§1. Introduction^[1]
§1.1. The nine tablets published herewith are a part of a broader project entitled, “The Mathematical Knowledge During the III Dynasty of Ur in the Light of Administrative Records,” sponsored by the Gerda Henkel Foundation. Within the framework of this project, a research trip to the British Museum was undertaken, with the aim of identifying new material. The idea of the author was, at the beginning, to include these documents in a volume at the end of the project but, for various reasons, the project has been interrupted. In any case, the author hopes that an edition of new texts can be of use to his colleagues.

§2. Catalogue

§3. Texts
§3.1.  BM 12562
Measurements: 3.1×2.4×2.4
Provenience: unknown
Date: –/–/–

§3.1.1. Transliteration and Translation

§3.2.  BM 19683
Measurements: 4.2×3.6×2.3
Provenience: Girsu
Date: AS 3/–/–

§3.2.1. Transliteration and Translation

§3.2.2. The text, even if it is considerably broken, records, in the preserved part of the obverse, the earth to be removed from the side of the Nabasa canal, by measuring its length, width and height and calculating the total volume. The expression “a₂-pa₅” (obv. i 1) never appears in the texts of Ur III, but the meaning is clear. Parallel texts, recording work to be done on canals and recording the length, width, and height are RTC 412 (Girsu, AS 3/-/-) and ASJ 13, 225 71 (Girsu, undated). In the preserved part of the reverse, length, width, and height are recorded, together with the calculation of volume, for the construction of a levee in a field whose name is damaged. Moreover, the total sum of earth and reeds^[2] to be used for building a levee in the field Lugal-mussa located in front of the field A-geštin is recorded. In the lower edge, the expression ki sumun has an unknown meaning; K. Maekawa (1992: 198) suggests that it could mean “plots with poor soil.” The expression is attested about fifty times, and it is documented in almost all cases in Girsu, although there are other attestations from Garšana (CUSAS 3, 1362; IS 2/i/–), Irisagrig (Nisaba 15/2, 462; ŠS 8/–/–), Umma (PPAC 5, 1646; date broken) and Ur (UET 3, 1367; ŠS 9/x/–).

§3.3.  BM 19997
Measurements: 11×7.2×3.2
Provenience: unknown
Date: –/–/–

§3.3.1. Transliteration and Translation

§3.3.2. The text records the sizes of gardens and the number of their trees, although formulations at the end of the text (^ĝeškiri₆ gid₂-da, ĝeš šid-da) are missing. It records the extent, composition, and presence of trees in two orchards, probably designated by the name of a person; for one in particular it is specified that he is a herdsman (unu₃). The first orchard is divided into two parcels, each under the responsibility of an orchardist: UgIL and Nimgir-KAgina. The parcel under the responsibility of UgIL measures 4,500 m² of land cultivated as a date palm grove with 140 date palms. The land is defined as ex-voto of Lu-Nanna, son of Ur-ur, under the supervision of Abba-gula, whose title is not specified (possibly a šandana). The second, larger parcel consists of 9,000 m² of land defined as an “irrigation-inlet-plot” (ka-a-DU; see Greco 2015: 23) and 9,000 m² of uncultivated land. In this parcel, under the responsibility of the orchardist Nimgir-KAgina, there are 233 (standing) date palms, 60 date palms which are already cut down (u₂ du₁₁-ga; see Attinger 1993: 733), 1543 objects <ḪAR>-lam^[3] related to pine trees (^ĝešu₃-suh₅), 430 objects ḪAR linked to apple trees (^ĝešhašhur), 12 objects ḪAR related to pear trees (^ĝešpeš₃), an unspecified number of objects ḪAR linked with junipers, 18 box trees (both qualified as “long,” gid₂), seven trees called ^ĝešgipar_x (perhaps mulberry trees), 15 objects ḪAR linked to tamarisk, also qualified as being long. The second orchard, whose dimensions are below the average, measures 360 m², with 16 date palms, is attributed to the responsibility of the throne-bearer Lu-KAni. The mention of the orchard is probably followed by an indication of the supervisor, Enlila, who could be a “šandana” of the city Nigin (in older literature Nina).

§3.4.  BM 23029
Measurements: 11×7.2×3.2
Provenience: Girsu
Date: –/–/–

§3.4.1. Transliteration and Translation

§3.4.2. This simple text records a barley loan.^[4] The name Ur-NI is very rare in Girsu;^[5] it is documented only five times and never in connection with loans.

§3.5.  BM 23092
Measurements: 4×3.4×2.4
Provenience: Girsu
Date: Š 46/x/

§3.5.1. Transliteration and Translation

§3.5.2. The text records a barley loan to plowmen of an oxen overseer from the warehouse of Ninḫursaĝ. Barley loans from this warehouse are documented in Nisaba 13, 39, MVN 12, 239, and Nisaba 10, 68, dated to Š 47/x/–; these three documents support the addition of “gu₄” in obv. 2. The barley loan documented in Nisaba 10, 68, comes from Bazi as well.

§3.6.  BM 102106
Measurements: 4×3.4×2.4
Provenience: Girsu
Date: Š 46/x/

§3.6.1. Transliteration and Translation

§3.6.2. The obverse of the tablet records a delivery (mu-kux) of barley to be used for sowing fields of various sizes. The indication on the origin of the text is given by Ur-Lamma son Lu-Suen who is only known in Girsu. In lines 6-8 of the obverse, the scribe recorded the quantities of barley for each “bur₃” to be used for sowing the fields: the total sum of these three barley amounts is 38;4.0.4 ¹/₃ sila₃ 2 ¹/₂ gin₂, in the “še-bi” entry in line 9 rounded to 38.4.0.4 ¹/₃ sila₃. The reverse of the tablet is partially broken, but the final colophon records that it is a “balanced account” (nig₂-ka₉-ak) related to the “great field” (a-ša₃-maḫ).

§3.7.  BM 106079
Measurements: 12.1×8.2×2.4
Provenience: Umma
Date: AS 6/–/–

§3.7.1. Transliteration and Translation

§3.7.2. This tablet records an agricultural labor team’s maintenance work on fields. The first section of the text (obv. i 1-10) records the number of workdays of work gangs for harrowing (a₂ ĝeš-ur₃-ra), while the second section (obv. i 11 – rev. i 13) records the amount of work-days for workers qualified as lu₂ huĝ-ĝa₂ and ša₃-gu₄ for hoeing (al). On obv. ii 12 of the obverse, the expression niĝ₂-gul appears, which, according to K. Maekawa (1997: 126), is to be translated as “pickaxing.” The second column of the reverse indicates that the record describes fieldwork done (a-ša₃-ge kin-ak) in the field of Kamari, and the foreman’s name.

§3.8.  BM 106101
Measurements: 11.2×5.2×2.1
Provenience: Umma
Date: undated

§3.8.1. Transliteration and Translation

§3.8.2. The text records the extent of mud/pisé construction work (im-du₈-a) in the household of Niĝ-lagar (see Sallaberger 1993: 242). This household is only documented in Umma and so we have an indication of the origin of the text. On the obverse of the tablet, the scribe recorded the amount of construction by measuring the length, width, and (height=) depth of presumed walls and then calculating their volume. In the colophon on the reverse, the total volume of the construction resulting from the sum of the volumes written on the obverse is recorded.^[6] The text presents two problems: the last line of the obverse where we can read the expression “8 gin₂ DUB-la₂” is not attested in this context and it is not clear to what 8 shekels refer. The second problem is represented by the expression nu-ak in line 17 of the obverse. As one can see, that line would have had, like the previous ones, the recording of length, width, and depth of the earth to be excavated. For some reason, the scribe has recorded only the length. The phrase that follows, nu-ak appears in similar contexts in seven texts from both Girsu^[7] and Umma^[8]. These texts document work on canals by recording the total volume of earth to be excavated. The phrase nu-ak, that literally means “not done,” probably signifies, as already noted by P. Notizia (Mander & Notizia 2009: 246), that, for unclear reasons, the work was incomplete.

§3.9.  BM 106102
Measurements: 12×5.9×2.5
Provenience: Umma
Date: Š 42/–/–

§3.9.1. Transliteration and Translation

§3.9.2. The text records an inspection (gurum₂-ak) for maintenance work on agricultural fields to be done in the area of Kamari. These works have to be carried out by various teams of workers. Personal names help identify its provenience as Umma, where almost all such accounts originate. For each plot, the text records the size, the type of work to be carried out, the field area to be worked each day, and the total number of working days. The most common jobs to be performed are harrowing (ĝeš-ur₃-ra) and hoeing (al). In obv. 3, the expression tug₂-sag_x appears: according to T. Maeda (1995: 334), this expression indicates a particular type of work performed by the plough that is different from ĝeš-ur₃-ra and tug₂-gur₈ (which do not appear in this text). The expression niĝ₂-gul (rev. 2, 4, 6) is discussed in the previous text commentary. A group of guruš workers, whose number is not clear due to an erasure in the text, is employed to clean the furrows of clumps of earth and debris (la-ag ab-sin₂-ta ri-ri-ga; see Civil 1994: 86).

Version: 19 August 2017