ARM 01, 018 (P254219)

Letter tablet excavated in Mari (mod. Tell Hariri), dated to the Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC) period and now kept in National Museum of Syria, Damascus, Syria

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Transliteration

tablet
obverse
1. a-na ia-as2-ma-ah-{d}iszkur#
 ts: ana yasmaḫ-addu
 en: To Yasmaḫ-Addu,
2. [qi2]-bi2-ma
 ts: qibima
 en: speak;
3. [um-ma] {d}utu-szi-{d}iszkur a-bu-ka-a-ma
 ts: umma šamšī-addu abukama
 en: thus, Šamši-Addu, your father:
4. [asz-szum ia-szu]-ub#-dingir [i-na] tu#-[ut]-tu#-ul#{ki} i-mu-tu
 ts: aššum yašub-el ina tuttul imūtu
 en: As to Yašub-El who in Tuttul died,
5. [a-na] pu-ha-ti#-[szu ab-du-ma]-{d}da-gan
 ts: ana puḫātišu abduma-dagan
 en: as his replacement, Abduma-Dagan
6. [i]-na# tu-ut-tu-ul{ki} [a-na sza-ka-ni-im]
 ts: ina tuttul ana šakānim
 en: in Tuttul to place
7. ta-asz-pu-ra-[am]
 ts: tašpuram
 en: you wrote to me.
8. t,a3-ra-as-su2 ki-i t,up-pa-ka pa-nam u2-ul# szu-ur-szu
 ts: ṭarassu kī ṭuppaka pānam ul šuršu
 en: His dispatch, what is it? Your tablet is unclear;
9. asz-ra-nu-um-ma-a a-na ga-am-ri-im-ma
 ts: ašrānumma ana gamrimma
 en: there finally
10. ta-asz2-ta-ka-an-szu#
 ts: taštakanšu
 en: did you install him?
11. u2 _ugula_ sza-ne2-em-ma ta-sza-ak-ka-an
 ts: u waklam šanêmma tašakkan
 en: or another overseer will you install?
12. u3 ab-du-ma-{d}da-gan-ma asz-ra-nu-um a-na sza-ka-nim
 ts: u abduma-daganma ašrānum ana šakānim
 en: And Abduma-Dagan there to install
13. i-re-ed-du ta-ki-il
 ts: ireddȗ takil
 en: will they lead? He is trustworthy
14. u3 i#-na# a-hi _e2_ szi-ri is,-li-il u3 a-na-at,-t,a3-al-szu-ma
 ts: u ina aḫi bīt šīrī iṣlil u anaṭṭalšuma
 en: and ..., and I have been watching him:
15. [mi-im-ma] qu3-ul-lu-ul-tam u3 hi-t,i3-tam u2-ul ir-szi
 ts: mimma qullultam u ḫiṭītam ul irši
 en: no sin or shortfall has he,
16. [na-hi-id] u3 ta-ki-il
 ts: naḫid u takil
 en: he is attentive and trustworthy;
17. [i-na-an]-na# a-na# tu-ut-tu-ul{ki} szu-ku-un
 ts: inanna ana tuttul šukun
 en: so now in Tuttul install!
18. [u3] ki-a-am du-bu-ub-szu
 ts: u kiam dububšu
 en: And say to him
19. um-ma-mi am-mi-nim i-na qi2-in-ni
 ts: ummami ammīnim ina qinnī
 en: thusly: “Why in the nests
20. sza la in-ne-ep-pi2-szu u3 _a-sza3_ ka-bi-tim
 ts: ša lā inneppišu u eqlim kabittim
 en: of not being made, and in a heavy (rocky) field
21. i-na zi-ib-na-tim{ki} wa-asz-ba-at
 ts: ina zibnātim wašbat
 en: in Zibnātum do you live?
22. i-na tu-ut-tu-ul-ma{ki}
 ts: ina tuttulma
 en: In Tuttul
23. a-szar qi2-in-nam ta-qa-an-na-nu
 ts: ašar qinnam taqannanu
 en: where a nest you will nest-build
24. u3 _e2_ te-ep-pe2-szu szi-ib
 ts: u bītam teppešu šib
 en: and a household you will make, dwell!
25. _a-sza3_ me-re-mēreštum-tum ma-a-ad
 ts: eqlum mereštum mād
 en: Arable land is plentiful;
reverse
1. ma-tum szi-i ki-ma ma-a-at szu-ba-ar#-tim#
 ts: mātum šī kima māt šubartim
 en: that land like the land of Šubartu
2. i-ba-asz-szi _a-sza3_ me-re-esz3-tum ma-ad
 ts: ibašši eqlum mēreštum mād
 en: is, arable land is plentiful;
3. asz-ra-nu-um szi-ib-ma _e2 lu2-mesz_ e-pu-usz2
 ts: ašrānum šibma bīt awīlī epuš
 en: there dwell! Make a household of men,
4. u3 qi2-in-nam qu2-nu-un
 ts: u qinnam qunun
 en: and a nest nest-build!
5. a-lam{ki} u3 ma-a-tam a-na-be-li2-szu szu-ul-lim
 ts: alam u mātam ana bēlišu sullim
 en: city and land for its lord make safe!”
6. an-ne2-e-tim du-bu-ub-szum
 ts: annȇtim dudubšum
 en: These things say to him!
7. ni-ih-szu-ma i-na tu-ut-tu-ul{ki}
 ts: niḫšuma ina tuttul
 en: set him at ease, in Tuttul
8. szu-ku-un-szu
 ts: šukunšu
 en: install him!
9. i-na i-di-szu a-bu _e2_ ta#-ak#-lam
 ts: ina idišu abu bītim taklam
 en: at his side a reliable majordomo,
10. sza si2-ik-ka-tim ta-ak-lam
 ts: ša sikkātim taklam
 en: a reliable surveyor
11. szu-ku-un u3 i-na zi-ib-na-tim{ki}
 ts: šukun u ina zibnātim
 en: install! And in Zibnātum
12. a-na pu-ha-at ab-du-ma-{d}da-gan
 ts: ana pūḫāt abduma-dagan
 en: as replacement for Abduma-Dagan,
13. i-na _dumu-mesz_ ma-a-tim-ma sza-a-ti
 ts: ina mārī mātimma šâti
 en: from the sons of that land
14. u2-lu-ma# _lu2_ i-na _dumu e2-gal_ sza i-na re-szi-ka
 ts: ūlūma awīlam ina mār ekallim ša ina rēšika
 en: either a man from the sons of the palace who at your head
15. iz#-[za]-zu u2-lu#-ma 1(disz) _lu2_ u2-usz2-me-e-em ta-ak-lam
 ts: izâzu ūlūma išten awilim ušmêm taklam
 en: server, or 1 reliable ušmûm
16. a-na# zi#-ib-na-tim{ki} a-na pu-ha-ti-szu
 ts: ana zibnātim ana pūḫātišu
 en: in Zibnātum as his replacement
17. szu-ku-un
 ts: šukun
 en: install.
18. [sza-ni]-tam asz-szum a-la-ak la-i-im
 ts: šanitam aššum alāk la’im
 en: Another thing: about the coming of La’um
19. [isz-tu] u4-mi-im _u4 2(u)-kam_
 ts: ištu ūmim ešrā ūmim
 en: from today, the 20th day,
20. [ik-ka-li] am#-mi-nim a-di i-na-an-na
 ts: ikkali ammīnim adi inanna
 en: he has been held back. Why until now
21. [ta-ak-la-szu i-na]-an-na ar-hi-isz
 ts: taklašu inanna arḫiš
 en: have you held him back? Now quickly
22. [_lu2_ szu-a-tu t,u2-ur]-dam#
 ts: awīlam šuatu ṭurdam
 en: that man dispatch here.
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