UET 6, 0160 (P346245)

Literary tablet excavated in Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar), dated to the Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC) period and now kept in British Museum, London, UK

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Metadata history Transliteration history
Lineart

Museum Collection(s)

British Museum, London, UK

Museum Number

BM —

Period

Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC)

Provenience

Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar)

Artifact Type

Tablet

Material(s)

Clay

Genre / Subgenre(s)

Literary (A scribe and his perverse Son (E-duba B))

Language(s)

-

Measurements

-

tablet
obverse
  beginning broken
1'. [...] x [...]
2'. [...] x x [...]
3'. [...] ak#? tud2#-ba nig2# [...]
 en: Your beatings of (during?) instruction(?), (in which) nothing compares with you
4'. a2# ag2#-ga2 nu-ub-zu-gin7 x-[...]
 en: You behave(?) as if the regulations have never been taught
5'. ki?-zu lu2#? x-[...]
 en: In(?) your ..., you are not a man
6'. sza3# gi4#-me-a-gu10-ne#-ka lu2-bi bi2#?-[...]
 en: Among my colleagues, comparing with each man(?) I conducted(?)
7'. [...] mu-da-si#?-[...] ba-ra-[...]
 en: (And) no one who compares with you is present
8'. nig2 ga2#-e za-ra [...] a#?-ab-szid-[...]
 en: This is what I recite to you
9'. u2#-[...]-x ku3-zu am3-ku4#-[...]
 en: (By it) deafness/stupidity turns into wisdom
10'. [...] masz#?-zu [...]-ma?-ak-[...]
 en: (By it) wisdom is made (from?) ... inferiority
11'. [...]-x mu7-mu7!-e [...]-x-[...]
 en: It seizes the snake(!?) (as if using!?) incantations/murmuring(?)
12'. [...] sag3#-ge-de3 zi# [...]
 en: I have become weary of always having to beat (you) and have let (that form of punishment) go
13'. [...]-ke3#-de3 x-x-x-sze#?-[...]
 en: Bringing about reconciliation(?) by means of lies(?), I will not consent to you (on this?)
14'. [...] im#!?-ma-an-si im#!?-ma-an-diri#?-[...]
 en: After I fill my heart and it overflows, (therefore, I scorn you)
15'. [...] zarah nu-mu#-[...]
 en: On your own (behalf), you have not ceased(?) your wailing
16'. zarah#-zu ga2-e [...]
 en: (But) I have set aside(?) your wailing
17'. [...] gu3# da-de2-a-[...]
 en: Because of the content/intent of what you are to speak(!?)
18'. u3 ga2-e KA-gu10-ta# [...]
 en: And (the fact that) I go forth from (according to?) my word(?)
19'. KA-gu10-ta DU-a-[...]
 en: In order to go away from (according to?) my words(?) “here”
20'. u3 ga2-e KA-e-ta DU#?-[...]
 en: I am going(?) away from “here” (according to my?) words
21'. nam-lu2-lux(URU) igi# li-bi2-du8-ru-na-[...]
 en: Because you have not “observed (your) humanity” (reflected upon yourself?)
22'. sza3#-gu10 tu15 hul ba-ab-[...]
 en: My heart is carried away by(?) an evil wind
23'. nam-lu2-lux(URU)-zu KA-KA gesz nu-mu-[...]
 en: You cannot pay attention to your “humanity” ...
reverse
1. zarah-zu ib2-til-[...]
 en: You wailing has finished/killed me(?)
2. sza3#!-gu10 edin-na am3-du-[...]
 en: You make my heart go(?) in the plain
3. ga2-e al-me-en-na-ta gesz-gi gi x-[...]
 en: Because of what I am, I did not send (you?) as one charged with the task(?) to carry reeds (from) the reed bed
4. gi sumun GAB lu2 di4-di4-la2-ke4-ne x-[...]
 en: The ... old/dead reeds(?) which (even) the tiny (children) carry
5. za-e al-me-en-na-ta nu-mu-un#-[...]
 en: Because of what you are, you have not carried them
6. a-ra2 na-me-ka egir gu4-da-ka? x-x [...]
 en: In no way/at no time(?) have I said “Stand(?) at the rear of an ox”
7. gu4-de3 us2-u3-de3 kin2-gi4#-[...]
 en: I did not send (you?) as one charged with the task(?) to follow the ox(?)
8. a-sza3 al ke3!-de3 kin2-gi4-[...]
 en: I did not send (you?) as one charged with the task(?) to hoe the field
9. a-sza3 uru4-de3 kin2#-gi4-[...]
 en: I did not send (you?) as one charged with the task(?) to sow/cultivate the field
10. kin2 sza4 ke3#-[de3] kin2#-gi4-[...]
 en: I did not send (you?) as a messenger (charged with a task?) to do a task(?) (or?) to hoe
11. gen-na kin2-sze3 u3#-mu#-x-x x [...]
 en: Come! After you do the work, eat food
12. za-e al-me-en-na-ta x-[...]
 en: Because of who you(?) are, (I) have not spoken to you (about this)
13. za-e al-me-en-na-ta kin2#-sze3#? [...]
 en: Because of who you are, you have not done the task (but) you did eat the food(?)
14. lu2 za-gin7 ak kin2#-[...]
 en: When a person like you does(?) a task
15. da-da-ni u3 ama#!-ni ninda i3#-[...]
 en: His father and mother will eat food
16. tukumbi nig2#?-szu gi4-me-a-asz#?-[...]
 en: If you observe the ... of my colleagues
17. e-ne-ne-gin7-nam [...] sze# gur#-[...]
 en: Like (i.e., each one of?) them, ten gur of barley apiece they fill at the outset/per head(?)
18. di4-di4-la2 lu2#? [...]
 en: (Even) the tiny ones, the “slave of their(!?) fathers”
19. u gur sze-ta sag-ga2 x-x-[...]
 en: Ten gur of barley apiece they place(?) at the head (i.e., provide)
20. sze i3 siki udu mu#-[...]
 en: They have given/brought(?) barley, oil/butter, and sheep wool(?)
21. diri-zu#-x x-[...]
 en: As a man(?), they(?) exceed you(?)
22. e-ne-ne#-gin7#-[...]
 en: You are not a man like (each one of) them
23. diri-zu kin2-gi4#?-[...]
 en: Exceeding you, they do not compare with you in (the performance of) assigned tasks(?)
24. e#-ne#-ne#-gin7#-[...]
 en: Like them ...

Consult previous versions and their differences
Consult sign list of Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC)
Consult word list of Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC)

  • Artifact type: Tablet
  • Material: Clay
  • Measurements (mm):
  • Weight:
  • Artifact Preservation:
  • Condition Description:
  • Join Information:
  • Seal no.:
  • Seal information:
  • Artifact comments:

  • Genre(s): Literary (A scribe and his perverse Son (E-duba B))
  • Language(s):

  • primary: UET 6, 0160

    [Gadd1963] Gadd, Cyril J., and Aaron Shaffer. 1963, 1966.

  • history: JCS 25 (pp. 105-169), 109

    [Sjöberg1973JCS25] Sjöberg, Åke W. 1973. “Der Vater Und Sein Missratener Sohn.” Journal of Cuneiform Studies 25 (3): 105–69. https://doi.org/10.2307/1359447.

  • Composite No.:
  • Museum No.: BM —
  • Accession No.:

  • Provenience: Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar)
  • Elevation:
  • Stratigraphic Level:
  • Excavation No: U —
  • Findspot Square:
  • Findspot Comments:

Created Creator Type Authors Project Reviewer Status Action
2024-06-19 at 16:51:39 Firth, Richard Artifact, Other Entity Firth, Richard Firth, Richard approved View
2019-05-29 at 21:01:58 Englund, Robert K. Atf Englund, Robert K. CDLI approved View
2006-11-02 at 00:00:00 CDLI Artifact Foxvog, Daniel A.; Guerra, Dylan; Peterson, Jeremiah; Veldhuis, Niek; Wolfe, Jared N. CDLI approved View

Consult this artifact as presented on the website of collections and projects:

    There is no external resource for this artifact yet.

General Notes: -
CDLI Notes: -
Cite this Artifact
“UET 6, 0160 Artifact Entry.” (2006) 2024. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). June 19, 2024. https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346245.
UET 6, 0160 artifact entry (No. P346245). (2024, June 19). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346245 (Original work published 2006)
UET 6, 0160 artifact entry (2024) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346245 (Accessed: September 15, 2024).
@misc{2024UET,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2024-09-15]},
	year = {2024},
	month = {jun 19},
	title = {UET 6, 0160 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346245},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346245},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2024/6/19/
PY  - 2024
ID  - P346245
LB  - CDLI:P346245
M1  - 2024/9/15/
TI  - UET 6, 0160 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346245
ER  -
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