of Dungi);
As these dates are all well within the lifetime
153. II- 13; ^"d 164", rev. 12 (accession-year of B\lrSin).
of a man,
it
is
probable that the same person
is
referred to in each,
and the restoration suggested
is
therefore very probable.
With regard
to the date,
situated in central Arabia.

district,
or on the
way
as being the Mas of later inscriptions, and therefore

be the case, Harsi and Humnrti must have been situated in the same
Radau regards Kimas
If this
thither.
CONSIGNMENT OF PLANTS
41
The cylinder, with impressions from which the envelope is covered, was very roughly engraved. To
appearance it had the usual representation of the owner being led by a divine personage into the
presence of the deity whom he worshipped. Between the goddess and the divine introducer, above, is
the crescent moon, and below, the upper part (spout ?) of a vase in the form of an animal's head. On the
extreme left was the sign of the scorpion, impressed, where visible, on the right of the inscription. This
last, which is in two lines only, reads as follows:
all
-^r
ir
Ura-dingif
tSii
->f
dumu
:cf Jff ii >^<^
Both these names are
The impressions being

not visible.
transcription
rare,
Ura
Nina,
son of Bazigi.
and nothing can
character of the
first
shown by the variant form on the
(See the obverse, lines 5 and
6.
at present be said with regard to the scribe's position.
faint or incomplete, the small character within
Reisner reads the

is
Nina
Ba-zi-gi
name
tablet.
the sign for the goddess Nina
as ,^^], us or
/lita/e,
The meaning
in
is
but the correctness of the
any case
is
the same, namely,
" servant of Nina."
22. APPARENTLY
A SMALL
baked clay
tablet,
36
writing on the obverse, and the

left
between the
first
and second
A CONSIGNMENT OF PLANTS.
mm.
high by 30.5
mm.
same number on the
lines of the latter.
When
wide, inscribed with four lines of
reverse, an uninscribed space being
purchased, a portion of the envelope
covered and hid the top right-hand corner of the obverse and the bottom right-hand corner
of the reverse.
This was removed by .sawing away the portion (the remains of two
the beginning of the text.

of three
lines,
The
lines) giving
other side of the fragment of the envelope has the beginnings
with a portion of the date.
The Tablet. Obverse.
:^^^
V^MW
It
1.
Mina
2.
ma
3.
e-gal-la ba-an-tur
4.
mas-da-ri-a
-da-ri-a
sus u s'^sum-el
ud-zal-la
120 suin-el trees,

tlic
ship " Morning'"
has brought to the palace
"^
(as) the king's due.
lugala
Reverse.
i^^^^^fef
5.
Gir Sur-uga-dur-
^
Official:
ra
^mrm^
6.
Iti
^;i<HW<h#
7.
mu
8.
Month second Adar,
dir Se-gur-tar
A-ar-si (ki)
Sur-uga-durra.
"^
year he destroyed Arsi.

ba-hula
Tlir AMIIFRST
42
TABLETS
NOTES.
is uncertain.
The character Jjj| is used, followed by
and with the pronunciation o( s/iin, to express the Semitic siimii, " garlic," but in
this case we have what the Babylonians seem to have regarded as a tree.
In Reisner's no. 121, col. IV.,
lines 9, 10; and col. V., line 8, where 4 gur 120 qa of the seed and the same quantity of the
"head" fijj::^. J"^'*) of this plant are referred to, the former being the total of the amount received, and
the latter part of a total 39 gur 180 qa, we have indications that the plant was largely used. 5 qa of
Jutiiel is also referred to in no. 127 of the same work, line 5 of the third column.
In none of these
passages is the group preceded by the determinative prefix ^, "wood."
In line 6 of Reisner's no. 127
The
identification of the Huiii-cl tree or plant
that for "plantation,"
the character ?^
is
(or crushed) /;/;."

is
found followed by ^2^< instead of ^^, making the expression lum guca, "cut
is not improbable, however, that it is another species of garlic or onion which
It
intended.
The
ship "Morning,"
is
also
nunciation of Ud-zalla would be
mentioned
nammu
in
Reisner's no.
or icni,
"morning"
114, col.
or
\'I.,
line 11.
The Semitic
pro-
"dawn."
Hh If^^ "ff*! Tt' iimS-da-ria, line 4, occurs only, besides this passage, in Reisner's no. 276, line 2,
with the variant ^rtk. (thus to be restored) for >f-, with the same pronunciation.
In that case, however,
it
is
not the due of the king,
follows
but of the akiti, or
new
I.
year's
gur of
festival.
This inscription reads as
dates,
the due of
the
new
year's festival,
from Kidur-lu
he has brought to the palace.
Seal of Sur-
the scribe
.,
(?)
within
Ur
Month
of the festival,
(of the Chaldees).
year the king's daughter
took the paUsi

of Zabsali.
This text shows the general character of the due designated by the word (or expression) mas-da-ria.
is one of the doubtful ones, and will be dealt with later on.
The name of Sur-uga-durra occurs on p. 36 as that of a scribe, the son of Sur-tura, but it is doubtful
whether it is the same person. Reisner's no. ^t, mentions one bearing it w-ho was a farmer, but in other
places there is no reference to parentage or position.
Its
date
The
same
date of this inscription
as Harsi
is
is
not entirely beyond doubt, but the identification of Arsi as being the
exceedingly probable.
In this connection
of the undoubtedly defaced text of no. 104 of the E. A.

p. 364,
it is
doubtful whether the character there
form as occurs
in
is
the inscription here translated.-
it
is
Hoffman
^, ha, or
TJ,
worthy of note, that from Radau's copy

collection, in Early Babylonian History,
a.
If the latter,
it
is
naturally the
same
CONSIGNMENT OF PLANTS
In the fragment of the envelope the
initial JJ,
Iti
a,
is
wanting:
Month second Adar,
dir Se-gur-[tar]
mu Ar
s[i
(ki)]
"i
vcar he devastated Arsi
ba
Date 30 of Dungi,
in its fullest
more than simply
hula
Aj-si followed
on the envelope
by the determinative
The remains
form, has two other names, namely,
either of these occurred in the date as given

for
of the impressions of the cylinder-seal
is
Humurti and Kimas.i but whether

there seems to have been room
doubtful
suffix.
mit
show a seated god
or goddess, holding a cup in

the ordinary fringed robe in which
the right shoulder is left bare. A divine attendant, in the usual goat-skin robe, and with the hair tied up
in a knot behind, leads the owner of the seal into the presence of the deity.
The inscription is that of a
royal scribe, and may be restored (with the exception of the third line of the second column) as
the right hand, and with the
follows
-+
left
held against the breast.
The
dress
is
AMMFRST
TirF
44
TAIII.ETS
OF GRAIN FOR A TEMPLE.
23. RECEIPT
Dec.
A BAKED
mm.
clay tablet, 32.5
divisions on the obverse,
perhaps, wanting at the top.
mm.
high by 28.5
and two
lines
05. 7.
wide, with six lines of
writin;:^ in
on the lower part of the reverse
four
line being,
Reddish-yellow, not very well baked, and damaged, especially
the upper part of the reverse.
Obverse.
.
gi se giir
giir 60
lugala
ki
(ja
of royal
grain
Lu-<l'ng"Nin-saha-
from Lu-Xin-sah
ta
Siir
su-ba
1".
Sur-E-ninnu
ninnu
has received.
ti
Reverse.
7.
Mu
y.
[mina-kama]-ru ba-hul
Kar-har
(ki)
Year he ravaged Karljar
a-du
for the [znA]
time.
NOTES.
Lu-Ninsah is a fairly common name, and in the absence of parentage, the person bearing it who is
named here cannot at present be identified. The same may also be said for Sur-E-ninnu, though this
name does not occur so often. " The faithful servant of E-ninnu " was equivalent to being called the
servant of the god of the temple, and therefore did not differ much from such a name as " Man of
Ninsah."
The line represented by the row of points probably contained the name of the month.
The numeral in line 8 is unfortunately effaced, but as the space for it is small, it must have been
width after y, i.e. IJ, and
reign numbered 34a by Radau.
narrowest
in
if
this restoration
be correct,
it
the
corresponds with the date of Dungi's
GRAIN FOR WORKMEN
FOR WORKMEN.
24. GRAIN
'HpABLET
with envelope, the former
by 38
mm.
in five divisions
The
which
tablet,
mm.
2>^
on the obverse, and seven lines
the reverse of which
is
is
inscribed with six lines of writing
the last written below, in the centre), and six lines on the reverse,
on each
side,
The
four divisions on the reverse.
in
envelope,
broken, has five lines of writing on the obverse (the final character of
The
left-hand side by the break.

lines
mm.
high by 3 cm. wide, and the latter 43.5
as usual, ruled,
is,
45
seal of the scribe is impressed
all
of
them damaged on the

third and fourth
between the
and on the edges.
Obverse of the Tablet.

I.
lugala
..IH^t^
3.
gi
16 men, 60 qa of royal
as gurus sus qa se
grain each
ta
nimin qa
gurus
4.
imina gurus usu qa-ta
"W^^^wr
5.
se-bi
TM^C^^^fyr
6.
a-bala-du-a-tara-me
lama u qa gur
man, 40 qa
men, 30 qa each
their grain
is
gur
10 qa,
(they are) the water-channel cutters
Reverse.
7.
pa
8.
ki
Sur
ni
10.
sah
se-ba
ku
mu
ta
An-sa-an
ba -
Sur-sah.
From Enima-Bau,
the
food for the
Izin-<*'"=''^
iti
Dumu
12.
Official
Enima-clingifBa-u
tiikii,
month
Izin-
Dumu-zi,
zi
(ki)
hula
Year he ravaged Ansan.
NOTES.
On
the envelope lines i and 2 form one

5.
1^
The
last line of
se-ba a-bala-du-atar
Line 7 has also an interesting variant
[^,It?^^>
line.
6.
the obverse reads as follows
food of the irrigation-
channel cutters.
duba Sur-sah gala-ni
seal of Sur-sah, the sâla-ni.
TABUrrS
TIIK AMlll-.KST
4.6
Other instances of the name Sur-Sah occur, but none that I have been able to identify with the official
The cylinder-seal, which shows a seated goddess, into whose presence the owner of the seal
being led, has a portion of the father's name, as follows:
here named.
is
Sur
dumu
Sur-ah,
Lugal-
son of Lugal-
the traces it is probable that the character at the end of the second
which case we should have to read " son of Lugal-izina."
From
tTtJ.
sah
in
....
line-is to
be completed as
The etymology of the long word in line 6, a-baladiia tara-ine, is apparently as follows a, " water,"
plural ending.
The people enumerated, who were
6ala, "to flow," </?/," to make," iara, "to cut,"
apparently not slaves, were therefore those who cut the channel which made the water to flow. The
:
;///,
plural
is
t/ie
in the text of
omitted
the envelope.
simply called pa, "official," on the tablet, but on the envelope he appears as the
One of the
scribe, and has another title, namely, gala-ni, the meaning of which is as yet unknown.
inscriptions published by Reisner has the variant J?^ f^ for
jf^-, with the same reading.
Siir-Iah, in line 7,
is
^^
The envelope
also gives the second character of line 8 clearly as ^JzJ, cnima,
hence the reading
adopted.
The Semitic equivalent of se-ba in line 10 and 6 of the envelope is ebru or ubru, rendered as "corn,"
The supplies in question were possibly dealt out to the men named in order to celebrate properly
This month is probably
festival of Tamnniz, in the month of which the document is dated.
"food."
the
Tisri, the 7th of the
he ravaged .\nsan"
The
following
16
is
is
Babylonian year (so Radau), corresponding with September-October.

the 37th of that writer's list for the reign of Dungi.
an analysis of the total given
men
receiving 60 qa of grain each
receiving 40
r/^?
...
...
7 receiving lO qa
...
...
in line 5
3 .?/
...
...
...
210
,,
Total
As
is
usual, the highest paid are
mentioned
first.
60 qa
...
.(fwr
10 qa
"The
year
OFFERING OF A GARMENT
25. OFFERING
47
OF A GARMENT.
Dec.
A N
mm.
inner tablet, 26
mm.
high by 23.5
and
divisions on the obverse,
good condition, but the obverse
is
'05,
8.
wide, inscribed with four hnes of writing in two
six lines in four divisions
The
on the reverse.
text
is in
cracked, possibly from shrinkage at the time the object was
originally baked.
Obverse.
I.
Gi tuga da-gu-hu-
um
3.
royal daguhti-
lugala
garment,
mina-sanabi
ki-lala-bi
ma-na
lal
weight
its
mana
es gin
25-
less 3 shekels,
Reverse.
^^ ^rU,
5.
mu
6.
Sur
7.
Iti
izin
mu
us-sa
du
diiigiiX)a-mu
Sur-damu has brought.
"I
dingirDun- I
gi
an
An
Month Izin-Dungi,
sa- \
(ki)
year after Ansan.
NOTES.
What
as
the daguhu>"-%'ixva&\\\. was
"royal"
(lit.
"of the
king"),
not known, but as, in this case,
it was of the quality described

was probably worn by people of high rank and position. The first
it
is
character after the determinative-prefix for an article of clothing
is
certainly da, but in the only passage
occurring in Reisner this appears as

the word aguhii instead of daguhu.
.^, which, in Sumerian, has the value of d. Reisner therefore reads

The character used for gu is that for " o.x," gud.
It is difficult to say what the actual weight here intended is.
The mean weight of the heavier Assyrian
mana may be set down from the "Ninth Annual Report of the Warden of the Standards" (1S75) as being
albs. 30ZS. 6dwts. The total weight of the garment (or cloth) would therefore be just under 7 lbs.
This implies a light garment, notwithstanding that the calculation is made
(6 lbs. iiozs. lodwts).
according to the heavier mana.
If calculated
according to the lighter mana, the weight would be
just half.'
It
(cp.
is
noteworthy that,
subject,
The
in
this
inscription,
the
name
follows
the
verb,
instead
of
preceding
it
As there is nothing else in the inscription, however, which would serve as a

mu-du Sur-Daniu must be regarded as having the same force as Siir-Dainu inii-du.
pp. 16,
full
of Elam, or
18,
&c.).
mu
form of the date
is
Elam
then
itself,
as
it
us-sa
Ansan
e.xisted.
[ki)
ba-hula, "
Year
after
This, according to Radau,
is
he ravaged Ansan," the capital

the 3Sth date of the reign of
Dungi, the actual ravaging having taken place in the preceding year. The month of the festival of Dungi
being the meaning of its name) corresponds, according to the same scholar, with Arah-samna,
(that
the
Heb. Marcheswan, October-November of the present reckoning.
It
was the 8th month of the
Babj-lonian year.
2| of a mana less 3 shekels would be equal to 2 mana and 2>1 shekels,

character for " shekel " [gin, line 4) lacks its right-hand upright wedge.
'
It is
noteworthy that the
THK
4S
AMIIi:i;ST TAltLETS
26. RECEIPT
OF GRAIN.
Dec.
A SMALL
by
reverse.
25
baked clay
wide,
The document
and four of the
is
with
five
writing
of
lines
preserved, but a flake
well
There
corner of the reverse.

date,
tablet,
inscribed
is
o',,
10.
apparently the inner document
is
of a case-tablet, 3S
mm.
high
on the obverse and three on the

broken away from the top left-hand
the usual space between the end of the inscription and the
against
lines are written
the
usual
ruled
lines,
thus dividing the text
into sections.
Obverse.
Mina
ki
se
Sur-
gur lugala
<'"''
Igi-zi-
bar-ra-ta
mu
IR^^^^'-H
.;//;
of royal grain,
from Sur-Igi-zi-barra,
Se-ura-mu-ku
Sur-dingirBa-u su-ba-ti
in the
name
of Se-ura-nm,
Sur-Bau has received.
_J
Reveksk.
Mu-su-du
6.
[Iti]
7.
mu Bad ma-da
8.
ba
[Month] Mu-sudu,
year he built the wall of

the land.
dii
NOTES.
The only unusual point in this inscription is the names Siir-lgi-zi-/hirra and St'-uni-wu. The former
name of an exceedingly rare deity, whose identity is, therefore, doubtful. The latter would
seem to mean "Seed of my servant," being analogous, to a certain extent, with Se-giin-sa/iara-ta, possibly
meaning "the seed (offspring) made from dust," and Se-igga, of still more doubtful meaning, in the texts
published by Reisner. An alternative translation of the line, namely, " in the name of the seed of
Ura-mu," meaning his offspring, though possible, seems to be less likely, but may turn out to be the
contains the
correct one.
The month Mu-sudu
corresponds, according to Radau, with Tebet (December-January).
of the building of the wall (or fortress) of the land
is
the
same
The year
scholar's 40th date of the reign of Dungi.

PELIVERIES OF GRAIN
27. DELIVERIES
A BAKED
sixteen,
clay
tablet, 83.5
and on the
Babylonian writing.
not sufficient to
make
mm.
reverse
slight
high
with
amount
by 48
nine
49
OF GRAIN.
mm.
lines
wide, inscribed
exceedingly
of
of salt incrustation is
to
on the obverse with
clear
and well-formed
be seen on the obverse, but
the readings in any case doubtful.
^ f.^ i^^ -^
^^r^FFfte^=T
^ ^=^r-^
IPt
^^=fc<HH
W~^TJEJ-
^s~
^"m^^^^m^F^
Obverse.
tS se
ba
gur kigala
ta
en
10
-
ne
ûr of
royal grain
has been drawn,
pa dingirUtU-mU
Mina sus usu qa Rug-ga-gala-da urn
pa Uru-sag-ga
official
a-sag Nin-a-zi-da
field
Utu-mu.
150 qa Rugga-galada, the husbandman,

official
As gur Uku-ila uru

pa Lu-<^'ns'fSi-ma-ku
a-sag Gi-taha
Lama sus qa Lu-<5'"g'rBa-u
As qa Sur-gis-si-du
pa Si-du
official
a-sag Gir-u
field
Mina sus qa Lugal-izina

pa Lu-gu-la
u qa Lu-Hu-ne-ru (ki)
official
I ^/ir
Uru-sagga,
husbandman,
Lu-Simaku,
Uku-ila, the
official
field
of Nin-a-zida.
of Gi-taha.
240 ga Lu-Bau,
6 ga Sur-gis-si-du,
:
Si-du,
of Gir-u (or Lagab-u).
120 ga Lugal-izina,
10 qa
Lu-gula,
Lu-Huneru,
50
TIIK AMIIF,r;ST TAIil.KTS
KllVKRSF..
Snr-5aR-ga sis nin dinsir
r.
p.i
2.
a-saR Isi-siir-ra
mina
3.
Su-nigin
4.
si-a se gis-c-a
ofTicial
field
cs
siis
niniin as
Total
(|a giir
7.
gu ur-ri-ne-ta
pa <:anga '''"K-'Xin-mar-ki
S.
Mil
6.
r.ai!
iîir
226
(ja.
of the prain grown
copy of the palace.

Account from the husbandmen
official
ma-da
the priest of Nin-marki.
Year he (the king)
badu
9.
12
Amount
gab-ri c-gala-ka
5.
Sur-Jagga, the priestess's brother,
of Isi-surra.
built the
fortification of the land.
NOTES.
The verbal form in line 2 practically gives the clue to the inscription, though it must be admitted
that confirmation of the rendering, " has drawn " for bn-ta-ennc, is needed. Ba-ta apparently means
" therefrom," with the verb expressed by the compound group ZPJt^, tul-du, if we take the common
component parts. As, however, it is often a synonym of ^t^f, UD-DU, which we are told
pronounce c an abbreviation apparently of en or evt {eg is also possible) the value of en has been
chosen, on account of the following ne, which is possibly a phonetic complement. The meaning of the
root is "to rise, come forth, grow (of plants)," and also, seemingly, "to drive or draw," of a chariot.
In any case, it apparently refers to the amounts of grain granted to the husbandmen who cultivated the
fields mentioned, and other officials.
The general superintendent seems to have been the priest of
Nin-marki, to whose temple, perhaps, the fields really belonged, and were let out to the persons named.
The relation of the king to the various temples of the land has still to be found out, but it may be
supposed that, as head of the religious system, he was entitled to a certain proportion of the produce
values of the
to
of the land.
In line 3 of the reverse we have the usual word-order instead of the more natural u mina gur es siis
nimin as qa, " 10-2 gur 3 60-40-6 qa"" i.e. giir after ii viina instead of at the end of the line but the
position of the word at the end was probably intended to indicate the metric system used.
Line 4. The meaning of si is "to be full"; sc is the usual word for "grain," especially wheat, and
in gis-ca we have apparently the root e, " to grow," with the verbal prefix gis, the force of which is
doubtful.
Gabriis the usual word for "copy, duplicate," and the syllable ka at the end of the phrase is
probably a variant for gi, " of."
Line 6. As urii, plural here urriiic (or urrene), must refer to the husbandmen whose names are
given, and ta, the suffix, means "from," gu, the root of the word "to speak," probably here signifies
" account," hence the rendering adopted.
Line 7. As in each case there was an official who superintended, apparently, the deliveries of grain
(see lines 3, 5, 8, 12, 15 of the obverse,
who saw
and
of the reverse), so there would seem to have been an official
to all the items entered in the account,
marki, as
been alread}' pointed out.

priestess's brother (reverse, line i), and it
of the goddess mentioned.
and
One
has
is
in this
of the
case
it
was the
superintending
priest of the
officials
therefore not improbable that this
is
goddess Nin-
described as the
woman was
a votary
LIST OF
28. LIST
WORKMEN
NAMES
51
OF WORKMEN'S NAMES.
.96.
BAKED
thirteen,
by 46 mm. wide, inscribed on the obverse with

and on the reverse with nine lines of writing, the final line of each side
clay tablet, 68.5
mm.
high
being written on the edge or thickness of the tablet, where, also, each side has a tendency
The obverse
is
considerably roughened
which formerly covered
it,
and
to begin.
rv<
of
in
which clear traces
consequence of the incrustation of

still
remain
in
the wedges.
salt
TIIK AMiriRST TAUI.ETS
52
NOTES.
The
which
is
the above text is the word transcribed provisionally as Si-gar in line 6 of the reverse,
With this the
translated " ouvrage " by Thureau-Dangin {Revue (T Assyriologie, 1897, p. 28).
kcj' to
explanation given by Reisner of his no. 152 agrees, and from that and other texts
followed by a name, indicates that the person referred to worked
Icistung^^fiihig "
full
it
would seem, that ^,

it, was " gauz
time, or, as he puts
would seem to be not improbable that the doubtful character

The numeral
is '^, "a half," i.e., capable of half-time only.
"56" in line 4 of the reverse possibly refers to the amount of produce given as allowance or wages.
Corresponding with it in position is the doubtful line 7 of the obverse, which may, therefore, indicate an
amount as payment in the same way, though the traces do not favour this view. The viceroy or
pat(si Sur-Lama is found mentioned also in no. 51 (p. 103).
The date is the .same as that of the two foregoing texts, but is not very well preserved.
at the
This being the case,
beginning of
line
it
12 of the obverse
29.
-GRAIN FOR FEEDING OXEN.

9<M. 8.
A SMALL
baked clay
mm.
26
tablet,
Except
for a
deep scratch crossing from
and seven
The
colour
is
wide, inscribed with six lines of
lines in
5 the text
line 3 to line
document was
state of preservation, implying that the
mm.
by 24
high
writing in four divisions on the obverse,
five
is
divisions on the reverse.
perfect,
and
in
an excellent
originally provided with a sealed envelope.
a light brownish-grey.
Obverse.
1.
As gud ussa qa
se
")
6 oxen, 8 qa of grain each
ta
%\ ^m\
ww\
gud
4 oxen 5
qa ta
3.
laina
4.
su-nigin u gud-hi-a
5.
sc-bi
ia
total,
sus ussa qa
gi
i]a
each
their grain, 68
Ingala
10 oxen,
qa
(of) royal,
Rkvkkse.
IT
\^
^
^5^
7.
gud-c
8.
A kal
U lama
9.
10.
iti
11.
mu
dim
la
kam
Ua-gan
ku
Dun
e
gi
ba
Keeper), Akalla.
Day 4th,
month Dim-ku,
Pi-sa-Isi-dingir
12.
',.
the oxen have eaten.
ku-a
'''"uif
-
du
1
)
year
Pi-.sa-Isi-
Dagan
built the
temple of Dungi.
GRAIN FOR FEEDING OXEN
NOTES.
The
words
3, and
present text
in lines i-8.
7, it
appears
It
in
of a verj' simple nature, and there
is consequently but little to say about the

noteworthy that, though no plural is attached to the noun^^/, "ox," in lines i,
line 4, where it is expressed by j% f!^, which I have transcribed Ida.
The usual
is
is
which
have not been able to find sufficient authority in this usage of

the Cuneiform Inscriptions of Western Asia, pi. 32, 1. 65,
^y 'yj', his-ia
reading adopted, but does not indicate with certainty
y][,
that it is a
the reading sara would be the best, that word having
the meaning of multitudinousness, or something similar.
Though *^, se, " grain," appears at the beginning of the line 5, and not at the end, and the
transcription, however,
the group.
is ztin,
for
The variant given in the fifth vol. of

hi-a, supports the
(= hi-a) for .^
plural.
Were it not for the final a,
character ^J^^^., lugala, below, the four-column syllabary which mentions " royal grain," and other
inscriptions, in which the word for " king " occurs, seem to show that it was the object, and not the
measure, which was " royal."
Gud
has been given as the pronunciation of the word for "ox" in lines i, 3, and 7, but the d
The non-Semitic name of the month lyyar appears as 3 t t^* *+! "+1'
Gu-si-si, instead of Gud-si-sa, in an inscription belonging to the Rev. Dr. Way, and the reading gue
was probably not pronounced.
instead of gude, in line 7 of the inscription here dealt with, would probably be more in accordance with
It is noteworthy that the \erb kuc, which follows, accords with the
the system of writing adopted.
noun
in being unprovided with a plural sign.

Akalla being a not uncommon name, it
is
at present impossible
to
identify the person
mentioned
here.
Iti Diin-kii,
" the month of the eating of increase," corresponds
= August-September.
in
Radau with
Elul, the 6th
month
The
date corresponds with the 42nd of Dungi in Radau's

" house," precedes
, e,
list, and has variants in other texts, the most important being that in which
Pi-sa-Isi-Dagan, and i Dungi, " the house of Dungi," is omitted. " Year Pi-sa-Lsi-Dagan built the
temple," therefore, would seem to mean the year he built " the temple of Dungi." But perhaps it is
of the Babylonian year,
^f
merely the " house,"
In that case, however, we should

i.e., the palace, of that king, which is intended.
expect rather e-gala, "the great house," which became the usual word for "palace," though in the
form of hckal, in Hebrew and Arabic, it has the meaning of "temple," which, in ancient Sumerian, was
expressed by the
The
first
identity of
who have
word of the compound
^^^
written upon
it,
{/)
in line 11 is doubtful.
comes
alone.
Radau,
after
quoting the opinions of the Assyriologists
to the conclusion that Scheil
is
right in regarding
it
as the Assyrian
Sumerian ibi7-a, Semitic tamkaru, generally translated "agent." In consequence of a variant

quoted by Scheil, however, he reads it as IP. Similar names to that read here Pi-sa-Isi-Dagan occur
.-j:^5Tj,
Texts froin Babylonian Tablets, part VI.,
pi. 36, i., 1. 27; pi. 46, 1. 8; part VIII., pi. 52, i.,
This leads one to suspect that Sayce's identification with -^ rwt T Sumerian sh,
Semitic saptu, "lip," is in reality the right one, and if this be so, it is possibly interchangeable with
" mouth," and used in these passages to make a^ distinction on account
.-jijy, Sumerian ka, Semitic pil,
Saptii-sa-Isi-Dagan, " lip
of this last character standing for dinatu, " word," as well as for " mouth."
in
11.
CuneiforiJi
5, 21,
and
24, &c.'
would in that case be also a possible reading. The " mouth " or " lip " of Isi-Dagan, if
be correct, would seem to indicate that the bearer of the name had the reputation of being
the mouthpiece on earth of a deity so named, probably an old and renowned Bab}'lonian king.
of Isi-Dagan,"
this reading
The names in question

Nin-Karak and Pi-sa-Sainas.
are Pi-sa-ntinii and Pi-sa-Sin.
simplified form of
i^^
occurs in Pi-sa-
Tin: AMIirUST TAliLETS
54
OF PRODUCE.
30. RECEIPT
1904. II.
A N
unbaked clay
divisions
tablet,
34 mm.
on the obverse, and
space between the second and

the obverse, the
first
bv
high
same on the
the
The
third.
cm. wide, inscribed with

reverse,
envelope, which
five
differently
damaged, has
is
lines in
three
arranged, and
a
on
lines
five
two imperfect, and separated from the others by a space, and three on
the reverse, with a wide space between
the
The edges and
and the second.
first
the spaces
have impressions of the cylinder-seal of the scribe.
Obverse of the Taislet.

mina sus
1.
Usii
2.
in
u-Iiu-
30 t/r 120
3.
gur lugala
e-diib-ba
ka
tâ
of royal
u/iiiin,
j
")
entered for fi-dubba,

tur
4.
5.
ki
ra
ga
)
ta
from Aga,
Sur-egala
has received.
Year
after
Pi-sa-Isi-da built
the house (or temple).
NOTES.
The meaning
of uhuin (or soliuin, as Reisner reads it) is unknown.

It would seem, however, to
have been a vegetable, and is probably part of the date-palm.
Instead of " Sur-cgala has received," the envelope has the common variant, "seal of Sur-egala."
According to the cylinder-impressions on the envelope Sur-egala was son of Bazi.
It
is
noteworthy that the defective writing of the date on the tablet
the only difference being that

to
be completed
it
is
written in two lines (the division
is
is
repeated on the envelope,
after â) instead of three.
It is
accordance with the date of the foregoing inscription, namely, "Year after
Pi-sa-Isi-Dagan built the house (or temple)." This seems to have been a fane dedicated to Dungi
(see the preceding text).
The date corresponds with the 43rd of Radau's list.
The
in
inscription of the cylinder-seal
is
as follows:
GRAIN ACCOUNT
31. GRAIN
55
ACCOUNT.
Burb.
' I
large tablet, 83
exceedingly clear
the
44.
""HE upper left-hand corner of the obverse and lower left-hand corner of the reverse of
reverse
right-hand
text,
sixteen
mm.
Each
high by 56 wide.
the obverse giving, on the

lines
nearly
left,
Of incomplete
complete.
column twelve, and the reverse
in
Obverse.
jjKi^jjm
^^^ -M^
^^W^T
^
H
-^w^
TW
Column
Mina
sus
man lama
es sus usu ia
se gur lugala
3-
qa
complete
lines the
two columns of
lines of
writing,
obverse has
in
and
the
the corresponding column three, with a con-
siderable space below.
side has portions of

fifteen
I.
THK AMIIEKST
56
COLl'MN
TAIil.F.TS
II.
2.
Mina
house
3-
4.
Usu
sus u qa
5.
Lama
6.
dirig(?) usu
7.
9.
250 <7rt
overplus
....
(?)
30 [gur]
his hire
bi
ia'
mina bar geme
10.
iti
man
11.
gi
bar
12.
iti
ii-niina
13.
ia
geme
bi
(of)
190 qa
sus u qa
usu sus Q
8.
U"']
195'
.
2.J
....
the maid-servant
months
I i the weaving-woman
12 months
25
us[-bara]
....
their hire
....
....
Rr.VERSE.
The
2.
Su-nigin usu ner
3.
Sa-gala imina gur
l.\st
column but one.

Total
1800
(.?J
Food
(Space for nine
7 g}iy
lines.)
been of any number up

Only four wedges are preserved, but they may have
to 9.
GRAIN ACCOUNT
57
Last column.
Lama(?) ner ilima (?) sus.

geme utu gia-ku
lal-li
mina sus u
gu
gin
Ig
laga
Su
su
ta
Se
mu
us-sa
il
mur
mas
pa
mu us-sa bad
ma da
iti
Balance
ia
(bj-)
to the
(
month Se
ilia,
year after Pi-sa-Isi-Dagan
;-
du
ku
built the temple.
There
ni-gala
diri
Iti
the
usu-imina-kam
iti
miller,
year after (the king constructed)

the fortress of the land
Susum, the
"j
sa-dinsirlsi-da-
ba
131 qa, (and) 15
from the month Gan-mas,
la
e Pi-
gan
(?):
shekels of git-gala
dailj'
Business transacted
um
Gan
Iti
qa u
gi
sa
.....
maids
deducted.
gala
[?^-/^;-J
for the
am
Dirig
2940
an additional month
is
37th month.
NOTES.
In
this
inscription
we have again
the " grain of the
printed on pp. 24 26, by the word gig (line 3).

Lines 10 and 15 15 of the obverse have the group
in
the more perfect text printed on
mentioned.
A-
(Cp.
Sur-Nina
p.
pp. 131,
132.
king," and
f^
^f~
that
S"-S'''^j
Different kinds, with
indicated, as
in the texts
which occurs several times

details, seem to be
certain
135.)
(line
4),
apparently bearing likewise the
title
of "throne-bearer" {gtisala), occurs in
Reisner's no. 226.
Enima-Bau, with the
title
of
Jiiku,
the same person or not in every case
occurs
in
Reisner's nos. i64'9, 172, 174, and 245.
Whether
this is
doubtful, as there are 27 dates between the earliest (Reisner, 245),

the latest (Reisner, i64'9), the 6th date of Bur-Sin.
Reisner's 172 has
is
Radau's date 24a of Dungi, and

an intermediate date, the 37th of Dungi in Radau. See also the texts on pp. 45 and 65 of the present
work.
The name Gir-Bau (col. I., 1. 11) occurs in Reisner's no. 73, with the same title [nikii) as here.
The Berlin tablet, however, has a faulty date. The name occurs again, with the same title, on a small
tablet of the present collection, dated " Year he (the king) built the fortress," either the 41st of Dungi,
(The text is given in the Appendix at the end of this volume.)
or the 4th of Gimil-Sin.
The name SusW"
in the reverse, line 7, is
apparently the same as Siisu in Reisner's no. 153,
col.
IV.
one of the rare Semitic names found in these inscriptions, as is implied by the mimmation. It
is possibly the same as susu, " marsh," rapidly pronounced, thus shortening the final long syllable.
In all probability, the most important portion of this inscription is the date, which gives an interval
comprising three years, and apparently its summation in months. To make the matter clear, the date
This
is
is
repeated here
" From the month Gan-mas, year after (he constructed) the fortress of the land {Bad-inada), to the
:
month
year after Pi-sa-Isi-Dagan built the temple, and an additional month
Se-illa,
Now
the year of the building of
being the 41st.
The
Gan-mas seems
Bad-mada
to be the second
year of the building of the temple
be his 43rd.
Se-illa
is
seems to be the
first
is
Tyj
months."
the 40th of Dungi's dates in Radau, the year after
month
of the year.
the 42nd date of Dungi, so that the year after would
month
of the year.
I
Tlir AMIIKRST
58
The
number of months
total
in this
TAHLETS
period, supposing the years to have been normal,
24, but that indicated in the last line of the inscription
is
.57.
Kithcr, therefore, there
is
would be
a mistake in
the date, or the final line refers to some other account brin},'ing up the total of months to the number
It is to be noted that the period in months given here agrees with the 25 and 12 months in
stated.
lines
of
1012
them
column
in
II.,
which strengthens the probability that the period was

having an intercalary month.
really three years,
one
(the first or second)
32.
^
A BAKED
ACCOUNT OF THE PRODUCE OF
FIELDS.
R.
by 49 cm. wide, inscribed with fifteen lines of writing

Reddish yellow-ochre, deepening to a
on the obverse, and twelve on the reverse.
greyish
clay tablet, 93
iiigh
the centre of the obverse.
in
tint
cm.
<<
i^^ViKK^^"^
risw^gT
TT?t^
TT^SHE^:
^^^jirmw^m
\^^^^^4^m
\^^K^jnHff^
Obverse.
1.
15ur-nuin bur-gi
2.
a-saga
-,g
gan as mina sus usu gur ta
ka
3.
Bur-ia linui
4.
a-saga
5.
Bur-ussa
6.
bur-u
<i'"e'r
gan
^\ gan as
Nin
mina sus usu gur

sun
as usu sus u-ia qa
li-f.rV gan as
lama sus
ta
ta
21 and yV J^"" ^t
ka
,1^1/
r 150
</a
isi
the field of
ta
9 .^rt i5oo S(ir at i ^r 150 (/<7,

the field of (the goddess) Nin-sun.
8
1
jî7/i
1
j^tin
isi.
at I ,pfr 195 ,/a
650
S(U- at
.<,"///'
240
7*/
ACCOUNT OF THE PRODUCE OF FIELDS

gan
bur-ussa
sus
as
muha
ta
du
I
as sus usu qa ta
tV gan
I
gan
as es sus u - ia qa ta
lama sus ta
as
It's + 3V gan
lu
hun - ga
mina sus qa gur a
a-saga dingirDun-gi - zi - kalam - ma
Usu sus qa hur gud hu - ku - bu
a-saga
15.
Su-nigin Bur-u z\
I
I
1
at
gur 60
qa,
of A-muha-du.
field
gan 100 sar at l gur 150 qa

gan at i gur 195 qa;
S^'^ 350 ^^'' at I gur 240 qa
gur 60 qa the wages of the workmen
;
(of the) field of
Dungi-zi-kalamma.
180 qa the fodder of the cattle hukuhu.
gan as lama qa ta
-/?
gan
the
59
Total
12
gan 1000 sar
at i
gur 240 qa
Reverse.
total
total
9 gan at i gur 195 qa ;

32 gan 400 sar at l gur 150 qa
ta
total
qa
their grain
su-nigin bur-ilima gan as usu sus u-ia qa ta
mina sus usu qa
su-nigin bur-usu 2tV gan as
su-nigin bur-ussa gan

se
bi sus
usu
sus
as
sus ninnu
ia
ia
ta
gan
gur 60 qa
95 gur 115 qa.
at
is
gur
Total: 2 gur 60 qa the wages of the
Su-nigin mina sus qa gur a lu hun
- ga
Sur - D.P.
Nina
su-nigin usu sus hur gud hu - ku - bu
agent
gir
Total
8.
su niginigin sus usu imina mina sus ninnu-ia qa gur
9.
pa
Nam
ro.
gud
Uru
II.
Mu
12.
Da-ean ba-du
maha
Year
us-sa e Pi-sa-Isi-dingir
mu
Grand
Oxen
gur 175
Nam-maha.
total: 97
:
qa.
of the city Uru.
after Pi-sa-Isi-
Dagan
workmen
Sur-Nina.
180 qa the fodder of the oxen hukubu
Overseer
ki
built the
bi
temple
year
after
that.
NOTES.
In this inscription
we have an
of certain tracts of cultivated land
in
interesting classification indicating the comparative productiveness
Babylonia under the system
in use
during the third millennium before
As is stated by Herodotus, it was and probably is an exceedingly fruitful country, such as

might become one of the world's great granaries, of which there will be great need, when the population
Christ.
of the earth has increased, as
The
it
will do, to
highest rate of fruitfulness
is
an even greater extent than
is
the case at the present time.
that referred to in line 11 of the obverse, which
is
stated to be
gur 240 qa to the ga7i nearly i gur and |, the lowest being that entered in line 7, which is i gur
and 60 qa to \ki& gan (\\ gur). The difference between these two extremes is 180 qa (i.e. * of a gur), or
The relation of the measures of capacity and surface has still to be demonstrated, but
333^ per cent.
data for the determination of these may come to light at any time, and will give scholars the information
which they so greatly need.
Lines 15 of the obverse and i to 3 of the reverse contain the totals of each class of land, including
the intermediate yields of i gur 195 qa and i gur 60 qa. These look as if the yields were only intended
I
as rough indications, easil}' expressed by fractions
twentieths, 150 one-half,
and 60
one-fifth, of
a gur.
of the gur, 240 qa being four-fifths, 195 thirteenThe entry " i gur 195 qa," however, shows that the
indications were not too rough.

It is to
be noted that the totals given in lines 15 of the obverse and
to 4 of the reverse
do not include
TIIF
6o
the wapcs of the
AMHERST TAHLETS
workmen employed in the fields, which, however, arc contained in the prand total in
The proportion given as fodder for the oxen, i8o qa three-fifths of a .j.'/// is not
line 8 of the reverse.
included in this
last,
being apparently a negligible quantity.
The names Aka-iii
(obv.,
1.
2)
and
A-vtuha-dii'^
(1.
8) are rare
they
are not in Reisncr's
list,
and
Sur-Nitin
the same seems to be the case also for the more ordinary-looking Dungi-zi-kalamma (1. 13).
(rev., 1. 6), on the other hand, is a very common name, about fifty examples of it occurring in Reisner's
In the
edition of the texts of this class alone, two of them having the title of t^r, as in the present case.
Amherst
son
collection,
no.
190 (an undated tablet) mentions a nu-banda or "overseer" named Sur-Ntna,

latter is the name of the official mentioned in line 9 of the rev. of the text
of Niumiin/ja, which
here translated.
The
date corresponds with the 44th of the reign of Dungi, according to Radau.
33. A
DELIVERY OF GRAIN.
'73-
A BAKED
high by 43 mm. wide.

Surface rolled over with the cylinder-seal of the scribe.
clay tablet, with the envelope unbroken, 46
reddish-yellow.
mm.
Colour,
OnvERsr:.
^4:^îm>^
^ ^^-<^^f
^
^-
As
2.
sag-gala erin-na-su
sustenance for the people,
3-
ki Sur-di"Birgibis-ta
from Sur-gibis.
4.
Diiba A-sag-ga
Seal of A-sagga,
60 ffur of royal grain,
se gur lugala
4<^;ET
l:^^^^
Reverse.
5.
nii-tur A-lni-a
6.
Iti
7.
mu
'
In
A-muha-du
'S^TT5.ti[=
J^
Month Tebct,
Mu-su-du
Sa-as-ru-um
ba
As.syrian
overseer of Ahua.
(ki)
hula
Sasru.
^,
is taken to be equivalent to the

(y]f 'SA'A
Î) the second element, îT-y
(jV. written within ^zTtT), which has the value of wuh[a).
A DELIVERY OF GRAIN
6i
NOTES.
The
owner being
C3linder-seal has the usual representation of the
his god, or,
more probably,
his goddess,
who
is
led,
by a divine attendant, before
seated, in the usual conventional attitude, on the right.
As the impressions are not well made, the design shown by the various imprints is not preserved
do not appear. The inscription seems to read as follows
entirety, so that the deity's attributes
-E
rt:
In the
first
1JSI
doubtful character,
^l
l>ara,
in its
Bara (?)-sag-kus (?)

dub - sara
Bara (?)-sag-kus
dumu
son of Makurri.
(?),
the scribe,
Ma-gur-ri
the traces of three wedges at least on the
left
are certainly visible,
and an arrangement of slanting wedges is to be seen between the two large horizontal strokes, so that
The last character of this name, transcribed kus,
the reading adopted would seem to be the most likely.
is
also uncertain
it
%}^, sag-gal,
may be
in the
" to eat," and is fairly

" claim at law," &c.
The "people"
common
in
these texts.
nkullfi,
" food," from
akcilii,
nuditnnfi, " gift," rugunniiu,
referred to in the text of the inscription are probably temple-servants at least, this
so in the case of nos. 34, 35, &c.

no. 34 (see the note, next page).
receiver
lists by
For the form, compare
line, is
is
The
or possibly ^ftf, ^t.

rendered in the bilingual
sttj^,
J^ftl,
second
Sur-gibis (line 3)
of the grain, A-sagga,
is
is
possibly the
collection belonging to the reign of Gimil-Sin.
He
is
probably the same person as
same person
is
mentioned
in
is mentioned in a text of this

Marsawe, " the Marsaite." The
of that inscription, shows that the transcription
there called
as
'"
)^} ^^, which occurs on the inner tablet

'^ i" *^his name is correct.
The name Ahua occurs with the title J^ t^J, aburru (according to Meissner "citizen"), on no.
N. 26. The difference in the title implies a different personage, but this is by no means certain. The
nulnr Ahua is mentioned in Reisner's no. 94, column III., lines 35 and 45, and column IV., line g:
The Jj^f J^J Î bearing this name on his no. 21 1 is probably
also on his no. 171, reverse, line 4.
spelling
]\
of "tT-^T ^y
another person.
The reading
iti
name
Mu-su-dii for the
Apparently the name
of the
composed of the two words
month
is
based on the variant
3t *^ ST ^^^'
probably meaning, in this case, "year," and

From the fact that |Ef ^t|^ is by far the more frequent way of rendering
the compound root, su-dii.
sukluln, " to complete," would seem to be the more
it, the su-dn which is equivalent to the Semitic
Naturally a month, the tenth of the year, named "year-completion," seems to be improbable,
preferable.
is
but may, by chance, be correct.

operations.
The year
is
The
other,
the 45th of Dungi's
'
jEJ
list,
mii,
^^^> means "opening," and

or the 7th of that of Bur-Sin.
See no. 40, and others.
may
refer to
ploughing
Tiir.
AM in: R ST
taiii.ets
RECEIPT OF MEAL.
34. A
75-
A N
"^
envelope with the tablet
still
inside,
height 44.5 mm., width 38
mm.
The
surface
is
impressed with cylinder-seals, but was probably too wet at the time they were made
in any case, neither the design nor
to enable a good reproduction of the seal to be obtained
;
the inscription
;uul
is
The
recognizable.
two (m the reverse, the
on the obverse,
written inscription consists of four lines
being the date.
latter
Obverse.
^j^^j^J ^^^li:-^:^
I-
Lama
2.
sag-gala erin c laha-ku
z\
sc gur lugala
ki
duba Sur-D.P.
of the king's meal,
foodof the
men of the house of purification,
from Ninana.
Nin-a-na-ta
3.
4.
f:;ur
gibis,
pa
Seal of Sur-gibis, the
official.
Reverse.
M^^^
5.
Iti
Dir se-gur-kud
fi.
mu
Sa-as-ru-um
(ki)
The
ba-hul
intercalary
month
of .\dar,
year he (the king) destroyed Sasru.
NOTES.
The group
-yj.'i*^
tyyy< I^f is
explained by pasisuti in the text of the tablet S. 61, from
/asdsr/,
"to
It
cTTyy tyyT< Tgf in line 2.
anoint, cleanse ceremonially," hence the rendering given to ^ypf ^lyyT "^
may, Iiowever, be the name of a temple or a department of one of the great religious institutions
of Lagas.
Ninana
is
mentioned also on no. 35 as a
seller
of meal, and on the Berlin tablet
VA. Th. 2350
(Reisner's no. 245) as the purchaser of small quantities of meal from Gu-Bau, an official.
The name of Sur-gibis occurs frequently in Reisner, but it is clear, from this fact, that
it was borne
by several people, and as they either have no titles, or are distinguished by indications of office differing
from the personage here mentioned, his identity with any there mentioned cannot be established. On
no. 33 of the present collection a person named thus makes a delivery of grain, and it is the name of the
father of Sur-Nin-gis-zida and of Lugal-izina, in texts of the reigns of Gimil-Sin and Ibe-Sin, of Nammaha on no. gi, of Sur-us-gidda in a list of recipients of grain in the reign of Gimil-Sin, and a
messenger so called is mentioned on no. N. 25.
/// Dir se-ffiir-kitii is " the later month of grain-cutting."
The year the king ravaged Sasru is either
the 45th date of Dungi's
The
list,
or the 7th year of Biir-Sin.
tablet within can be heard
when
the object
is
shaken.
A RECEIPT OF MEAL
35. A
63
RECEIPT OF MEAL.
6s.
A N
envelope with
its
tablet
still
inside, 47.6
mm.
high by 43
mm.
wide.
It
is
inscribed
with nine lines of fairly clear wedge-writing, somewhat flattened, however, by the seal
of the scribe or purchaser, which
is
rolled over the surface.
Obverse.
la sus usu qa
5 -ur
zi se giir
90 qa of meal
lugala
of the king,
sag-gala erin se nii-banda(?)

c-aba
ida Kun-gub-ba
sustenance of the grain-men of the

superintendent of e-aba,
(by) the river Kun-gubba,
ma
(in)
Sur-su-ga-lam-ma
the ship of Sur-su-galamma,
Reverse.
from Ninana.
Nin-a-na-ta
5.
ki
6.
duba
Seal of Lugal-izina.
Lujral-izina
(Seal-impressions.)
7.
Iti
8.
mu
Month
Dir se-gur-kuda,
Sa-as-ru-um
j-ear
ki
of the second Adar,
he (the king) devastated
ba-hula
g.
Sasru.
NOTES.
The
cj'linder impressions give the
common
design showing the owner of the seal being led into the
presence of the deity (in this case a bearded god)
The
following
is
whom
he worshipped.
the text of the inscription engraved thereon
Lugal
Dub
dumu Da
-
ir
-Err
'Ey<T
izina
sara
-
da
Lugal-izina
the scribe
son of Dada.
Tlir
64
AMUEUST
TAP.I.F.TS
mentioned on no. ii6 as the possessor of prain, and the name occurs several
title or other indication, but once
as the son of Nammalj, and once with the title of iabrfi, conjccturally rendered " seer."
As he had
generally to do with grain, it is probable that the same person was intended in most cases.
Here,
however, he appears as the owner of a ship for carrying meal, and it seems to have traded to, and
perhaps on, the river or canal referred to, which was possibly a place where a shadouf was fi.xed, ida
Kiin-iûbba meaning "the river of the fixed tail" (compare,^' kiin zida, "the reed of the fixed tail,"
which is explained as qan vii/jri, "the reed of the (shadouf-)shaft "). Naturally the question as to whether
the groups may not really refer to poles of the nature of barriers to prevent boats entering the private
canals (excavated for irrigation-purposes) suggests itself on account of the expression iiiihru I<t tidri or
/////> fttiri, the latter explaining the Sumcrian j^'S keda, " wooden barrier."
For the name Ninana, sec the preceding text.
Liiiâl-izinn, " king of the festival " (probably because born on some great festival), I have regarded
as being more probable than Reisner's Lugal-sirivi, " king of heaven," though it must be admitted that
there is a considerable amount of doubt about the reading, and it may turn out to be neither of these.
It was a comparatively common 'name, and many examples of it occur in Reisner's Tempelurkundcn aiis
Tclloh.
See also nos. 27, 36 (below), 63, &c., of the present work.
Siirsn-f,'nl'inima
times
in
is
the inscriptions puhhshcd by Rcisner, generally without any
The date
is
the
same
both
month and year
as
36. CERTIFICATE
that of the preceding text.
OF
WORK
Dec.
A CUSHION-SHAPED
at
29
tablet,
mm.
05.
high by 28
(Undated.)
5i(.
mm.
wide, with two lines of writing
the top of the obverse, and two at the bottom of the reverse.
Reddish-grey.
Obverse.
1.
Gi
2.
dumu
Lugal-izina
Lugal-izina,
son of Sur-Lama.
Sur-'''"8'''Lama
Reverse.
3.
Sl-G.\R e .sabra
4.
ul
ulu
The work
dam
of the seer's hou.sc
he has completed.
NOTES.
beginning takes the place of the
izina had worked full time.
Perhaps, however, it
If y at the
paid the
full
amount
to
which he was entitled
the rendering given above as the correct one,
For
&
{J.
it
is
before
names
(see no. 28),
better to regard
it
it
would mean that Lugal-
as indicating that he had been
su qa, "60 qa" of grain or other produce).

simply means " i (man), Lugal-izina," &c.
Taking
si-G.\R, see p. 52.
^cf'^ ^cj*,
ul'ul (line 4),
is
the equivalent of suklnlu, " to cause to complete."
tion of the third person singular, pi. -damciics.
-Dam
is
a termina-
GRAIN AS WAGES
65
37._GRAIN AS WAGES.
Dec.
A SMALL
on
the
baked
tablet, 31
obverse, and
not very clear, and
flake
mm.
has
chipped
last line of that
text having
been continued round on
side
and the
'05,
13.
wide, inscribed with five lines of writing
The
at the lower right-hand corner of
off
first
and
lines 4
text
is
the obverse,
of the reverse imperfect, those portions of the
right-hand edge.
to the
and partly concealing
mm.
the reverse and edges above and below.
seven on
making the
to the reverse
high by 28.3
show
piece of baked clay adhering
that this
is
the inner portion
of
case-tablet.
Obverse.
Mina
sus usu
iisu
gur
se
mina qa
- id -
212
^(i
of
royal grain
food
gu
_!^!er
lugala
edina
ki Enim-'lingifBa
(of)
-
11
L-id-a-edina,
from Enim-Bau,
l\
ta
Reverse.
a
lu
Lu
me
nu
ba
hun [- g;;]
lama
banda - gud
su
It!
gud-du-neus
sa
as-ru-um
Lu
Sa
wages of the workmen,

-
melania,
the cattle-overseer,
has received.
ti
sar
mu
(as)
)_
Month Gud-du-ne-sar,
j-ear after (he dc\astatcil)
Sasru"!.
(ki)
NOTES.
As, among its many meanings, ^T::f, with the pronunciation of jû, has that of " to eat,"
3.
here rendered " grain for eating," or, simply, " food."
Line 4. E-id-a-edma i^\ flf jQt fj S^tV> ^s it would be in late Babylonian) means " the temple
of the river of the water of Edina," or "of the plain." The "River of Eden," or "of the Plain"
{Id-Edind) occurs in these inscriptions, and also in those of a late date, in names, showing that it was
regarded as a sacred stream. This mention of " the temple of the river of Eden's water " is, therefore,
Line
se-jûa is
all
the more noteworthy.
(line 5) are damaged, but the reading is probably correct.

Dug-ga-Bau, and reads Duga-Ban, which is possible.
In line 6 (the first of the reverse) the character ^f has apparently been lost at the end through a
fragment of the edge having flaked away, but even without this restoration the rendering "workmen"
(or " workman ") would stand.
The month Gud-du-ne-sar (generally written Gnd-du-ne-sarsar late Babylonian ^St ^T"^ ^f S^-I
^T^ #tl) is identified with Sivan. Interesting variants (iii Gud-ra-tie-sarsar and iti Giid-ta-ne-sarsar)
The
first
and
last
Reisner regards this
characters of
name
Enim-Bau
as a variant of
The date "after Sasru " i.e., "after (the king) devastated Sasru"',"
occur on pp. 106 and 138.
not among those given by Radau, in whose list it would be 45b of the reign of Dungi.
K
is
66
Tin:
38. ACCOUNTS
AMHERST tahlets
OF CATTLE, ASSES,
&c.
R.
BAKED
clay labkt, 13.2 cm. high by y.y to 7.4 cm. wide, inscribed with two columns
of writing on each side, the obverse having twenty-five and twenty-eight lines, and the
reverse twenty-six and twenty-nine.
The colour varies from a brownish-yellow to a greyish-pink.
J^
The
inscription
is
same nature as the sixteen-column fragment
of the
printed on pp. 95-105.
W~\mmi^]
'}p~^];^\
kf!
'^t^>^M^j
Column I. Obverse.
As
lid
as
gub
ba
Hs
gi
g'
-
ba
S"d
a-an
engara
gud
-
cow
full-grown,
4 bulls,
lid
-
E-a-lu-bi
gub
al
gud
Innia
gis
-
a-an
gis
cow
of
(year),
remaining.
La-lu-bi, farmer.
3 bulls
remaining.
I
bull,
ACCOUNTS OF CATTLE, ASSES, ETC.

9-
67
THK AMMKKST
6S
Column
III.
bib
as
Kkversk.
I
II.
bib
he-ass of
he-ass for a he-ass
16.
mina
lid
gud mina
a gud mina sag lid ala-ku
as lid amar ga
gub - ba - a-an
17-
gi
18.
zi-ga
as
13-
as
14.
15-
19.
si-ku
20.
Mina
Official
dam
Rugga, the cattle-overseer
Sur-kisal, the cattle-overseer.
3 bulls,
I cow of 2 (years),
ox of 2 (years),
ox of 2 (years)
suckling heifer,
for a
cow, full-grown,
remaining
1
cow
full-grown,
taken to the palace,

being the
a -an
gud
Rugga, the farmer.
Sur-Dun-sig-(ia, farmer.
gala-ku
(year),
for the yoke,
al
lid
remaining.
pa Sur-kisal, nu-banda gud

gis
gud
E
12.
first.
for the yoke,
Rug-ga nu-banda gud

ba - a - an
Sur-dingifDun-sig-fia, engara
10.
(jear),
he-ass for an ass
su-gi
gub
as bib sag
he-ass of
(these) being the
an
as bib sag anse
ku
su-gia
as bib gi Rug-ga cngara
si-ku
TAIlI.KTS
first.
2 bulls
gis
from the agent
gara -ta
21.
ki
22.
Sur
23.
pa Lu-uras nu-banda gud
Official: Lu-uras, the cattle-overseer.
24.
Su-nigin lama
Total
25.
gud gis
su-nigin as liJ mina
26.
gibis
Sur-gibis, farmer.
engara
lid al
su-nigin u-as
Column
su-nigin
su-nigin
su-nigin
su-nigin
su-nigin
su-nigin
si-ku
mina gud mina

mina lid gi
as gud gi
as lid amar ga
as gud mina sag
mina gud su-gi
a-an
su-nigin as
9-
ki
gud
gis
Lugal-su-gida-ta
10.
Su-nigin as
II.
su-nigin iVlal-as
12.
13-
Ilu-ma dam-gara-ta
Su-nigin es anse
14.
su-nigin
15-
su-nigin as anse es
16.
su-nigin as anse gi
lid
al
gud
gis
ki
su-nigin
lama
bilT
mina bib mina
lid
ala-ku
IV.
total:
4 cows, full-grown
16 bulls;
total
cow
of 2 (years)
ACCOUNTS OF CATTLE, ASSES, ETC.

gub
ba
su-nigin
ki
remaining.
Total 2 cows full-grown
a-an
Su-nigin mina
al
lid
lama gud
total
gis
Gud
Anse
engara
engara
Their cattle-farmers
Their ass-farmer: i.
bi as
bi gi
25-
Gud-engara gub-ba
26.
pa-te-si
for
6.
(?)
the viceroy.
Badda-uru.
Year he (Dungi) proclaimed the lord of
Nannara bv the oracle.
pa(d)
(?)
Official
en dingirNannara mase ip
Cattle-farmer's account
-gu
(issaga)
pa Ba-ad-da-uru
Mu
taken to the palace.
za
4 bulls
from Badda-uru,
Ba-ad-da-uru-ta
zi-ga e-gala
69
NOTES.
has not the importance of the inscription of the same nature in 16 columns,
printed on pp. 95 ff, in which the classes of each animal referred to are more complete, but it is
nevertheless a valuable document in many ways.
Naturally this
The occurrence
te.xt
of
^f^[
->{- in
]}
1.
2 of the third
column,
in the
middle of the animals of the ass-
means " being of the earlier number," ht. " front-at-being."

number of these animals, earlier and later, is 11 ^just the sum of the totals of asses given
kind, suggests that the group
hues 13-17.
to the " great
If this
The
total
in col. IV.,
explanation of the group be correct, then the oxen referred to as having been taken
house" or palace
in col. IV., lines 19 and 20 (details in col. I., lines 8 and 22; col. II.,
and 19; col. I., line 21 and col. III., line 17), must have belonged to an earlier return, recorded,
probably, on some other tablet. Reisner's provisional reading of si-/cu for ^f-^f is retained, but it is
not improbable that this group may have been pronounced igi-ku (or igi-sii), this being the common
reading of the two components when signifying "at the front."
The total of 4 full-grown cows (col. III., line 24) is made up of col. I., lines i, 11, and 16, and
A fifth is mentioned in col. II., line 14, and is reproduced in the total of i,
col. II., line 3.
lines 7
col.
line
IV., line 10.
The total of 16 bulls

The total of i in
4.
line II, is
For
For
contained in
col.
col.
(col. III., line
col.
II.,
is
lines 10, 15,
III., line 26, see col.
IV., line
25)
made up
i,
see
col.
III., line
III.,
line
of col.
entered in
col. IV., line 8, is that
and
col.
I.,
lines 2, 6, 12, 17,
The
col. II., line 21.
III., lines
11
and
and
25, with col. II.,
total of 9 in col. IV.,
20.
12.
13.
The
other
"ox
of
2" must be the
suckling calf
mentioned in col. II., line 5.

For col. IV., line 2, see col. I., lines 3 and 18.
For the same, line 3, see col. II., line 16.
For line 4, see col. III., line 15.
For line 5, see col. III., line 14.
For line 6, see col. I., line 19, and col. II., line 17. The totals in lines S, 10, and ii have already
been noticed. The remaining five refer to the asses
For line 13, see col. II., line 25.
For line 14, see col. II., line 27. The total of 4 is made up with the animals obtained by exchange
in col. III., lines 3 and 6.
:
For
For
For
line 15, see col. II., line 26.
line 16, see col. II., line 28.

line 17, sec col.
III., lines
and
In stating the total there
is
a mistake of
Tf
for
f.
TIIK AMIIK.UST TMU.F.TS
70
Ilu-ma, the ap;ent (col. IV., line 12),
and
Reisner (Tempclurkuudcu
occurs
II.,
13,
I.,
11,
and
niis
III.,
Tflloli,
is
evidently the person intended in every place where the
21.
no.
title
by
be read
tablet written by, or belonginR to him, is published
130, line
of the
15
His name
reverse).
may
also
Dingira-ma.
Hadda-uru
mentioned in three of the tablets published by Reisner, and in

to have held an official position (cp. line 27).
The six cattle-farmers are Ea-lu-bi (col. I., line 5), Sur-Zuen (col. I., line 14), Lu-Bau (col. II., line 2),
Lupal-izina (col. II., line 12), Uru-uru (col. II., line 24), and Sur-gibis (col. III., line 22). The names
(line 21
another his son
of the
line
si.\
24 of
is
of col.
referred to.
IV.)
is
He seems
nu-baiida giid, "overseers of the cattle," are not totalled.

IV. is Sur-Dun-sig-ea (col. III., line 9).
The "ass-farmer"
referred to in
col.
The ^\\xvl^& giid-engara-gnbba in col. IV., line 25, is taken to be the title of the whole, and has therefore
been translated "cattle-farmers' account," giibba meaning "to set," and therefore "to lay before" (in
this case, before the governor or viceroy/<7/t:j/ or issaga, the Semitic t'SJahi).
This meaning, though
not quite certain, would seem to be the most reasonable.
The year of the proclamation of the priest of Nannara
is the 46th of the reign of Dungi as given

by Radau.
For further notes on the words, see the i6-column text printed on pp. 95 ff., which, not needing
cleaning, was translated, and the notes thereto written, before the present text.
As its lists of animals
are fuller, it has been thought best to retain the notes to the longer inscription as they are, and not
transfer
them
to the present text.
39. NOTE
OF SHEEP RECEIVED.
Dec.
A SMALL
baked clay
(Undated.)
05. 53.
30 mm. high by 27 mm. wide, inscribed with three

and one on the reverse. Colour a warm grey.
tablet,
writing on the obverse,
lines of
Obverse.
Usu mina udu

ki
32 sheep
Lu-kala-mufrom Lu-kala-mu.
ta
Nu-ur-ili
Nur-ili,
RKVF.Rsn;.
f^
0^
ku
the
nii-u.
NOTE.
The name
in
some of the undated
case as the
name
is
apparently Semitic, and means "light of god," or something similar.
lists
of tablets of the Amherst collection referring to drink, food, and
of a messenger), and in Reisner's no. 152, col.
I.,
line 20,
year after that," the same date as nos. 53-55 (pp. io6-iri).
an undated tablet.
destroj-ed
in
Nur-ili
He
It
occurs
one
dated "year after Kima.s he
quotes also another instance
oil
(in
A PAYMENT OF WAGES IN KIND
40. A
PAYMENT OF WAGES
71
IN KIND.
49.
SMALL
well-baked tablet, colour varying from
mm. wide.,
The text
reverse.
25.5
the
/=T
It
reads as follows
m^
# m ^-m^
^^
i^^^^
^SS^^*
ffi^^Êitte^
il
has eleven lines of writing

:
light
in all
to
dark grey, 32
six
mm.
on the obverse and
high by
five
on
AMMTRST
TIIK
72
41. NOTE
TAIM.F.TS
OF A CONSIGNMENT OF FLOUR.
Dec.
"DAKED
lines
reverse
is
clay cushion-shaped
of
on each
writing
mm.
28
tablet,
arranged
side,
high by 28.5
five
in
mm.
" cases."
'OS,
16.
wide, inscribed with
The
upper
part
of
five
the
blank.
Obverse.
Mina
sSus zi
kin
lu
120
sc liigala
gti
Ma
</n
of royal flour
(by) the king's messenger
has gone to Maiini.
dun
Reverse.
Iti
mu
dim
Month Dim-kua,
kua
us-sa Si-mii-ni-
u'" (ki)
year after he devastated

Simiiru for the loth
time less i.
du
u-lal-gi-kam-ru ba-
hula
NOTES.
Mauru
is
apparently
the position of which
is
of the point where the
have to be found
The
tablet,
date
is
is
tiic
non-dialectic
form of Mairu, the "ship-city"
doubtful, but which lay, as has been suggested,
Habur runs
into the
Euphrates.
The number
(late
somewhere
Assyrian tyjf -yj),
in the
neighbourhood
of cities of which the positions
considerable.
47b
in
Radau's Early Babylonian History, and is the same as that of the preceding
The month Dim-kua is given as corresponding with
it in a longer form.
which, however, gives
Elul (August-September).
DELIVERY OF GRAIN FOR E-HAHI
42. DELIVERY
11
OF GRAIN FOR E-BABI.

30-
A N
surface,
within, 44.5
mm.
by the incrustation which
yellow, modified
cover the
still
high by 43 mm. wide.

appears here and there.
but the text of the inscription which
bears eight
it
Colour reddishSeal-impressions
lines
in
all
is
in
no wise damaged thereby.

Obverse.
'-^^1^
[J?^35j^^^
i^^>^
^t^^
1.
Man
2.
zi-gu e-ba-bi-ku
ia se giir
lugala
25 royal guy of grain,
sustenance for E-babi,
3-
ni-duba e a-en-na-ta
4-
ki
5-
duba Gar-u-rum ga-dub-ba
From
the granary of the high-water house,
from Bazi,
Ba-zi-ta
Tablet of Gar-urum the accountant.
Reverse.
"&
6.
It!
Mu-su-du
Month Tebet,
(Seal-impressions.)
7.
iC W-^'
8.
mu
Ur-bil-li ki
ba-a-hula
year he (the king) devastated

Urbillu.
NOTES.
The
is
seal-impression shows the owner of the cylinder led before his god or goddess, but in no case
the design impressed in its entirety, nor are any of the impressions really good. The inscription gives
but a
little
more than an indication of the characters, and seems
to read as follows:
Gar-u-rum
Gar-urum
dub-sara
the scribe
uru ba-bi
(?)
(?),
ser\-ant of tlie babi.
TUT AMIIEKST
-,
l"or "^^
Nothinf;
TAllI-F.TS
^T^T (line 2), with tlic rcadinfj !:i-ffu, compare if-i:îia on p. ^,5.
is known concerning tlic temple called K-l)abi, except that it was a
fane of
some importance.
mentioned in connection with the temple of Ga-tnmu-diiga on a tablet dated in the first year of
Ibe-Sin, ami many names are compounded with the descriptive group habiSur-hnbi, Lu-bnbi, &c.
(<v///^ = r//J) water {a),"
/:-,/-.////,; in line 3 has been regarded as descriptive: "the house of the high
but it is not unlikely that this is the name of a man, A-enun, whose house is referred to, and if so, his
It is
name does not seem

The name Bnzi
to occur elsewhere.
very common in these inscriptions, and occurs in no. 54 as that of a man who
and elsewhere as a son of Sur-Lama; as the father of a certain Sur-Hau and as the
The " house of Bazi " is mentioned in the list of early
name of a man who dealt in cattle.
Babylonian kings published by the late George Smith in the Transaclious of the Society of Biblical
.\rchEeology, and regarded by him as that from which Berosus copied his canon of kings.
Gar-urnm is read by Reisncr Gar-ii-aS, which is possible, the variant reading being due to the
polyphony of the last character. It was a common name, and is to be met with frequently in the
inscriptions published by Reisner, the most important for the present text being his no. 118, column I.,
is
supplied grain;
'
lines 12
14,
which read as follows:
<^
:^ Y
tyy
.-.\!f
-^llf
^y
t^jjjl
Man mina lama

ki
sus gur
Gar-u-rum ga-dub-ba
22 ffur 140
(of) the babi
ba-bi-ta
^X\
qti
from Gar-urum the accountant
It is noteworthy that in the text now

is clearly the same person, as is shown by his designation.
under discussion (see the cylinder-inscription), the official title of Gar-urum is "servant of the babi."
For the month-name, Mu-su-du, see the notes upon no. 33, p. 61.
From variants in other places it may be supposed that ba-a-Imla is for ba-<xn-Iiula, " it he destroyed,"
This
the having disappeared as the result of nasalization.

The name of the city in line 7 is generally written Ur-bil-ln>, as in the short te.xt printed below
In the present text the use of J?^ {ni) with the value of li is noteworthy. The date corresponds
94).
(p.
with Radau's 4Sth of Dungi's reign, or 3a of that of Bur-Sin
Vol.
iii.,
(cf.
pp. 275, 276.
pp. 120-125).
NAMES OF PEOPLE
43. NAMES
IN
E-HURHUR
75
OF PEOPLE IN E-HURHUR.
Dec.
A SMALL
tablet,
30 mm. high by 26.6
and three on the reverse.
mm.
'05,
19.
wide, with four lines of writing on the obverse
In good preservation.
Probably the inner document of a
case-tablet.
Obverse.
1.
Sus Na-ba-sag
60
{qa),
Nabasag
2.
sus Ur-ri-ba-ul
60
{qa),
Urri-ba-ul
3.
sus Sur-dingirQa-tum-duga
60
iqcr),
Sur-Ga-tum-duga,
4.
sag ^-hur-hur
within E-hurhur,
5.
ki
Reverse.
Lu-dinîrNin-
"i
with Sur-Nin-sah.
sah
6.
Iti
7.
Mu
Se
Ki
il
mas
Month
la
(ki) ba-
Se-illa.
Year (Dungi) devastated
hulaj
Kimas.
NOTES.
The above
is
apparently a short return drawn up for the purpose of making a larger compilation
Tempclurkunden aus Tclloli, no. 139) of the amounts of produce
(similar to the Berlin tablet published in
granted to 'persons connected with E-hurhur.
must
Whether E-hurhur be "the house of the
mill," or not,
but one thing would seem to be certain, namely, that some of

the people mentioned in no. 139 of the Berlin publication bear the title of Iîttt^ ""^j D.F.^âsu, "seer."
To all appearance, the Urri-ba-ul mentioned in that inscription is the same person as is mentioned in
line 2 above, but in the dozen years or thereabouts which had passed (the text in question bears the nth
for the present
remain undecided
date of Bur-Sin, Dungi's successor) he had probably risen, and instead of receiving his allowance from
that which was "with Lu-Nin-sah," had himself become a paymaster:
Col. II.,
1.
10.
11.
12.
He
5o qa Sur-Nin-gis-zida, the workman

60 qa Gar-Bau, the workman,
son of Sur-Nin-gis-zida,
name of the gir Ili-saga,
13.
in the
14.
with Urri-ba-ul.
mentioned in no. 144 of the same publication, where, in the

" seers," also occurs. Whether it is the same person who
column, a summation of
mentioned as belonging to
of Tammuz in Reisner's no. 118, however, is doubtful. Another tablet which mentions
Urri-ba-ul' is no. 117 of the Berlin publication, which has a reference to millers (^ s|> ^), and also
is
also
I^THT"^ ""^
the temple
T""'
1 The :;;i!^f
4f<T
longer form of this name.
It] ^tf^,
Compare
Un-i-bab-ul,
of Reisner's
Ajiiii-bab-ul, pp. 78-79.
no.
164"-,
last
is
I.
13
and
18,
is
probably a
TltE AMIIKKST
76
TAULETS
same
to the temple of Dungi, indicating that several institutions were under the
name of NabaSag and Sur-Ga-tum-duga.

The name of Nabasag occurs several times among
roof.
This inscription
also has the
the inscriptions of the Amherst collection, but
it
cannot be ascertained whether any of these indicate the same person or not. It is the name of a scribe
in no. 47 (p. 80), a cattle-keeper on no. 20 (p. 37, col. II., line 3), and a nara, or "singer," in a later list.
NabaSag appears as the father of Kuddamu and Sur-Nina in Reisner's no. 144, col. I., 1. 6 (the te.xt
referring to "seers" in which Urri-ba-ul's name also occurs).
Sur-Ga-tum-duga
in no.
153 of the
The month
a very rare name, but besides Reisner's no. 117 referred to above,
is
same
Se-illa is
it
occurs also
Nabasag is called "son of Gannati."

regarded as corresponding with Nisan, and the year is the 4gth date of Dungi
publication, col. III., line 11.
In line 13
according to Radau, Early Babylonian History.
44. DELIVERY
OF SLAUGHTERED SHEEP,
A BEAUTIFULLY-PRESERVED
by 40
and part
mm.
envelope with
the
tablet
&c.
inside,
still
48 mm. high
wide, impressed with the cylinder-seal of the receiver, giving the inscription
of the design.
The
text of this tablet
is
as follows:
Obverse.
^ ^^ W Jî^^ '^^^
<^JHH
'
Lama sus nimin as niga udu ba-bat

lama sus niga
2.
286
fat
sheep, slaughtered,
240 fatlings.
sila
Pf^m^rS^^'
^^
(Here the seal of the receiver.)
ki Sar-ru-u"'-i-li-ta
from
4.
gina us-bar ni-ba
the weaving-woman has
5.
duba
3.
Sarru'"-ili,
distributed.
Reverse.
Seal of En-si-nib/u.
En-.si-ni-ib-/u
(Seal-impression repeated.)
^=^ 4^
*^'% ^F^îBlJ
6.
Iti
7.
mu
Se-gur-tara
Ki-mas
ki
ba-hula
Month Adar,
year he (the king) destroyed Kimas.
DELIVERY OF SLAUGHTERED SHEEP, ETC.
77
NOTES.
The
very finely engraved, shows the owner, En-siuibzu, being led into the
and somewhat slim, with a shaven head, a straight nose, and somewhat
clothed in a garment reaching to his feet, and thrown over his left shoulder,
prominent upper lip.
His right hand is raised in salutation, and his left is grasped
leaving the right arm and shoulder bare.
by the divine attendant, in flounced goatskin robe, who leads him.
cylinder-seal,
presence of his deity.
which
He is
He is
is
tall
If
;;
TIIK AMIIF.KST TAI'.LETS
78
cannot be said, however, that the translation of ni-ba by "she has distributed" is
means "he, she, it," and ha "to share." As a noun, with
means "ointment," but this clearly does not ht. There is nothinK
the pronunciation of i-bn,
being one of the persons
for it, therefore, but to regard it as a verb, and the weaving-woman referred to as
distribution.
It
altogether certain, notwithstanclinK that ni
J^
employed who had authority to distribute the provisions in question.

The cylinder-seal, which has the usual titles of Dungi, shows that En-si-nibzu was one of the royal
Both originals
servants, and probably indicates that he was empowered to act on behalf of the king.
and impressions on tablets of cylinder-seals of this class e.xist in the various collections, and have a
Other impressions from
special value on account of their bearing upon ancient Babylonian history.
cylinder-seals of persons in the employment of Babylonian kings occur in the present collection.'
The date of the ravaging of Kimas is the 49th of Dungi's reign, according to Radau's list in his
Earlv Babylonian History.
-ACCOUNT OF GRAIN RECEIVED.
45-
Burb.
I.,
73.
T TPPER half obverse or lower half reverse of a well-preserved tablet, 40.5 mm. high by
50 mm. wide, with seven lines of writing on the obverse, and two (the date only) on
The end of the first line of the obverse is somewhat indistinct,
the lower part of the reverse.
otherwise the document
is
good condition as
in
far as
it
is
preserved.
Obverse.
Mina
es sus se gur lugala
sussan" qa
lal-li
[se
Ma
ki
ti
lum
uru
(?)
.
ta
mina lama sus usu qa gur ki Lu-me-lam-ma-ta

mina mina sus mana qa gur ki A-a-kal-la uru-ta
es es sus usu qa gur ki Da - mu - ta
gur
as
ki
lama sus qa
Sur - ''ing'fBa - u
An-ni-baab-
ki
gal
.
ni
guy 180 qa of royal
grain, less
ta
-ta
' ?'(?) of
[grain
from Matilu'", the farmer

2 gur 270 qa from Lu-melamma;
2 gur 140 qa from Aa-kalla, the farmer;
3 gur 210 qa from Damu
I gur from Sur-Hau, the gal-iii;
240 qa from Anni-bab[ul, the farmer ?].
Reverse.
1.
Mu
Ki
mur
2.
Sec
p.
mas
(ki)
ti
(ki)
Hu
ba
Year the king devastated Kimas

and
Humurti.
hula
43 for that of Sur-
.,
another of Dungi's scribes.
Or parab
(T?T).
Or "
NOTE OF DECREASE OF FLOCK
79
NOTES.
besides the date, is the rarity of some of the names.
Lu-inclamina occurs six times only, under the form of Lu-melam.
Aa-kalla has one reference (no. 44, obverse, line 6). Damn occurs under the form of Damn (^Da-a-mu,
Sur-Bau, on the other hand, is one of the most common of names, but it is
no. 194, obverse, line 8).
The
principal
interest
in
inscription,
this
Matiln'" does not occur in Reisner.
among
who
bore it the grain-merchant mentioned here

it may,
mentioned as making a deliver}' of grain in the last year
of Biir-Sin, in a text of the present collection dated in the first year of Gimil-Sin.
The name Urri-bab-nl (see p. 75) suggests that the name in line 7 ought to be completed Anni-bab-id,
the two being manifestly parallel, and both having forms without the second pronominal b, namely,
Urri-ba-ul (see p. 75) and Anni-ba-ul (p. gg, col. X., line 24), who may, indeed, be the same person.
The date, "Year he devastated Kimas and Humurti," is apparently the fuller form of that which
mentions Kimas only (see pp. 75-78) the 49th date of Dungi according to Radau. The date of the
devastation of Harsi (Arsi) and Humurti, or, in its fullest form Harsi, Humurti, and Kimas, has been
regarded as that which, in its shortest form, mentions Harsi only the 30th date of Dungi (see pp. 3g-43).
difficult to
recognize
the man}' persons
perhaps, be the Sur-Bau of this tablet
who
is
46. NOTE
OF DECREASE OF FLOCK.
Dec.
A SMALL
^^
tablet, 32.5
mm.
high by
î"^
'05,
17.
wide, inscribed with four lines of writing.
blank.
Text.
As
udu
mu
Ha
Ki
-
ba
dumu Gu
lal-li
6 sheep wanting,
mas
year of Kimas.
lul-gi
Haba
son of Gu-zizi.
zizi
lulgi,
NOTES.
For
lain, see the
preceding text.
The "year
devastated Kimas," in the three preceding texts.
comes between the two dates given by the

Both the names of Haba-lnlgi and his
of
It
Kimas" corresponds with "the year when (Dungi)

is
the 49th date of Dungi in Radau's book, and
similar tablet printed
on
p.
g4.
father Gu-::izi are exceedingly rare,
and
difficult to explain.
noteworthy, however, that though another passage cannot be brought as an illustration, the
element of the first and the second element of the latter are found combined in the name Haba-zizi
first
tablet of the reign of Gimil-Sin, where, however, the final characters are written
and
It
is
4f ^^^^
"ff^^^^r si-zi,
in a
This naturally makes the reading doubtful, but if, by chance, it be

not ^Tr'<' one above the other.
correct, it is to be noted that Zizi appears once with the divine prefix, showing that it was the name
Reisner reads ^^-355 a^s gil, making it equivalent to the Assyrian i^J^.^.^' which Thureauof a god.
Dangin gives
If, however, gil be the correct reading, as is possible, the

^l^fsljj.
probably one identified with Merodach (see Cuneiform Inscriptions of Western Asia,
Haba-lulgi evidently occupied the same position as Lu-gina in the text on p. 94.
as being different from
deity in question
II., 31,
i).
is
Tlir AMIIKUST TAIILKTS
So
FOR THE LABOURERS,
47. GRAIN
&c.
'3-
A N
still inside, 51 mm. hiyh by 43 mm. wide.

This document is
baked and clearly written, and has the cylinder-seal of the scribe impressed on
both sides and on the edores.
The text reads as follows
well
Obverse.
Man-es uru as
gi
se gur-ta
dumu-gud gur mina
se-bi
man
es
23
sus
mina sus gur
husbandmen
oxherd 120 ga
their grain (is)
i î^/ir
of grain each,
l},
gur 120
qa.
(Impression of the scribe's cylinder-seal.)
e <i'"g''Dun-gi-me
(They are people) of the temple of Dungi-
pa Lugal-dib-bu
official
se kur-ra pa-te-si
The
Lugal-dibbu.
grain, the head-man's provender.
Reverse.
'^^^S^^^f^^P
7.
ni-duba îingifNin-hur-saga
from the granary of Nin-Inir-saga,
8.
Lu-<''"g'fAzag-nuna-ta
(of)
Lu-Azag-nuna,
(Cjlinder-seal impressions.)
^FJM'^MII^
^^
9-
ki
Sur-nigin-gara-ta
10.
Duba Na-ba-sag
11.
Iti
12.
mu
(is)
from Sur-nigin-gara.
Seal of Nabasag.
Month
Amar-a-a-si
us-sa Ki-mas
(ki)
ba
Sebat,
year after he (the king)

destroved Kimas
hula
NOTES.
He who receives
The design
surface.
cylinder
is
being led.
the grain
is
also the scribe,
and
it
is
his cylinder
which has been
rolled over the
impressed shows a seated deity on the right, into whose presence the owner of the
A female divine attendant, adoring, stands on the extreme left.
IS
GRAIN FOR THE LABOURERS, ETC.
The
inscription
is
-4
as follows
cT
-JUT
%X^
The
Ijy <
'^T
JB^*T
Na
tn
dub
5=111
of these three lines
dumu
ba
-
sag
Nabasag,
sara
the scribe,
Sur-nigin-gara
not perfectly impressed, but
son of Sur-nigin-gara.
the characters may be regarded as

doubt that the name was as indicated,
the space at the end and the traces of wedges being such as would be expected for that character. To
all appearance, therefore, the produce was received by Nabasag from his father.
It is possibly the
same person who is mentioned in no. 49 (p. 84), line 3.
Urn is the non-Semitic pronunciation of -f^, with the meaning of zrn'su, "planter," which is used,
in accordance with the custom in these inscriptions, without any plural-sign.
In line 2 the expression dumu-gud seems to mean, literally, "son of the oxen," i.e. "cattlekeeper," just as, in gentilic nouns, " son of Babylon " stands for " Babylonian."
2zf J, gttr mina-hd is
written for " No gur (and) 2 soss (of qa)" as is shown by the next line.
last
certain, except the final one, g-am.
is
Nevertheless, there
is
but
all
little
The
The
grain referred to in line 3 is the total of the amounts mentioned in lines i and 2.
character me or ive at the end of line 4 is the plural-ending, so that the whole would seem to
have been treated as a compound word, something like such an expression as " the e-Dungiites." The
name of king Dungi in his inscriptions shows that he was deified

during his lifetime, as in the case of many other rulers.
For kurra (line 6), Reisner has the rendering " Unterhalt," read by Peiser kiskirru in Semitic
Babylonian.
Nin-hur-saga is frequently mentioned in inscriptions of this period, and it is known that a temple
determinative prefix before the
was dedicated
to her at
Lagas and other
cities in
Babylonia.
From the seal-impressions it would seem that Sur-nigin-gara and Nabasag were father and son.
The date corresponds with Radau's no. 50a, in the reign of Dungi. For variants of this, see pp.
and 103. The tablets printed on pp. 82-93 ^la-ve the same short form as the present text.
94
AMMKUST TAHl.KTS
Till-:
OF GRAIN.
48. RECEIPT
3'.-
T^NVELOPE
of writing
with the tablet
still
mm.
inside, 51
high by 41.5
covered with impressions of the scribe's cylinder-seal, eight

tablet
seems
to
mm.
wide.
It
has four lines
on the obverse and three on the reverse, the blank spaces and edges being
have
fallen,
appearance of the surface here,
this
in
number.
corner at the top of
flattening the
the
must have happened before the
Whilst
still
obverse, and
soft,
from
the
the
tablet
had been inscribed
28
120 qa of grain royal,
and sealed.
Obverse.
<^
^^-^-Y -^^^^^
î^S^ri^
'
Mana
ussa mina sus gur lugala
.^>-
(Impressions of the seal of the receiver.)
2.
ki Sur-ci^ gibisa-ta
3.
Sur-^^'igifNina
4.
su
ba
dumu
from Sur-gibis,
Lii-dug-ga
Sur-Nina, son of Lu-dugga

has received.
ti
Reverse.
(Cylinder-seal impressions repeated.)
Iti
^^^^^j
mu
Month
Amar-a-a-si
us-sa Ki-mas ki
ba
Sebat,
year after he (the king)
destroyed Kimas.
hul
NOTES.
The
cylinder-seal impressions
horned headdress.
The
left
hand
show a seated god

is
to the right, bearded, wearing goatskin robe
held against the breast, and the right
arm and hand, which
and
are
RECEIPT OF GRAIN
bare
from the shoulder, are raised.
attendant, whose figure
is
lost.
He
The owner of the cylinder is led before the deity by a divine

has a shaven head, denoting a priestly caste, and wears a robe
ft
THF AMIIKRST
84
-ACCOUNT OF GRAIN AND MEAL RECEIVED.
49-
A'
TAltl.ETS
oblong tablet inscribed
in
list
form, 88.70
mm.
wide, with fifteen lines
of writing on the obverse and eighteen on the reverse and edge.
and
lines of the obverse
inscription
and
six lines of the reverse
the first two

by a fracture which has destroyed the corner of the
this
mm.
high by 46
tablet.
ed;j;e
The
ol
following
is
the
text
of
Reverse.
Obverse.
itt:^
-TTT
T^r
w Y
^^^.^^J^ltHM
3-
^
^^n
45-
6.
7-
The beginnings
are rendered imperfect
p4^N4>-
44 >^
Mrtl
Tî
8.
T^
9-
fe4-4ali
"^^T
10.
(KTf^^="^FWH^=^
13-
14.
15-
^
,4^
^
^^^H^^>f
l^ >^
Kw^:^w^^
1^^^=^
Obverse.
gnr lugala
Go giir 60 (qa) of royal grain,

210 {</n) of ns,
1.
[Ninnu]-as-Iama
2.
[nimjin es es sus usu as gur
43
Na - ba - sag
Lama sus nimin
Nabasag the husbandman.

286 ^nr 255 i/a (of grainX
60 ur 120 ((/a) of ns,
Sur-E-laglag the husbandman
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
g.
10.
gi sus se
uru
as
lama sus u
ia
ninnu as-lama mina sus as gur

uru
Sur-E-lag-lag
me
gan-gud Lugal
gur
Es sus ia
usu mina mina sus usu as gur
Sur-mesa, uru dumu Lugal-duba
qa gur
^^
husbandrj- of Lugal-me.
1 85 ^/tr (of grain),
32 ^'r 150 (qii) o{
(IS,
Sur-mesa, the husbandman, son of Lngal-duba.
ACCOUNT OF GRAIN AND MEAL RECEIVED

ir.
Lama
12.
14.
ninnu mina
Sur-misa uru
gan-gud Lugal-ka
15.
Su-nigin ner imina sus mina mina sus
13-
sus as
mina sus
241 gur 120 {qa of grain),

52 giir of as,
gur
as gur
mina
gi
85
Sur-misa, the husbandman, do

husbandry of Lugal-ka-gina.
na
qa gur
Total
Su-nigin es sus imina es sus as gur
Total
a-saga Nin-ubi-zi
field
11
ia
'
1022 gur 135 qa.
Reverse.
As
sus
man
mina sus
Lu-dingirNin-sig-a
gan-gud Lugal
a-sag
380 ^r 120
gur
me
Sus u mina mina sus gur

Sur-mesa
gan-gud Lugal - me
a-sag Gar-ga - la - ga
se
nam
[Mu
field
ia
uru
[Nin]
sig
us-s]a
kal
Ki-mas
ba
da
Total
Total
la
ki
hula
[Lu]gal-uru-da
[Nin]-siga.
Year
of Gar-galaga.
1475 gur 15 qa (of grain)

187 gur 180 {qa) of as.
[Grain] grown.
u ia qa gur
[Lu]gal
of grain),
husbandry of Lugal-me,
Su-nigin mina ner lama sus usu
{ija
72 gur 120 (qa) of grain not (paid),

Sur-mesa, the husbandman-
uru
[Su-nigin e]s sus imina es sus as gur
of as,
husbandry of Lugal-me,
field of U-ki-numun.
numun
[se gis]-
{qa')
Lu-Nin-siga, the husbandman
uru
ki -
187 gur 180
of Nin-ubi-zi.
-kalla.
after he (the king)
destroyed Kimas.
NOTES.
is merely a list of the quantities of grain and as contributed by the persons whose
and resembles those printed on pp. 49-50, and 115-116.
The summations are made up in two ways, in order to indicate the totals of the whole, and so as
give the meal separately. The following shows the state of the account, taking the items as given
This inscription
names
to
on the
are given,
tablet
THE
86
The
pcculiarifv of this inscription
witli a single
line 5).
The
wedge
in the usual
way,
AMIIKIIST TAIILI.TS
is,
that the numeral expressing 60
is
expressed
l)y
five
tens,
î;^,
iîir,
instead of being written
followed by ten units, ttZ-tt (sec
multiples of 60, on the other hand, are written, as in other texts, with the single upright
It is on account of this that the numeral at the beginning of
for the iiiS or soss.
wedge which stands
line I has been restored as <<*<* ttttt }, 60 giir 60 <]a, notwithstanding that 120 ^^nr for the greater
The restoration of the number of
quantity would have been more in accordance with the total given.
.,///
in the second line is in accordance with the truces and the space, which imply that the numeral
occupying it had only one ten at the bottom, though it must have had three at the top.
- .f
As shown in the summation above, the total is 962 giir 15 q,i, which would be written y<^
total is given as y< Tj^ .- J -f 77 i>y tyy,
the
however,
obverse,
the
line
of
the
last
In
^y.
^y
V7
1022 ^'//r and 135 ij<i 6o,c/"'and 120 gn in excess of the amount indicated on the tablet, pointing to an
extra sexagesimal unit in the first case, and two such units in the other in other words, V?? for ^ after
redundant before !-.
y^, and
The produce called as, referred to in the obverse, is reckoned separately, as follows:
JJ][
1,
43
60
Qa.
210
120
150
Gur.
Line
2.
5.
9-
32
,,
12.
52
Total
H
W
*^^ t-ttt-t.
If
<-
<.-
^
*
180
188
...
EClT
<f^
a discrepancy of a single unit between this total and that in line r of the reverse, namely,
iSo q<i, probably through neglecting to carry over
^^7S">' iô qn, for yyy ZXX-t ]], iSS gmone gur from the column of qas. This mistake is repeated in line 12 of the reverse.
The reverse has only two items, as follows
There
yyy
tf^
is
tT-
380
72
Qa.
120
120
452
240
Gur.
Line
3-
7.
Total
...
:izy
?Pf
y<-^
i^y
?
?
This, added to the first total, given in line 15 of the obverse, namely, 1022 gur 135 qa, comes to
3^T1475 gur 75 qa. The grand total in line 11 of the obverse, however, is y<y< |[J < tX^
qas less than there ought
1475 S">' 15 l*^ ^" additional error having crept in, namely, a soss (60) of
It cannot be said that the scribes of this period were always good book-keepers.
to be.
For the possible readings of the character transcribed as, see p. 25. The meaning indicated is
" pistachio," which seems unlikelj-.
+ W
Sur-Mesa (obverse, lines 10, 13, and reverse, line 8) is also mentioned on no. 58 (p. 115, line (>),
where Legal-uruda (reverse, line 14, above) likewise occurs (obverse, lines 14 and 15) as a farm-owner
and cattle-overseer {iiu-banda gud).
The date is that marked 50a of Dungi in Radau's Early Babylonian Hist.vy (see pp. So, 82,
90-91, 94, 103).
TEMPLE OR PALACE ACCOUNTS.
50. TEMPLE
87
OR PALACE ACCOUNTS.
R.I.
A LARGE
tablet of
columns of writing
vary
in
length,
mm.
on each side. As
baked
clay,
152
high by 114.70
is
usual with
and there are blank spaces here and
mm.
wide, inscribed with three
these
there,
inscriptions, the
probably on account
columns
of
the
document being too large. In the present case, the middle column of the obverse and the
right-hand column of the reverse are the only ones which are fully written.
Obverse.
II.
iS.
III.
;;
Tin-.
88
ka-Iutn K'""
of dates
xî/r
palm
white
//
white
)iin-giinn
palm
.?
gi gis
4-
d-ia gis
5-
gar-ra ka-luma-ta
\'alue for the dates
6.
e5 su usu es sussan qa zal-gis
213I ga of oil
2 ffiir of sesame,
its oil 120 qa ;
mina
8.
zal-gisa-bi
9-
ft
10.
mina sus
ma-na sig-U2
lama gun sig-gi
II.
ki
12.
16.
Usu ma-na urudu

duba Gi - na
Lama sussan ma-na unidu
duba Sur-'''"S'''Nin-Gir-su
dumu-na
17-
ki
I S.
Saga
14.
15-
10 nujiia of goats' hair

4 talents of wool
from Sur-abba.
Sur-ab-ba-ta
30 inana of copper,
the tablet of Gina.
his son,
from Gar-Bau.
From
ta
Mina sus mina bar qa

zal - nuna
qa
2.
gi
3-
es gur ia qa ka-lum
4-
lama gun
6.
zal-gis
this
(Obverse.)
cjn
S'*''
ks
8.
zi-ga
The
9-
u ig zur-zur-ra
and the
sag su
II.
G ma-na sig - gi
ka-lum
u qa
sag dub - ba
kam
gia
a-du
Nis-mina gun imina ma-na
1314.
15-
sig-gi
16.
17-
lama
es sus
ninnu
19.
20.
ia
qa ka-
sussan qa zal-nun-dug-ga
bar qa zal-nuna
mina - kam
Mina sus nis qa ka-lum
du
gir Du
a-du
24.
25-
duuui pa-te-si
offerings (?)
Ilia II a
10
of wool,
10 qa of dates,
on the tablet
the
)
first
time.
22 talents 7 ntana of wool
nis-lama qa zal-gis
23-
2 deliveries
.?'"'
235
(1'^
of
dates
lum gur
1 8.
of dates
within the leather bags
gan
10.
12.
1'^
6 iitana 4 shekels of copper.
ma-na lama gin urudu

mina
7-
oil.
qa of butter
4 talents 2 vtnna of goats'

hair;
sig-
nz
dug
of
4 talents 26| niana

^ (shekel) of wool
sig-gi
lama gun mina ma-na
II.
122J
ma-na
nis as sanabi
igi-es-gal
5-
of copper,
the tablet of Sur-Nin-Girsu,
Gar-dingirBa-u-ta
bi
iiiaiia
4I
Column
I.
15 //w-palms of 6 cubits.
ks u
5e-gis-zal gur
7-
I.
babbar
ma-gunu babbar
pi gis lei
ma
; :
AMlir.UST TAKI.F.TS
Column
.
:;
^j
qa of fresh butter
qa of butter
24 qa of oil,
the second time.
140 qa of dates,
official
Dudu,
son of the palcsi.
TEMPLE OR PALACE ACCOUNTS
Column
2.
duba pa-te-si-gu
Usu-mina ma-na
3.
sig-ba nu-gis-sar
4.
duba Sur-g'%ibis
1.
dumu
5.
6.
9.
10.
ninnu
tablet of the patcsi.
32 niana of wool,
sig-gi
for the clothing of the gardener
tablet of Sur-gibis the garden(er),
gis-sar
son of Urudani.
Uru-da-ni
5 qa of oil of the se-
du mina
ku us-bar
50
lal es
E-gal-la ba-an tur
Brought into the palace

tablet of Lu-dingirra, son of
Abakuna.
A-ba-ku-na
qa ka-lum
12.
13.
iS.
duba Lu-<îng'fNina, dumu

Ka-ma-an
usu lal mina ku ta-ba-tum
ki-lal-bi as gun usu-ussa
sussan ma-na
duba Na - mu
ig.
15.
16.
17.
Bu
10 qa of dates,
tablet of
30
tablet of
Su-nigin nis ussa gun nin-nu lama(?)

igi
Total
es gal sig-gi
28 talents 54
viana (and l)rd (shekel) of wool.
:
Su-nigin mina sus nis es bar zal-gis
Total
Su-nigin gi bar qa zal-nuna
Total
5-
Su-nigin ussa gi sus nimin qa ka-lum gur
Total
6.
Su-nigin as ma-na lama gin urudu
Total
7-
Su-nigin lama gun mina ma-na sig-uz
Total
8.
Su-nigin sussan qa zal-nuna dug-ga
Total
9-
ne-ku-bi gi sussan gin
its
ia
qa zal-gis
gis
a-du mina
17-
zi
gi
Dirig mina sus ka-lum

gis
ma-gunu-bi
gi
22.
Dirig as gi u ia qa ka-lum
23-
gis-ma as u-bi u-ia-am

u mina-ta
24.
consumption li shekel.
5 qa of oil of the 2nd crop,
consumption ^ qa
Total
Total
47 garments,
given out.
gis lei babbar-bi
16.
6 mana 4 shekels of copper.

4 talents 2 mana of goats' hair.
1 qa of fresh butter,
Su-nigin nimin-imina ku us-bar
ig.
15-
oil.
its
18.
14.
146^ qa of
\\ qa of butter.
8 gur 100 qa of dates.
ne-ku-bi bar qa
ga
Dirig mina gun usu gi sus san ma-na
es sussan gin sig-gi u ma-na-ta
zal-gis-bi usu sus gi sanabi qa
u mina qa-ta
Dirig es sus nis qa ka-lum
13-
Namu
IV.
4-
Su-nigin
talent 38
mana,
lines.)
3-
10.
and Buta.
ta
sanabi ma-na
garments,
less 2 fine
their weight
Column
2.
Lu-Nina, son of
Kaman.
(Blank space of four
I.
cond crop(?).
garments
less 3
duba Lu-dingir-ra dumu
11.
14.
(Obverse.)
III.
la qa zal-gis gis a-
7.
8.
89
Balance:
2 talents 31
and
35 shekels of wool at 10
its oil i8i qa
iua)ia
in ana.
at 12 qa.
Balance
its white
Balance:
its white
Balance
:
its
200 qa of dates
Id palm: i.
120 qa of dates,
nta-gunu palm
i.
i gur 75 qa of dates,
:
;;/(7-palms of 6 cubits are
at
12
15
TIIK AMIIK.RST TAIU.ETS
90
ma-na
ma-nata
bar ma-na
Dirig ai gun ninnfl lama SuJsan
25.
OS suisan gin sig-gi u
26.
urudu-bi nis-ussa
27.
iissa gin
niiiia
28.
Balance:
talent 54.^ mattn
3i shekels of wool at 10 viaiia

its copper is 28J viana
8 shekels of copper
urudu
at ij inana
bar ma-na-ta
Rkvekse.
IV
VI.
mrr^^^
W!f^^{HI
Tf
16.
nwA^
^r^~^^
Miff
^^^B
mA^m.
H^4fe^T
24.
^t^
JT^^^Î^
Column
ku-a
1.
Dirig
2.
Dirig nis gun nis ussa bar
3.
lal-li
ma-na
es sanabi gin sig-gi
V.
Balance deducted eaten.

20 talents 28^
Balance
:
iiiaiia
3I shekels of wool.

4-
91
TllF.
92
ziir
when
it
means something
AMHERST TABLETS
offered (prayer, etc.) to the divinity.
"wheat" within the sipn made it

The group su dug-tân in col.
The
insertion of the character for
serve to express an offering in kind instead of merely words.
II., line lo, is shown to mean "bag" by the fact that it appears,
Semiticised, under the form of dukkannii [dukkan kaspi, hitraî, " bag of silver, gold "), translating the
group -^TT ^^^1 which is to be read su dtigsâu, not su-bir. This word occurs in Reisner, no. 1464
Ga-dubba iiii-gaba-û A su dug-gan Gagara nin dingira-ra ui-gala, "(To) the accountant. It is the label
and leather bag of Gagara, the priestess."
It is doubtful whether the syllable su was pronounced.
The reverse begins with the totals, some of which, however, are a little difficult to test, either on
account of the details not being stated with sufficient clearness, or because of uncertainty in the reading
of the document. This is the case with the first entry in col. IV., which deals with the wool. The
ne.xt, which is the total of oil, 1464 qa, is the summation of 122J qa and 24 qa given in lines i and 21
of col. II. The other items, upon the same system of comparison, are as follows:
Col. IV., line i.
The total of the wool, 28 talents I5(?) uiana, and i of a shekel, is more than
the items in cols. II. and III. by i talent, as the following sum will show:
'
Col.
II.,

"îyyj
in later
93
Babylonian inscriptions, and
the "Gifts to a Babylonian
Bit-ili
Oriental Record in April, iSS8.
As
a corrected rendering of
it
here:
in all probability an illustration of its use is to be found in

or Bethel," published by the present writer in the Babylonian and
the text is not without interest for inscriptions of this class, I give
" 765 measures of grain

for Bit-ili, which Sakin-sumi for loans
has received from the hands of Nergal-iddina.
The
grain which Sakin-sumi holds for Bit-ili
150 measures which
is
the hire from the hands of Nergal-iddina

the governor;
84 measures from the hands of
Ikisa, the
farmer;
67 do. from the hands of Zariqu-eres
90 do. from the hands of Nabu-bel-ile,

son of Mukallim
225 measures from the hands of Bel-sum-iskun,
son of
Gamba
80 do. from the hands of Ae-eres, the farmer;

go do. from the hands of Ae-eres
and
Nergal-etir, farmers, the second time.
786 measures
Sakin-sumi has given to the Bit-ili
21 measures overplus (-TTTt >-^>-(, dtarti) he has given."
Total
To
all appearance all the entries in cols. IV. and V. with the prefix
^] ]] are of the nature of
and the above inscription of late date suggests that they may be amounts beyond what was
expected or estimated. The income of the Bethel illustrating the inscription now being dealt with, seems
to have been partly made up of the interest on loans, and, in fact, there is every indication that the
religious institutions of Babylonia engaged in trade.
In all probability, therefore, many of the entries
in the present text, such as the oil produced by the wool
i.e., acquired in exchange for it
in col. IV.,
lines 14-17, etc., are due to this fact.
The date is that designated 50a of Dungi in Radau's Early Babylonian History (see pp. 80, 82,
84, 94 and 103).
extras,
TIIK
94
51. NOTE
AMMKKST
TAIILETS
OF DECREASE OF YOUNG CATTLE.

Dec.
A SMALL
writing.
tablet,
inscribed
on
the
only with
obverse
Height 32 mm., width 28.5
mm.
five
The bottom
lines
of
05. 18.
somewhat
left-hand corner
is
indistinct
chipped.
Text.
Usu-lal-gi
mas
30
lal-li
mu Ur-bil-lu'"
us-sa Ki
u mu
I
less I
kids wanting
the year of Urbillu"'

-
-i
and the year
mas
Lu
D.S.
gi-na
after
Kimas.
Lu-gina.
NOTES.
lamb, kid, or, possibly, the

Hf"iJi> w"'-S seems to indicate a young animal of the small cattle class
young of such deer as the Babylonians at that period may have kept.
The dates correspond with " the year (Dungi) devastated Urbillu"" " and " the year after he devastated
Kimas (and Humurti) " see pp. 73-74 (Dungi 48), and 80-103 (Dungi 50a). According to the list of
dates this would amount to three years, an interval of one year "the year he devastated Kimas" coming
between. The absence of the postpositions meaning "from" and "to," however, suggest that these
two years alone are referred to.
A Lu-gina is mentioned in connection with large cattle in Reisner's no. 48, and in connection with
The name also occurs in no. 83 (p. 158), and in texts of the
asses in his no. 57 (cp. also i64'5 III. 15).
time of Gimil-Sin belonging to the present collection. As the first sign of line 5 is incomplete, another
possible transcription
find,'
of the character.
'
("the established king"), but this I have naturally been unable to

apparently the only one permissible, notwithstanding the mutilation
was probably the cattle-keeper who drew up the note.
is
Liiiâl-gitin
so that the reading of the text
He
Such a name would
therefore treasonable.
in
all
is
probability
have been regarded as a claim to royal
lineage,
and
ACCOUNTS OF ASSES, CATTLE, ETC.
52. ACCOUNTS
'HpHE
95
OF ASSES, CATTLE, ETC.
tablet, 252 mm. long by about 178 mm. high.

The clay is
and excellently baked, the surface being of a greyish-yellow ochre colour, and the
where broken, reddish.
Each side is covered with a well-written inscription in
upper part of a large
fine
interior,
16 columns
20, 20, II,
and 16
on each, containing respectively

lines of writing
was probably about 550. As

kept by the herdsmen
cattle
columns give the

of the
all
lines in
far as the
in
totals of asses
most important, to
274
the
and
14,
cattle,
in
13,
When
nth coUmin
service of
appearance,
12,
all.
12,
12,
10,
8,
3,
perfect the original
33,
28,
36,
number
26,
of lines
the text refers to the various asses and
the state.
The
12th,
13th,
and the i6th column has the
14th,
date,
and 15th
which
the annals of the reign of king Dungi.
is
one
96
nhi
THE AMHFRST TABLETS
ACCOUNTS OF
rî"^^ '^^
<^n
ASSES, CATTLE, ETC.
97
;;
THE AMHERST TABLETS
98
COLI'MN VIII.
bi[b?J
1.
niina
2.
a nu bi[b]
3.
as ansc
mina
Column
2.
nu-tur gud
3.
ki
4.
Al-la-ni(?)
gud
5.
la
6.
gub
7.
si-ku
8.
as nu-gud su-su
ba
gis-zi-
9.
....
....
18.
la[-li
ig.
Sag-azaga-gi
20.
As
...
zi
U-gu-de-a
su
an
gub
26.
lal-li
27.
si-ku
28.
as anse azaga-ta sa-a
2g.
Sur-saha
an
engar
Mina
31.
es
32.
as ane gi
suckling heifer
remaining
wanting
I
cow
bull
of 2 (years)
ass;
he-asses
I gelding
(with) Ugudea (profit (?) and
hire withheld)
remaining
wanting i ass
among the former (ones)
1
ass bought for silver
Sur-saha, farmer.
2
asses
....
he-asses
(?)...
anse
bib
bib
anse
gi
30.
33.
gul
ba
su
25.
?].
....
bulls
as nu bib
Sur-
23.
farmer
3 cows
bib
ia
24.
Official
anse
22.
the former (ones)
profit (?) of [Sur-Nin]-
Sag-azaga-gi, farmer.
engar
21.
wanting
an
ox
gis-zi[da,
17.
16.
years)
(?
Lu-melam[ma, farmer?].
Pa Sur-d'ngi'
lid
Es
gis
mina
gud
ga
lid amar
as
dub - ba - a - an
gis
lal-li gi gud
mina
lid
gi
15.
of 2
(?)
IX.
11.
14.
ass
remain[ing]
Lu-me-lam
13.
among
10.
12.
gelding foa[l
5 bulls
an]
a[-
from Lugal
Allani(?)
a[- an]
[lie-]asses
superintendent of the o.xen
....
....
....
Lugal-
....
ass of
he-ass
(year)^?) (for a)
; ;
;;
;
;
;:
^^
mina
7.
su-nigin
8.
su-nigin as
g.
su-nigin u
gi
lid
gud
lal
gi
amar ga
amar ga
as lid
10.
su-nigin as gud
11.
su-nigin usu es anse
lama anse su-su
12.
su-nigin
13.
su-nigin as
14.
su-nigin as
17.
18.
19.
sag
anse
sag
biba
21.
su-nigin as
24.
25.
26.
rr
i\
t^="
I T)
4^
COtD,î?=f
^-^^î^J
Ô
?^T
(year)
(3'ear)
total
10 less
total
6 suckling calves
total
23 asses
he-ass
total
he-ass for
total
ass of 2 (years) for a bull (and)
total
ass of 2 (years) for a bull (and)
total
ass of 2 (years) for a bull
total
he-ass for
total
ass of
4 asses, profit
for
sag
ku
gia-ku
su-nigin u as bar
ib
an ass
a he-ass
an ass
su-nigin as anse gi sag
bib
total
ku
bib
ansa
suckling heifers
total
for
mina gisa-ku
b-
XIII.
(year)
for a he-ass of i
total:
sn-su
Column
i
i
ku
mina gisa-ku
su-nigin as anse
su-nigin as anse
23.
cows of
a he-ass of 2 (years)
mina gisa-ku
su-nigin as anse
20.
22.
sag
bib
6 oxen of
bib mina-ku
15.
16.
bib
total
total
III
he-
asse:; profit.
(year)
THE AMIIEKST TAHLETS
102
Column
r.
.....
2.
su-nigin iisu-es anse
XI\'.
gild
total
î asses
4 asses profit
3.
su-nigin lama anse su-su
total
4.
su-nigin sus nis
total
5.
su-nigin es anse
mina gisa-ku
total
6.
su-nigin as anse
mina
total
7.
su-nigin
lama anse
8.
su-nigin
Cl
11.
12.
13.
14.
gi
as bar bib
su
9.
10.
bib
su
mina gisa-t:u
su-nigin as anse mina su-su
su-nigin mina bib
gi
su-nigin lama anse aniar ga
)
su-nigin mina bib amar
su-nigin as bib
ga
1516.
su-nigin
mina bib
sugi
17iS.
gub
ba
an
ig.
su-nigin gi gud su-gi
20.
zi
21.
su-nigin ia
22.
su-nigin u-lama
ga
lid
al
gud
gis
80 he-asses
3 asses of 2 (years) for a bull
^^!*^ll
99
THE AMIIEKST TABLETS
lOO
I.
m^
13
DH5
PT
f^^
?Hir
P"
:î^r:î^
^'
ft>
Column XVI.
gub
[Dug] engar
dingirDun
Lugal
pa
Sur
pa
Mu
'''"sir
te
kalag
Uru
lugal
lugal
Ki
^^1^ w
14
Cattle remaining with the farmers
ra
for
bu
an
ub
Sur
Year
\va
da
mas
mur - ti
(ki)
Lama,
Dungi,
the powerful man,
Ra
(ki)-
king of Ur,
king of the four regions,
(ki)
da
Kimas,
Humurti,
and
hul
lands
the
in
mu
mu
Lugal-dibbu
viceroy.
si
ge
Dungi
official
Lama
tabtab-ba
ma
ba
dingirDun
US
Hu
dib
gi
da}'
destroyed
year after that.

bi
NOTES,
comparison has been made with several others like it, notably
and 93 published by Reisner, and the inscriptions occupying plates 21-24 and 27-32
of part V. of Cuneiform Inscriptions from Babylonian Tablets. A comparison of all these, together with
several smaller texts, to which nos. 4 and 38 ' of the present collection belong, suggests that the animals
referred to are mentioned in the order of their importance from the Babylonian stock-raiser's point of
view.
Taking the section beginning col. II., 1. 11, it will be seen that the ^^ %I|.,f, lid nl, regarded
as meaning "full-grown cows" (that is, capable of bearing young), come first. The bulls of the same
importance follow, and after that are the animals of each sex of one \'ear old, which, in their turn, are
followed by those still sucklings. As there is no doubt that the word lid means "cow," this leads to the
supposition that the word transcribed anse, " ass," notwithstanding that it is unprovided with the feminine
suffix, ^, ought, in reality, to be translated " she-ass."
The special word for " she-ass," '^> -J^, was
eine, and this may, indeed, be the pronunciation of ^^> alone when used for the female, but it has
been thought best to give the character '^^ its usual pronunciation, according to the syllabaries.
This group (col. I., 1. 2 if.) is followed by that standing for "he-ass,"
'"^5<y, the same character
followed by the masculine suffix. According to the official publication of a small fragment found by
Mr. Rassarn {Cuneiform Texts, pt. XII., pi. 31, no. 38,177), this group was pronounced dicr and sagub,
equivalent to the Semitic viurii and sakka\buT\ respectively.
The present writer copied this text
soon after its arrival in this country in 1S80, and revised it again in 1905. On both occasions it
seemed to him that the value indicated by the Babylonian scribe was
T+y, bi-ib, not du-iir (J^ ItJ),
and as this is at present the more probable of the two, it has been inserted in the text. Sagub, the
synonymous alternative word, is also possible. "^^ ""^XT must stand for the mature animal when
followed by If and f, the group is regarded as referring to those of 2 years and i year old respectively.
In translating this inscription
numbers
26, 43,
^^
'
Cp. also nos. 39, 46, 53, 62 and gr.
104
Till-;
AMlli:UST TAl'.I.ITS
When
preceded by ^f^J, sng, " head," we have apparently an expression analogous to our " head
The presence of the postposition
it occurs in connection with oxen in col. XII., lines 3-6.
kit or in at the end, meaning " to" or " for," is regarded by M. Thureau-Dangin as meaning " in exchange
for."
It is also to be found in col. XII., lines 3-6, in connection with cattle
a cow of 2 years for a bull,
of cattle"
and a
This
bull for a bull of 2 years.
may
therefore be regarded as the most probable rendering.
The group JT "^Jff^' ^"'a'< '" ''"c 6 of the first column, which occurs frequently, is possibly
connected with the ^J Hff'^' ^"'K'l of the Cuncifonn Inscriptions of Weston Asia, pi. 16, 1. 36 be.
The phrase in which it occurs is tj
*T<Ty. SH^ S'^*" iu-gi-xte-na-nam, rendered by the
,^T flF'^ T"
Semitic narkabta âin(id'{'), " yoked (?) to the chariot." This would imply animals used for draught,
and, in the case of oxen, for the plough.
As the character transcribed su means "to increase," it is probable that the group ISJ ^, sitsu,
amount due as a reward to tiic farmer or herdsman (as engar is generally rendered, though
that is not the real meaning of the character).
If this be the case, 11. 7 and 8 would read: " i ass, the
See also col. IV., 1. 10, where
increase due to the farmer (or husbandman), in the name of Ugudea."
col. VI., 11. 3-4, where an ox is stated
it is the superintendent of the cattle who seems to be so rewarded
to be the sitsu of the etigar and Lugal-nanga, the engar; col. VII., where a gelding (?) ass is the susu
of the scribe of the oxen of the engar.
Also col. X., 11. 12-14: "i gelding (?) ass, the increase due to
Sur-Lama, the superintendent of cattle, in the name of Ugudea, from Abba-mu the engar." Col. XI.,
11.
compare also U. 23-24. From the frequent occurrence of the name
15-20, has a similar statement
of Ugudea, it would seem as if the increases due to the herdsmen and others were paid by him or, as the
text has it, in his name
by col. IX., II. 22-24, where his
i.e., by his sanction, and this is confirmed
name occurs in connection, apparently, with the withholding of the susu and hire.
Though it cannot be said that the rendering proposed here is certain, the other inscriptions seem
refers to the
to contain nothing against
implies that
it
indeed,
something similar
is
the
the descriptive colophon attached to Reisner's no. 93, col. VIII.,

meaning. It reads Gud ansc su-su L-^'ngirNin-Gir-su, " Oxen
(and) asses, the increase of the temple of Nin-Girsu," suggesting that the animals to which this group
were to be presented by the workmen or officials named to the temple of a divinity. In the
refers
British
Museum
tablet 12,913 I^Cuneiforin
Texts V.,
pi.
21-22), col. III.,
a suckling ass's
10,
1.
foal,
and
each described as the susu of a priest.

The meaning of nu before anSe, bib, and gud, I have regarded as indicating that the animal
referred to was a gelding or ox, as the case may be.
This, however, is not by any means certain, and
in col. v.,
1.
27, a suckling calf (?), are
must be regarded
line,
is
The
The
as merely provisional.
The occurrence
of this prefix, which
is
often written below the
frequent.
characters
usual
meaning
^^Hfr- here transcribed

of the
group
is
stinu,
80-1 1-12, 506, has the following explanations
and glosses attached to

sa-a
sa-am
WÂ^
t^jTn^.
sa-a or sa, are, in later times, written generally
The
"price," from sainu, "to buy."
suba-ta sa (sam)
British
Museum fragment
this character:
Isamu
sa
kalama,
tobuy,ofan\thinf
mina
[si
ma
do.
nu,
buyer
(?)
^JCLT' ''^. ^ddcd to ^^, ///, seems to indicate the adult animal, and J^J- .?"'*'' following ^^, gud, ox,
seems to indicate the same thing for the male, the character in question having, according to the lists,
the renderings zikaru, "male," and rabt), " great," " full grown " (Thureau-Dangin, Revue dAssyriologie,
vol. ii., p. 128, top).
^^, aviar, is generally regarded as indicating the young of any species of animal,
and followed by the character ^^, ga, " milk," it stands for " young of milk," i.e., " suckling."
In many cases the name of the animal is followed by the characters If
fEj, in which it has been
assumed that the numeral IJ, tnina, " two," stands for its age, whilst the last character is certainly the
postposition ]^, ku or lu, "to" or "for." The doubtful sign is that character, ^^,gi^, which is used
along with the character t^, gud, " ox," apparently to express the male of cattle of that kind. It is
therefore possible that this
is
the meaning here, the character for
"ox"
being regarded as a kind of
I05
determinative, which could be omitted in phrases such as this, it being assumed that the reader would
know what was meant. Nevertheless, it is not by any means certain that this is the true signification,
notwithstanding its probability, and time alone will show what rendering will have to be substituted for
It need only be noted that, if correct, the postposition -ku is short for
that given in the translation.
"
exchange for,"
be noticed that two series of numerals are used in these inscriptions, namely, circles and
half-circles for the animals actually on the estate, and upright and "corner-wedges" for those lost,
dead or otherwise disposed of. This enabled the profit and loss account to be recognized easily, and
it is apparently from these differing entries that the totals are made up.
Notwithstanding that years in
the ages of the animals are represented bj' wedge-signs, there is just the possibility that the numeral yf,
mina, "two," in the phrase y| ^^ ^, iiiina gisa-ku, refers to two animals on the debit side of the
account, and if that be the case, those words would mean "for two bulls wanting."'
It is impossible to check the entries with the totals, rather more than half the text only being
preserved.
The lost portion bore not only considerable portions of the account itself, but also parts of
Col. XII., 11. 14-15, probably corresponds with col. I., 11. 3-4; XII., 1. 3, is probably
the totals.
= X., 1. 28; XIII., 1. 3, is probably = X., 1. 29. Col. XII., 1. 10, gives a total to which col. IV., 1. 7,
and col. X.,
31 seem to contribute, whilst col. XII., 11. 14-15 is in agreement with col. I., 11. 3-4;
and col. XII., 1. 20 with X., 1. 36. Many parallels also occur in the case of the cattle, and judging
from the repetition of the words, there would seem to have been two sets of totals, one of them
containing the animals for the place called E-tura (col. XIII., 1. 13). The totals are indicated by the
character [eX3, and the grand totals (col. XIV.) by ^HXlI- Col. XV. apparently has the totals of profit
and loss indicated by the character XXX^y followed by I>y-> ba, " to give, deal out, distribute." It is
noteworthy that it is in this column only that there are indications of a plural, the group X^ j!^,
in
It will
1.
hi-a, generally read zini,
The colophon
being used.
one of the longest and most interesting which tablets of this class give, the date
being that numbered 50a by Radau. The five preceding tablets have this date in its short form " Year
after he (the king) destroyed Kimas."
The year of the destruction of Kimas is represented by nos. 43-46,
is
and the date of two years
by nos. 53-55.
Radau, in his note to the date which he marks 50b,

which has the date of the year after the capture of
Kimas and Humurti in full, as in the inscription here translated. Kimas, in the inscription of Gudea,
is described as a mountainous region whence copper was obtained, and it is not improbable that Humurti
lay in the same direction.
Sayce, Records of the Past, new series, vol. i., p. 56, note, suggests that
Kimas means "the land of Mas," i.e., "Arabia petrjea; compare the Mash of Gen. x. 23." Whether
Humurti is to be compared with the hamurti oi the British Museum tablet from Kouyunjik K. 797, or not,
is doubtful, as this word has no determinative prefix showing that it is the name of a country.
The
text where it occurs refers to jars of wine.
quotes in
full
the British
after
Museum
tablet
18,346,
Tin: AMIIKUST TAHLF.TS
io6
53-
A BAKED
DELIVERY OF CATTLE.
clay envelope with the tabk-l
still
inscription consists of six lines of writing
reverse, with the
The
first
The
inside, 54 mm. high by 46 mm. wide.
on the obverse and the same number on the
character and traces of the second of a short line on the edge below.
scribe's cylinder-seal
has been impressed on the sides, and also
in
the spaces between
the third and fourth lines of the obverse, and the second and third of the reverse.
Reverse.
Obverse.
J^^ît^>^M^^^^
im^m
OnVEKSE.
I.
DELIVERY OF CATTLE
107
NOTES.
The
cylinder-seal
is
impressed, as usual, in such a
engraved rather than the design.
way
as to give the inscription with which
Sufficient of the latter, however, occurs to
show
that
it
it
is
had a representa-
two men, apparently naked, but wearing thick-brimmed hats, struggling with wild animals
design on cylinder-seals, though comparatively rare on tablets of this class.
In the present case
the figure on the right holds a lion head downwards by one hind leg and by the tail, whilst that on the
left seemingly holds an animal in the same position by one hind leg and one foreleg.
The engraving is
rough, but the bodily forms are fair. Apparently the engraver had left too much space between the men
and the animals, the result being that he had to make the men's arms (which look like mere sticks)
tion of
common
of inordinate length in order to
show them
the act of struggling with the animals.
in
positions of the two groups should be reversed,
and the inscription appear on the
right or
Properly, the
left,
instead of
in the centre.
The
inscription reads as follows
ir
The
jf^
j^
Sam
dumu
"iet
sama
Samsama,
son of
I-li-utul
Ili-utul
is apparently one of those by means of which the large accounts of cattle,

on pages 66-70, and pages 95-105, were drawn up.
In the present case the
deliveries are those which took place during the first three months of the year, corresponding, if the
calendar began at the same period as in later days, with Nisan, lyyar, and Sivan March-April to MayJune. This would therefore seem to be a primitive " Quarterly Statement."
text on the tablet
the
like
inscriptions
The word
"a
ariia (line 8) occurs frequently in te.xts of this class.
Reisner says concerning
it
that
it is
employment (possibly the name of a profession)."' In this case, however, its being
followed by mu-dit and the name of a deity suggests that it refers to the animals in the list.
In all the
cases which he quotes, moreover, "offering," or something similar, seems to fit.
The deity referred to here, Nin-mar-ki, is possibly female, and as the name may mean " Lady of
.\moria," is possibly the consort of the god Martu, in Semitic Babylonian Amurru, " the Amorite." The
postposition has been read ka, and regarded as another form of -hi, " to," which interchanges with sit,
with the same force.
A Lu-Huneru (line g) occurs also on page 49, line 16.
Samsama (line 11 and cylinder-seal) is written with the characters :J^ t^, and is the same name
(though not the same person) as is read Ukus by Hilprecht. In non-Semitic names and words, however,
Uu
it is doubtful whether two different values may be assigned to the same character when reduplicated.
and Kuskus are also possible readings. The name occurs as that of a herdsman in the reign of Gimil-Sin
kind of
office
or
(no. 144).
The completion
as " son of Ili-utul "
How
to be translated
is
it
is
The date "Year
doubtful
perhaps
after (the king) devastated
of Diingi's reign in Radau's
list.
(,'eX^
it
jf!^^
J^ ^^
Kimas, year
(is)
after that,"
taken from the cylinder-seal.

the herdsman " (Tammuz).
is
"^J)
means " my god
corresponds with the date
"50b"
Tin;
loS
AMHERST TABLETS
PRODUCE OF PLANTATIONS.
54. THE
A WELL-PRESERVED
S8
tablet,
mm.
hi^h
mm.
by 46
wide,
nineteen
inscribed with
lines of writing on the obverse, twenty on the reverse, and one on the left-hand edge.
Colour a very light greyish-yellow. The ends of lines 9- 11 of the obverse, and the middle
of the
damaged.
19th line of the reverse, are
The
the reverse begins on the upper,
text of
and ends on the lower edge.

Reverse.
Obverse.
f5^42--^HT^
))
t^fUM '*în^î^'^
fr
^ << H-ii ^^H ^^
^^ î^'^'4^^-t^.AkfmM^
jms^^^^
-fc^sz
rnKR^r^s?Tp.p^
<^fT i>^^'^&^
n=^
^<m^M~î^
W^
^gjr.ir-^î^
w^^n
T85
If
^^^M<^1^
Obverse.
qa se gur lugala
1.
As lama
2.
gis-sar <l""g'fDun-gi-a-kalam-nia
3.
as
4.
mina sus man qa
man qa
niiinu
es sus
Kar-sum
gis-sar gestin
man qa
gis-sar
dingirDun-sig-t-a
es sus
gis-sar
Lu
mina sus
gis-sar
Gu-la-a-
ID.
î.-'/zA-
140
Karsu
20
</(/
(/a the vine-plantation of

the plantation " Nin-Girsu
ras
dug
.
200 ga the plantation of Sur-Nin-Girsu-guIa

120
g.
ga
Dungi's help "
8.
gis-sar
t/a of royal grain

the plantation " Dungi the defence of the land "
6 iûr 290
gi
gis-sar Sur-fl'"g'fNin-Gir-su-gii-la
mina siis
lama sus
7.
(Ui)
gis-sar ^lingifNin-Gir-su a-
tah dingirDun
5.
6.
siis
ga
.
-nu
the plantation of garlic (?);

240 qa the plantation of the god Dun-sig-ea
(/a
180 qa the plantation of Lu-dugga;

120 qa the plantation of Gula-a
.
nu
; ;
THE PRODUCE OF PLANTATIONS

Uru
es sus u qa gis-sar
es sus
lama sus usu qa

sus
sus
mina sus
180 qa the plantation of Gcme-Dun-sig-ea;
gis-sar dingirNin-Gir-su pa (?)
man qa gis-sar
man qa lu
ra
ti
270 qa the plantation of Nin-Girsu pa-harSo qa the plantation of the tiras;

[ne (?)
80 qa the
-man
120 qa the man for the work.
Total 14 (:;ur igo qa of royal grain.
[har-ne-e(?)
as
su
(?)
lu na-da-tu>n
Su-nigin u-lama es sus u qa se gur lugala
Gu-u
Ninnu qa
pa
mu
gal
Official
ne
ni
En
gis-sar
109
igo qa the plantation of Uru-saga
saga
Gt;me-<''"g'''Dun-sig-ea
gis-sar
Guu-mu, the superintendent.
50 qa the plantation of
Enne
2 gtir the plantation of
Sur-mama;
Reverse.
mina gur
lama sus qa
Sur-ma-ma
gis-sar
240 qa the plantation of Geme-Gu-silim

230 qa the plantation of Alla-mu
100 qa the plantation of cedars (?) of Gabren
230 qa the plantation of Gula-sag-uru
260 qa the plantation of Mani
180 qa the plantation of the vine of the bank
gis-sar Geme-<l'"g'''Gu-silim
es sus ninnu qa gis-sar
sus nimin qa
Al
la
mu
gis-sar u-ku Gab-ri-en (ki)
qa gis-sar Gu-la-sag-uru
lama sus man qa gis-sar
Ma - ni
gis-sar gestin (?) gu (?) d'fgi'Ba-ues sus
es sus ninnu
[of Bau-hengala
200 qa the plantation of the god Gal-alim
I gur 60 qa the men for the work.
[hen-gala
man qa
es sus
gis-sar dingirQal-alim
as gur sus qa lu na-da-tu">-me
ninnu qa
Su-nigin ussa
Ab
pa
Su-nigin-nigin
du
se-ba
ba
man-mina lama sus

qud - e - ne
-
lah
Sur-dingirBa-u
duba
duba
Sur-gibis
-
bi
iti
Izin
iti
Mu
dingirBa
ha
Total
se gur lugala
Ba-zi
su
from the storehouse of Melahha,

from Sur-Bau son of Bazi.
Tablet of Sur-gibis and Sukud-Bau
one tablet (only)
from the month Izin-Bau
to the month Mu-su-du
the second month.
ta
ta
du
ku
kam
an
the allowances of the irrigation-labourers,
Su-kud-îngirBa-u
Official
ni
ta
dumu
-
gi
mina
iti
gal
a-
me
ni-duba
ki
gur 50 qa of roj'al grain.

Abba-mu, the superintendent.
Grand Total 22 gur 240 qa of roj'al grain,
se gur lugala
mu
Left-hand edge.
^^
Mu
us-sa Ki-mas (ki) ba-hula
mu
^^^;it'^:?t^^H^^^Fl^^Tf^^><us-sa-a-bi.
Year
after
(Dungi) devastated Kimas
3'car after that.
NOTES.
Though one
The
of the simplest of the tablets of this interesting series,
it is
a text of considerable interest.
reference to the tiras in line 14 of the obverse implies that the domains enumerated were sacred ones,
interested, probably on account of his own divine station and priestly

reason that the first plantation on the list bears the name " Dungi the defence of the
land," whilst the third is called " Nin-Girsu the help of Dungi," and the name of the king is provided, in
both cases, with the divine prefix. It will be noticed that some of the plantations belonged to the deities
in
which the king (Dungi) was
office.
It is for this
of the district
that
is,
to their temples, that referred to in line 8 of the obverse being the property of
no
TIIK AMIIKRST TAHI.KTS
the god Dun-sig-6a (later identified with Merodach as the planet Jupiter) that in line 13 seemingly to
Nin-Girsu, the god of LagaS that in line 8 of the reverse to the god Gal-alim (one of the names of the
;
The
older Hel).
plantations referred to in lines 6,
9, 10,
11
and 12 of the obverse, and
lines
i,
2, 3,
4 and 5
Lines 15 and 16 of the obverse and 10 of the reverse seem to
of the reverse, belonged to private persons.
from persons (workmen or oflicials) who did not possess plantations.

Other points to be noted are
Line 3, obverse. " The plantation of the vine of Kar-su"' " seems to introduce a new city-name, and
apparently a place celebrated for its vines, which, it may be inferred from the ideograph, was of a species
which produced grapes. This suggests comparison with the karSu in Peiser's Bahylouische Vertrdge,
cvii. 7, rendered "bread," but another translation seems to be required in this passage.
Line 7. The word garaS in this line is apparently the Assyrian cffl* s%: eEJJ, ga-ras, with the
determinative suffix for " plantation." It is Semiticised in the lists as karaSii, and has been compared,
refer to contributions
This comparison seems probable,

vi., p. 292, with the Arabic <^\f.
one of the words for " garlic."
Line 15. The character t^'J is unusual it is possibly one of the early forms of ^fyT> "'> = Semitic
Perhaps " granary-keeper." On the reverse (line 9)
viaskaiiu, apparently meaning " place (of grain)."
in the Zcitsclirift fiir Assyrio/ngie, vol.
and
men
gams
correct,
if
is
of this class arc probably included in the lu vadatw".
Line
Rcisner reads nada-ib instead of ua-du-tw", which
16.
Semitic expression indicating a class of
Line
the
sum
Line
16.
The
of the
4,
scribe has written
amounts
reverse.
in the
(H!^
men employed
<::::
preceding
'^
]ff
is
possible.
in agricultural work.
It
is
14 {gur) igo {qa) instead of <tC
have regarded
a not
J
+.
it
as a
uncommon word.
14 (^"') 130
('/").
lines.
the usual
word corresponding with the Semitic-Babylonian Aiuhn,
of the Society of Biblical Arcliacolog)>, 1887, pp. 125,

rendering be correct, giJf-Iar uku Gabren cannot mean
" the plantation of Gabren-cedars," but must be the name given to it, and should be rendered, " the
plantation (called)
the Cedars of Gabren,' " as it is doubtful whether cedars ever grew in Babylonia.
rendered "cedar" by the Rev. C.

127.
He compares
the
Aramaic
J.
Ball, Proceedings
T'nVi'K.
If this
'
Perhaps, however, uku ought to be identified with some other tree.
named
The
place called Gabren
is
only
here.
The first is probably

probably a variant of X^y P*>
as in line 18 of the obverse.
Even then, however, the rendering of the line is not by any means clear
perhaps we have to regard the whole as a name, and render the words after the numerals as " the
Bau (is) the fertility of the land.' "
plantation of the vine of the bank (of the river or canal)
Line
7.
The
characters after gi-sar seem to be not quite correctly written.
a variant oi gestin (compare the obverse, line
3),
whilst that which follows
is
'
Line
9.
The
question arises svhether the class of people indicated in line 15 of the obverse
may
not be included in lu nadatw".
Line
12.
The
to the total in line
error in line 16 of the obverse
is
10 of the reverse instead of 14
reproduced here, 14 gur igo qa having been added
gur 130
qa.
Lines 16 and 17. To all appearance there were two scribes, who arranged to write but one tablet
between them. It is probably for this reason that the account is divided into two sections.
The date corresponds with that numbered 50 b in Radau's Early Babylonian History. It would seem
to have been the last year of Dungi's long reign, or the last but one.
FIELDS
55. FIELDS
A BAKED
five,
No
AND THEIR PRODUCE
I r I
AND THEIR PRODUCE.

"5-
clay tablet
50.2
mm.
by 40.2
high
and on the reverse with eight
mm.
wide, inscribed
on the obverse with
lines of writing, all very clear
and
well preserved.
impressions of cylinder-seals.
Obverse.
1.
Ussa ura a-saga Gir-nun
8 labourers of the field of Girnun;
2.
Mina ura a-saga
3.
miua ura a-saga dinnanna
4.
gan
se-bi
imina gur
labourers of the
2 labourers of
From
a-saga lama
gan
^ of a
the
field
field
of
of 4 gait,
field of Istar.
gan the grain

7 gur
lugala-ta
5-
6.
(of)
is
royal
112
TIIF.
AMHERST
TAIlI.F.TS
FOR THE TEMPLE OF
56. SUPPLIES
EA.
,8',.
A BAKED
clay tablet
29
obverse and three on

totally lost.
The
text
is
mm.
the
high by 26.5
reverse.
as follows
This
mm.
probably had
Obverse.
TT
wide, with five lines of
an
writing on the
envelope, but
if
so,
it
is
DELIVERIES OF GRAIN
57. DELIVERIES
A WELL-BAKED
clay tablet,
encased
still
OF GRAIN.
in its
and lower edges.
mm.
Some
envelope, height 53.3 mm., width 44.5
Text deeply but somewhat
Colour reddish-yellow ochre.

Incrustation on the left-hand
113
Seal-impressions
in
irregularly
written.
the blank spaces on each
and on the edges.
side,
Obverse.
Es
sus se lugala
Gu
iSo (qa) of royal grain,
gu er-du
Gugu, the mourner.
[Space with seal-impression.]
J
f[
Y~
''^^^1T<|^P^^
3-
^îna sus Lugal-ab-ba er-du
120
(.7^)
Lugal-abba, the mourner.
r=4
4.
Es
sus
180
(i/a)
Qudda.
5-
Es
sus Sur-'iingirDa-mu
iSo
(,/,/)
^#î^^^^4
Qud
da
dumu Ga-a
6.
Sur-Damu,
son of Ga.
Reverse.
=^
7.
Se-bi
mina
gi sus
gar
Their grain
is
^wr 60
Qja).
[Space with seal-impressions.]
î\4^t~M^\
S.
se hur-ra a-sag sar-gala-ta
g.
ki
10.
It
pi-
sanga dingirXin-Mar-ki-ta
duba
Gu
gu
ir.
Iti
Amar-a-a-si
12.
mu
'''ngifBur-'li'igirSin
Grain, the profit of the field of produce,
from the priest of Nin-Marki.

Tablet of Gugu.
Month Amar-aasi
hirala
(Sebat),
}-ear of Biir-Sin the king.
NOTES.
would seem that this inscription refers to certain grain received by Gugu, the mourner, from the
Nin-Marki at Lagas, and from the fact that there are four items with a total, it may be supposed
that three of the amounts in question were dehvered to the persons whose names are attached thereto,
namely, Lugal-abba, Qudda, and Sur-Damu, son of Ga. There is no statement as to the reason of this
distribution, but it was probably of the nature of salary or payment for services rendered.
Each person
It
priest of
'
THE
'4
AMIIF.RST TAlM.rTS
i8o qa except Lup;al-abha, who is credited with 120 qa. The sum of the whole is 660 qn,
equivalent to 2 sûr 60 qa, as stated in line 7.
Concerning Guru, the mourner, nothing is at present known, the name being exceedingly rare, but
receives
Lugal-abba may be the man of the temple of Nin-Girsu bearing that name, who is mentioned on p. 163.
Qudda or
It is the name of a weaver and of a dealer in inscriptions belonging to the reign of Gimil-Sin.
Kudda is a not unfrequent name, but there is nothing to connect the personage here mentioned with
any of his namesakes. Sur-Damu often occurs, but this is the only passage where a person of that
name appears as " son of Ga."
This inscription
As writer of the
is
described in
tablet,
1.
the blank spaces and on the edges
IM
-Jf-
10 as the tablet of Gugu, apparently the mourner mentioned in 1. 2.

is seen by the cylinder-seal impressed in
however, Sur-Lama takes his place, as
Pt?
GRAIN-ACCOUNT
"5
58. GRAIN-ACCOUNT.
R.
A BAKED
clay tablet, 9 cm. high by 52
lines of writing,
document was
wide, inscribed on the obverse with fourteen
and on the reverse with seven
lines, well and boldly impressed.

The
and the top part of the obverse and lower
shattered into small fragments.
Only the largest of
originally covered with incrustation,
part of the reverse had been broken
these were
mm.
cleared
of the
beginning of lines 5 and
6,
off,
incrustation, portions
and about the middle
Obverse.
of
which are therefore to be seen at the
of lines 6
and 7 of the reverse.

Reverse.
HKW^fS^
TTwr
Wî>P=^
[f
TllK
ii6
AMHERST TAllLETS
Reverse.
1.
Su-niKin nCr mina sus man-cs
2.
su-nigin
3.
se
ti
7.
Mil
La
Vnir
Î'nB'fSin
fûr
6.
5.
zi
of royal grain.
Total: 124 .<r//r 240

grain grown.
(2<t
of aS,
diimu
-
t/ii
.C'"'
Storehouse of the field of irrigation (?) and cul[tivation(?).

Ovcrseer: the priest of Tammuz
Sur-Gal-alim, son of
Official
gar-ra
c
-
120
Total: 743
sus sc Rur
mina sus lama lama sus qa as
gi^
Ni-duba a-saga Ris bi '^\i.

''''H;'fDumu
pa sanga
Gir Sur - 'l''"t;''Gal - alim
4.
mma
Lala.
la
Year of Bur-Sin, the
lugala
king.
NOTES.
This inscription
is
^,
classes of grain (the
of the same class as that printed on pages 84-86, and, omitting one of the two
The translation given to sc gii-ca, "grain grown,"
/?i'), that on pages 49-50 also.
From this it may be regarded

in line 3 of the reverse, is based on the latter inscription, reverse, line 4.
" tree," here stands for vegetation in general, sjîs-ca being a
as probable that gis, the usual word for
compound meaning " to grow," when speaking of plants. The extraordinary fertility of the country,
however, as described by Herodotus (book I., sect. 193) may, in this connection, be noted.
The phrase
gii-c-garra in line 4 of the reverse.
It is difficult to find a satisfactory rendering iox iîs-bi
likewise
also occurs in Ciiiiciform Texts from Babylonian Tablets, part I., pi. 2, col. I., line iS, in a passage
The question naturally arises whether this may not be the name of the
referring to royal grain and as.
In other places, such as col. I., line 2, col. IV.,
of the plants growing in it. This long
" priest of Tammuz "
inscription also seems to have referred to the same place, the overseer being again the
in
pi.
mentioned
line
is
2, col. III., line 24
The name Abba-dudu (obverse,
3)
(plate 3, col. III., line 4).
Sur-mesa (obverse, line 6) in col. I., line 23; Almu (hne 7) in pi. 3, col. II., line 5 Lugala-bi (line 13) in
field,
as in col.
lines
II.,
line 32 (plate 3), the field
10 and 17, &c., of that
may have been
so
te.xt.
named on account
pi. 3,
col.
I.,
line
23; and Lugal-uruda
in pi. 2, col.
As pointed out on page
25, this
is
III., line 20.
rendered
biitiittii,
" pistachio,"
tSc.
GRAIN-TRANSACTIONS
117
59. GRAIN-TRANSACTIONS.
igg.
A BAKED
clay
writing
of
reverse.
tablet,
97
mm.
high
by
'"j
mm.
wide,
inscribed
two columns on the obverse, and sixteen
in
with
lines in
twenty-five
small portion at the bottom of the right-hand column of the reverse
more than half (the upper part) of the left-hand column. The text
good condition, and treatment by an expert had to be resorted to to preserve
A line seems to be wanting at the beginning of column III.
decay.
as well as
uninscribed,
is
is
not in a very
it
from further
Reverse.
Obverse.
>^
mj ^ ft>Hr^
m^^^^m--
HMî
<]-^te^^^-
Obverse, column
I.
Ninnu lama
es sus sc gur
I.
54 S'^^
i'*^*^
lugala
se asaga
3.
ki
sar-gala
sanga J'"g'fNin-mar-kita
sus
ki
Ma
imma
jur
ni
ta
Su-nigin mina sus u-as

es
sus
frur
lines
two columns on the
^'^
of royal
grain
grain of the field of produce-
from the priest of NinMarki

;
from Mani.
Total: 131 giir 180 qa
Tin:
iiS
SaRa-bi
niimin inina pi sus
g.
diiba
nu
tiiga
a-du
Ku
li
11.
[diimu] Ki
Of
ta
7.
8.
10.
AMHERST TAIiLKTS
afja
man
mu
ussa qa"J
,q;i<r
88 qa
without a tablet
transaction
[son of]
ba-a-par
Coi.fMN
I.
42
this
II.
Kiili
Kiagamu has made.
SHEEP AND KIDS FROM A VICEROY
119
NOTES.
For sar-gala
The Mani
Kuli dunm
(col.
line 2),
is
and page 141, line 2.

is mentioned in col.
This restoration is based upon a tablet
see page 113, line 8,
apparently the same person as
Kiagainii (lines lo-ii).
in the possession of
The meaning
a-du-a ga-ga
I.,
in line 5
John Quinn, Esq.,
of adu
....
II.,
line
12.
(practically a duplicate)
Jr.
b a-a-gar {co\.
lo-ii, col.
lines
I.,
II.,
lines 7-8), a-du-a ba-a-gar (line 9),
determined by the context, and seems to be the correct rendering, though

a greater variety of examples is needed before it can be regarded as absolutely certain.
Lines 1-5 of the first column contain the statement of the amounts received; line 8 to col. III., line 7,
the amounts given out, and lines 8-12 of the same column the total and balance. The sum is as follows
(col. III., line 7), is
131 giir iSo qa (col.
Total received
Gi\en out:
Total
(col.
Balance
60. SHEEP
lines 8-9):
III.,
(col.
The date corresponds with
III.,
the
baked clay
line 6).
99
88 qa
250
210
36
,,
,,
120
,,
,,
200
,,
tablet,
31
The
,,
,,
year of Bur-Sin's reign.
AND KIDS FROM A VICEROY.
writing on the obverse.
,,
31 giir 212 qa
lines 11-12):
first
26S
Dec.
A SMALL
I.,
42 giir
mm.
high by 2S.5
reverse
is
Mina udu
wide, inscribed with four lines of
mas
2 sheep, I kid,
Za-uru-gal, viceroj'
Za-uru-gal pa-te-si
Susana
Iti
year.)
Colour brownish-grey.
blank.
gi
mm.
(No
'05, 63.
of Susa.
(ki)
Month Dim-ku.
Dim-ku
NOTES.
TT
s=fT Jl.,^ (the
name of
for "4"
first
three characters of the second line in late Babylonian)
the viceroy in consequence of the
title
following.
followed by a noun indicating another kind
It
have regarded as the

\\ is the numeral
does not seem likely that
of animal.
Instead of Za-uru-gal, Za-eri-gal
is
also possible.
The month Dim-ku

Babvlonian vear.
is
given
in
Radau
as
equivalent
to
Ululu
(Elul),
the sixth
month
of the
THi: AMIII-UST
I20
6i. CONSIGNMENTS
TAHLKTS
OF DRINK, FOOD, AND
OIL.
R.
A BAKED
clay
tablet,
45.8
mm.
high
by 33.5
mm.
writing on the obverse and twelve on the reverse
only character
damaged being
the
first
in
line
I.
and edges.
6 of the obverse.
OnVERSE.
^l^fifetfiM;r^^yi
wide, inscribed
The
with
text
ten
is
lines
of
perfect, the
CATTLE-ACCOUNT
62. CATTLE-ACCOUNT.
194.
A BAKED
lines of
wide, inscribed on the obverse with ten
mm. high by 43 mm.

and on the reverse and edge below with ten. It
of which has the remains of two characters only.
clay tablet, 69.5

writing,
obverse, the last line
is
damaged on
the
Obverse.
Es
sus imina udu-nitah
ninnu sus
6.
mu
sila-nitah
47 male lambs
ab
zi
Man
ia
-
ri
ninnu
ri
10 sheep
7 wethers,
taken away.
ga
gaau
kids,
remaining.
imina udu-nitah
g.
(?)
guba
gaau
8.
10.
55 ewe-lambs
mas
mina
247 wethers
sal-sila
ia
nimin imina
7.
ig2 sheep
gaau
sus u-mina
Lama
udu-nitah
gi
ga
25 sheep;
51 wethers
lost.
Reverse.
^^
H^^
TW^
^m
in
^^
udu-nitah
gaau;
1.
am
(No) sheep; (no) wethers

wanting.
2.
lal-Ii
3.
Su-nigin ilima sus es gub-ba
Total
4.
su-nigin u imina
total:
17 taken away;
5.
su-nigin sus ii-as ri-ri-ga
total
76
6.
Lu-uru-ki
7.
sag Gir-su
8.
Mu
g.
[Q.
na
zi-ga
bil
lu
mu-hula
543 remaining
lost.
Lu-uru-ki, shepherd
kad
within Girsu.
(ki)
dingirBur-^l'ng'fSin lugal-
Ur
(ki)
Year Bur-Sin, the king

ravaged Urbillu.
NOTES.
The total of 543 in line 3 of the reverse shows that the two upright wedges at the beginning of line 5
After >^, mas, are traces of a character which seems to be pR,
of the obverse are to be read as units.
to be read.
intended
not
possibly
is
which
es,
but
or
ab
R
THE AMHERST TABLETS
132
The pronunciation
because
is
it
ffttait
for J5^ in obverse, lines i, 7, y,
the only one for which, in the
lists,
and
has been chosen simply

This reading is therefore
reverse, line
i,
a meaninR does not occur.
seems to be the most probable.

and line i of the reverse, and ^^J '^<^, in line 4 of the
obverse, have been transcribed as udu-nitah and sila-nilali respectively because these are the pronunThey may turn out to have been read together with entirely
ciations indicated for their component parts.
different pronunciations, like t^^?* '*'> which was not read ansu tiitah, but apparently bib (see p. 103).
Judging from the first line of the reverse, " naught" in enumerations was expressed by simply leaving
doubtful, though from this circumstance
'^
it
*:<I in lines 2, 7, 9 of the obverse,
a blank space.
The
destruction of Urbillu corresponds with the date 3a of Bur-Sin in Kadau's Early Babylonian
No month
History.
mentioned.
is
MEAL, AND
63. DRINK,
OIL.
Dec.
A B.M<ED
clay
tablet,
The obverse has
probably
three
originally
cased,
and the reverse and
(No
year.)
'05. 61.
31
mm.
high
by
28.5
mm.
edges seven lines of writing.
wide.
Colour
yellowish-grey.
Obverse
1.
As
dida
{gnr of) didii-Ax\wV,
gin
standard
2.
fl-ia
qa kas gin
15 qa of standard drink;
3.
d-ia
qa
15 qa of meal
z\
Reverse and Edge.

lama gin
nim Ki-mas
6.
Gir
Uruvva
9.
10.
Iti
oil.
Contribution of Kimas.
(ki)
Gu-uru-te-
Official
dingirUtu sukkalu
7.
8.
4 gin of
zal
Gu-uru-te-
Utu, the messenger.
(ki)-ta
gone from Ur.
gin-ni
Izin ding'rDumu-
Month
zi
of the festival of
Tammuz.
NOTES.
rt'/V/iJ (line
i), sec the note upon no. 68 (p. 130).
The descriptive word gin in this line and the
rendered " standard " on account of the character meaning " firm," " fi.\ed," but this translation
cannot be regarded as certain.
For
next
is
The name
Uni-cs
of the city in line 8,
Ur
(of the Chaldees),
is
here written, as elsewhere, with the characters
instead of Uru-es-giinu (ki).

date, " month Izin-Dumu-zi," suggests that the contributions
{ki)
The
the festival in ijucstion.
referred to
According to Radau, the month corresponds with
Tisri.
may have been
for
APPARENTLY POLICEMEN, THEIR WORK, AND THEIR WAGES
64. APPARENTLY
POLICEMEN, THEIR WORK, AND THEIR

WAGES.
R.
A HARD
baked clay
tablet,
133
mm.
a half of writing (twenty-four lines

of a column (six lines) on the reverse.
high
b}'
84
mm.
wide, inscribed with a
column and
nine lines) on the obverse, and about a quarter
In the second column of the obverse, lines 5-8 have
each, near the beginning, and low down, four characters written smaller than the rest.
After
the dividing-line which indicates the end of this column, are three short lines of two and three
characters, giving rough summations.
is
al.so
The remainder
of the
column (about
half)
is
blank, as
the whole of the right-hand column of the reverse, and nearly three-fourths of the
hand column
of the same.
ones after the
left-
All the lines of the obverse are cancelled (except the three short
last ruled line of
column
II.)
by two roughly drawn and irregular
lines
which
pass from the top to the bottom, and from the top to the last ruled line in the case of the
second column.
Like the rough summations at the end of column
reverse are not cancelled.
Obverse.
II.
the six lines on the
THE AMIIKRST TAIlLETS
124
Column
I.
[Bar] Nigin-gar-sa-diiRa
2.
a^
3-
gi
Lu-'J'nei'Ba
zi
60
5-
su
6.
7-
[Bar] Lu-<''"g"Dumii - zi
[mina] Sur-J'ne'fLama
8.
ni
ni
me
Erina
Lu
-du
ur
sig
9-
sag-
as
Lu-'''"E>'^Nin-sah
II.
gi
Sur-nigin-gara
12.
dumu
13-
Bad
[120]
with Lu-ursag-sig-ea
14.
bar erin
I gur Lu-Nin-sah
60 qa Sur-nigin-gara,
me
ni
Sur-dingirDa
Lu-Dumu-zi
</a Sur-Lama
[A]
10.
(by the) hand of Erinada.
Oa
Dugga-nizi,
(/a
his sons,
da
Lu-Bau,
g-ur
4-
ga
Nigin-gar-saduga,
[i]
Dug
dumu
1.
his sons.
Dead
mu
Sur-^'neifDam-
Sur-Damu.
of Sur-Dam-
men
the
gûr Saga-ki-bi,
gal-nuna,
gal-nuna
15-
16.
as
Saga
17-
dumu
18.
Bar kur
19.
as
ki
ni
bi
me
his sons,
Lu-Nin-Girsu
Lu-Gudca,
60 qa Lugal-zag-gi-si,
Lu-<JinE''Nin-Gir-su
Lu
gu
dc-a
^r
Lugal-zag-gi-si
20.
gi
21.
dumu
22.
Bar
Sur-'^'"G''Nin-mar-ki
23-
gi
Lu-fi'ng'fNin-sah
Go qa Lu-Nin-sah,
ni
dumu
24.
his sons.
me
Sur-Nin-marki,
his son.
ni
Column IL
Bar kur Sur-<l'"g'fNin-gis-zi-da
Sur - ba-bi dumu-ni
gi
Bad
Lu
Su
Bar
mu
as
mu
gu
mu
Uku
mu
dumu
Sur-Nin-gis-zida,
Dead
(By
Lu-Gudea.
hand of Sur-Mcr:
the)
Uku-ila
ila
Lu-dins'rNin-Gir-su
-ur
jûr Lugal-izina
(in the
ki-mina-ku
izina
(in the
ki-mina-ku
-
ga
ni
zi
ni
(in ihc
-
me
la
II.
gi
12.
mina gurus kur
5
1
Blank space of about ten
name
name
of the same),
of the same),
name
of the s.amc),
his sons.
gurus
gurus mina
10.
of the s.inic),
60 qn Dugga-nizi
ki-mina-ku
-
name
Lu-Nin-Girsu
(in the
ki-mina-ku
Dug
gi
Sur-'l'"'''Mcr
Lugal
as
dc
60 qa Sur-babi, his son-
lines.
men.
man (with) 120 qa.

men (marked) i-iir.
APPARENTLY POLICEMEN, THEIR WORK, AND THEIR WAGES
Reverse.
The
follows
column
(left-hand)
first
and the second column
blank,
is
is
only inscribed at the end, as
Qa
su
The
men
gaba-me
erin Sur-ding'''Gal-alim
dumu
Mu
Ur
bil
lum
(ki)
ula
of Sur-Gal-alim
son of Sursur.
Sur-sur-ta
dingirBur-dingirSin
-
constables,
Year Bur-Sin
ravaged Urbillu.
NOTES.
Reisner explains the archaic character for i
('\}),
as written in col.
I.,
lines
13, 16, 20, col. II.,
meaning that the person whose name follows had worked half-time. If this be the case, it
may be supposed that the sons, who are mentioned immediately afterwards, being less experienced,
In all probability the wages they received were paid
received a fixed wage according to their seniority.
I
in
and
5,
as
kind, the standard used being grain, the
generally
ûr, and the others a
the gur, and
In
first
part (col.
I.,
(col. I., lines
2,
10, 16, ig, col. II., 6 find 7) receiving
lines 3, 11, 20, 23, col. II., 2
and
8) expressed
by
for
for 60 qa, as in the other te.xts referring to grain.
there are five
all,
fifth
names preceded by >^, two
short summations in the blank space of
of
them being accompanied
also by A^.
From
the
however, there should be seven altogether five besides

the two accompanied by A^. There is therefore but little doubt that the first character ought to be restored
There is also every probability that the second line
at the beginning of lines i and 6 of the first column.
ought to be restored at the beginning of line 7.
of the summation, " i man, 120 ga," indicates that
col. II.,
'^
Lines 8 and 9 seem to give the reason of this double quantity, the first visible character, ^f, being
probably part of a word indicating that a portion of the 120 qa was received on behalf of Lu-ursag-sig-ea,
whose name occurs there.
would seem that "the men of Sur-Dam-gal-nuna"

Sur-Dam-gal-nuna and Saga-ki-bi
only.
It is to be noted, however, that the last of these names may be merely a phrase, meaning "in his
place," in which case "the men of Sur-Dam-gal-nuna" would seem certainly to have been his sons,
among whom the "i ^r" may have been divided probably a fifth part each (60 qa), implying five
From
the use of the plural in col.
were the sons of the dead Sur-Damu
I.,
line 17,
it
(line 13), unless the plural refers to
men
in all.
The character A^ in col. I., line 18, and col. II., i, probably corresponds with sanumiiia, "another,"
"again," implying that Lu-Nin-Girsu and Sur-Nin-gis-zida were not the persons bearing that name which
the reader might suppose they were, or else that they had again received the amounts due to their sons
for a
second period of duty.

uncertain whether the Lu-Gudea mentioned as dead
It is
bearing that
name
in col.
I.,
in col. II., line 3, is the
same as the person
line ig.
Notwithstanding that the character at the beginning of col. II., line 4, looks like ^f, ku, there is but
doubt that it is in reality ^, su, as in col. I., line 5. As su means " hand," the translation " by the
hand of" seems to be justified, especially as the four lines which follow have, in smaller characters, "in
the name of the same."
little
This last phrase (col. II., lines 5-8) is not preserved in its entirety, the third character being mutilated
by the left-hand cancelling-line, which passes through it in every case. The traces of the third character
which remain, however, show that the two upright wedges of which it is composed slanted a little, so
TAHLETS
TlIK AMIir.KST
126
that the whole appears thus:
same
in all cases at the
The
For
"iil
The
4^rV>|J-
varying' space
has prevented the sign from slanting
anf,'lc.
Duj:^ga-nizi in col. II., line 8,

(/it-Ju-gtida (last col.,
probably not the same person as
is
mentioned
is
in col.
I.,
line 3.
pages n-12.
line i) sec
is mentioned in the Berlin tablet no. VA. Th. 2211 (Rcisner, no. 13,
do with certain fields planted, apparently, with ^>ff*^<<*, gti-ffi = Abu,
according to the editor, "reeds," "rushes." This text is dated in the second year after Pi-sa-Isi-Dagan
built the house of Dungi, the 44th date of that king in Radau's Early Babylonian History (pp. 58-60 above).
As the present text is dated in the year designated 3a of Bdr-Sin by Radau, it may be as many
Sur-Gal-alim, son of Sur-sur,
col.
I.,
one having
line 6), as
to
as eight years later.
OS-
PROVISIONS FOR A CEREMONY.

Dec.
A SMALL
lines
imperfectly-baked
writing
of
28
tablet,
mm.
'05.
by 25
high
mm.
the obverse, and six on the reverse.
on
greyish and reddish on the obverse.
Perhaps originally
(No
year.)
79.
wide,
with
inscribed
four
General colour pale yellow,
an inscribed envelope.
in
Obverse.
Stt^
qa zid-dub-duba
1.
10
meal-cake,
2.
es sus gar hur-ra as-an
3.
balag
180
da
{ija)
of pistachio-cake
(?),
provision for the day
uru-nigin-na
4.
of royal
{fja)
lugala
the city-circuit.
(of)
Re VERSE.
5.
i>#?JHi^
gir
Lu
ka
ni
gala
6.
l^^^-
7.
OiTicial
maha
Lu
Lu-'''nE'fNin-sah
pa
8.
Zi
10.
Iti
Nin-sah,
purveyor
(?).
Taken away.
ga
9.
Lu-kani,
rim
the supreme priest
Izin-<l'nEifDumu-
Month
~IN(F-
of the festival of
Tammuz.
NOTES.
Dubduha
(line
means "to pour out,"

made with flour and otiicr
by grinding it when dry and mixing
transcribes the reduplicated character for "tablet," which also
i)
cither the simple action, or the
making of an
materials " poured out," and the quickest
way
offering.
cake, however,
of preparing clay
is
is
with water, so that a tablet and a small rectangular loaf or cake might easily be expressed by the same
I'or gar-hurra {ig-hurra is also possible), sec p. 26.
character.
it
The
first
character of the third line
"longing," or the
like.
a procession round the

the
-^y<''|f
XX^^
It is
Tammuz
in Assyrian,
city,
and the
"^T^JL. which has the meaning of "lamentation,"

The text suggests
to mean "thing required."
seem
offering of cakes in a temple.
*^\ tTH ^
(''"c
4)
uru-nigina, of the second vol. of the Cuiicifonn Inscriptions of Western Asia,
rendered sihhirat
Gala
is,
In any case, balag ssovXA here
lUi,
" circuit of a
(line 6), dialectic
viiilii,
is
apparently
pi. 21,
1.
17c,
city."
was a
class of priests or magi.
probable that the offerings, with the ceremony implied, were in connection with the festival of
(line
10).
The month
is
identified
by Radau with
Tisri.
ACCOUNT OF SHIP-^[ATERIAL
66. ACCOUNT
127
OF SHIP-MATERIAL.
9-
A BAKED
by 54.5 mm. wide, inscribed with fifteen lines of

writing on the obverse, and sixteen on the reverse.
When it arrived the document
was broken
clay
into
of the reverse
tablet,
mm.
93
two almost equal
high
parts,
but
has
been joined, the incrustation on
having been removed at the same time.
When
7-10 of the reverse were damaged, but the wanting characters have been restored
lines
from data furnished by the items of the two accounts and their
Obverse.
5-12
lines
the tablet was broken, lines

in
those
totals.
Reverse.
'^mw
<'^p^Mmm-'^
m mM
v^^'WU^
T~7n^^TmMm
^ ^(fe^ N^4W/
'^îm.]'^ <Y
^^
^r
Obverse.
Translation.
Transcription.
2.
Ninnu ilima s'^su-dim ma sus gur

mina sus ninnu ilima g'ssu-dim ma usu-gur
3.
ilima sus u-ia gi^su-dim
4.
es ner as sus usu as g'%i-mus
1.
ma
5.
6.
7.
es ncr
sus
mina sus usu
ma
ma man
gur
555
sudiiii for
a ship of 20 giir\
gur
gi S'^mi-iri-za
man
5g sudiui for a ship of 60 gur;

179 siidim for a ship of 30 gur;
2196 oars
7
1
gur
for a ship of 60
gur;
95 1
iniri::a
for a ship of 20
gur;
THE AMHERST TAHLETS
I2S
mina sus usu ussa c<"u-ku usu

Sar lama ncr lama sus ninnu ussa
1358
inina ncr
sus
sus ninnii
ma sus gur
Eisu-dim ma usu gur
gi e'"su-ditii ma man
22 iiidiin for a ship of 60 gtir;

60 iudim for a ship of 30 gur
III sudim for a ship of 20 g^<r\
u'^su-dim
mina
lama ncr
gur
B'gi-mus
ma
of the west(?).
6298.
Sur-Alla, the gardener.
Sur-'''"K'rAl-la nu-gis-sar
Man-mina
liiu/iu
(Total:)
gur
sus
for a ship of
2402 oars
60 gur;
Reverse.
Translation.
Transcription.
ma
660 miriza
usu gur
1.
ncr gi sus P^mi-iri-za
2.
es ncr imina sus Cl-lama E'ii-ku usu
4.
mina sus man-imina
Sar-cs ncr
3.
(Total:)
ma
Total
ma
total
total
Su-nigin sus
su-nigin es sus ninnu ilima gisu-dim
7.
su-nigin ncr gi sus ds G'su-dim
8.
su-nigin sar gi ncr is sus usu ussa e'gi-mus
9.
su-nigin
lama ner
S'^su-dim
5547.
81 sudim for ship of 60 gur

239 iudiin for ship of 30 gur
total: 666 iudim for ship of 20 gur;
sus gur
5.
6.
-gi
30 gur
Lu-Nin-hursag, the gardener.
Lu-dingirNin-hur-sag nu-gis-sar
man
for a ship of
<?//rK-trees of the \vest(?).
2234
ma man
usu gur
gur
mina
su-nigin ia ner ilima sus ninnu
11.
Su-nigin-nigin es sar ner &s sus
4598 oars
total:
261 1 miriza;
giû-ku usu
total
3592 ^JjW/M-trees of the west
imina B'û-ku
Grand
es sus usu gi gi^mi-ira-za
10.
man
total:
(?
11787 î//-trees
hi-a
.
ku
sanga
da
12.
gisji
13.
gis-sar
14.
Gir
Gu - de Sur - - bar
15.
Mu
us-sa Ur-bil-lum (ki)
ba
bara
trees with the priest
Official
7
hula
dsu/ju
plantation of Gudea.
Year
Sur-E-babbara.
after
he devastated Urbillu.
NOTES.
The
materials referred to in
and miriza.
They
are
all
tliis
inscription arc of three classes, indicated by the
described as being
much used in Babylonia (see

The second class of ship's
I'iku,
or, in
words sudim, ginius,
Semitic Babylonian, dsuliu, the
name
of a tree
the grand total in line 11 of the reverse).
material, ^/wi, is Semiticised ^/;//Ki/ in the list K. 4378, col. IV., line 59,
which, however, also gives another reading, namely, parisu, thought by most Assyriologists to mean
"oar," though Haupt translates it "mast." The word parisu, however, is that used to designate the
120 things by means of which the hero Gilgames,
when on
his
way
to find the patriarch Ut-napisti",
crossed the waters of death, which he was not to touch with his hands.
broken, perhaps, or lost
in
the waves
the
translation
"oar" seems
As he used up the whole 120

more probable.
to be the
meaning of "oar" for gimus be correct, it is not improbable that sudim should be
and miriza, "planking," or something of the kind. Much more, however, is needed
concerning ancient Babylonian shipbuilding before trustworthy renderings of these words can be found.
As all the things enumerated were made of the dsuhu-ivee, they would seem to have been classified
according to the size needed for the various parts and classes of the ships mentioned. The lisu/jit is
mentioned with the cedar and cypress as used for buildings for doors and roofs, and some were designated
dsu/ju paqlfiti, " mighty dsu/ju trees."
Besides dsu/iu, tj <f-^T [HT is rendered by the words lamtnu and
amalu, probably synonyms.
If,
therefore, the
translated "mast,"
OFFERINGS OF MEAL, ETC,
120
In his description of the shipyard south of Hit, on the Euphrates, Peters {Niffet; p. i6i) refers only
and mulberry branches " as being the material used for the clumsy boats made there.
These craft are covered with mats and wattled twigs, " the whole thickly besmeared with bitumen, like
to " crooked tamarisk
The "
Noah's ark."
ships "
referred
by the Babylonian
to
inscriptions,
however, were probably of
considerably better construction than the primitive vessels depicted in the photograph which accompanies
Peters' interesting narrative.
The character ^ at the end of lines 8 of the obverse and lo of the reverse has been regarded as the
same as <[ty, late Assyrian ^^J, which has the meaning of crib sainsi, "the setting of the sun," i.e., the
west. As the trees of that part of the world were much sought by the Babylonians, and were probably
more suitable for shipbuilding than those produced in the country, the statement that they came from
"the rising of the sun" is simply what would be expected. Nevertheless, the translation of the character
is by no means certain.
Stir-Alla, the gardener (obv. line lo).
A man so named, son of Lu-Bau, is mentioned on a tablet
of the reign of Gimil-Sin.
A husbandman named
Sur-E-lahlaha {-barbara) is mentioned in the inscription printed on p. 84, obv.,

50a of Dungi).
The date corresponds with that of Bur-Sin's reign numbered 3b in Radau's Early Babylonian History.
line 6 (date
67. OFFERINGS
OF MEAL,
Dec.
SMALL
(No
&c.
year.)
'05, 45.
baked clay tablet 26 mm. high by 22.5 mm. wide, inscribed with four
writing on the obverse and three on the reverse.

inscribed envelope.
lines
Probably originally contained
in
of
an
Colour reddish-yellow.
Obverse.
1.
tr zid-gu lugala
10
2.
e dingirNin-gir-su
(for)
3.
nimin zid-dub-duba
40 {qd) of meal-cake
4.
man
20 {qa) of pistachio-cake
5.
su da
6.
sag uru-azag-ga
7.
Iti
gar hur-ra-as-an
{(ja)
of royal ^-meal
the temple (of) Nin-Girsu;
(?)
Reverse.
-
ba
am
the packet
(is)
within the holy
city.
Month Adar.
se-gur-tara
NOTES.
Cw-meal
Rev. C.
J.
(line i)
was made from the
Ball {Proceedings of the
(///-plant
rendered by the
"comfrey." He
" a plant called Qoye at Mosul, where they pound it
of the
Semitic
Society of Biblical Arcluvology
Babylonians.
XVL,
ig6
compares the Syriac mQO, Symphytum officinale,

and eat it with salt."
For zid-dubduba (line 3), see p. 126, and for gar-hurra-as-an, pp. 26 and
It is
f.)
126.
as
THE AMHERST TA11LETS
130
Su daham
possibly
in line 5
is
doubtful.
the Assyro-Babylonian
dalu),
The
first
"swine."
character stands for skin, hide, or leather, and tiabam

Probably, therefore, some receptacle of pigskin
is
is
That dabam is to be read (dbam, and connected with the Babylonian lAbii, "good" "a
good leather parcel," or something similar, seems unlikely.
Uni-azagga, "the pure" or "shining city," was probably that part of Lagas where the temple was
intended.
situated.
68.-
-DELIVERIES OF PROVISIONS.
Dec.
A CUSHION-SHAPED
baked clay
with six lines of writing

in
tablet,
29.5
mm.
05, j8.
high by 24
mm.
on the obverse and seven on the reverse.
wide, inscribed
Writing roughish
style.
Obverse.
I.
2.
34-
gar of dida-^xmV,
60 qa meal of royal grain,
60 qa of kii-lagga.
3
the
women
of Sabu.

HERBS, SALT, ETC.
69. HERBS,
131
SALT,
&c.
R.
A BAKED
on each
four,
clay tablet, 14 cm. high by 88
and the fourth with twenty-three
hand column
mm.
two columns of writing
nineteen, the second with twenty-two, the third with twenty-
side, the first with
lines
of the reverse) are imperfect in
of
text.
Lines
2-9
of
column
away, the break affecting slightly lines 3-6 of the fourth column (that on the
also a blank space of about four lines between the last line of the text
date.
The
inscription
is
well preserved,
and the writing excellent.
^^3q^^ p^fHlUMM^
^^H^Sy^feltt ITMft^
ti
HM,^ ^tr^~1^Tm
i^^rn^g
^F^KTî m
flffTT^
11
m- H
^^t-^H'
6^
fi>T
^^^mmMw
WWfW
^^WWfH
left),
which has
and the colophon and
Obverse.
<
III. (the right-
consequence of that portion having been broken
i^r
^H<^îmMî
Tin:
132
AMHEKST TAHLETS
Reverse.
Obverse
tr
lama sus
gii
ia
qa
se-Iu
gur
ussa mina sus usu cs qa pisan-dessa gur
mina qa sam-kura
mina sus <i ia qa se zi-ne-
es sus
ip
u lama qa
man qa hu
numun
-
uru
zag-dug-li
-
um
mina sus as qa ku-mul

ta
ki
Saga - da -
I.
10 gur 240 of royal pulse;

I gur 305 c](i of Sam-ter;
gur lugala
as usu sussan qa sam-ter gur
imina lama sus u
Column
gur 255 qa of
jV-/-grain
8 gur 153 qa oi pisan-dessa;

182 qa of sam-kura
;
135 qa of s/;/f/-grain.
14 qa of zag-dug-li-secd;
20 qa of hilru'"
126 qa of ku-mul,
from Sagada.
;;
HERBS, SALT, ETC.

11.
tf
sus usu gi qingusili qa
ia
munu
15 S'"' 911 1^ of salt,
gur
Dun
12.
ki
13.
Lama
14.
mina
15.
as
16.
ki
sus
ninnu
aga - ta
qa sam - ter
bar qa gu-hi-a
from Dun-kiaga.
246^ qa of sam-tcr;
ki
bar
as
imina
133
'='
munu
Sur
gala
imina
ninnii
qa
bar
gu
iS.Wsu
<''
hi
nigin
as
lama
qa
as
qingusili
sam
ig.f^'
ter
gur
su-nigin imina
lama sus u
ia
qa
Total: 12 gur 297^ qa of pulse;
gur
usu
sus
(b)
!-
mma
total:
gur 276^ qa
total
gur 255 qa of
total
gur 153 qa
se-lu
sus usu
qa pisan-dessa gur
su-nigin as sus mina qa sam-kura
su-nigin mina sus u ia qa se zi-ne-ip
su-nigin u lama qa numun zag-dug-li
su-nigin mina qa hu-uru-um
su-nigin mina sus as qa ku-mul
g.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
munu
su-nigin as gu
mur
Sag
saga
nig-ga-ra
-
bi
gur
-
munu
kam
ta
gi qa zid gu-gala gur

lama sus usu gu-gala hur-ra gur
gu-bala-bi as lama sus nimin ia qa
man ia qa gu-gala gala
mina mina sus nimin gi
qingusili qa gu-tur us-sa
gu-bala-bi mina sus usu mina
sussan qa mina gin
usu qa se-sa gu-gala
as sus
es
if-/-grain
II.
of
pisan-dessa
es
su-nigin es
of sain-ter;
Column
su-nigm ussa
of pulse
from Sur-tigala.
ta
(b)
gur 57i qa
6 talents of mur-innnu,
total: 182 qa of
total:
total
total
sam-kura;
125 qa oi ninep-grdUn;
14 qa of cag-dug-h'-seed
20 qa of hilru'"
total:
126 qa of ku-viul;
total
total
gur of
salt
6 talents of niur-nnimi.
amount of the property.

Out of this
1 gur 61 qa of gu-gala-'^Q\xx
3 gur 270 qa of prepared gu-gala
its profit is l gur 285 qa
Capital
25 qa of large gu-gala
gur 161 J qa of next
small pulse
is 152I qa
its profit
2 gin
30 qa of se-sa-zoxn, large grain
sa of the gu-gala)
(or se-
18.
gu
ig.
sus
bi
ia
qa
se-sa gu-tura
20.
mina sus u
21.
sam-ter bala-bi mina sus u gi sanabi qa es gin
22.
sus
gi
sanabi qa es gin sam-ter gaza
sam-ter
its
grain
is
15 qa.
60 qa of sc-sa-coxn, small grain

13I3
'/"
i''"'
of
pounded sam-ter;
the profit of the sam-ter
60 qa of sam-ter
is
131! qa 3 gin
THE AMHERST TABLETS
34
Reverse Column
mina lama sus man
sc-lu
mina lama sus man

.
'
ne
qingusili
se
'
of ku-i\ul
14.
u ilima sanabi qa hu-uru-um
15-
ia
19I qa of huni'";
5 talents 54 mana of
gu ninnu lama ma-na mur-munu

ia sus usu gi qingusili qa munu gur
-
ga
nu
15
zi
18.
duba
IQ.
Su-nigin u mina sus u qa
ra
Total
20.
su-nigin as
man
total
es sussan
qa as gin sam-ter
su-nigin imina es sus ninnu gi qa u
ne
total
mina sus
su-nigin
the
ninnfl
IV.
lama qa numun zag-dug-li

mina sus ia qa qingusili qa lama
14 qa of zag-dug-/i-stcd
total: 125I ga 4 gin
total
su-nigin ia gu ninnu
ia gi sus
qa
qingusili
'
Or
lama ma-na mur-munu

usu
munu
gi
gur
Or
[40 qa.
total
total
total:
19I qa li&ru<"
5 talents 54 mana of
;
15
gur 91; qa of
mur-munu
salt,
taken away.
ga
[nimin.
of ku-mul;
gin ku-mul
zi
I79 qa oi sam-kura
total:
11
xi
:r/;/t;/>-grain.
su-nigin u ilima sanabi qa hu-uru-um
su-nigin
139; qa 4 gin
ilima sanabi qa sam-kura

su-nigin
Column
su-nigin
gur 23, qa
gin the pisan-dessa
mina sus u ilima

qingusili qa lama gin
-
gur 231 qa 14
gin the jV-/-grain
total: 7 gur 210 qa 3
es gin pisan-dessa gur
su-nigin
se z\
10 gur 130 qa
total: 7
su-nigin imina es sus usu qa
24.
up.
6 shekels of sani-tcr\
lama
gin se-lu
23-
drawn
12 gin the pulse
ii-mina gin gur gu-hi-a
mur-munu
salt
for the king-
tablet not
gur 91 J qa of
Removed
lugala
17-
59J
S^"-
13-
16.
is
of -/w^Z-grain
178I qa of iain-kura
14 qa of zag-dug-li-SGed
1 25-; qa 4 gin of ku-mul;
12.
of
-'
mina su ninnu ussa sanabi qa sam-kura

u lama qa numun zag-dug-li
mina sus ia qingusili qa lama gin ku-mul
II.
265I
.-
ip
2 gt4r
qa 2 gin
gftr 10 qa
1395 Q^ 4
gin
ga (?)
....
shekels
gur
pounded pisan-deiia
the profit of the pisan-dessa
nin]iiu
mina gin
gur
As usu
mina sus ti ilima
qa lama
zi
2 -itr [50
pisan-
(?)
....
ilima sussan qa
is
(7'
ku-m]ul gur
[gi]n
pisan-dessa bala-b[i
10.
the profit of the i<-/-grain
bar
gur
dessa gaza
9-
ia
qri 7 în of
i^-/-grain
265 i
îritr
pounded
qa
mina [ninnu
mina
III.
2
bar qa imina gin
ia
gaza
Se[-lu bala-bi]
8.
Some odd
units
and probably a fraction may have been added.
HERBS, SALT, ETC.

Lal-li
8,
mina mina sus
niinin
Less 2 guy 167 qa i8 gin
imina qa u-ussa gin

f
gu-hi-a gur
lama sus u es sussan qa lama gin sam-tcr
man es sanabi qa as gin se-lu
lama sus gi qingusili qa imina gin pisandessa
es
sussan qa
sam-kura
sussan qa
hu-uru-um
g.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
mur
ma-na
17.
lal-li
iS.
Dir lama sus qingusili qa se zi-ne-ip
gm
ii?-/-grain
qa 7 gin of
pisan-dcssa
35 qa of sam-kura;
\ qa of htlru"'
mana
of miir-munii
am
wanting.
Overplus
The
munu pisan-dessa
dumu Lugal
salt
240! qa
and herb trade
sagga
sag-ga
Mu
later transactions.
egir
gu-za
;si/if/>-grîn.
of Ura-Bau son of Lugal-
Ura-dingirBa-u
bala
6 gin of ku-mul,
mul
Ig-lag-sa
241U-
4 .' of sain-ter;
(1<^
qo.
23f
as
as
ku
of pulse
2533
munu
15.
16.
gin
135
''ingifEn-lil-la
Year he
ba-dim
built the
throne of Bel.
NOTES.
The importance
of this inscription lies in the information
indicated by the character J^, gu.

the following varieties:
This
is
which
contained mainly in
zid
gu
gala,
offers as to the
it
col.
II., lines
11-19, in
large gu, prepared.
gu gal
very large gu.
gu
tura us-sa,
se-sa gu-gala.
X^ 1^
which we have
flour of large ^v^
gu gal hui-ra
gala,
kind of produce
small gu, second
(?
crop).'
"seed-case"- of large gu.
amounting to 12 gur 2gy^ qa, which is made

57^ qa oi gu-hi-a in line 14. The total of the
Though
150?; qa, with an addition of 2 gin (line 16).
very near, this does not agree with the total of gu-hi-a given in col. III., line 19, which is 10 gur 130 qa,
with an addition of 12 gift. This last amount, however, deducted from the total of 12 gur 297^ qa
given in col. I., line 17, leaves 2 gur iby\ qa, which agrees with the amount given as remaining over in
In
there
col. I., line 17,
is
a total of
up of the io^'-r 240 qa oi gu given in line i, and

amounts given in col. II., lines ii-ig, is 10 gur
col.
IV., line 8, except that the i qa
gu-hi-a,
Ji,
2 gu?-
and the 12 gin of
col. III., line
ig,
have changed to an addition
of 18 gin.
The
The
surplus of 20 qa unaccounted for was probably the balance carried forward to the
next item
is
of the items in lines 2 and 13.
'
that of the
As us-sa generally
^^'^^^^], saui-tcr,
the total of which, in
Three items are also mentioned
refers to time,
it
has been
This rendering
is
vol. V.,
based on the meaning

pi.
21, line
12c.
bitu,
I.,
line
ne.xt
18, is
in col. II., lines 20-22,
account.
made up
which added
regarded as indicating the crop rather than
quality.
Western Asia,
col.
" house," assigned to
in
the
Cuneiform Inscriptions of
THE AMHERST TABLETS
136
together
make
The
The
23 J qa, with
îir
from the total given

deducted in col. IV.,
in col.
I.,
the
namely, 2534 qa.
line 10,
^,
gin more
Deducting this
more than the amount given as
total given in col. III., line 20.
line 18, the result is 253*
(jn
trifle
Here, also, there
a surplus reckoned in gin.
is
as the total in line 19: 7 gur 255 qa.

next references to this product are in col. III., lines 1-4, where two entries of 2 gur 265J qa, with
receipt of
^^J"
Sc-lii, in
col. I., line 3, is
same
the
Notwithstanding llic mutilation of the text here, the amounts stated in giirs
7 gin e.xtra, are given.
are in both cases, to all appearance, complete. The total given in line 21 of this column, however, is
with an addition of 14 shekels just 2 gnr too many, apparently a mistake on the part of
may have written i gurioo little in col. III., lines i and 3, which would make
This, subtracted from 7 giir 255 qa (I., 3), would leave 24 qa and
7 gi'r 231 qa, with 14 gin besides.
14 gin. The amount of undelivered sc-lii, however, in line 11 of the fourth column is 23 qa and
two-thirds, with 6 gin over.
7^///- 231 qa,
the scribe, who, however,
The substance
received
provisionally read pisan-deiia,
SlEl,
(col. I., line 4,
and
II., line i).
The group
given as 8 gur 153 qa, the total amount

it occurs again in col. III., lines 6 and 7,
is
expressing
where the amounts quoted are defective in consequence of the break, but the total in line 22 of this
column, 7 gur 210 qa and 3 gin, suggests that we ought to complete lines 6 and 7 in accordance with
say 3 gur I50 qa and I gin in the former, and 4 gur 59! qa and 2 gin in the latter, in
this
accordance with the traces remaining. The total 7 gur 210 qa and 3 gin, added to the undelivered
portion in col. IV., line 12: 241; qa 7 gin, makes a total of 8 gur 151; qa 10 gin
i qa and a sixth
less than the amounts in col. I., line 4, and col. II., line i.
Perhaps the additional 10 gin are
equivalent to the i^ qa.
The
gUI V", sam-kura:
178! q<i in col.

the error is in
III., line 11,
col.
total
IV., line
Zinr/>'gra.in, <^<^
182 qa
received
179! qa in
col. IV., line
*î,m t-^^
K^
5^.
13,
been reckoned).
col.
5,
II.,
line
2).
Total delivered:
in col. IV., 13: 3} qa,
showing that
(col. I., line 6, II., line 3).
Total given
112 t^
^<^<^t>'\-
Excess of deliveries over receipts: 40 qa (IV.,

14 qa
Receipts:
Ku-iiiul, tyS^<:-.
line
Total received: 135 qa
was delivered (col. III., line 12, IV., line 2). No excess
Hunt'", *^<^\^ fJlU.
Received: 20 qa (col. I., line
line 14, IV., 4).
Balance in hand
13 qa (col. IV., line
(col. III., line
I.,
Undelivered
i.
out: 139^ qa and 4 gin (III., lines 9 and 23).

the 4 gin are not taken into account).
Zag-(fug-/i-seed,
(col.
i.
Received:
126 qa
(col.
and an unknown quantity
The balance
I,
line
in line 5,
(col.
line 7,
I.,
II.,
4).
line 18
The same amount
either way.
8,
II., line
5).
Delivered:
igf qa (col. III.,
14).
Delivered: 125! qa and 4 gin

g, II., line 6).
which, being out of its place, seems not to have
of 6 gin undelivered in col. IV., line 16, would seem to imply that ^ of
a qa was reckoned as 2 gin.
The amount received, 15 gur 91J qa, col. I., line 11, is the amount delivered
and IV., line 6, leaving no overplus. There is no indication as to the origin and
destination of the 3 gur of salt placed as a total in col. II., line 7.
Mur-munu, ^tt J;^. Probably salt in the form of bricks, in which case the other, designated
munu simply, may have been in fragments or even in powder. This must have been the commonest
kind, as it is quoted in talents, the number in col. I., line 15, being 6, which is also the total in II.,
line 8.
The total delivered was 5 talents 54 viana (col. III., line 15, and IV., line 5). The overplus
unsold is 6 inaua, entered in col. IV., line 15, making up the first total, 6 talents.
The first line of the colophon (IV., line 19) seems to indicate that ^T stands for edible vegetables
in general.
Bala-cgir in line 22 is an interesting parallel to col. II., lines 13, 16, 18, 21, and col. III.,
lines 3 and 7, which seem to refer to general transactions, whilst the remainder, from col. II., line 11
Salt,
in col.
"Jr^, viunu.
III., line 16,
to col. III., line 16, probably refer to deliveries to the king (III.,
actions," probably indicates the period of the year,
or 2nd Adar.
" The year he built
Early Babylonian History.
the
and may
17).
The expression, "later transmean from Tisri to the 1st
in that case
throne of Bel," corresponds with the 4th date of Biir-Sin in
Radau's
CONSIGNMKNTS OF DRINK, FOOD, AND OIL
70. CONSIGNMENTS
137
OF DRINK, FOOD, AND

Dec.
A BAKED
clay tablet, 31.5
mm.
high
by 26.5
mm.
writin" on the obverse and six on the reverse.
fnfMft^TT^n^
wide, inscribed
OIL.
'05, 30.
with
seven
lines
of
THE AMMEUST TAULETS
'38
71. CONSIGNMENTS
OF DRINK. FOOD, AND

Dec.
A BAKED
"^
mm.
clay tablet, 31
liii^h
OIL.
'05. 3,.
by 26 mm. wide, inscribed with six lines of writinsj on

Damaged at the bottom left-hand corner of the
the obverse, and five on the reverse.
obverse.
Orverse.
3 </a of drink, 2 (ja of food,
2.
Es qa kas mina qa gar

lama gin zal-gis
n^m=^ m^
3.
Hu
Hunedam
^#S#>mf>i3i
4.
inT>Tfi$>lT^
^^P^^
1.
5.
6.
1^-^
ne
dam
ia qa kas cs qa gar
lama gin zal-gis
.
.-la-a
'
sukkala
gi'/i
of
oil,
ga of drink, 3 ga of food,
4 gin of oil,
.-la,' the messenger.
.
CONSIGNMENTS OF DRINK, FOOD, AND OIL
72. CONSIGNMENTS
139
OF DRINK, FOOD, AND

Dec.
A BAKED
clay tablet, 32.5
the obverse and the
much damaged.
f^9^>Tfe|>TTtM^
mm.
high by 26.6
same number on the
mm.
OIL.
'05, 33.
wide, with seven lines of
reverse.
The
first
line
of
the
writing on
reverse
is
THE AMHERST
140
A RECEIPT OF GRAIN.
73-
npABLKT
and envelope,
TAIU.F.TS
intact, 5
still
cm.
Iiit,'li
by 43
mm.
wide, the
obverse
with five lines of writinij, and the reverse with four whole and one half line.
sions of the cylinder-seal cover
the
third
and fourth
surface presented
the
of
lines
itself.
all
four edges, and are also inserted in
obverse, of
the
thin incrustation hides
reverse,
most
the
and where any
spaces
slight
inscriljed
Impres-
between
unwritten
of the surface.
Obverse.
30 ûr 60 <7rt of royal grain,
for the seed of the field of produce,
from the granary of the irrigation-field
Usii gi se giir lugala

se-kul a-Sag sar-gala-ku
ni-duba a-saga a-ba-al
(A space with seal-impressioiis here.)

ki
Snr-J'ng'fBa-u
dumu sanga
(lingirGis-bar-e-ta
from Sur-Bau, son of the priest of

Gis-bar-e.
Reverse.
6.
dub Lu-dingir-ra dumu
Seal of Lu-dingira, son of
Ga-a-ni
7.
8.
Iti
9.
mu
Ii:in-'li"S'fDumu-2i
Gani.
Month
of the festival of
Tammuz,
(Cylinder-impressions.)
10.
en mah
gal an-na
en ''>"S'''Nannara ba-tuga
year he invested
llie
supreme great lord of .\nu
(and) the lord (priest) of Nannara.
A RECEIPT OF GRAIN
141
NOTES.
The cylinder-seal impressed on the surface of the tablet is that of Lu-dingira, and the design shows
a seated goddess holding out her right hand towards the owner of the seal, whom a divine attendant
leads into her presence (for similar designs see nos. 13, ig, &c.). The inscription reads:
Lu
am
The
dingir
ra
dub
dumu
Ga-a-ni
sara
Lu-dingira,
the scribe,
son of Gani.
the end of line 2 suggests that the grain which was the subject of this
sc-knl, as at the beginning of the line.
The characters xS- |!Ii
are here transcribed sar-gala, as being " open " or " prepared for increase."
Dug-gala, " being made
postposition
document was
for
good," however,
h/
at
re-sowing
is
seed-grain,
also a probable rendering.
in 1. 3, has been regarded as the more phonetic writing of

'<f^, a-bal,
fj
" water-drawing," and, with the prefi.\ for " man," na^ vie, " water-pourer." A text
of the time of Gimil-Sin gives a similar line sc-kiil a-saga a-ba-al-la-kti, " grain for the irrigation-field,"
which apparently shows the full form with postposition.
The name of Sur-Bau, the receiver of the grain, is a very frequent one, but I have as yet come
across no instance of his being mentioned elsewhere with certainty.
A priest so-called is mentioned in
Lu-dingira is less frequent, but still often met with. The name
Reisner's no. 26 (col. XIV., 1. 21).
Tr
Semitic
S=IK-T. i^-ba-al,
dilutii,
of Lu-dingira' s father, Gani,
plant-name, tf[yt tfff^ yj

pt. XIV., pi. 36, K. 4,187,
name
1.
important, as
is
/-,
5,
^'""
where
it
may
Semitic.
Compare the
from Babylonian Tablets,
possibly turn out to be

in
Cuneiform
occurs with "the fox-vine," as
Texts
if it
were similar
to,
or another
for that plant.'
Tammuz (Iti isin Duinti-zi) corresponds with

date in the last two lines is regarded by him as
gal anna ba-tuga, " the year he invested the supreme great
According to Radau, the month of the

Tisri, the
seventh month of the Babj'lonian
being the same as the shorter one,
(=
lord
it
(nominative)
ga-a-iin
mu
en
festival of
j'ear.
mah
The
high-priest) of Ann," the fifth of Bur-Sin's reign.
Reisner's no. 139 (col. IV., 1. 20) mentions a person named Sur-Bau as one of "the people of
Lu-dingira," perhaps the Sur-Bau and the "Lu-dingira son of Gani" of this inscription.
'
THK AMUKKST
142
TAIII.F.TS
OF DRINK, FOOD, AND
74. CONSIGNMENTS
Dec.
A TABLET
of
baked
clay,
^^
mm.
slightly
mm.
high by 25.5
The end
the obverse and five on the reverse.
OIL.
'OS, J4.
wide, with eight lines of writing on
of line 5 and the right-hand edge are
damaged.
OnVERSE.
/TS^>\
IIL
1.
la qa kas
2.
es qa
gar
zal-gis
3.
lama gin
4.
Su-'i'igifEn-lil-la
Su-Enlilla
5.
es
qa kas
mina qa gar
lama gin zal-gis
Lu-ba-a '" rim
3 ga of drink,
2 ga of food,
4 ^'n of oil,
Lu-ba, the soldier
6.
7.
8.
K^kzil^:
5 </a of drink,
3 ga of food,
4 ^'n of oil,
;
(?)
Reverse.
9-
Uniwa
-su
gone to Ur.
Month Musudu,
mu-sii-du
Iti
mu
13-
(ki)
gin-na
10.
en
mah
year of the great supreme
gal
an-na ''i"g'fNannara
lord of
Ann and Nannara.
NOTES.
The
terminal character of the
as proving the correctness of the

as this.
is
name
common
Su-Enlilla in line
4,
1^,
instead of
la,
f*",
la(l), is
transcription of the latter, without the second
This name occurs, without the phonetic complement,
in
/,
noteworthy,
in cases
Reisner's no. 200 (obv.,
1.
6),
such
which
a text of a similar nature.
For Lu-ba
(line S)
see Reisner's no. 144, col.
II., line
i.
It
is
found also
in
other places without
the final a.
Noteworthy also
is
the form of the date, with
omission of the character
J^,
en, before
Î
gal, after li^. ^nah, instead of before

Tt i^ ba-a-tuga, after it.
Nannara, and the verb
it,
In
the
all
completed as indicated in the foregoing texts: "Year he invested the great supreme
lord of .^nu (and) lord of Nannara."
The montii corresponds with Tcbet.
probability
it is
to be
A RECEIPT FOR OIL
RECEIPT FOR
75. A
A TABLET
latter
with
41.5
its
envelope.
mm. by
37.5
143
OIL.
The former is 33.5 mm. high by 30.5 mm. wide, and the
mm. Both are well baked. The tablet is nearly perfect,
having, besides a lateral crack, the surface (especially of the obverse) merely roughened
a few places.
crystals
The
causing the
surface
the obverse, and rendered

inner tablet.
The
in
envelope, on the other hand, has suffered considerably on account of salt-
This has damaged the two lower
crumble away.
to
practically unreadable,
reverse
the
cylinder impressions with which the surface
lines of
except with the help of the

covered have also suffered
is
considerably.
Obverse.
Es
ki
^^w^^^
160
sus (qa) zal-gis lugala
cu
me
cri
(/<;
of royal
oil
from Sur-abba
Sur-ab-ba-ta
ne
mil Lu-'^''"3i'Ba-
in
the
name
of Lu-
Bau'
ku
Reverse.
Sur-nigin-gara
su
^g~tr^?[
ba
ba
Iti
Amar-a-a-si
rim
mil en
Sur-nigin-gara
has received.
ti
dara
mah
Month Amar-aasi,
year
gal
an-na en 'lingirNannara
ba
tU
Judging from the

led
traces,
the
before the presence of his
reads as follows
#
^td^^W
one
is
Nannara.
show the usual design

inscription,
as far as
Sur-nigin-gara
Sur-nigin-gara,
dub
the scribe,
dumu
Sur-
sara
.
son of Sur-
the characters of the seal-inscription are visible except the
only preserved in part, and
The
The
or goddess.
supreme
(and) the lord
it
the
is
owner
preserved,
is
last.
The
last
but
therefore uncertain.
envelope has H< ^p, nu-tiir or nu-l/aiida, "the superintendent," after Lu-Bau.
His shaven head and the upper part of his body is visible on the riglit of the lines containing
name.
'
"
his
all
the
Ann
td
Traces of
invested
(priest) of
cylinder-impressions
god
he
great lord of
AMIIEUST TAllIIlTS
riir.
144
NOTES.
The piominciation
"
is
of wood,"
oil
Siii-(il>btt
of
cj
.^fT::^
vcjjetablo
i.e.,
is
doubtful, but
oil,
probably the same person
is
'tt/ _iîS
The
that Rcncrally favoured.
is
literal
meaning
generally that produced from sesame.

as
mentioned on no. 8j as having supplied sesame
is
and dates.
The termination
.(^f'
iiic,
make
in
iif
in
1.
which arc explained

it
the
at least probable that
case stand
that
we have here a
3 suggests that
in
for zida,
*'
lists
plural noun,
and the two preceding
syllables,
as being equivalent to the Semitic qan tahazi, "reed of battle,"
Ku might
arc intended.
class of soldiers bowmen or spearmen
Keisner, however,
meal," the whole meaning " for the soldier's meal."
some
^^
has a quotation from the text numbered 271 of his work, namely, "^
(the first and third characters
of this line), which, he suggests, mean " to grind."
As t:^ means " reed," this would imply that kii-gi mc-tte
means "ground
reeds."
The
line will
we have more
not be translated with certainty until
material.
common name, and
In at
occurs in the text numbered 37, and several others.
least four passages quoted by Keisner persons bearing this name have the title of tiiitur, or uu-bamln
Lii-Biiu
is
as he reads
it.
a rather
The parentage
of
doubtful, the character
remainder of the
(not the
after
Siir
line illegible.
in
F"or
the
the
other
who
scribe
received the sesame in the
third line of the
seal
name
of the
instances
name
of I.n-Bau,
being mutilated, and
impression
Sur-nigin-gara, see
is
the
nos. 47, 81, 82
same person), &c.
For ]Q-
The
Siir-ni^:;iii-(;ara,
iSJ
can
at present suggest
no translation.
envelop)e agrees with the inner tablet as far as
"^y, as indicated
in
the footnote.
I.
inserting only the characters
5,
**<<
After this the envelope has traces only of the inscription.
^^
before
As
in the
I. 7 was probably omitted, and fJTj, duba, placed before

fragment adhering to the envelope above the character
<^ really belong to it, there would seem to have been a variant (|eT or some similar character). The
traces of ^J on the envelope, at the end of the line, seem to be clearly recognizable.
The date is the same as that of the preceding text. For the month, sec the next tablet.
case of other tablets with envelopes, su-ba-ti in

Siir tiiiîii-gara
(see
pp.
3g-40> &c.).
76. A
If the
CONSIGNMENT OF DRINK.
Dec.
A BAKED
and well-preserved clay
tablet,
four lines of writing on the obverse,
31.7
mm.
(No
year.)
-05. 77.
high by 24
and one on the reverse.
mm.
Colour greyish-yellow.
Obverse.
gn of drink,
Ussa qa kas
(S
Su
Sii
Nibri
(ki)
ein-
ka
-ta
na
ka.
Gone from
Niffcr.
Reverse.
Iti
-Vmar-a-si
Month Amar-asi.
CONSIGNMENTS OF DRINK, FOOD, AND OIL
'45
NOTES.
The name Su-n-ka does
not occur elsewhere, but no. 216 of Reisner's Tcinpcliirkunden has
Sn-ka (obverse, 1. 8), which may be the same name without the
Su-ka-nam in nos. 194 (1. 10) and 44 (reverse,
i) of the envelope
1.
below) has the interesting variant
The name
of the
(December-January).
name
^,
//.
in the
<3^^ ffV-T^
Compare also Su-ka-i-a and
same work.
No. 95 (p. 168
Sii-ka-cs-dar.
month is that generally written iti Ainar-a-a-si, which Radau identifies with Sebat
The simplification of the double vowel may indicate contraction.
77. CONSIGNMENTS
OF DRINK, FOOD, AND

Dec.
A BAKED
clay tablet 30.2
writing on
.away,
mm.
obverse, and
the
and the ends of most
mm.
high by 24.5
five
of the lines
on the reverse.
damaged
inscribed
wide,
OIL.
'05. 32.
with
eight
lines
of
Upper right-hand corner chipped
colour nearly black.
Obverse.
la qa kas es (?) [qa gat
lama gin zal-gis
A-hi-mi-lum sukkala
Uruwa(ki)-ku gin-na
es qa kas mina qa gar
lama gin zal-gis

Ur-ra-paur (?)
In
qa of drink, 3 qa of food,
4 gin of oil,
Ahi-milu'" the messenger
gone to Ur
3 qa of drink, 2 qa of food,
4 gin of oil,
Urra-pa-ur (?)
rim
the courier
(?)
Reverse.
Susana
Iti
)
)
wne
- gura
en gal mah an-na
se
mu
13-
ku
gin-na
(ki)
en dingiiânnara ba-a-[tuga]
to Susa.
Month Adar,
jear he invested the supreme great
lord of Anu (and) the lord of
Nannara.
NOTES.
Ahi-uiilw"
(line 3)
is
probably Semitic.
The name Urra
occurs twice in Reisner's Tempclurkundcn, which makes it possible that the third
and fourth characters of Urra-pa-ur form in reality a title. In that case, however, the person mentioned
in line 7
would have two, which
is
unusual.
The month (line 11) is defectively written it should be

The year corresponds with the 5th date of Bur-Sin.
Sc-gur-tara (see pp. 76, 130, 146, &c.).
TUP
146
AMIIF.RST TAIU-KTS
FOR THE CHARIOT-CARETAKER.
78. MEAL
Dec.
A SMALL
"^^
28
with
mm.
baked clay
three
of
writing
mm.
wide.
lines
by 2<\6
hit;h
apparently the inner-document
tablet,
on each
that
side,
'05. 99.
a case-tablet, inscribed
of
on the reverse being the dale.
Colour reddish-yellow
Size
oclire.
Obverse.
1.
Lama ma-na
2.
Siir-uga-diir-ra
Sur-uga-durra,
3.
ni-f,'aba
the caretaker of the cliariot-house.
4 viana of meal,
zida
gi.iîr
<j
Keveksh.
4.
Mu
5.
gal an-na en
Year he invested the

great supreme lords of
6.
dingirNannara ba-tug-a
Anu
en
me mah
(and) the lord of the
god Nannara.
NOTES.
lies in the date, in which I, vie, apparently the plural"lord," forming an additional argument in favour of translating the date actively,
and making the subject of the verb to be the king, as in the other dates. The verb is given as ba-tiig-a
instead of (^rt-fl-/^(rt) whether a mistake of the scribe or not is doubtful.
The
principal interest of
sign, follows
this little
document
^, en,
79. GRAIN
FOR SHEEP.
Dec.
A SMALL
" cases
"
baked clay
of writing
tablet,
25.2
mm.
(No
year.)
'05, 68.
high
by 23.5
mm.
Colour reddish-yellow.
on the obverse.
wide,
inscribed
with
three
Reverse blank.
Obverse.
As mina sus usu
^^
se gur
lugala
sag
Til
Iti
'
udu
gala
Izin
d'nE'f
P't' 150
l'^ '^f
royal grain,
sustenance of the sheep.
Dun-
Ki
Month
Izin-Dungi.
NOTE.
merely of the nature of a note, and has no name, cither of .sender or receiver.
month of the festival of Dungi" corresponds in Radau with Marcheswan (October-November).
This short text
"The
For sag-gala, see
p.
is
162.
CONSIGNMENTS OF FOOD
80.
-CONSIGNMENTS OF FOOD.
and
Dec.
""WO baked
'
147
clay tablets, the
first
mm.
28
high by 3.4
'05, 35
mm.
36.
wide, with five lines of writing
on the obverse and four on the reverse, and the second 28

with five lines of writing on each side.
The
month, and the arrangement of the sixth
text of both
line.
is
mm.
high by 22.5
mm.
wide,
the same, except the day of the
THE AMHERST TAHI.ETS
I4S
RECEIPT OF FLOUR.
81.
Dec.
A BAKED
clay tablet,
writing on
rendering lines
3,
the
4,
mm.
37.5
obverse, and
6,
by
high
32.5
mm.
on the reverse.
five
05, 38.
wide,
The
inscribed
text
is
with
six
lines
of
somewhat damaged,
and 9 imperfect, but the characters can be easily restored.
Ohvekse.
Es mina
sus
niiniii
qa zid-kala
gur 160 qa
man
as lama sus
imina qa esa
")
I
Lu
ki
gu
Sur-'li"g'i'Ba-u
Sur
gur 267 qa of vegetables
from Lu-gula
ta
la
of fine
meal, royal,
gur luKaia
Sur-Bau, son of
diimu
Sur-sagga(?),
sag(?)- ga(?)
Reverse.
^^,î-<^
MTOE^w*
ba
7.
su
8.
Iti
Se
9.
Gir
Sur-<iingirBil
11
has received.
ti
la
10.
Mu
en
Month
Se-illa.
Official
Sur-Bilsi.
1
Year he invested the lord of
uiiu
gala dingirinnana ba-tuga
Istar's
great festival-hall.
NOTES.
by "grobes Mehl," but as ^Tf kala, expresses the idea of excellence
as well as of strength, it seems probable that " fine meal " is intended.
For eia (line 3) see p. ii2. In addition to what is stated there, it may be noted that elfyc J} y'^mr
>-<y< yj .^yy {Cuneiform Texts from Babylonian
Tablets, XIV., pi. 28, K. 4345, line ig) contains the group
yj ^^^^ShT' which would therefore seem to be a plant called aruiu and amusu in Semitic Babylonian, one
kind of which was bitter (arusu marru).
The restoration of the name in line 4 as Lu-gula rests on the probability that the first character is
4^??^. The name Sur-sagga in line 6 has been so read on account of the traces, which suggest the
completion ^Sqf ^^.
The year corresponds with Bur-Sin's 6th date as given by Radau, and here appears in its full form.
Instead of ba-tuga, Hilprecht's no. 126 {Old Babylonian Inscriptions, part II.) has in-tuga, with the same
or a similar distinction of meaning.
Reisner renders zid-kala
(line i)
if,
GRANT TO THE PATESI
82. GRANT
WIFE
149
TO THE PATESI'S WIFE.

Dec.
A SMALL
by 25
baked clay
mm.
tablet
'05, 37.
(probably originally provided with an envelope), 28
wide, with three " cases " of
mm.
on the obverse, and four
inscription
the reverse.
Obverse.
1.
Mina gar gur

lugala
^M
2.
usu niga udu
3.
kur
dam
pa-te-
)
J
gur of
royal food,
30 fatling sheep,
'^
sustenance of the patesis wife,
high
lines
on
AMIIKKST TAIII.KTS
TIIF.
'50
OF SESAME AND DATES.
8^. RECEIPT
A BAKED
clay tablet,
on
six lines of writing
4^ cm. high by 3^ cm. wide, inscribed with
the obverse and eight on the reverse and edge below.
The envelope measures
cm.
by 4|, and bears, besides the inscription, which is arranged somewhat differently, the usual
Both tablet and envelope are much damaged by the
impressions from the scribe's cylinder.
red colour is due to the substances used for
dark
their
and
contains,
clay
salt which the
impregnation
for the
purpose of preventing further damage to the
text.
OnvEKSE.
Lama
niina se p;is-zal
"J
gur lugal
-^^-^
r-^
<>^
î
r_^^l
The envelope
On
lunia
ba
giir of dates,
giir
ta
from Sur-abba,
ara-ku
for e-ara,
Lugal-alima
Liigal-alima
ba
su
8.
Duba Lu-D.P.
9.
dumu
Dim
10.
Iti
11.
iti
12.
iti
13.
mu
has received.
ti
Nin-gir-su
(.:/)
is
son of Sila-mu.
From
kur-zi --ta
to the
Izin-J'"g'fBa-u-ku-'
lama
Seal of Lu-Xin-Girsu,
Sila-mu
the
month Dim-kur-zi
month Izin-Bau,
the 4th month,
kam
en umi gala
year
U.P. In nana ba-a-tuga
prefixes -^S*^, perhaps part of "s-*,
This character
''
7.
14.
'
Sur-ab
Revekse.
^M^^-^
fi
ka
ki
e
'
/m
as
4 î/r 2 qa of sesame royal,
he
invested
the
"<
omitted on the envelope, that which follows being traces of
the tablet are traces only of this character, which
is
lord
of
the irreat festival-hall of Iscar.
clearer on the envelope.
ta.
RECEIPT OF SESAME AND DATES
151
NOTES.
The two
wedges in the first line are written so close to the character ^^^^, se, which follows,
that it seems to form one character with it. This would make the character ^j^, gab, but the meaning,
in that case, would be difficult to decide.
As
1^, with the pronunciation ara, stands for the Semitic tenu, meaning " to grind," c-ara in 1. 6
may stand for " grinding-house." The group is a frequent one with the determinative prefix for a
male or female, in which case it would stand for " miller " or " bread-maker." With the determinative
and J^V" it occurs in te.xts of the time of Gimil-Sin, both of them being inscriptions
prefixes
parallel
referring to grain.
The
traces of 'î^, niu, on the envelope suggest that the whole line there read viu Lugal-igi-hda-ku,
" in the
name
For
st'la
of Lugal-igi-lula."
as
the pronunciation of
Asiatic Society, 1905, p. 144,
The month
Diin-kur-zi
1.
'
^^
the
t^f in
name
Sila-iHU
(1.
9)
see the Journal of the Roj-al
8 of the cuneiform text.
generally written without the final element, as in the text of the envelope.
is
month of the Sumerian year at this period, answering to Elul. Whether the syllable zi
be a phonetic complement or an additional element is uncertain, but in either case it would seem to
make the otherwise probable rendering, as usually written, namely, " the month of the eating of
It
was the
increase "
sixth
uncertain.
the zi be a phonetic complement, kur cannot be the value of the

Iti IrJn-Bau, "the month of the festival of Bau," was the ninth
month,
Naturally,
if
preceding character.
corresponding with the Semitic Chisleu.
whole of Dim-kur-zi is probably included.

especially on the tablet, can hardly stand
Suy-ahba is mentioned in nos. 50, 59,
As
would make an
this
The numeral
for
anything
is
|f][
interval of three months only, the

not altogether certain, but the traces,
else.
99, 107, etc.
The year corresponds with the sixth date of Bur-Sin as given by Radau, and is completed from
The meaning "abode" for ^>^ pCJ. , is that adopted by that scholar,
similarly dated.
and is apparently based upon the restoration of the Semitic translation as viakann by Briinnow. The
British Museum tablet 80-7-19, 105, however, has makalu, which, as the other rendering of the group,
pA, "mouth," suggests, should mean "place of eating," from dkdlu, "to eat."
Utiit, applied to a place,
tablets
therefore probably
It is
means " banqueting-hall."
noteworthy
that, in this inscription, the scribe
is
not the person
other transactions of this class, but Lugal-igi-lula, another person.
The
who
received the grain, as in
addition of
vm
to the beginning
shows that he was the agent for the e-ara mentioned

seal-impressions are very mutilated, and it is impossible to make out much of the
of the sixth line in the text inscribed on the envelope,

in
1.
5.
The
scribe's
'J.
design, but from what remains it would seem to have been the usual one the ovv^ner of the cylinder
being introduced by a divine attendant into the presence of the god whom he worshipped. A bird with
outspread wings occupies the field in front of the divinity. The inscription is in the usual form
:
-Hh
t^'iiT
-^
tJUT
"E^
",y
^T
Lu-D.P. Nin-Gir-su
dub
sara
^TT
^VX
"^
dumu
In the blank space between dub and say

foot.
This
is
is
it
is
mu
son of Sila-mu.
a representation of an almost globular vase
probably emblematic of the offerings
of the glyptic art of the period
Sila
Lu-Nin-Girsu,
the scribe,
made by
upon a
tall
the owner of the cylinder in other examples
generally placed before the god (see pp. 114, 119).
TIIK
'52
AMUKRST TAHI.ETS
84. RATIONS
AS WAGES.
1905.
A SEEMINGLY
imperfectly-baked
seventeen lines of writing on
above and below
hand edge.
lines
7-12,
part by
(i
The
14,
16,
and
last
19,
tablet,
9.2
cm. high
by 5 cm. wide, inscribed with
the obverse, twenty-one lines on the reverse and edges
respectively), and four lines, divided into two columns, on the
character of the ninth
line is
somewhat damaged by a
fracture,
insects, the traces of
Reverse.
Obverse.
m^^ ^
m^ mî^m
f
f=7
j^^^
^^
^5HMm^
T^^
Or.VERSE.
in
whose movements, converging towards
a space near the right-hand edge of the reverse, can be detected.
r.
and
and 21 of the reverse and lower edge are also damaged, seemingly
earthworms or burrowing
f-i
left-
RATIONS AS WAGES
6.
153
THE AMHERST TAULETS
54
NOTES.
The
mutilation of the reverse, especially in the
list
of totals,
makes the
identification of the items
mentioned therein not altogether easy. There is but little doubt, however, that line 13 corresponds with
line 3 of the obverse, and as this is the first on the list, it is very probable that the others come, as far
as the scribe found it possible, in the order in which the entries are written.
The II mentioned in line 14 therefore probably refers to eleven of the twelve names in the lines
beginning with (}-. The 4 " sons of servants " in line 15 may be those receiving apparently i gur of
The 4 with a total of 240 qa in line 16 are the
grain in obv., lines 13 and 17, and rev., lines 9 and 10.
In line 17 two men are referred to
people referred to in obv., lines 5 and 10, and rev., lines 3 and 7.'
and as the only class numbering two arc those
who are distinguished by the characters
Jlffifif. ^"-S^>
mentioned in line 7 of the obv. and 5 of the rev. preceded by ^, /, these must be the two persons
In this case the characters su-gi would not have the same meaning here as in the texts
intended.
referring to animals, but probably stand for the expression "hand-receiver," or something similar,
meaning a person who receives something for another. In this connection it is to be noted that Ô*}^
gi, stands for Ckemti, " to take," viahdru, " to receive," and other expressions which might be held to
favour the meaning of the group indicated by this inscription.

In all probability only one person is referred to in line ig of the reverse
The
total of 2
No
gur 120
(/n
in
20
line
trustworthy reading of
is
made up by
possibly
the lines beginning with
>^
Bazi
in
line
12.
only.
can at present be suggested.
rev., line 21,
This name occurs

7.
and 149.
Diimu-ni in line 10 of the obverse refers to Lugal-melama only, duinu-ni-me in line 11 apparently to
Lu-Ninsah and Lu-kalla, who seem to be sons of Urri-bab-ul. Lugal-melama was apparently, therefore,
The
Urri-ba-jd
in its shorter
form
in line
in
9 of the reverse
nos. 43
and
is
the Urri-bab-ul of the obverse, line
82, pp. 75
the grandson of the last-named.

In the first line of the reverse kidura-lu-me
is probably not a name, but a title, and "son of the

seat-men " simply means that Gar-Bau was one of those officials. A kidura-lu is mentioned in Reisncr's
Tcmpclnrkuuden, no. 164I', V., line 13.
The damaged character in Siir-Nin-izina (line 7 of the reverse) looks like 'ij]yr, in which case the
divine name contained therein would be the -Jf- ^^ty ::tVJ of the second vol. of the Cuneiform Inscriptions
of Western Asia, pi. 54, line 19 ef, where it is explained as Anatu'" (Anu's spouse) and Istar. It is therefore
probably not the same deity as in pi. 39, line 31^, -*f- J^tT E^fcJ> Nin-sara, with which compare vol. V.
of the same, pi. 31, line 29^^, and pi. 46, line liab.
Notwithstanding that JJ^ lEf S"-S^^'^> best rendered, probably, by " primus," replaces the en unu
gala of the preceding dates, there is probably but little doubt that the year indicated belongs to
In other respects the wording of the date is the same as that of the
this chronological position.
It may be regarded as an additional proof of the
tablets where it is unaccompanied by the word " after."
1
popularity of the great temple of
'
Anu and
As, in the total, rev. line 16, there
traces, possibly of the
the 4 slaves."
numeral
t?,
arc
to
Istar at Erech.
is
a space between
be seen
"son" and "servant" or "slave," and

may read, " 124 qa, the sons of
between, the line
A DELIVERY OF GRAIN
85._A
155
DELIVERY OF GRAIN.
37.
A BAKED
wide, and the latter 49
obverse, and
envelope, the
clay tablet with
three
lines
mm. by
two lines of the envelope are
S^M^
WH
'^
^4
f^m^
^S^KI^:^
is
mm.
The
in
except that there
part nearly illegible
36
mm.
high
by 30.6 mm.
on the
tablet has five lines of writing
on the reverse and edge below.
lines respectively, similarly arranged,
which the document
42.6
former measuring
is
The envelope
has four and three
no writing on the edge.
The
first
on account of the cylinder-seal, with
impressed on both sides and on the edges.
TIIK
'56
AM II MUST TAItLETS
NOTES.
The
cylindcr-scal
is
therefore, very difficult
in
to
every case very indistinctly impressed, and the subject and inscription arc,
make
out.
To
all
appearance
it
being introduced by a divine attendant to a seated deity.
and reads as follows
the
The
common
inscription
design showin}^ the owner
is
apparently
in
two
lines,
ifcj
On
is
<*T
[?]
Sur-nigin-[gara]
Sur-nigin-[gara],
dumu
son of Sur-.
the right-hand of the inscription there
Sur-.
an irregular leaf-shaped embossment, pointing to a

corresponding depression in the surface of the original. This implies that a thickish flake had, at some
time or other, been chipped out, probably by accident. Through this portion runs, from top to bottom,
and forming a kind of " fault," a crack suggesting that the seal was, moreover, in two pieces, and held
together by some means which cannot at present be ascertained. Whether the lines on the left of the
inscription formed part of the design or not is uncertain.
>y at the end of the second line of the envelope are apparently portions of *^^, >tt7, of which traces
of the corner-wedge (<) can also be detected in the original. This implies a slightly different wording
(as in the translation), though the meaning is practically the same.
It is noteworthy that there is no
is
indication as to the nature of the institution to which the
were employed.
also pp. 157, 185
No. 33
(p.
60)
is
in a similar case, but
men
belonged, or the work upon which they
nos. 34
and 35
(pp. 62, 63) give details.
See
ff.
This tablet has been placed here to represent the date regarded by Radau as the 7th of the reign of
It may, however, belong to the 45th date of Dungi's reign, of which three tablets have already
been given (pp. 60-64). O"^ or more of those may, on the other hand, belong to this interval.
As the envelope, dated in the gth month, cannot have been written three months earlier than the
tablet which was within it (which is dated in the 12th), it must have been written nine months later.
Nowithstanding this, both are inscribed with the same year.
Bur-Sin.
GRAIN RECEIVED FOR THE SERVANTS OF THE TEMPLE OF ISTAR
157
RECEIVED FOR THE SERVANTS OF THE TEMPLE

OF ISTAR.
86. GRAIN
135-
'T^ÂBLET and envelope of baked clay, the

The envelope is
latter 45 mm. by 41.
obverse and three on the reverse,
The
cylinder-seal of the scribe.
all
first
former
mm.
36
inscribed
with
by 31
high
five
lines
the faces (sides and edges) being
and the
wide,
of writing
on the
impressed with
the
three lines are nearly obliterated by these impressions.
TEXT OF THE ENVELOPE.
:m^n^>^X>l
Obverse.
Mina usu-sus qa
se gur lugala
se-hurra erina e D.P. Innana
Lu-gi-na
ki
ma
Duba
Lama
royal grain,
pa-ap-hala
star,
from Lu-gina,
by the boat of Sur-Lama, the ferryman.
ta
Sur-D.P.
gur 180 ga of
the bread of the people of the temple of
'-ta
A-kal-la pa e Innana."
Seal of A-kalla, the
man
"
of the temple of Istar.'
Reverse.
Iti
Month
se-il-la
Se-illa,
(Cylinder-seal impressions.)
mu
Hu-hu--nu-ri
(ki)
year he ravaged Huhunuri.
ba-hula.
NOTES.
The
reading of the
first
by the text of the inner
The
The
The
The
three lines, which are almost obliterated by the seal-impressions,
is
confirmed
tablet.
characters
^ t^y
tablet has
W ^^
^^,
-"ef
pa-ap-hala, are omitted on the tablet.
Ef
^f
>^
A-kal-la pa
tablet has "A-kalla, the official, has received

tablet has here, incorrectly, y>^\ instead of ^\.
it."
su-ba-ti.
'Or
"official.'
THE AMHERST
158
TAIlLETS
More precisely "due in grain."

Sur-Lama is common, occurring nearly twenty times
doubtful whether, among them, the ship-owner here mentioned is referred
I'or Ie-/jurra in line 2, see p. 114.
Though
it
is
name
the
of
person as delivers 105 qn of sesame
The word
^ ttrT
""^ '"
''"*^
in
the text on p. 192.
'^
interesting, as
it
in the present collection,

to.
It
may
be the same
uncommon
apparently a variant of the not
is
group Ar '"~, p'lp-fjof'', which is translated by the Semitic ttctluku, "crossing," ttalluku, "going backwards
and forwards," cS:c. If the rendering "ferryman" be the correct one here, this would seem to show that
the pronunciation of
Semitic meaning
Bif=,
visirtit,
idea of walking to and

development contained
with the meaning of "man," is the common value of the character, pa. The
" watching," " guarding," which fap-hala also has, probably comes from the
fro, like
in
watchman on guard.
Puiqii, puridii,
this tablet {pa-ap-hald), whilst the other
and
zittit
possibly express another
come from
the word as written in

words express an idea belonging to the double group pap-hala.
pap-hala, or else the meanings given above
omitted on the tablet.
It is
in all probability it went from point to point

vessel may not merely have crossed the Euphrates
on the river and the canals connected therewith, carrying such produce as was needed.
The
The
commonly adopted by
cylinder-impression shows the design
the scribes and others
who
carried
namely, the owner being led into the presence of his god. In the present design the seated figure
would seem to be intended for the goddess I star. As in several other examples, a vase with a tall foot
stands in front of the goddess, who sits with her right hand extended. Before the goddess, and above the
The work of the whole is rather rough. The name and description
vase, is a bird with outspread wings.
seals,
of the owner are as follows
yr
^T
tTTTf
^5lJ
111
IH
-f
^y<y
ly^
tf
kal
la
da
dub
dumu
Sur-D.P. Nin-gis
sar
kalla
the scribe,
son of Sur-Ningis(?).
of this scribe occurs in the last line of the obverse of the envelope, where he bears the title
Inuaniia, " man of the temple of Istar," apparently meaning that he was one of the officials employed
In the cylinder-inscription he bears the title of "scribe" dub-sar, with the addition of the
there.
The name
pa
makes the true rendering of this compound group rather uncertain. The sign in
end of the second line of the cj'linder-impression, is only to be found on the
upper edge of the envelope that between the beginning and the end of the text and the line below is
character da, which

question, which
is
at the
quite illegible.
The
left-hand impression on the reverse gives, after nin, the character tf, gis, rather low
down, and the question therefore arises whether, for want of room, the engraver inserted ;; above gis,
and da above it (that is, at the end of the second line of the inscription on the seal) to complete the name
This would satisfactorily explain the presence of da after
of Sur-Nin-gis-zida, the father of the scribe?
in a text of the first
dub-sar, and also complete the name in accordance with what is found elsewhere
year of Gimil-Sin, rev., 1. 15, for example, where, for want of room, the character d<i is written below.
In the case of the present cylinder-seal this could not be done, on account of the seated goddess being
engraved too close to the inscription. The inscription on the cylinder would then read as follows:
(I)
J5??
A-kal-la, diib-sara,
It is
(p.
162),
-IT
(2)
dumu Sur-D.P.
probably this same Akalla
which
is
t^m
tn
Nin-gii-ci-da,
who
is
(3)
ir
m+
t^-sT ^t
^^
"eh
Akalla, the scribe, son of Sur-Nin-gis-zida.
mentioned as having delivered grain in the inscription

Huhunuri was ravaged (the 8th date of Biir-Sin).
likewise dated in the year
no.
90
A RECEIPT OF FOOD AND MEAL
87. A
159
RECEIPT OF FOOD AND MEAL.

Dec.
A BAKED
mm.
clay tablet, 3S
high by
;iT,
mm.
on the obverse and seven on the reverse.

fracture
of
the
left-hand
the
but
corner,
first
consequence of portions which have flaked
'05, 39.
wide, inscribed with five lines of writing
The obverse
four
lines
of
the
perfect but for a slight
is
are
reverse
imperfect
in
off.
Obverse.
Mina mina sus usu qa gar hur-ra seg
Ga
gur
se
zid
es
(ki)
Lugal- alima-
ki
ku
(ja
fine royal
gur lugala
ia
ûr 150
of prepared
food
gur of meal,
for the city
Gaes
~|
from Lugal-alima,
ta
Reverse.
su
8.
Gir
g.
10.
Iti
mu
12.
has received.
ti]
[-
Official:
ara
11.
ba
ri
ne
from the
ta
Month
Izin-Jinsi'Bil-si
Hu-hu-nu(ki) ba - hula
millers' house.
Izin-Bilsi,

_
NOTES.
What the special kind of food intended is is uncertain.
This ideograph
also be rendered " in good condition, pure."
Gaes (hne
4)
For kurra
is
(line
i)
see p. 26.
Seg may
written partly within the ra of hurra.
occurs in the date " Year he invested the lord of Nannara of Gaes."
Ur of the Chaldees and Harran, a centre of Moongod-worship.
It
would
thus seem to have been, like
The
character after Lugal in line 5
have regarded as a variant of
^^,
alini,
Thureau-Dangin's
no. 228.
The name
of the receiver, which
was given
in line 6, is
broken away.
It is
not improbable that the
may have been the prefix for "god," or that character

compounded with en. This would point to the name having been Lu-En-lila or Lu-Enzu, perhaps
No suggestion can be made with regard to the name in line 8.
followed by a title.
The month Izin-Bilsi is that given as an equivalent to Tammuz in Radau. The year is the 8th date
first
character was WTj^^, whilst the second
of Bur-Sin in the
same work.
i6o
Tilt AMIIi:u.sT
TAHLETS
OF DRINK, FOOD, AND
88. CONSIGNMENTS
OIL.
ijj.
SMALL
writinir
tablet of
baked
clay,
on the obverse and
mm,
33
by 24^ wide, inscribed
high
The
on the reverse.
five
text
as follows
is
four
witli
hnes of
Obverse.
r^Mitc>"\IjI^
la
(ja
kas, ia qa
of drink, 5
(/a
t/a
gar
W'WTt^
lama gin
zal
Su-iiir-ri
gin-
4 în of
oil,
Su-nirri, the weigh-
us
er.
qa
la qa kas, ia
of
food,
5 i/a of drink, 5
gar
â of
food,
Reverse.
lama gin
^^B"^^
Iti
Izin-D.P.
gu
4 .^/ of oil,
zal
Lu
Lu Month
la
Dumu-
gula.
of the festival of
Tammuz,
zi
r^^
mu Hu-hu-nuba
ri
Year he ravaged
Huhunuri.
h-
ula
NOTES.
This short text
is
similar to nos. 70, 71, &c., with others of considerable length.
They
refer to
what purpose is not stated, though from

In the present case
is clear that journeys were in contemplation.
it
there is just a possibility that the occasion was that of the festival of Tammuz, the month of which
(= Tisri) was that in which the deliveries were made.
Gin-US, as explained by Reisncr, means " to set the weight " {^'n, " weight," us, " to set ") hence
amounts of provisions served out

some of the texts of this class
the meaaing adopted here.
to the persons
The name
named, but
for
Su-nirri docs not occur in the publications accessible to me.
For the name Lu-gula, see no. 27
(p.
49), obv.,
1.
15.
of the character ^? IfcJ in the last line is noteworthy, and due, probably, to the
awkwardness of writing on the edge of the tablet. For another example of a similar division, see
The
division
no. 109, p. 184.
The month
as the
is
eiiuivalent to Tisri (September-October), according to
two preceding and the following
texts.
Radau.
The year
is
the
same
'
DELIVERY OF SHEEPSKINS
89. DELIVERY
l6l
OF SHEEP-SKINS.
R.
BAKED
clay tablet, 33.5
obverse and
five
mm.
mm.
high by 29.5
colour,
Very hard
on the reverse.
wide, with six lines of writing on the

light yellow-ochre.
Obverse.
Ilima sus
su udu
lal-gi
539 skins of slaughtered
ba-bat
ki siba-ne-ne-
sheep,
")
from the shepherds,

ta
e-duba ba-an-tura
have entered the tablet-house,
Lu-dingirNin-Gir-SU
Lu-Nin-Girsu
dumu
son of Bazi,
Ba-zi
Reverse.
pr
^^''^f'KIÂw
has received them.
su
8.
Gir
Siir-di"gi>"Pa-saga
9.
ba
7.
10.
Iti
ti
Official
Month
Izin-diiigirBa-u
mu
Hu-hu-nu-ri
ba
11.
(ki
.,
Sur-Pasaga.
of the Festival of Bau,
hula
NOTES.
The other tablets referring to skins, see
The double plural, sibanene (or sibenetie),
E-duba (line
Sur-Pasaga
pp. 195-197.
instead of sibene, in line
mentioned on pp. 54, 7^.

is mentioned in connection with
3,
is
noteworthy.
4) is also
(line
8)
cattle
on an undated tablet of the present
collection.
"The month
Babylonian
The
3'ear.
of the festival of
The date
character
were intentional.
\,
Bau"
corresponds
in
Radau's
is
the 8th of Bflr-Sin's reign.
u, is
partly erased, probably by
list
with Chisleu, the 9th month of the
accident, though the erasure
looks
as
if
it
THE AMHERST TAHLETS
I62
FOR GRANARY-LABOURERS.
90. MEAL
"4.
TNNER
Tablet (envelope
lost),
mm.
^y
high by 31^^ wide.
It
has six lines on the obverse,
and four on the reverse, a space intervening between the text proper and the
portion of which is hidden by a fragment of the envelope which adheres.
date,
Obverse.
As usu
ia
qa ze
se
gur 35 qa of meal of
sag-gala crin se Gis-uh (ki)-ku

ki
royal
grain,
gur lugala
sustenance for the grain-men of Jocha,
from Akalla,
A-kal-la-ta
Lugal-ab-ba
Lugal-abba,
e dingirNin-Gir-su
(oQ the temple of Nin-Girsu
Reverse.
su
ba
has received.
ti
Iti
Amar-a-[a]-si,
mu
Hu-hu-[nu-ri]
Month Amar-aasi,
(ki)
Huhunuri.
ba-hula
NOTES.
For <f> "g^,
sag-gal(j,
lit.
" heart-enlarging "
" sustenance," see also nos. 33, 34, 35, 79, &c.
In
probability the " grain-men " were labourers
employed to deal with the grain belonging to the temple

of Nin-Girsu, which was the most important sanctuary in the district. The name Akalla occurs on
Aa-kalla on
nos. 29 (p. 52), 83 (p. 158), &c., but it is doubtful whether the same person is intended.
Lugal-abba is found as the name of a mourner on no. 57 (p. 113), and
p. 28 is probably a fuller form.
others bearing it later are a weaver and a dealer. All these seem to have been different persons from
all
the Lugal-abba of this inscription.
According to Radau, the month .^mar-aasi corresponds with Sebat (January- February). The year
8th date of Bur-Sin in the chronological tablet published by Milprecht, Old Babylonian
For the completion of the date, sec the preceding and following te.xts.
Inscriptions, pi. 127, obv., 1. 7.
is
the
RECEIPT OF GRAIN
91. RECEIPT
163
OF GRAIN.
13".
BAKED
clay
tablet
and
envelope,
intact,
still
obverse has five lines of writing, most of which
The
reverse
has
five
shorter lines of
The
mm.
high
extend on
to
by 42 wide.
The
right-hand
edge.
the
Obverse, reverse, and edges are, as usual,
writing.
covered with impressions of the scribe's cylinder-seal, but

distinct.
49^-
in
no case are the impressions very
reverse of the outer envelope shows two or three cracks.
Obverse.
\
y-f^
y; ^^^0-lSz^
^^^
mina mina sus
se gur lugala
rir
^^^^^^^^JL^^^
t/a
of royal grain.
from Sur-Enlila.
Sur-dingirEn-Iila-ta
hura-bi-ku-ba-gu
mu Nam-maha dumu
ûr 120
grain-payment to the people,
se hur-ra erin-na-ku
ki
12
Official
Sur-gi-
in the
Hura-bi-kubagu,
name
of
Nammaha,
son of Sur-gibis.
Reverse.
Duba
4^tT'
Seal of Uru-kalla.
Uru-kal-Ia
dumu-na
Iti
mu
his son.
Month Amar-aasi
Amar-a-a-si
Hu-hu-nu-ri
ba
(ki)
hula
(Sebat),
year he devastated
Huhunuru.
NOTES.
obverse the characters after ^f. have been treated as a name. It is
not impossible, however, that they merely designate the kind of merchandise usually carried by the
In
person
the
fourth
" the
line
of the
carrier of their prepared food,
Kubaka,"
Or
'
or something similar.
Kiilm^'H.
TlIF AMIIFUST TADI.KTS
64
"His
son," in the second line of
gcnealofjy
tlic
Sur-gibis
The
of
Nammah.
reverse, apparently refers to
This would make the
reference of dumu-na, "his son," to
Uru-kalla
in
well preserved.
Nammah Uru-kalla.
Nammah,
also confirmed by the remains of the inscription
is
the impressions of his cylinder-seal, which are very badly impressed, and not always
The
which remain arc as follows:
traces
>^4B=t'3
gp
Him
and may be thus restored

iL.-.
Uru
-tT
Jîr
kal
The
god
subject
whom
The
is
kalla,
maha
son of
Nammaha.
the usual one representing the owner of the seal being led into the presence of the
For similar designs, see pp. 36, 6i, 63, &c.
It is too imperfect to Teproduce.
he worshipped.
date, both
month and
year,
is
the
same as that of the preceding
92. RECEIPT
OF SHEEP.
Dec.
A SMALL
baked clay
tablet,
26
mm.
of writing on the obverse and the
end.
the scribe,
sara
dumu Nam
Hf^ ->il
Uru
la
dub
It
(No
te.xt.
year.)
'05, 66.
high by 24.7
mm.
wide, inscribed with three lines
same number on the
reverse, with a space at the
Colour grey-yellow.
Obverse.
U-lama udu
se
udu Na-lula
ki
Sur-ilingifLama-
14 sheep of grain,
sheep of Na-lula,
from Sur-Lama
ta
Reverse.
''d^
m^
Gar-'''ng'fBa-u
Gar-Bau,
ku
the niku.
ni
Iti
gan-mas
Month Gan-mas.
NOTES.
This inscription apparently records the receipt, by Gar-Bau, the niku, of 14 sheep, which had been
There may
fed upon grain, and which belonged to Na-lula, from Sur-Lama, the agent in the transaction.
be some doubt as to whether Na-lula is a name or not, but this is probably the best way of regarding
the word.
The month Gan-mas is identified by Kadau with lyyar (.\priI-May).
GRAIN-ACCOUNT
165
93. GRAIN-ACCOUNT.
88.
WELL-BAKED
tablet,
47!^
mm.
by
high
mm.
393^
wide, inscribed with nine
writing on the obverse, and eight on the reverse and edges.
Both
Hnes of
but not the
sides,
edges, are covered with the impressions of the cyhnder-seal of the scribe.
Obverse.
^>
I.
Usu qa
se higal se hur-ra sa
dumu gud
A-tu
3.
gur
30 ga of grain royal, grain-payment

(to) the cattle-men
:
gu-la engar
4.
usu qa Al
5.
usu qa
6.
Atu-gula, the farm-hand
30
ija
Alia
30
ija
usu qa Sur-'i'igifNina
30
ija
Sur-Nina
7.
usu qa Sur-es-lil-la engar
30
iâ
Sur-es-lilla,
8.
usu qa Sur-e-an-na
30 qa Sur-E-anna;
9.
ki
Lugal-lu-saga-
from Lngal-lu-saga.
la
zi
da
zida
the farm-hand
ta
Reverse and edges.

Grain-payments made.
10. se hur-ra sa
11.
r.
12.
13.
14.
mu
In the name of Uru-kalla,

the cattle-keeper,
Uru-kal-la
nu-banda guda-ku
duba Sur-D.P. Ba-u
dumu
ib
15.
Here
is
the seal Sur-Bau,
E-ab-sag-ga
-
son of ]&-ab-sagga,
has impressed.
ra
impressed the
name
on
I'
16.
Mu
17.
(ki)
Hu-hu-nu-ri
ba
hula
of Sur-Bau and a portion of the design

his cylinder-seal.
Year he ravaged
Huhunuri.
NOTES.
noteworthy that here, as in other cases where the word j;'ur is wanting, the sign for "king"
se, "grain,"
immediately follows that for "wheat," implying that the character gj^.^^ qualifies
rather than ^Cf, g-ur, the measure. This character also implies that the grain, being of the finest quality,
was for the use of the people whose names are given, and not for the sustenance of the cattle which may
It
is
'^<1^^<^,
have been
in their care.
TIIK AMHI-.KST
66
Sf /ntnv-Sit
in lines i
and lo
conjecture to
si','nify
TAULKTS
"grain-payment making," principally on account
of nos. 57 and 83 (pp. 113 and 157). The group "gXI

corresponds with the expression "herdsmen." For the
Gar
American-English compound "cow-boy."
at the
^K.
use
tiiDtiii-iîid,
of
duiiiii,
end of the .second
"child of cattle," apparently

"child," "boy," compare the
line
is
probably due to the text
being a palimpsest, and the same may be said also of "^ at the end of line i.
stands for a measure of 30 qas, I have in every case transcribed /// qn, notAs the character
withstanding that the character ^J, (ja, is not written. It is to be noted, however, that the true reading
of this and similar compounds standing for measures may turn out to be entirely different when the
syllabaries referring thereto
The
characters
ffTJ
become known.
*S
^t
the end of the
belonging to a former inscription on the tablet.

where traces of characters are visible after ^b}.
first
line
are written
over other characters, possibly
The same thing also seems to be the case in line 9,

As the name here is evidently that occurring under
the form of Lugal-lu-Sagiaga in the inscription which follows, one would expect to find jl^:^ repeated.
The traces, however, do not lend themselves to identification with that character, and the end of the
preceding ideograph is written over them. Notwithstanding the neglect of the reduplication here
indicated,
The
name of
it
seems improbable that a
different person should be intended.
sense of lines 13-16 seems to be
" Sur-Bau, son of lil-ab-sagga, has sealed the tablet in the
Uru-kalla, the cattle-keeper."
The
cylinder-seal
was engraved with a representation of a bearded man, nude, on the
right, struggling
with an animal, which he held by the head and the tail. On the left was a representation of a figure
with long ringlets, front face, the upper part that of a man joined on to the hinder parts of a bull. He
In other designs of this kind the man on
is overcoming a winged dragon, with a strange upturned tail.
the right is overcoming a lion, whilst the bull-man on the left is struggling with a bull. The inscription
roads as follows
gr 5tT
It
is
will
wanting
The
be noticed that
^^T
in the
name
Sur-D.P. Ba-u
Sur
dumu E-ab-saga
son of E-ab-saga.
Bau,
of the father the phonetic ending ga, fully written in line i^,
in the cylinder-impression.
date
is
the 8th of the reign of Bur-Sin in Radau's Early Babylonian History.
RECEIPT OF GRAIN FOR CATTLE
94.
167
-RECEIPT OF GRAIN FOR CATTLE.

76.
A TABLET
and its envelope, the former 32 mm. high by 3 cm. wide, and the latter
46 by 42 mm. The tablet has five lines of writing on the obverse, and four on the
reverse, and the envelope three lines (without reckoning the short ends of lines) on each
side.
A portion of the obverse of the envelope is broken away, damaging the ends of all
the lines of text on that side, and rendering the cylinder-impressions, with which the envelope
"^^
is
covered, imperfect in that place.
Obverse.
-^
k^
Sus
ia
amar
e-tura
65 steers of c-tura
at 1 {guy),
as ta
TirrT
sus ia gur
se hi
ki
their grain, 65 gur,
Lugal-lu-sag-
from Lugal-lu-sagsaga
^JM
saga
ta
Reverse.
H'H^JN^
6.
Sur-dingirGal-alim
~m'w^=<
7.
su
Mu
Sur-Gal-alim
ba
has received.
ti
Year he
Hu-hu-nu-ri
(ki)
ba
hula.
(the king) devastated
Huhunuri.
NOTES.
XX^ fT^T> '^^ ^'^ gur-ta, "at one guy of grain (each)," the
even without the total given in the third line.
Instead of " Sur-Gal-alim has received," the envelope has the usual variant, duba Sur-D.P. Gal-alim,
isi, probably meaning "mourner," from the
"tablet of Sur-Gal-alim," followed by the character
meaning of bakti, " to weep," which isi has. In the seal-impression Sur-Gal-alim calls himself " the scribe."
As
meaning of the
the envelope has, for line

first
two
2,
<^<J<]
lines is quite clear,
^H,
Ifcr^^S-^^
THK AMIIKRST
68
TAni.ETS
The design on the cylinder-seal is the usual one of tiie owner being led into the presence of his
god, a bird with outspread wings being in the blank space above. The inscription on the cylinder-seal
impressions reads as follows:
IW
^Hf-
Sur-D.P. Gal-alim
JL^ *^T? <f-
t^
flub
i^Xl
"Et
IfcJ
T^
"eIT
'^'
"'
dumu
'
nu
Sur-Gal-alim,
the scribe,
sara
Sur-
banda
son of Sur-
.,
the foreman.
None of the impressions of the cylinder are sufficiently well made to allow the ends of the lines to be
completed, and for the same reason the desif,'n accompanying the inscription could not very well be drawn.
The cattle referred to in this inscription belonged to the c-tura or " house of rest " so often mentioned
the sixteen-column inscription published on pp. 95-105. The date of the present tablet, which is the
8th of BQr-Sin, is about nine years later than that of the aforc-mentioned text.
in
95. DELIVERIES
OF DRINK.
Dec.
A WELL-BAKED
clay tablet, 30.5
on the obverse, and
six
in
deepening to grey here and there.
HT^^
H fc^
^nriF
I]
mm.
(No
year.)
'05, tfi.
high by 16
mm.
wide, with
the reverse and edge above.
five lines of writing
Colour light yellow ochre,
A RECEIPT OF GRAIN
169
RECEIPT OF GRAIN.
96. A
151.
A CASE-TABLET,
measuring 45 mm. high by 40.5 mm. wide, the obverse

inscribed with four and the reverse with two Hnes of writing, and the whole surface
covered with the cylinder-impressions of the scribe.
still
intact,
OUVERSE.
Man
imina se zid gu
27 i^'o) of grain food
from Sur-Gal-alim.
Sur-J''<g'fGal-alim-ta
ki
Duba Sur-D.P. Ba-u dumu
Seal of Sur-Bau, son of
Sur-
Id-Edin-na
Sur-Id-Edina.
Reverse.
Iti
^-/-^--^^*^1H -'^
*^
Se
'"" ^"
11
Month
la
Guruduga
(ki)
Se-illa
(Nisan\
year he invested the lord of Iiridu.
ba-tuga
NOTES.
measure is wanting. Tiiat
wedges expressing the
units, which are horizontal and not upright.
The rendering "grain-food" has been adopted on account
Perhaps, however, "meal" is the true
of the first character after the numeral {^^^^, se, "grain").
here is
translation, in which case jv would be merely a determinative prefi.x, inserted to show that
It
it
is
is
noteworthy that,
the îr which
is
this inscription, the character expressing the
in
intended, and not the
(/<?,
is
shown by the
position of the
not the character for

inscriptions,
accompanied,
"cloth."
In
with the meaning of

tenu
sa
"to
keiiit,
all
probability
" meal," which

grind,
of
^ ^^
is
meal."
's
supported
The
the
compound
by the
Sumerian
"^^
j
rendering
of the
by which
pronunciation
of
later
it
is
"-qTEyj
is
given as niu.
The name Sur-Gal-alim
is
common
one,
and as more than one bearing
it
is
connected with grain,

7.
THE AMUFRST
170
TAIII.ETS
person nioant in the present inscription is difficult to identify. An undated tablet mentions two,
one the son of Lii-Nin-Girsu, the other the son of Galda.
Still more common is the name Sur-Bau, but anion;,' the twenty-six references to persons bearing
This last, which means " faithful
it in this collection, only the present scribe is son of Sur-Id-Edina.
ser\'ant of the river of Eden," is interesting not only as showing that there was, in Babylonia, a river
or canal of that name, but also as indicating that the waterway in question was deified
it was possibly
regarded as one of the children of Ea or Enki, the god of the sea and rivers. "The temple of the
river of Edina " is referred to in the text on p. 65.'
the
^?
The
^-"^
cylinder of the scribe shows the usual design
i.e.,
the owner being led by a divine attendant
whom
he worships, in this case a goddess. A bird with wings displayed

and legs outstretched, looking to the left, is engraved in the space above. The divine attendant in the
usual attitude of adoration, behind the figure of the scribe, is shown smaller on account of the crowding
into the presence of the deity
The
of the figures.
IM
.jf-
following
is
^y
the text of the inscription
^TTi
Sur-D.P. Ba-u
dub
dumn Sur-Id-Edin-ne
The
Sur-Bau,
the scribe,
sara
(?)
son of Sur-Id-Edine.
year inscribed at the end corresponds with the ninth date of the reign of Bur-Sin, king of
Ur
of the Chaldees.
To
appearance there was also a city named Edina, situated " on the bank of the ri%er of the
Coast-land" {kisad ndr dl Edina, pihat Tdinti), implying that the district
called Edina extended considerably to the south.
It is probably in this tract that Sippar of Eden
'
all
city Edina, in the province of the
{Si/i/iaredina)
The
was
of the text,
situated.
Tamti
is
written with the usual ideographic group,
JJ
C^T ^T
<^-
wedges on the left, and the amount of space, imply ^l^flj, '"^, instead of the
line 4.
Edine instead of Edina would be due to vowel-harmony.
four
*^,
'J,
RATIONS OF DRINK, FOOD, AND OIL
97. RATIONS
171
OF DRINK, FOOD, AND

Dec.
\ BAKED
-^^
edge.
clay tablet, 30.5
mm.
high by 25
mm.
OIL.
'05,
40.
wide, inscribed with six lines of writing
on the obverse, seven on the reverse and edge below, and one line on the left-hand
One of the right-hand corners is broken away, making the first two lines of the obverse
and the
last line
of the reverse
and
of the
edge below imperfect.
Obverse.
I.
;;
TIIK AMIIIKST TAIII.KTS
172
OF DRINK, FOOD, AND
98. CONSIGNMENTS
A SMALL
tablet
cm. high by 24 mm. wide, inscribed with
obverse, and eight and a half lines on the reverse

is
somewhat damaged
in
six
OIL.
lines of writing
on the
The
writing
and edges below
it.
parts.
Obverse.
la qa kas, es qa gar
mina
2 gin of oil,
gin
zal
Lugal-ni-maha
Lugal-ni-maha
qa kas, es qa gar,
ia
mina
Lugal
gin
-
si
zal
gin of
oil,
Lugal-sisa
sa
Reverse.
f^M *?$> ^31
qa kas, es qa gar
ia
mina
gin
zal
dingirNannar-zi
ia
^r~^r~^
mina
Mi><TSit|ij^
Ur-ra-ur-sag.
jf
M >^J
Iti
mu
gin
zal
en Giiruduga
-
gin of
oil,
Urra-ursag.
Month Su-umuna (Tammuz),
Su-umuna,
ba
oil,
Nannar-zi
qa kas, es qa gar
w"^TWiTr^T!i
gin of
year
(ki)
a-tuga
he (the king) invested

the lord of Eridu.
NOTES.
The
late
final
character of line 3
Babylonian
C>Il.
""'i',
is
is
rather strangely written, but the reading as the equivalent of the
confirmed by Reisner's no.
164'=,
col. II.,
1.
22,
where the name occurs
"Shepherd of the god Enki " (= Ea).

Lugal-sisa in line 6 means " the king makes to prosper."
Nannar-ci in line 9 means " Nannar (the moongod) is life."
Urra-ursag in line 12 possibly means " Nergal is a hero " There seems to be some confusion
between ^^J and -T^xf in these inscriptions, and this has caused Reisner to read Xita/i-ra instead
of Ur-ra.
When, however, there is but little difference between two characters, confusion is easy.'
The date is the same, both month and year, as that of the tablet immediately following.
again with the
'
An
title
alternative rendering of Urra-ursag
the bearer of the
name worshipped.
would be " servant of the hero," meaning some deity
whom
DELIVERIES OF DRINK, FOOD, AND OIL
99. DELIVERIES
173
OF DRINK, FOOD, AND
OIL.
184.
SMALL
each
tablet,
side.
28.5
mm.
The upper
high by 23.5
mm.
right-hand corner
is
wide, inscribed with six lines of writing on

slightly
damaged.
Obverse.
Es qa
mina
W^T^^Tfra^
mina
kas,
gin
[qa] gar
gi
Aa
na
3 qa of drink, 2 \qa\ of food,

2 gin of
zal
oil,
gina.
la qa kas, es qa gar
mina
2 gin of oil,
gin
zal
-
bil
Abilli,
11
sukkalla
the messenger.
Reverse.
Es qa
>^
^ ^mt
gin
lu
Su
Iti
mu
zal
-
2
saga
gin of
oil,
Lugal-lu-saga.
umuna
Guruduga
en
ba
mina qa gar
kas,
mina
Lugal
Month Tammuz,
}ear he invested the lord
(ki)
tuga
of Eridu.
NOTES.
an e.xceedingly simple inscription, similar to many others in the collection and elsewhere,
oil being apparently for people employed in the temples, and in some
cases for those going on a journey.
The names given in this text seem to be exceedingly rare. Aa-gina and Abilli are wanting in
Reisner, who, however, has in his list A-bil-ni-gi, of which, reading ni for //', the latter may be an
Lugal-lu-saga he gives as occurring once it is a shortened form of Lugal-lu-sagsaga
abbreviation.
This
is
the deliveries of drink, food, and
(see p. 167).
The month Su-uuiuna corresponds with Tammuz,
for which it is the ideograph even at a very late

cuneiform script lasted. It corresponds with June and July. The year
ba-tug-ga and ba-tuga.
is the ninth date of king Bur-Sin, and is elsewhere written with slight variants
In the present case the a after ba, as we learn from other verbal forms, may be for -an-, making ba-an-tuga,
"him he invested," the former referring to the "lord," which is generallj^ understood to mean the high
priest of Eridu, and the other to the king, who seems to have performed the ceremony.
date
in fact, as long as the
For similar
inscriptions, see nos. 61, &c.
Till-:
74
100. DELIVERIES
AMHERST TABLETS
OF CLOTH AND CLOTHING.

38.
A N
unbaked or imperfcctly-baked clay

of
tablet,
on the obverse (two of them
writing
45.5
mm.
high by 34 wide, with seven lines

and eight on the reverse. Not-
double),
withstanding the softness of the clay, the state of preservation of this document
/Trr^^fe^
is
excellent.
Ml
<tr,^^]^^ff<Sff:^
M^rr^^^^
^^^t-^'^-^m
Obverse.
Gi tug lum-za lugala
tug lum-za gis lugala
es tug ig-lama esa-kam gis
u lal gi tug lum-za lama-kam
gi tug lum-za gina
gi
/rtwi'rt-garment the king
/wwxrfl-garment the king's servant
3 state-garments the 3rd servant

10 less I /wwrrt-garments the 4th servant
gis
mina sussana ma-na gu-
2^
/ww^Trt-garment
mana
making
the price,
sir
ki
from Lu-Ezinu.
Lu-''i"e'fEzinuta
Reverse.
8.
9.
man-gi tug lum-za lama-kam gis
lal
gi
tug lum-za esa-kam
10 less
/w;rt-garments the 3rd

servant
Ab-ba-gu-la-ta
10.
ki
II.
Tug
12.
Lu-D.P. Innanna su-ba-ti

Iti Mu-su-du
mu en Guruduga (ki)
1314.
ki-lal
tag-ga
ba-a-tiiga.
21 //-rt-garments the 4th servant,
from Abba-gula.
The
cloth has been weighed,
Lu- Innanna has received
it.
Month Miisudu,
year he (the king) invested the lord (high
priest) of Eridu.
DELIVERIES OF CLOTH AND CLOTHING
75
NOTES.
The nature
of the garment indicated by
^^
^, lu))iza, is uncertain, the word not having been found

used of the luxuriance of plants, and the excellence and fulness
of the garments enumerated may be intended here. The second syllable, za, means " to hold," but
perhaps both components indicate something which is not to be ascertained by means of the bilingual lists.
as yet in the
The
lists.
syllable luni
is
Besides gis, the pronunciation of J^f in line 2, 7iitah may be used. They both have the same
meaning, namely, cikm, "male," here used in the sense of "servant" (so also Reisner).
In line 3 fTJ ^flj, ig-lanm, "that which is glorious," or something similar, is rendered in Semitic
Babylonian by lainhuHu, in the first syllable of which we maj' perhaps see the second component, lama,
of the non-Semitic original text. If this be the case, huHu is possibly the word used in connection with
the precious metals, and generally translated "massive," though this is doubtful, " splendid " being the
more probable rendering. Perhaps an embroidered robe " magnificently embroidered " is intended.
A satisfactory rendering for C^|, gina, in line 5, is suggested in the text of Reisner's Tempelurkunden
aus Telloh, no. 126, where it occurs in company with >-<, til, meaning "completed." Now the general
meaning oi H'^, gina, would seem to be "proceeding," hence its use to express "going," "sending,"
"bringing," "making," &c., which last has been adopted as the meaning here.
The position of the word (^-*-^ff gu-sir, in line 6, suggests that the group has some such meaning
It is to be noted that the character sir has not its usual form, but is provided with the
as "weight."
_^^;7-wedges.
The
expression ki-lal tagga in line 11
vol. II., pi. 8,
saqahi,
1.
"to weigh."
touch."
"To
As wool and
same way.
is
rendered, in the Cuneiform Inscriptions of Western Asia,
common Semitic root

"balance," and tagga, "to strike,
II (with completions), as sakiltii, apparently for saqiltu, from the
Ki-lal apparently
strike" or
means "place of weighing,"
i.e.,
"touch" the balance, with the Sumerians, seems to have meant "to weigh."
by weight, the fabrics made from them were dealt with in the
similar things were sold
In the present inscription the robes enumerated were received from two persons, Lu-Ezinu { AivelAsnan, "the man of the corn-deity") and Abha-gula (= Semitic Sehi-rabA, "the great patriarch") by
Lu-Innanna. The first, Lu-Ezinu, was a dealer in clothes, and is mentioned in an inscription belonging
to Mr. Beeston as the receiver of certain garments in the reign of Gimil-Sin, the second name (that of
Abba-gula), I have not come across elsewhere, but the third occurs as that of the receiver of the same
kind of garments in no. log (p. 184). In a text of the reign of Gimil-Sin he gives grain for weaving
done.
The
3'ear
date, "
of Biir-Sin.
Year he (the king) invested the lord
(i.e.,
priest) of firidu,"
corresponds with the 9th
TIIF AMIIFKST TAUI-KTS
\y6
loi. A
DELIVERY OF YOUNG ANIMALS.

119.
SMALL
tablet of impurfectly-bakL-d clay, 35
lines of
good condition,
mm.
high by 32 wide, inscribed with four
writing on the obverse, and five on the reverse.

it
is
probable
it
originally
As the document
is
formed the inner portion of a case-tablet.
Obverse.
in
very
;;
DELIVERIES OF DRINK AND FOOD
177
OF DRINK AND FOOD.
102. DELIVERIES
128.
A N
mm.
imperfectly-baked clay tablet, 43.5

of
writing on the
have been inclosed
in
obverse, and
high by 34.5 wide, inscribed with seven lines
This document seems not to
on the reverse.
nine
an envelope.
Obverse.
Mina
Hff^t^^^
as
sus kas seg lugala
lama sus man qa kas gin gur
man qa
es es sus
J^4^4^
260 ga of kept drink

l>al/a
food
60 qa of ^2<-meal food
gu
lama qa gar seg gur
gar
sus
I -i(r
20 ga of fresh
gar ba-ba seg

gar zid
sus
120 ga of royal fresh drink;
j[/ir
220 ga of fresh food
60 ga of su food
su
40 ga of fresh baked
lama qa gar har-ra seg
food';
Reverse.
ia
qa simgar
Lu-Si-ma-as-gi
^^mP^
su
ba
ab
has received.
ti
Mu
^
The
official
Nannar-zi, the messenger,
has removed
ga
zi
ml
^M
Lu-Simasgi-gi
Gir J'nyiiNannar-zi sukkala
Sff
'
(ki)-gi
5 ga of fresh vegetables,
seg,
(it).
Year Bur-Sin the be-
en-nuu-e D.P.
loved invested the
Bur-D.P. Sin ki-aga
guardian.
ba-tuga
NOTES.
suggested by the fact that this meaning seems to fit almost
<?-^
everywhere, and by the occurrence in line 2 of a reference to drink qualified by the wordg^ni, "standing"
As ;^, /cas, is generally regarded as fermented drink, kas giiia may possibly
or "in progress."
correspond to the modern expression " maturing." If, however, kas stand for drink in general, kas seg,
The
translation of
"fresh drink"
as " fresh "
is
" unfermented," in which case kas gin would mean "fermented."

of baba-iooA line 3, ^-meal food hne 4, and i-food line 6, is unknown, and it will
long before a satisfactory conclusion concerning these expressions will be reached. The
may mean
The meaning
doubtless be
"food"
in general (line 5),
and "baked food"
(line 7)
are also difficult to determine.
A a
THE
178
For Lu-Simasgi-gi
name
the second and third lines of the reverse see p. 176, where
also occurs without the final
described as
"man
in
havin;,'
AMiri-RST TAIlLETS
" gone to Simasgi," and the
of Simasgi," would therefore
seem
itself
ends
referring to the antecedent subject), occurs for the
The date
in gi.
inscription, "
From
"he has
its
final
connection, therefore,
gi,
"of,"
is
by no
it
"messenger"
received it" (with the pronoun ab, "he,"
more usual
of Naunai-zi occurs also in no. 98. which

of this
is
not really a name, but a descriptive appellation.
is
In several inscriptions the verbal form iu-babti,
the prefix gir and the added siikkala,
noted that the
form, as in the text here translated, Lu-Simasgi-gi,
full
be the correct one, the omission of the
to
being due to the fact that the place-name

means improbable that " man of Simasgi "
The name
is
it
the text referred to a portion of the produce mentioned
In
.(,'/.
are
is
iu-bati, as here.
a text of a similar nature, but his
titles
there wanting.
Year the guardian Bur-Sin the beloved invested,"
take to be the
longer form
to
be
of the date of nos. 96-101 (pp. 169-176).

If this be so, the date in question is probably
understood " Year Bur-Sin the beloved invested the guardian," the official referred to being
apparently the "lord of Kridu
"beloved"
on p. 179.
is
Though
"
mentioned
Another
the shorter form.
in
which the word
variant, in
transferred from the king to the "guardian," will be found in the date of the inscription
not an absolute proof, the mention of Nannar-zi in this text and in no. 98
may
be regarded
as rather favouring the identification of the date of this inscription with the short forms in the tablets
quoted above, the rarity of the name making it almost certain that the same person
standing the absence of his titles in the latter.
The
is
meant, notwith-
or attsu, ^^>, when placed before a name, indicates that the person
was the agent by whose means the merchandise or commodities were brought or taken away,
probably favoured by the word ziga, following the name of Nannar-zi, the messenger.
possibility that gir
referred to
is
103. DELIVERIES
OF DRINK.
Dec.
A SMALL
baked clay
tablet,
28
mm.
high by 25.2
on the obverse and two on the reverse.
Colour
(No
date.)
'05. 59.
mm.
lii^lit
wide, with four lines of writing

i,'rey.
Obverse.
As dida scg
Sur-<''"S'fPa-saga
Sur-Pa-saga
as dida seg
kil
Icl
{giir) of fresh dida-Ax\\\V,

;
^gur) of fresh dida-Ax\x\V,
Akillel.
Reverse.
qa ulusin
10 qa of ///jV;/-drink
taken away.
NOTES.
For ^f>. f!5

= dida, see p. 130. The character at the end of lines i and 3
which may really mean " in good condition," but see the note on the preceding page.
is
^f
Jr,
scg,
A DELIVKRV OF GRAIN
^^
(rev.,
1.
i)
is
apparently for
special kind of drink, rendered "
^^
->f-,
brandy " {Schnapps)
b}'
179
which we are told

Weissbach.
In line 4 the second character is apparently intended for 2l|.

having an excessive number of values.
to
pronounce
The reading
of the
ulusin,
name
is
some
doubtful,
this sign especially
DELIVERY OF GRAIN.
104. A
53.
A BAKED
clay case-tablet,
mm.
46
intact,
still
high by 42 wide, inscribed with four lines
The
on the obverse, and four on the reverse and edge.
of writing
with the impressions of the cylinder-seal of the scribe, with the usual
into
introduction
the
In this case the
presence of his deity.
full
surface
is
covered
showing
design
height of the cylinder
his
is
shown.
Obverse.
U-es es sus usu qa se gur lugala
.?e
gar gal-la zida-gu-su
ki
Azag-dingirNina-ta
Duba
13
gur 210 qa
of grain royal
grain-food for grinding,
from Azag-Nina,
Tablet of Lugal-lu-
Lugal-lu-sag-
sagsaga.
saga
Reverse.
Gir:
Mu
Sur
ab
ba
Official
ba
Sur-abba.
Year Bur-Sin
en-nun-ni ki-aga
D.P. Bur-D.P. Sin Guruduga
(in)
Eridu
invested the beloved
(ki)
guardian.
turn
NOTES.
The
cylinder-impressions show the scribe being led into the presence of his god.
accompan}ing
J::^
tj^y
The
inscription
this scene reads;
'^=^
"eT IIÎI
.IPfr
JI?t
X^
^ ^Mil^S
Lugal-lu-sag-saga
Lugal-Iu-sagsaga,
dub
the
sara
tiumu Nagir-sag-kus-[anna]
scribe
son of Nagir-sag-kus-[anna].
TIIF.
i8o
AMIITRST TAliLETS
Reisner renders
H^^ by /.////, the meaning of which, as has been stated, is probal)ly " to f,'rind."
Gar-gala is "food" or "sustenance," so that the whole would seem to be as translated.
Acoi;-Ni)ia is rare, but occurs as the name of an official in an undated text referring to deliveries of
drink, food,
and
oil.
Liiiîii-lu-iitg-iaga,
apparently mentioned
the receiver of the grain (1. 4), occurs also in an undated text, in whicli he is
connection with a plantation. See also pp. 166-168, where both this and the
in
For Sur-aMa (1. i, rev.), see nos. 50, 59, 83 and 117.
same uncertainties as that of no. 102 (pp. 107-108), and the
question naturally arises, whether some mistake may not have crept in. Ki-aga, "beloved," preceding
the name of Bur-Sin instead of following it (see the text referred to), and the mention of the city
tlridu after the name of that king, seem to make a strange and confused mingling of the date which
precedes with that of the texts on pp. 169-176. If Hommel be right, the adjective in Sumerian originally
preceded the noun, as in Turkish, and the word " beloved " might, therefore, refer to the king, and not
Or perhaps we ought to regard ba-tusâ as passive, with Radau, and
to the guardian of the temple.
but this docs not seem to be
translate " Year Bur-Sin of Eridu was invested as beloved guardian "
" beloved guardian
satisfactory, as Bur-Sin was not " of Eridu," though he might have been invested
Perhaps the inner tablet might solve the problem.
of Eridu."
short form
Liij,-a/-/ii-i'atâ
The date
are <]uoted.
of this inscription offers the
105. CONSIGNMENTS
OF DRINK, FOOD, AND
A SMALL
baked clay
the obverse and
si.\
tablet,
30
mm.
high by 25
mm.
(No
OIL.
Dec.
wide, with five lines of writing on
Colour reddish-grey.
on the reverse.
OnVEKSE.
Es
kas
qa
3 qa of drink,
qa of cooked food,
mina qa gar-du
lama gin
4 gin of sesame-oil,
ma
zal gis
-
ma
mama
the courier.
l"rim
Reverse.
ia
kas
qa
cs qa
gar-du
lama gin zal-udu

Na - ha - lum
'"gis-ku-gu-la
Iti
Dim
ku
date.)
03, JO.
5 qa of drink,
3 qa of cooked food,
4 gill of mutton-fat,
Nahalu'"
the soldier
Month Dim-ku.
(?)
WAGES OF THE WEAVINC.-WOMEN
NOTES.
from others of a similar nature, such as nos. 6i, 88, 97-99, 108, &c., in
cpii, "to cook") after JirJ (see also no. iii), and defines
the oil or fat supplied as "sesame" and "fat of sheep." This last implies what is generally called
"dripping," though "tallow" for candles might also be intended.
The personal names are exceedingly rare, and the second, Nuhalw", has a Semitic appearance. Its
meaning is doubtful, but the expression nahalu sa sei"', apparently meaning " to sift, of wheat," may give
the key. ^"Gts-kii-gii-la, in the ordinary acceptation of the group, means " man of the great weapon,"
This text
that
has
it
differs
^<1$?^
(=
but near definition

/// Dini-kii,
is
slightly
the Semitic Babylonian
required.
It
"the month of the
106.
occurs also on pp. 130, 183, i8g.

increast-feast," corresponds in Radau with Elul (August-September).
WAGES OF THE WEAVING-WOMEN.

Dec.
A SMALL
baked clay
covered
and
five lines
still
with
tablet,
adhering, 28. 2
mm.
traces
of
the
'05,
41.
envelope with which
it
was formerly
wide, inscribed with four lines of writing on the obverse,
on the reverse.
Obverse.
1.
Man
2.
3.
S.
4-
geme
geme
es bar
gi zid
gar har-ra
23J female slaves,

80 qa of prepared meal-food a day,
Gar
gu-la
hire of Gar-gula,
us
bar
the weaving-woman,
Reverse.
5.
Lu
6.
su
7.
Iti
8.
mu
Uru
ba
(ki)
Lu
ti
has received,
Izin-'lii'sirRa-u
us-sa
en
Guruduga
Uru
month
Izin-Bau,
year after the lord of

Eridu.
gi
NOTES.
The
wedge may be intended
an upright one, making the number J ^ fff >^, in which case

used to indicate a half-ration
of
of one woman for 23^ days.
with Chisleu. To complete
the date, the syllables ha-[a)-tuga are required at the end, as in the case of the preceding texts, making
the full form " the year after he invested the lord (priest) of Eridu "
the loth date of the reign of
first
for
"Til" The expression, "a half," is probably

food, due to one of the women employed, or the whole was an account
According to Radau, the "month of the festival of Bau " corresponds
the reading
is
Siis-il es bar,
Bur-Sin.
TIIK AMIIKKST
l82
DOLE OR PAYMENT OF GRAIN.
107. A
'TÂBLET
in
perfect
TAHLKTS
apparently the kernel
condition,
32 wide, inscribed with
four
lines
the reverse, which, however, has a wide space between the

the writing
is
of
case-tablet, 36
writing on the obverse and the
of
first
and second
mm.
high by
same number on
lines, after
which
somewhat crowded.
Obverse.
Es
180 qa of the king's grain,
sus se lugala
grain allowance of the pages,
se-ba erin gi-zi
from Lu-dingira,
Lu-dingir-ra-ta
ki
diiba
'
Lugal-ur-ra-ni
seal'
of
Lugal-iirrani
Reverse.
g^^
su
ba
has received.
ti
Dim
It!
Month Dim-kii
ku
mil ''""K'fEn-nannara-kar-
jear he (the king) invested the lord of
Nannara the
zi-da ba-tuga
faithful protector.
NOTES.
For
ipru or uprn,
which
is
the Semitic translation of the characters
î}il^
l3f- , iV-/w,
Prof. Delitzsch
" sustenance " in general. As, however, the root Ij^, ba, contains the idea of distribution,
" allowance " would seem to be the best rendering in this case.
The erin gi-zi, here translated " page," is regarded as being the same as the III gizi of other texts,
It is the kizt) of the Semitic inscriptions, the word having been borrowed by the Babylonians.
The
rendering given by Delitzsch is Knappe, SchiUiknappe, and seems to have designated a person in attendance
upon a soldier. Gi-zi is rendered in the inscriptions as qan innkkan, " the reed of Makkan," a district
"
generally regarded as a part of the Sinaitic peninsula, which would naturally point to " spearman
gives
rather than "shield-bearer" as the
The name Lu-dingira occurs
'
meaning of
in
nos.
"3,
erin gi-zi-
107,
and many other
texts.
As
Inserted by the scribe in consequence of the variant on the tablet within.
Lneral-urrani
Omit
in
is
men-
reading.
CONSIGNMENTS OF DRINK, MEAL, AND OIL

tioned in an undated inscription with Lu-dingira son of Lii-Ninsali,
it
is
83
probable that the same persons
are meant in each case.

4 of the obverse the scribe has placed ditba at the beginning, probablj' by mistake, in consequence
.," without sn-ba-ti.
The phrase should be Lugalformula of the envelope being " diilm
inraiii su-ba-ti, without duba.
The month Dim-ku corresponds with Elul, according to Radau.
There is a curious variant from the other tablets in the date (see nos. log-iig, pp. 1S5-197), the
scribe having written the determinative prefix dingir before and along with the word eji, " lord," instead
In
I.
of the
He was
of before Nannara.
E)i-zu,
which stands
^^ ^, D.P.
moon-god Nannara was known among the Semites.
probably influenced to do this in consequence of the group
for Sin, the
name by which
The year corresponds with
108.
nth
the
the
date of Bur-Sin in Radau's Early Babylonian History.
-CONSIGNMENTS OF DRINK, MEAL, AND
OIL.
Dec.
A SMALL
baked clay
of writing
Colour
tablet,
25.6
mm.
high by 21.2
mm.
(No
year.)
'05, 52.
wide, inscribed with six lines
on the obverse, and nine lines on the reverse and edges above and below.
light yellow.
Obverse.
5
qa of drink, 3 qa of meal,
gi zal
(measure) of pressed
ma
Tabu"' the messenger

gone to the sesame oil-ship
3 qa of drink, 2 qa of meal,
la qa kas es qa
zi
a-gam
Ta-a-bu-um sukkala
gis-zala-ku gin-na
mina qa
a-gam
es qa kas
gi zal
zi
(measure) of pressed
oil,
oil,
Reverse.
dingirAddu-ba-ni
ia
qa kas es qa
gi zal
zi
a-gam
(measure) of pressed oil,

Matini, the messenger
2 (measures) of pressed oil,
1
Ma-ti-ni sukkala
ia qa kas es qa zi
mina zal a-gam

Su-ma-na '"gis-ku-gu-la
Edge.
Addu-bani
zi-ga u man-gi
iti Izin dins'rDun-gi
Su-mama, the soldier

Taken away, day 21,
month Izin-Dungi.
(?).
NOTES.
of the longer inscriptions of this class, and differs from those on pp. 120,
138-140, 143-161, 172-174, in substituting "meal" for "food," omitting^/;/, the name of the measure used
The above
is
a type of
many
and adding d-gaui, apparently meaning "pressed" {\ = kandsii, "to bow down,' suknusu,
bow down," sapdkii, " to pour out "), i.e., oil extracted from fruits and seeds.
The names Tdbw", "good," Addu-bani, " Hadad is a creator," and Matini, "gift(?)," are all,
Sii-niawa, "hand," or "benefit of (the goddess) Mama," is Sumero-Akkadian.
seemingly, Semitic.
"The month of the festival of Dungi" corresponds in Radau with Marcheswan (October-November). In
for the oil,
" to cause to
this text the
day
is
also added.
THi; AMIIl KST
84
log. DELIVERIES
A TABLET
of writing
OF CLOTH OR CLOTHING.
mm.
high by 32 wide, with nine lines
on the obverse, and eleven on the reverse, including the
consequence of the softness
In
damaged or unclear,
much difficulty.
TAHLKTS
of unbaked or imperfectly-baked clay, 44
and lower edges.
but with the exception
of
many
the clay
of
line
on the upper
of the characters are
one character the text may be read without
OUVERSE.
Gi tug lum-za lugala
^^
7^
bar ma-na gu-sir
ki
/w<"rt-garment the king;
lama-kam
mina tug lumza gina
gi tug ig-lama lama-kam
es tug lum-za
gis
gis
3 /w-rt-garments the 4th servant

2
///w'a-garments making
state-garment the 4th servant
12
t/itiua
the price,
from Sur-Bau.
Sur-digirBa-u-ta
Mina tug lum-za esa-kam
gis
Mina tug lum-za lama-kam
gis
2 ///;//~<7-garments the 4th servant
//-a-garments the 3rd ser\'ant
from Utu-bae.
D.P. Utu-ba-c-ta
ki
Reverse.
10.
Ussa tug lum-za lama-kam
II.
ki
12.
la tug him-za
13-
ki
.
gis
lama-kam
gis
tug lum-za esa-kam gis
///wrrt-garments the 3rd servant,
from E-zi-mu.
E-zi-mu-ta
ki
5 /;rrt-garments the 4th servant,
from .\dda.
Ad-da-ta
8 /w:7a-garments the 4th servant,
from Lu-utu.
Lu-D.P. Utu-ta
The
16.
Tug
17-
Lu-D.P. Innana
iS.
hi Izin-D.P. Ba-u
Month Izin-Bau,
19.
mu
year he (the king) invested the lonl
ki-lal
tag-ga
cloth has been weighed,
Lu-Innana has received
su-ba-ti
en D.P. Nannara-ka-
of
r-zi-da ba-a-tuga
Nannara the
it.
faithful protector.
NOTES.
The person receiving,
is of the same nature as that of no. 96, which see.
both texts; the date of the present document is two years later.
" The month of the festival of Bau " (/// izin-Baii) corresponds with Chisleu (November-December).
As in no. 88 (p. 160), a character is divided in the date, in consequence of want of room. The
The
text of this inscription
Lu-Innana,
scribe
^>^
is
the
same
in
would have done better had he crowded one

See the preceding and following texts.
Ti.
line
little
more, and written
^^
instead
of
GRAIN FOR THE CATTLE-KEEPERS
FOR THE CATTLE-KEEPERS.
iio. GRAIN
A BAKED
clay case-tablet,
of writing on each side,
and
all
'85
still
intact,
44
mm.
high by 41 wide, inscribed with six lines
and impressed with the cylinder-seal of the scribe on both sides
four edges.
Obverse.
Lama
se lugala sag-gala
erin sag
gud
gub
bal
ba
e tîngirlnnanna
ni-duba
Ba
ki
e
-
bil
zi
men watching among
the cattle
of the temple of Istar
Dumu-zi
se sanga D.P.
240 qa of grain, sustenance of the
grain of the priest of

li
ta
(in the)
Tammuz,
storehouse of the
new temple,
from Bazi.
Reverse.
Duba Sur-D.P. Lama sanga

D.P. Innanna
Gir
mtiy^
T?
Ti
Iti
mu
Sur-mesa
amar - a - a
Official
si
en D.P. Nannar-
kar-zi-da
ba
Seal of Sur-Lama, priest

of Istar.
tuga
Sur-mesa.
Month Amar-aasi,
year he invested the lord
of Nannar-kar-zida.
NOTES.
For *^
i'^
li"^^
]|f~; ^'^S'S'^^^
tj^, sag-gud, probably
i>
see p. 61.
means "among the oxen," from sag, "heart," "middle," zsiA. gud, "an
take, provisionally, to mean " to inspect."
"The priest of Tammuz" (1. 4) is mentioned also in nos. 112 and 114, which also refer to
c billi, probably meaning " the new temple."
Bazi, who delivers the grain, and Sur-mesa, the official,
Sur-Lama, the scribe, who was, moreover, priest of Istar, is probably
likewise occur in those inscriptions.
the same as is stated to be the son of Lu-Ningirsu by the large inscription R. i,' which also suggests, in
the other names which it contains, possible kinship between the persons mentioned in this small text.
ox."
-^f-i^ ti\ ^y, bal-gubba,
This
will
be published later.
B b
THE AMHERST TAHLETS
i86
The
father's
name
in
the cylinder-inscription
Ty
tTffy
I'J^
^^-
apparently to be completed in accordance with this:
is
Sur-D.P.
^H
Lama
Sur
sara
the
Lama,
^X3
dub
^4-
-^^
dumu Lu-D.P. Nin
son of Lu-Nin-
h"f
%]]]
[Gir-suJ
[Girsu].
scribe,
is rather roughly engraved, shows the scribe being led before the goddess he
apparently holds a cup in her right hand. A bird with outspread wings occupies the
space above, between the seated deity and the divine introducer.
The month is the nth of the early Babylonian year, corresponding with Sebat (January-February).
The year is the nth date of Bur-Sin's reign (Radau, Ear/j' nabylonian History, p. 269).
The
cylinder, \vhich
worshipped,
who
III. CONSIGNMENTS
OF DRINK, FOOD, AND
A SMALL
"^
baked clay
tablet, 31.4
mm.
high by 27
writing on the obverse and four on the reverse.
somewhat defaced, and
lines 4-6 are imperfect.
mm.
(No
OIL.
Dec.
wide, inscribed
The
year.)
05, 70.
with six lines of
text, especially the
obverse,
is
Colour grey.
Obverse.
Es
mina qa gar-du
mina gin zal-gis
qa kas
^mwiw^w
'u
La-la-a
3 qa of drink,
2 qa of cooked food,
2 gin of
oil,
Lala, the
es qa kas
3 qa of drink,
[mina? qa gar]-du
[2 (?)
qa
of]
cooked [food].
Reverse.
ia (?) gin zal-gis
5 (?) gin of
Ab
Abzalu'"
the soldier
za
lu>"
ugis-ku-gu-la
Ig^^^w
Iti
Dim
ku
oil,
(?).
Month Dim-ku.
NOTES.
The
text
is
in
many
respects parallel with no. 105 (p. 180).
Like Nii/jalw", Absalw" has also a
Semitic appearance.
The
title
"courier"
It
is
of Lala in line 4
in texts of this class,
is possibly to be completed lJ^

though somewhat doubtfully.
noteworthy thnt the month
is
the
same
f^Î,
'"
rim, which
as in the text referred to.
have rendered
GRAIN FOR THE CATTLE-KEEPERS
112. GRAIN
187
FOR THE CATTLE-KEEPERS.

79.
A WELL-BAKED
46 mm. high by
43 wide, inscribed with five lines of writing on the obverse and seven on the reverse.
Impressions of a very fine cylinder-seal cover both sides and the edges.
and
excellently-preserved
case-tablet,
still
intact,
^^--T^^t
Obverse.
U-ussa lama sus u (qa) se gur lugala
gud bal gub-ba
sag-gala erin sag

e
Dumu-zi
se sanga D.P.
the cattle
Tammuz
in the storehouse of the
bil-li
among
house of Nina
(of) the
dingifNina
ni-duba e
18 gur 250 qa of royal grain,

sustenance of the men watching
new
temple,
Reverse.
zi
ta
Ba
Duba Sur-E-ninnu sanga
ki
Gir
Iti
mu
D.P. Nina
Sur - mesa
Amar
Official
si
en D.P. Nannar-karzi-da
ba
from Bazi.
Tablet of Sur-E-ninnu, priest
of Nina.
tuga
Sur-mesa.
Amar
Month
aasi,
year he invested the lord of

Nannar-kar-zida.
NOTES.
For the words of the second line, no. no above (p.
As in that inscription, the grain belonged to the
storehouse where it was kept was that of the new temple,
1S5).
of Tammuz, or was in his charge, the

was received from Bazi, and the official who
priest
it
THE AMHERST TABLETS
i88
The only differences, in fact, are the name

to the transaction is in this text also Sur-mesa.
He was
of the temple and that of the scribe who received the Rrain, Sur-ti-ninnu instead of Sur-Lama.
not a priest of Istar, but of Nina, and the temple was that of Nina.
and
It would therefore seem that the temple of Nina and of Istar were one and the same building,
saw
were the same temple-servants, each goddess had her own priests.
As the month and the year are the same as in the preceding tablet, it may be supposed that the
occasion of the receipt of the grain was the same in each case indeed, the month of Amar-aasi appKjars
that, although there
in
a similar connection in several texts.
\\
design of the cylinder-seal is that of most of the examples found on tablets of this class, namely,
The work,
led by a divine attendant into the presence of the god whom he worshipped.
however, in this case, shows a noteworthy difference from the majority of these productions, the treatment
It is noteworthy that the scribe's cloak is open in front,
being, to all appearance, bolder and smoother.
The inscription
at the lower part, permitting the movement of his left leg as he advances to be seen.
The
the
owner
gives the
title
of the father as well as of the scribe himself:
Sur-K-ninnu,
Sur-E-ninnu
dub
dumu
a b
The
scribe,
son of Allamu,
.M-la-mu
the
seer.
characters of the inscription are likewise very well engraved.
mA
CONSIGNMENT OF GRAIN.
A SMALL
'^
the
sara
Dec.
baked clay
tablet,
mm.
27.6
high by 24.5
of writing on the obverse, reverse blank.
Es
sus
Su
su
mm.
pa ba-ta
as lama sus
se gur lugala
en
(?)
wide, inscribed with four lines
201
gur 244 qa of
royal grain
Susu the farmer
engara
-
date.)
Colour reddish-grey.
man
lama qa
(No
05. 46.
has drawn from the
ne
official
NOTES.
wedge, making the numeral " 5 " in the first character of the second
would seem to be certain.
different
For 5wf, see pp. 56-57, where it occurs with the mimmation {Susu"'). This is apparently a
There are no traces of a

line,
so the reading
"244
fifth
qa''
person.
Bataennc appears also
in
no. 27, p. 49.
Compare
the note on
p.
50.
RECEIPT OF GRAIN
114. RECEIPT
189
OF GRAIN.
1
A BAKED
clay case-tablet,
still
intact,
48
mm.
6a,
high by 43 wide, inscribed with five lines
on the obverse and seven on the reverse and edge.
of writine:
Both sides and
all
four
edges are impressed with the cylinder-seal of the scribe.
^^^^^
'r^m^^^^^
Obverse.
Imina
se gur lugala
sag-gala erin sag gud bal gub-ba

g dingirGal
ni-duba e
among
the cattle
of the temple of Gal-alim
alim
Dumu-zi
se sanga D.P.
7 oyir of royal grain,

sustenance of the men watching

(in)
bil-li
Tammuz
the storehouse of the
new temple,
Reverse.
Ba
ki
zi
ta
Duba Sur-D.P. Nina

Sur
Gir:
mesa
Month Amar
Amar-a-a-si
Iti
mu
from Bazi.
Seal of Sur - Nina.
Official
Sur - mesa
aasi,
en D.P. Nannar-
kar
zi
ba
year he invested the lord of Nannar-kar-zida.
da
-
tuga
NOTES.
For the words of the second line, see nos. no and 112 (pp. 185 and 187).
Again we have a tablet referring to grain which was in the charge of, or belonged to, the priest of
Tammuz, and was kept in the storehouse of the new temple. As in the other cases also, the grain was
THE AMHF.KST TAllLETS
90
received from Ba2i, and

receiving the grain
is
the
oflicial
Sur-Nina,
The temple
was Sur-mesa.
who was probably
of Gal-alim, and
that
is
The
a priest of Gal-alim.
the scribe
deity referred to
is
stated
where most of these tablets were found.

and 112.
to have been a son of Nin-Girsu, the great divinity of Lagas,
The month and year are the same as those of nos. no

The cylinder-seal impressions arc not by any means distinct,
show the usual scene
divine attendant leading the
worshipped (here, apparently, a goddess).
The
Sur
inscription
-
club
It
The name
is
iiy
common
dumu
Js;
owner
but the design
is
Sur
iara
the
Sur- D.P.
whom
he
as follows:
D.P. Nina
-
sufficiently clear to
is
presence of the deity
into the
Lama
one, but none of the persons bearing
Nina,
scribe,
son of Sur-Lama.
it
in
this collection
have the parentage
here indicated.
115. CONSIGNMENTS
OF DRINK.
(No
year.)
55-
"DAKED
clay tablet, 34
mm.
and eight on the reverse,
high by 27
in
mm.
wide, with seven lines of writing on the obverse
both cases extending to the edges above and below.
Colour
reddish-grey.
3 f^'"") of di<ia-dr\nk,
(in)
10
40 collections he has received

</a
of drink,
official:
5^3^
M^'^' h
Hula, the messenger;
25 qa of drink,
collections the
25 times.
man
has received,
A DELIVERY OF GRAIN
191
DELIVERY OF GRAIN.
116.
171.
A BAKED
mm.
high by 35 wide, inscribed with eight hnes of writing on

Probably the inner portion of a case-tablet.
the obverse and six on the reverse.
clay tablet, 41
Obverse.
Ilima sus usu se gur lugala
Sur-su-ga-lam-ma
se
^mw^^^^^
Sur-dingirBa-u
zi
of royal grain,
sustenance of the people with the oxen,
from
ta
dumu
Uku
mu
tja
from the storehouse of the tirgaba gidda,
sag-gala erin sag gud
Ba
90
îcr
grain of Sur-sugalamma,
ni-duba tir-gaba gid-da
ki
Bazi,
Sur-Bau son of
Uku-ila
ila
Sur-D.P. Ba-u-ku
in the
name
of Sur-Bau.
Reverse.
g.
Duba Lu-D.P.
Seal of Lu-gibis,
gibis
10.
sanga D.P. Nin-mar-ki
11.
Gir:
priest of Nin-mar-ki.
Lu-D.P. Nin-mar-ki
Se
Iti
gur
en D.P. Nannar-
kar
da ba
Month
tara
mu
zi
Official:
Lu-Nin-mar-ki.
Se-gur-tara,
tuga
of Nannar-kar-zida.
NOTES.
no. 35 (p. 63).
The grain, as we learn from the third line,
in the storehouse of the tirgaba gidda.
In the inscriptions published by Reisner, this expression is
For Sur-sugalamma
was
(line 2),
compare
preceded by the determinative prefix for " wood," making |U ^<<'^rnT'^T ^^^^^> with the probable reading
"the luxuriant forest," with the adjective gidda, "long" probably some cultivated piece
of ground containing small trees, which were thought much of in the woodless plains of Babylonia.
The " people with the oxen" are referred to in nos. no, 112 and 114, with the addition bal-gubba.
oi gis-tir-daha,
In those three texts, also, the grain was received from Bazi
The
the scribe
the case,
It is
name
(1.
5).
Sur-Bau in lines 6 and 8 is strange, and leads to the probability that

was going to write " Sur-Bau son of Uku-ila has received it," but recollecting that this was not
without erasing what he had written, he added "in the name of Sur-Bau" (I. 8).
repetition of the
of
noteworthy that the receiver of the grain "
Now
Nin-mar-ki.
Lu-gibis means "the
man
in
the
name
of Sur-Bau,"
of the chariot," which
is
Lu-gibis, priest of
recalls the fact that
a priest of
mentioned in connection with a waggon in no. 117 (see next page), and that there was no
very sharp distinction between a chariot and a waggon.
The month is equivalent to Adar, the 12th of the Babylonian year, corresponding roughly with
February-March. The year is the same as in nos. 107, 109, no, 112, 114 and 117-119.
Nin-mar-ki
is
THK AMHERST TABLETS
193
117. RECEIPTS
OF SESAME.
147.
A BAKED
'^
clay tablet, with
its
and even the
skilful
Both
tablet
high by 35 wide, inscribed

and edge the latter
eight on the reverse
with six lines of writing on the obverse and
measuring 51 mm. by 46.
mm.
envelope, the former 41
and envelope have
suffered considerably since copied,
treatment of Mr. Ready has not been successful in arresting the action
The envelope has the text arranged in five
of the salt with which the clay is impregnated.

lines
on the obverse and
six
on the reverse, and impressions of the cylinder-seal of the scribe

The inner tablet has been taken as the standard text.
on both sides and on the edges.
^ta'^tM^^.m
m4-M^
Obverse.
Lama
240 qa of royal sesame

from Sur-Nin-mar-ki;
105 ga from
sus (qa) se-gis-zal lugala
ki Sur-dingifNin-mar-ki-ta
sus nimin-ia qa
ki
Sur-Lama
Sur-D.P. Lama-ta
mina sus (qa) ki Sur-D.P. Ba-u-ta
120 qa from Sur-Bau.

The sesame (which is) the hire of the waggon.
gis-zal a gis-gar-ra
Reverse.
ki
from the priest of Nin-
sanga D.P. Nin-
mar-ki,
mar-ki-ta
Sur-ab-ba su-ba-ti
Sur-abba has received.
Lu-dingir-ra
Official
Gir
The envelope
reads
The envelope adds
^Jj]
Lu-dingira.
JH t^î^
TJ^^t"'
y'-â-/a{i).
'^"^'^
Sur-ab-ba.
RECEIPTS OF SESAME
Month
Se-gur-tara
Iti
mu
193
Se-gur-tara,
en D.P. Nannar-
of Nannar-kar-zida.
kar-zi-da
[ba]-a-[tuga]
NOTES.
The difficult line is the sixth, of which the real sense may only be attainable when we know the
usage connected with the making of offerings in certain cases. As tf TH. g^H'^r^, without the phonetic
complement {fH, ;w, stands for "a waggon," it is possible that the group has the same meaning when
The three consignments of sesame, therefore, would seem to have been bought
that character is present.
or produced by the letting out of the vehicle in question, which probably belonged to the priest of
whom
from
Nin-mar-ki,
Sur-abba
"fetter," "chain," or something
" promised
more
gift,"
might be
Another meaning of gi^-garra is

the three amounts.
and although, from a gis-garra, the meaning of "obligation,"
received
similar,
easily reasoned out, the rendering suggested has
been adopted as apparently
suitable.
Instead of Siir-abba hibaii, "Sur-abba has received," the envelope has the common variant
The "carrier," Lii-dingirm, has the title of
diiba Sur-ab-ba, "seal of Sur-abba."
J]y
gu-~ci-la, formerly translated " throne-bearer," which is the best rendering in the present
}^
pq ^,
t"^
TT
r.
one of those appointed to carry the seats of

Reisner also suggests a return to this rendering, the
case, the person in question having been, in all probability,
the gods
when they were borne
word occurring
The
in
several times in the inscriptions
seal-impressions are those of an
owner being
lines suggesting goats' hair are well
as follows
fcj
V^
[Sh]
is
which he has edited.
excellently engraved
god the
marked. He
led into the presence of his
the shaven figure of the scribe

is
procession.
cylinder with
representation
of the
usual bearded figure in a flounced robe, in which the

wears the usual horned hat. Behind the remains of
the divine attendant with her hands raised in adoration.
The
inscription
TIIK AMIIKKST
'94
Il8.-
TABLETS
RECEIPT OF GRAIN.
-A
69.-
SMALL
baked clay tablet, ^^ mm. high by 30 wide, inscribed with six lines of writing
on the obverse and three on the reverse. Probably the inner portion of a case-tablet.
Obverse.
Mina
sc gur
ni-duba gir
^-^T^te
higala
nuna
ta
erin e dingirDumu-zi
Sur
su
It!
gara
ba
royal grain
(for)
the people of the house of
pa
Sur-gara, the
ti
has received.
Dir Se-gur-tara
Reverse.
7-
ûr of
from the storehouse of Girnun
Month Dir
official,
Sc-gur-tara,
Tammuz,
A DELIVERY OF HIDES AND SKINS
195
DELIVERY OF HIDES AND
iig. A
SKINS.
75-
A BAKED
of
clay tablet
writing
and
on each
its
side,
envelope, the former 43
and the
high by 38 wide, with five lines
53.5 high by 5 cm. wide, with five lines
latter
The envelope
writing on the obverse and four on the reverse.

of a cvlinder-seal
mm.
is
of
also covered with impressions
on both sides and on the edges.

1.
Ussa su guda
2.
es sus ia su
3.
ki
Sur-'i'iigi'^Ha-ni-ta
4.
su
5.
tur-ra-ni-saga
udu
mula-ku
su
ox
185
sheep-skins,
hides,
from Sur-Hani
skins for shoes
Turra-nisaga
Reverse.
C.
su
7.
Gir:
8.
da
ba
g.
Mu
kar
ti
D.P. Dun-gi-
an
10.
ga
da
en D.P. Nannar-
zi
da
has received.
Official
Dungi-
dangada.
Year of the lord of

Nannar-kar-zida.
Obverse of the Envelope.
n
rrrfffeH
1.
Ussa su guda
2.
es sus ia
3.
su
4.
ki
Sur-D.P. Ha-ni-ta
5.
su
Duba
su-gi
udu zikum
mula
ku
Sur-D.P. Nina
8 hides of full-grown oxen,
185 fleeces
skins for shoes
from Sur-Hani.
Seal of Sur-Nina
TIIK AMIIKKST TAIU.KTS
196
Reverse.
Gir:
(>.
^:^>^'^/^ m^
D.I'.
Dun-Ki-
Official
dangada, the messenger.
da-an-ga-da sukkala
7.
Dungi-
(Space with cylinder-impressions.)
^ ^H^'^^^-^^
Mu
8.
^T^r^TÊ-
kar
9.
Year he invested
en D.P. Nannar-
[zi -]
lord
tlic
of Xannar-kar-zida.
da ba-tuga
NOTES.
Though the
outer inscription
considerably from each other.
is
intended for a reproduction of the inner one, they really
First of
all,
and most
interesting,
is
the writing of
'Q ^,
tniu
differ
zikum,
"sheep of the sky," for su udii, "skin of sheep," in the second line. The "sheep of the sky" were the
which a fleece would naturally be likened, and it is probably to this idea that the myth of the
flocks of Dumn-zi or Tammuz (Adonis) is due, recalling the cattle-herds of Helios in later Greek
clouds, to
mythology.
coupling of this expression with hides (1. i)
!IT .^f^1i5. >'"-f'. 'S generally translated "old," but the
In all probability we have to compare ^| 41"-^. û-iî, with the
suggests the meaning " full-grown."
Semitic rendering of salatmi, " to be perfect."
The meaning
4 in the tablet (3 in the envelope), " skins (or leather) for shoes," is based upon
pi. 4, 11. 5 and 4 from below, where S<^ . '""A is rendered by scpu, "foot,"
f-J2>, which is also translated by scnti, seems really
The more usual word, tj?
of
1.
Cuneiform Texts, part XII.,
and
to
"shoe."
scnii,
mean "sandal"
(.')
^,
as, in fact,
it
The probable etymology
generally translated.
is
of e-sir
is
"leather"
" bound on " {sir\
Sur-Hani occurs elsewhere
in inscriptions
referring to skins.
Sur-Niua
is
a very
common namc^
noteworthy that his name is

replaced, in the inscription of the inner tablet, by the words tiirra-nisaga, which has been regarded as a
name, but which is in all probability a description of his office. This expression occurs also in Reisner's
but
it
is
doubtful whether this personage
TcmpclHrkundcn aus
^r
As
Bar
ity ^,
is
Tcllo,
often the case, the
before the
There
inscription,
name which
is
but
it
is
no.
c tiirra-ni-txg,
little
is
word
161,
IV.,
dumn
is
recognizable elsewhere.
lines
Snr-tar, "
sit-bati is
It
and 3 from below:
is
(}
^4
^^v^
>^ SS4
house of the iiirra-iii-sag, son of Sur-tara."

the inscription on the envelope, and diiba inserted
(to) the
omitted in
the subject of the sentence.
doubt that Dnngi-dangada
followed by
IrfTTT,
in lines 7
and 8
sukkala, " the messenger."
is
It
name, especially
as, in the
envelope
occurs also in the text on the next
page.
The
cylinder-seal
shows Sin-Nina, whose name
into the presence of a seated divinity.
The
is
given as that of the scribe on the envelope, led
subject resembles those reproduced on pp. 43, J^, 114, 151,
CONTRIBUTIONS OF DRINK, FOOD, AND OIL

158, 170, 186, 18S, 1S9,
work
is
Sur
dub
ir
As
and also others where the bird does not appear.
good, suggesting the same style of engraving as no. 104.
iiy ->f JL..
,f^
120. CONTRIBUTIONS
the characters.
five
mm.
high by 35
on the reverse.
the scribe,
Sur-D.P. Gal-alim
son of Sur-Gal-alim.
OF DRINK, FOOD, AND
mm.
clay tablet, 45.5
on the obverse and
can be judged, the
Sur-Nina,
sara
OIL.
Ap.
A BAKED
far as
inscription runs as follows
D.P. Nina
-
dumu
The
197
(No
year.)
'06, 4.
wide, inscribed with six lines of writing
Condition perfect, but a
little
incrustation in
Colour greyish-yellow.
Obverse.
nim
gi
qa
10 collections,
kas gi qa gara-ta
ia
gir
qa kas es qa gar
<i'"girDun-gi-
drink,
t/a
c/a
qa of
of food each,
of drink, 3 ga of food,
)
official
Dungi-dangada,
da-an-ga-da J
Ki-masa-ta gin-ni
gone to Kimas
Reverse.
(^^ ffi>T^
ixn
^m^W'
^^^^^^
fl
7.
u qa kas as qa gar
10
8.
lama gin
g.
sa-daga u mina-kam
10.
zal-gis
Sur-iî'igifEs
'"
'"
run )]
'^w^m^^
II.
Iti
Mu
so
du
(fa
Î'u
of drink, 6 ga of food,
of
oil,
the contributions of the 2nd day,
Sur-Es, courier.
Month Musndii.
NOTES.
For other texts of this class, see nos. 95 and 115 (pp. 16S and 190), and compare also no. 61 and
the tablets enumerated at the end of the notes on p. 120.
It is not impossible that Dungi-dangada in lines 4-5 is the same person as in the preceding inscription,
where he also bears the title oi gir, with the addition, in the text of the envelope, oi siikkala, "messenger."
In the place-name Kimas (line 6), the determinative suffix is wanting.
"The contributions of the 2nd day "(line 9) may also be rendered "the contributions of 2 days."
Siir-Es may also be read Snr-Ab.
The god 4^ JITJ corresponds, according to Weissbach
[Babylonische Miscdlcn, III., 8, and the note thereto), with Bel.
From this text it would seem that the gir was the person who received the contributions which had
been delivered to the IÎ^
^"*J.
TIIK AMIIKRST TAIil.KTS
198
121. A
LABEL-TABLET REFERRING TO GRAIN.
A CAREF"ULLV-S1IAPED
baked clay
tablet,
with five lines of writing on the obverse
42
mm.
high by
2>7
mrn. wide, inscribed
and two (the date) on the reverse.
yellowish-grey.
Obverse.
Colour
199
APPENDIX.
A RECEIPT OF GRAIN.
136.
(Date defective, but the text ought probably to be inserted
A BAKED
and the
clay tablet,
latter 50.5
with
its
envelope,
mm. by 46 mm.
the former 34.2
The
after nos. 26-2S.)
mm.
tablet has five
high by 32.1
lines
written with the tops of the characters ranged against ruled lines, a space being
the text proper and the date.
fragments having chipped

a wide
space
of the reverse.
are wanting on
off.
between the second and third
portion of
the
first
line
lines of
and
all
account of a large piece which
The surface has

can be made out.
purchase of the collection.

little
The surface is damaged

The envelope has four
of the design
lines of
left
between
writing on each side, with
the obverse, and the
except the
final
first
and second
character of the second

lost before the
seal-impression of the receiver, but very

I.
wide,
here and there on account of small
had become detached and
the
mm.
of text on each side,
THE AMUKRST TAliLETS
200
OhVERSE of the ENVELOrii.

la e sus iisu se gur
1.
se
2.
ba
Ukii
3.
ga-nuna gis-kisala-ta
4.
ki
^^SW
Gir-'l'"=''Ba
liiRala,
ila,
iîir
210 qn of royal grain,
sustenance of Uku-ila,
from the oil-store
u ni-ku-ta
from Gir-I>au, the
;///.
Reverse.
5.
Daba A
6.
Gir
ta su
Ad
Mil
7.
Iti
S.
mu
da
su
bada
us-sa
Seal of A-ta-su-ta.
ta
du
ba-du
Orticial:
Adda.
Month Musudu,
year after he built the fortress.
NOTES.
This text has the important variant of ^Hfflf (envelope, line 3) for lUE-<^''-l'HH (tablet, line 2),
showing that ga-tnina (Sem. gauiinu) and guru (Sem. kan'i) are synonyms. As the word ga-nuna means,
literally, "great house," "storehouse" would seem to be the meaning here, as is indicated, also, by guru,
The character which follows is identified with the
generally rendered, " barrel," "ton," and "granary."
later Jffkj, kisal, "altar," but
prefix for
oil
"wood,"
when a
attached to
tf, is
would probably be intended.'

For the name Uku-ila, see pp.
Gir-Dau, the
ni/cu,
In the te.xt of the envelope the

variant of 5?-T. it means "oil."
If the rendering "oil" be correct, olive-oil rather than sesame-
it.
49, 124
occurs in no. 31
The name Adda
and
(p.
where he appears as the father of Sur-Bau.

and in Reisner's no. 7^, and A-ta-su-ta in his
192,
55),
no. 94,
found also in no. 109 (p. 185), line 13.

The date is possibly to be completed mu us-sa bad mada ba-du, "year after he built the fortress of
the land" (see pp. 4S-51), the 41st of Dungi's reign in Radau.
The seal-impressions show traces of a seated deity, and probably showed A-ta-su-ta being led into
col.
VIII., line 10.
the presence of his god.
is
There arc mere traces of the
All the
forms of cliaractcrs
in
this
inscription.
paragraph arc
late As.=;ynan.
FACSIMILES
OF
SELECTED
TABLETS
THE AMHERST TABLETS

TABLET
ARCHAIC LIST OF OFFERINGS OF FISH

(No.
I.,
pp.
19)
ENVELOPE OF THE ABOVE
IMPRESSIONS OF THE CYLINDER-SEAL OF EN-GAL-GALA

(For the complete design see
p. 2)
GRAIN-ACCOUNT
The
date indicates a chronological interval between "
" the year
after Pl-sa-Isi-Dagan built the
The year
after
he built the
temple " of 37 months
fortress of the land "
and
(No. 31, pp. 55-57)
TABLET RtKEKRING TO ASSKS AM> CATTLE, REVERSE

(No. 52, pp. 95-105)
(For the long historical date
in the
column on the extreme
left
(Radau's 50a in the reign of Dungi), see
p. 103.)
Plate
^^-
^'C
-'"'r rj'^'
-irirtirtilMii-^
1ABLET REFERRING TO THE PKODUCK OK PLANTATIONS, DATED I'HE SECONIi YKAR AFTER THE DESTRUCTION
OF KIMAS, AT THE END OF THE REIGN OF DUNGI. (No. 54., pp. I08 IIO.)
^^^^
^m Ir^ P-^
'^
--^tSl
-'-^^
AN ACCOUiNl OF SHIP MATERIAL, DATED THE YEAR AFTER THE RAVAGING OF IJRBILLU
THE REIGN OF BUR-SIN. (No. 66., pp. I27 I29.I
IN
III.
RIGHT-HAND
EDGE
RIGHT-HAND
EDGE
*'*
SMALL TABLET REFERRING TO A GARMENT

Dated the year
after
Ansan was ravaged the 3Sth date
of the reign of
25, p. 47)
RIGHT-HAND EDGE
|;FVF1-'<F
RIGHT-KANl) EDGK
Dungi (No.
-'%
ttH
EDGE
UET.riW Tlir. T:F.VFr;Ê
TABLET WITH ENVELOPE (UNOPENED) REFERRING TO A DELIVERY OF MUTTON

Dated the year Kimas was ravaged
(No. 44, pp. 7^7^)
(the 49th nf Dungi's reign)
RIGHT-HAND EDGE
LEFT-HAND EDGE
^1^
V>/
Jii!'*n^"
TABLET WITH ENVELOPE (UNOPENED) REFERRING TO DELIVERIES OF CATTLE

Dated the 2nd year
after the
ravaging of Kimas
date 50
(No. 53, pp. 106-107)
b.
of Dungi in Radau's
list
RIGHT-HAND EDGE
RIGHT-HAND EDGE
'fr^
LIST OF DELIVERIES OF CLOTH
Dated
OBVFRSE
in the year of the
AND CLOTHING
investment of the lord (high priest) of Eridu.
RIGHT-HAND EDGE
(No. loo, pp. 174-175)
UPPrR EnnE OF REVERSE
RIGHT-HAND EDGE
LOWER EDGE OF REVERSE
co.NbiGNMENTS OF DRINK, .MtAL, ANii OIL
No
year
(No. io8, p. 183)
4 TABLET.
RIGHT-HAND EDGE
OBVERSE
RIGHT HAND EDGE
REVERSE
^m^^^^^
TABLET REFERRING TO TWO SHEEP AND A
KID FOR ZA-URU-GALA, pa-te-si OF SUSA
No
year
(No. 60,
p.
19)
4 ENVELOPE
UPPER EDGE OF OBVERSE
UPPER EDGE OF REVERSE
RIGHT-IIAND EDGE
TABLET AND ENVELOPE RECORDING A RECEIPT OF GRAIN, WITH VARIANTS

Dated " Year
after
he built the fortress "
(Appendix, pp. 199-200)
ARABIA
Adumu
Apparu
Azalla
(m|
(city)
(city)
(city)
Bizi (the land
Enzikarme (cit
Hadatta (city)
Hukkuruna
(a
Hulhuliti (a
Hurarina
cii
(a
"
and Azalla)
Isamme' (a tri
Irrana (a
cit;
springs)
Laribda
(a fort
Manhabbi (citj
Marqand (city)
Mas
(a countr)
Qurasiti (city)
Saauran
(city)
Sadatein
(city)
Ta'ana (city)
Tenuquri (city)
Yarki (a city ir
ARMENIA
<URAR
Arsabia (distric
Azguza
Dannite (city)
'
Guriania (distri
Gurraa (tribe)
Guzana (Gozan
Hubuskia
(disti
QubuSna
(distr
Istar-duri (city)
Kurban (city)
Lake (city)
Musasir
(city)
Mannaa
(Vann;
Mu-turna, Me-t
Marhuha
Nagiu
(city)
(district)
PaSsate (distric
Sabirisu (city)
Sadudaa
Supura
(peopl
(city)
TuruSpia, Turu!
Uk(k)aa (the
Uazaun
Uesi
(districi
(city)
UsS.a (citizens
Urzuhina
(city)
Zikirtaa (a peof
Zalipda (a peop
ASSYR
Arba'-ili (Arbel:
Arrapha
(capit
Arrapachitis
ASsur, the capit
Bambagubna
Bit-urra
Dalayan
D^r-[amag]
Dur-Sargina
(IC
GingiliniS
Gisparirra
Hadabiti
Hata
Kalah (Calah,
n|
Kalzu {Shamaiiii
Kar-ndri
Kar-amas-nasi
Kisiri
Kukkud
Maganubba
(th(
Dflr-Sargina)
Masiti
Nampagate
Ninft,
Ninua (N
GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES FROM THE CUNEIFORM INSCRIPTIONS

ARABIA (MAT
Rf'S-^ni (Rcsen, but apparently

the Biblical
ARABI. ARIBU.
(city)
AÛimu
Appani
Nure
Pappa (Paphos)
Rin
(city)
Sappari
Sibaniba
A.alla (ciiy)
Biji (the lanJ of Bui)
Enrikarme
Kimas (suggested
on
the Arabian side of the

Euphrates), pp. xvi., 75 ff.
Kirbitu
(city)
Tarbisi {SkeriJ-Khan)
Til-Ahum-susi
{ladatlS (city)
gukkurmia
rugged mountain)
(a
on Kukkuiuna)
between Yarki
{Julbuliti (a city
Hurarina (a
BABYLONIA
(AKKAD,
dunia, KENQI-URA).
city
"
and Azalla)
Isamme' (a tribe)
Irrina (a city near cisterns and
be M&t Ma$^
to
kar-
Kil iHaim^r), see

Kisig
Kisurra
Qurasiti (city)
Aratta
5aauran
Ararma
(city)
Sadatein
Yarki (a city in
Asnunna (E^nunna, a province
(URARTU.
Baghdad)
Bursip
Birs-Nimnitif)
Barsip(a),
ETC.).
(district)
(city)
(a
(district)
Istar-duri (city)
(city)
MannJa
(Vannites, Minnians)
Mu-turna, Me-tuma, -tumat
Nibri (Sum. form of Nipuru

Nippur), pp. 144, 168
Sag-anna (Dunnu)
Saljrina
Ebife
Sa-pi-B^
(citizens of
Usu)
Z)kirtaa (a people)
Esnunna
Zilipia (a people)
ASSYRIA
Arba'-ii;
(Arbela,
(aSsuri.
now Ervil)
Arrspha (capital of the province

Airapachitis on the Upper Zab)
Mim, the capital {Qatah-shergal)
IJ(ir.[5ama5]
109
(?
a holy place), pp.
194
KaJah iCalah,
now Nimroud)
iShamainah, S.W. of Arbela)
Kjt-i,i,i
Kisin
Wr-Sargina)
name
of
Suqiain
Suruppak
Til-Humbi
Halunoi
little S.
of Tanis)
Babylonia),
lo5
UpS, Upia (Opis)

Urgub, Ragubfi
Uriwa (Sumerian
Gubla (Gcbal)
Guddasuna {Till Keysan
B!t-Imbia
Bit-Bunaki
Bit-Ubia
Burutu
Dannat-Suiaa
Dintu-sa-Dume-tlu
Ur),
Uruk (Erech, now Warka)

Uru-ki
now
tlit
same as
Ilteuba
subtuabt.
Irgidu (2
west of Susa)
(YAANANA).
Edi'al (Idalium)
Mauktu
Kitrusi (Chytrus)
Naditu
Nagitu
the netgb
Na<Titu-di'ibina
ff-
liles
7'-
Chodeba
rightly read,
Cozeba
better
Kuesiba,
Khurbet
miles
N.E.
of
Hathul )
now
MINOR
AND
ASIA
(MARTU, AMURRU.
OATTU, ETC.)
Abil-akka
Aduri {at-Tireh')
Akzibi (Achzib)
Amq), a'district
Anaugasa (Egyptian ^/>'3'"/-^\Xiihas')
Arpaddu (Arpad)
1^
Aram
{Arareh )
AStani (Ashterolh, 29 miles E. of
Tiberias*)
Awqarruna (Ekron)
Ayaluna (.Ajalon)
{Tarari^ near Tiberias *)
Til-ASuri (Telassar)
Til-Barsip (Birejik)
N.W.
{at-Tab^ha,
Tubijji
of the
Sea of Galilee")
Tu'immu
Tumurka
Tunanat
Tunib {Tcnnib, N. of Aleppo)
TuSfean
Tuiulti
Udumu (Adamah*)
I^Yerseh near
Scchem
Yabisi (Jabesb Gilead)
Vaena
(district
near Cilicia)
Yanuamma (Yanoah )
Zerf-balani, the field of
Bashan
(a
district)
Zilfl
Ttit
(Zelah, north of Jerusalem ")
Zinzar (a district)
al-Hesy)
Libnana (Lebanon)
Magdali (3 miles N.W.of Tiberias")
Magidda, Magidft (Megiddo, Teil
MaQhatisuni(W^rf>'jVâA,7
UsO (Hosah)
(Tiranath)
Taruna
Zalhi (districts)
Mahalliba
UUaza {Mina Kabusi, behind which

isaZ-Ky')
of,
Tamna
Wurza
(if
mountains
(the
Jerusalem, probably mount Seir in Judah)

Siannu
Subutu (Zobah)
Sflfei (mat) (the land of the Shuin the district of
(Kadesh of Naphtalt)
Surru (Tyre)
Amki
.
(io
Media), pp. xvi.,

Masuiu-saplitu
157
SSri, or Seeri
Uru-salim, Ursalimmu (Jerusalem)
of Hebron)
KidSi, Gidsi
"great" and
"
[" Uttle
Saukat ')
(
Sumur (Simyra, now Sumra)
Tell
Altaqu (Eltekeb)
Kalpalani
Kar-Zcr-iklsa
Lulubu
N.W.
(Keilab, 8 miles
Lapana
Wahlia (perhaps near Ardata)

Yapi, Yappu (Joppa)
Yarimuta (Rainitha ')
Shu^hUf)
Keelti
Irqata {P\x)^^Tell Arqa, I4miles

E.N.E. of Tripoli *)
PHCENICIA
[pP
Igaid (Egj-ptian possibly AinYakut )

Kadesh-barnea sÂin-KedeU)
KargamiS or Karkamis (Carchemish)
or
Serial i
hites)
Hinnatuna(A'<i,Mz^<i/*)
LakiS, Lakisu (Lachish,
iigata
Laijiru
*)
(mat) (the Hauran)
Har-Nekaru (Egyptian)
Tripoh )
Sidunnu (Sidon),
(Hommel:
(river)
Dubu)
(HaUh, probably near
yazi {Hurlet al-Assieh *)

Hazu (the land of Hazo)
{jazura, Hasgra (Hazor)
Hinianabi {Anab, iSJ miles S.W.
of Hebron)
Kelli
city of
Sharon]
Harabu(/r!;//r,ii*)
Sanku {Shaqqa^ 10 miles S.W. of
'5,
(a part of Media), PP.
gufeunuri
Huthut
S. of Ajalon *)
Sashime
Kullana (? Calneh of Is. x. 9)

Kulnia (mentioned with Simirra)
Kumedi {Kamid al-Lauz *)
*)
Isqalluna (Askelon)
Hatarni
of
ai
Hai
Gad, now
in
Saruna (probably the chief
(Aleppo)
Kinza
Kuazbat
Du'uru (Dor)
Giti-rimunima (Gath-Rimmon)
Jârri-aMakg
form
Asqaluna. Isqaluna (Askelon)

Azzatu, Hazzatu (Gaza)
Ba'ali-sapuna (Baal-zephon)
Banaa-barqa (Bene-berak)
Biruta (Beyrout)
liamanu
Lidir (Ledra)
Aniada (Arvad)
Bit-Arrabi
Bit-Ahe-iddina
Haiadanu (probably
" Haiadaln)
Kuri (Curium)
p.
47,
16,20
Hiiadalu
of Babylon)
CYPRUS
Karraga, Karrak (Ism)
45,
Unu
Usuk
or
(.Ashdod)
Bihise
Tutul
Zazannu
Karjjar, pp. xv., 33
Arwada
Asdudu
Bit-Asusi
Tindir (Babylon)
Isin (Isin, Izln)
Kabal-maSdu
Kakra (Muru)
(ELAMTU).
Dunni-Samas
(district)
*)
Hamat, Amat (Hamath)

gaSabu (in the Â^ja^d-valley
city)
(4 miles south oiSaukat^)

Ardata {Arlhusi, 9 miles N.E. of
(capital of AnSan), pp.
Gutium
^" Gannim
Ha:
Akka, Akku (Accho)
Dintu-5a-Sul4a
Fara)
Uru-5uanna (QutQ)
Hujsanitu
Umaianat (a tribe)
Urakazabama (a Median
(or
Halabhu
Ambi
(On, Heliopolis)
Dintu-Sa-MSr-blti-etir
(?
*'
Ba
Bub
Tahubakka
Ibi-Tutu
(in S.
aalman
Bit-Ris!a
Gam-
Mugheir)
Humurli (probably near Kimas),

[pp. xvi., 78
yursag-kalama
Karlum
Targibati
Balli-liSir
UrSagali, UrSakasi
Uru (Ur of the Chaldees,
ISSaku
Kuktud
Î.iganubba (the original
Pafenuti
168
pp. 42, 43, 77, "39, etc.
gubsan
Hala
Ta^ha' (a tribe)
Tabhasarua (a tribe)
Talab
Gubbu
Ni'u (Thebes)
AnSan
(the capital of the
Kidsi(KadeshofNaphtaIi*)
Gimi" } ^'^^''''
Gina (a district)
(Zephon
A mate h*)
5areptu (Zarephath)
Sarâ (Zorah, now Surah, 6 miles
Gizza (a district)
Alum-5a-belit-b!li
Sumdula
Tilmun
1 1 1,
19,
137. elc.
Akkabarina
130)
Tarmas
T^ (a district
Gimil-Sin
GidSi,
Tagab-lisir
Si'inu (Pelusium)
Tanudfi
Hall a
Hallabi
Hadabili
II
p.
Balha
Ciip.nrra
li
ASnunna)
ESSu
Gabren (in S. Babylonia),
Gael (f K4s), p. 159
Gatan (Qatan)
Gimun
Kar-Baniti (Canopus, Heracleus)

Kipkipi
Tilani (Pelusium)
Simas(gi) (in S. Babylonia), pp.176178

Sippar iÂbti-habbak)
Guru-duga (Eridu)
Uur-Sargina (Khorsabad)
Gmf.l.nil
K.i
(see
Median
in the
xvi., 71, etc.
Siaut (Siout)
Scseb (Bagdadu)
p. 171, etc.
pp
Sabnuti (Sebennys)
a'anu (Tanis)
Satti (D(ir-galzu)
Girsu (LagaS, Tel-M),ff. 121, 153,

t'^"^Gis-uh Um:'"')' P- ''^
Guabba (probably a coast town)
Gudua (Cuthah, now Tel Ibrahim)
Bambagubna
or
bulians)
Eres
Eridu (Aiu-Shahriin),
IJrzuhiiia (city)
_ district),
Bit-ablamS
DQru
Osia
Sapuna
Gari (a dist'rict)
Gazri (Gezer)
Suhari-sungur
Magna,
Pihattijjurunpiki
Rakimu
Raknana
Dflr-SamaS
Ennigi (Muru)
Enti
Erech (Uruk, now IVarka)
gattu)
V
Saniru (Shenjr)
DQr-IlIataa (mentioned between

Subatu, Hamitu, and Sam'alla)
Sulan (Shushan or Susa), pp.
ELAM
Sabinsu
(city)
Danuna (a district)
Dimasqa (Damascus)
Simuru (probably
(Heracleopolis
now Ahnas)
Unu
PaJSate (district)
Uesi
HininSi
Punubu (Momemphis)
Saa (Sais)
Rapiqu
Sabu (p.
EUasar (Larsa)
Bit-Ziue
(a district)
Siliptu
(near Lagas)
Pars!
Ekallati
Bit-Ninib (near Jenisalem)
RiSu
yathiribi (Athribis)
Himuni (Hermopolis)
*)
Sa-imeri-5u (Syria of Dam.nscus)

Sam'alla {Zinjirli)
Rabla
Rade
Sallukea (a tribe)
Hikuptah (Memphis)
Saddu {Skatiyeh
Samerina (Samaria)
Samhur,a (Mm as-Sfmah*)
Sanfear (a district mentioned with
BusiiTi (Busiris)
Nina
DOr-rjib-ili
(citj')
72
district)
Til-Uburi (or Til-Samhuri)
QalQnu
Qatan (Gatan)
Qutd (Uru-suanna)
Rabbi
Ragubd = Urgube
DQr-Kuri-galzu {AkarMf)
Sadudia (people)
Supura (city)
TumSpia, Turupaa
Uk(k)Sa (the Ukkians)
Uazaun (district)
p.
Bit-Aramani (Ammon)
Bit-Daganna (Belh-Dagon)
BU-Humri (Bcth-Omri = Urael)
city)
SarEu
Paîrtu
Sippar)
Mariiuha (city)
Nagiu (district)
Mair),
Buru-iilim (Biir-selem), near Gtbal

Bu^runa (Bozra)
city)
Sa-haqidati
(Mendes)
Pisaptu (Pe-sept a
Dungi-Nannar
Ddr-KuriDdr-galzu
(probably
gahu, q.v.)
Diir-karaii (on the Euphrates above
(city)
Dinikti
Dunnu
Musasir
musur)
(Ennigi, Kakra)
Nunp
Dunni-saidi
Kurban (city)
Lake (city)
(Misir.
Mera
Muru
Nitak
Nituk (= Tilmun)
Datuna
Dilmu (DaiUni)
Deru
Tamesu (Tamassus)
Nathu (Natho)
Nipuru, Nippur (Nifftr)

Nisin (Isin)
tribe)
Dannatum
(tribe)
Gujana (Goian)
Hubuskia (district)
BubuSna
(Borsippa, the
Chaldean
Cuthah (Kutu, Gudua)
Bit-Dakkuri
Guriania (district)
Gurraa
(?
Pillatu
Mempi (Memphis)
MaSkanati
Malkan-labri
Maiiru (probably
of Bagdad)
Bagdadu
Basim
ARMENIAN DISTRICT
Aiguza
Dannite
E.
Bab-ili (Babylon)
M4S)
"'<!"''"""''=.
Sumerian name of
(the
(city)
Ta'ani (city)
Tenoquri (city)
Arsabia
of
Marad)
country near Babylonia)
(a
Sumerian form
(the
Patusarra (a Median
Sillu'ua (Salamis)
Bintiti
MalkS
Mai
twin-city
with Sippar)
Amarda
Manhabbi (city)
MaKjanJ (city)
SiUu (Sob)
AJjni
KuUab
Apak
springs)
Laribda (a fortress near wells)
Nugu' (a tribe)
Partakka (a Median
Partukka (a Median
EGYPT
p. 17
LagaS i,Te!-lah)
Larak (Larancha)
Larsa (Ellasar, Senqara)
Lasima
Mair
MalgS
Possibly three forms of
Malgia
Adab {Bistnya)^ p, 2
Agade (Akkad)
Akkad (supposed to be a
Qarti-hadasti
ai'Mulaselttm
Mair
')
p. 65)
(Tigris)
Ballhi (the Balicha,
(a state
on the Habour)
Bau-iieng<i!a
'ni'es
(?
(possibly = Mair), p. l^
Mestu {Mushtit, 14 ""l"
W.
of
Tiberivis')
Muliûna
Btilik)
\i^.
the Kh&biir)
Husur (theA7(^j^r)
Id-edina (a canal in S. Babylonia),
p. 6s
Idide (a river in Elam)
Idiglat (the Tigris), Semitic Babylonian
Idigna (the Tigris), Sumerian

Kungubba (a canal in S. Babylonia),
Naferima (Mesopotamia)
Naziba
Nt (Egyptian Niy)
p-63
NufeaSSe, a country
Palaglu, Pihsta (I'hilistia)
Purattu (the Euphrates)
Radinu
Qarqar
Qatna (Qatana)
Qidsi (Kidsi, Kadesh)
{the
Adhem)
Sngurri (the S&jilr)
after Carchcnilsh)
Qu'e (mentioned
Rapihu {Raphia. Sir Rf/d, a
distance from Gaza)
now
canal in S. Baby-
Ionia), p. 109
Habur (Khaboras,
Manjuate (mentioned after Du'uru)

Marâsi (identified with Mar'ash)
little
Rasappa (Reseph)
,
Rubula (Rabbath or Ra^bah
Khurbit Rubba, 4 miles N.N.W.
.
of Keilah
Ammu
Arzania (the /Cara-Su)
S.ofGemar*)
Mauru
RIVERS AND CANALS:A-edina (see
Subnat (the Sibbenah-Su)

Sutipu (the Umm al-Cemal)
Turnat (the Diyala)
Uknu (the Kerka)
Urattu (Euphrates)
Zaba em (the upper Zab)

Zaba supalu (the lower Zab)
')
PetrlffT
\.;r_.
University of ToronlD
Library
DO NOT
REMOVE
THE
CARD
FROM
THIS
POCKET
ae Library Card Pocket
ader Pat. "Ref. Index File"
le
by
LIBRARY BUREAU
>'

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THE

THE BABYLONIAN INSCRIPTIONS

The Right Hon.

LORD AMHERST OF HACKNEY,

DIDLINGTON HALL, NORFOLK

TEXTS OF THE PERIOD EXTENDING TO AND INCLUDING

WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS

FIVE COLLOTYPE PLATES