UET 6, 0161 + 0164 + 0619 (P346246)

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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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
column 1
  beginning broken
1'. [...]-x-da#?-ne# igi nam-bar-bar-en he2-sun5-ne-en#
 en: When you are to cross the street, do not look around. If you are humble
2'. [...] ni2 he2-em-te-ge26#
 en: And (you) fear your overseer
3'. [...] ugula#-zu ki ha-ra-an-ag2
 en: Your overseer will love you
4'. [...] {lu2}tab-ba-zu di-da-ne#
 en: If the objective is to be achieved, when you speak to(?) your companion
5'. [...] nam-ba-an-na#-gi4-gi4-[de3]
 en: Do not turn behind for him
6'. [...] x x [...]-de3#
 en: Do not denigrate your colleagues
7'. [...]-de3-esz2
 en: If (you?) are going because the day is about to arrive(?)
8'. [...]-en
 en: How long shall I stay?
9'. [...]-e3#
 en: I know(?)--(until) my master has left
column 2
  beginning broken
1'. [...] x [...]
2'. [...]-en-na-ta gesz-gi gi# [...] kin2-gi4#-a ba-ra#-[szi-...]
 en: Because of what I am, I did not send (you?) as one charged with the task(?) to carry reeds (from) the reed bed
3'. [...] di4-di4-la2 tur-tur-ra-ke4-ne i-im-[...]
 en: The old/dead reeds which (even) the tiny and little (children) carry
4'. [...]-en#-na-ta nu-mu-e-il2
 en: Because of what you are, you have not carried them
5'. [...] egir# gu4-da-ka gub-ba? ba-ra#?-[...]
 en: In no way/at no time(?) have I said “Stand(?) at the rear of an ox”
6'. [...] us2#?-de3#? kin2-gi4-a ba-ra-szi-[...]
 en: Regarding my ox, I did not send (you?) as one charged with the task(?) to follow it
7'. [...]-gu10#-usz al ke3-de3 kinx(UR4)-gi4-a ba-ra-[szi-...]
 en: Regarding my field, I did not send (you?) as one charged with the task(?) to hoe it
8'. a#-sza3#-gu10-usz uru4{+ru}-de3# kinx(UR4)-gi4-[a ba-ra-szi-...]
 en: Regarding my field, I did not send (you?) as one charged with the task(?) to sow/cultivate it
9'. kin2# sza4#! al ak-de3 kinx(UR4)#-gi4-[a ba-ra-szi-...]
 en: I did not send (you?) as a messenger (charged with a task?) to do a task(?) (or?) to hoe
10'. gen-na kin2 sza4 u3-mu-e-ak ninda gu7#?-[...]
 en: Come! After you do the work, eat food
11'. ga2-e al-me-en-na-ta ba-ra-ra-du11#
 en: Because of who I am, (I) have not spoken to you (about this)
12'. za-e al-me-en-na-ta kinx(UR4) sza4 nu-mu-e-ak ninda [...]
 en: Because of who you are, you have not done the task (but) you did eat the food(?)
13'. lu2 za-gin7-na-ke4 kin2 sza4 u3-mu-e#-[ak]
 en: When a person like you does(?) a task
14'. ad-da-ni u3 ama-ni ninda i3-ib-gu7#?-[...]
 en: His father and mother will eat food
15'. tukumbi nig2-szu gi4-me-asz-gu10-ne-ka igi bi2#?-[...]
 en: If you observe the ... of my colleagues
16'. [e]-ne-ne-gin7-nam u sze gur-ta-am3#
 en: Like (i.e., each one of?) them, ten gur of barley apiece
17'. [...]-ga2#? ib2-si-ge-esz
 en: They place(?) at the head (i.e., provide)
18'. [...] sag# ad-da#-GISZGAL#?-ne-ke4 u sze gur-ta-a sag-ga2 ib2-si-ge-esz
 en: (Even) the tiny ones, the “slave of their(!?) fathers,” ten gur of barley apiece they place(?) at the head (i.e., provide)
19'. [...]-ne#-ne sze bi2-in-tah-a
 en: The one(s) who increase (the amount of) grain (for) their fathers
reverse
column 1
1. sze i3 siki# udu#!? [...]-x-x-[...]
 en: They have given/brought(?) barley, oil/butter, and sheep wool(?)
2. diri-zu lu2-lu7# i3-me-en
 en: As a man, I(!) exceed you
3. e-ne-ne-gin7-nam lu2-lu7 nu-me-en
 en: You are not a man like (each one of) them
4. dumu-gu10 ad#-da-ad-da-ne-ne#
 en: My son, their fathers
5. lu2-tur-ne#-ne kin2-gi4-a in-gi4-[...]
 en: Dispatched their children/juniors charged with a task(?)
6. a-ga-x e-ne-e-ne-gin7#-[nam]
 en: My(!?) inferior(?), like them
7. kin2#-gi4#-[a] gi4-gi4-bi nu-mu-e-x-[...]
 en: They do not compare with you in (the performance of) assigned tasks(?)
8. [...]-kusz2-a#-[...]
 en: Excessive (is) my exertion for you
9. [...]-x dumu-ni#?-[...]
 en: Who is it that has exerted himself for his son more that I?
10. [...]-ab-x-[...]
 en: My words which I recite to you (are as follows?)
11. [...] in-nu tesz2# [...]
 en: It has not (previously been the case?)! Have fear! It has not (previously been the case?)! Have shame!
12. [...] {gesz#}szudul4 dili-a i3-sug2-ge-za#?-[...]
 en: Your companion, with whom you are standing in the same yoke
13. [...] x-GI gu5!-li du10-us2-sa-zu igi nu-mu#-[...]
 en: ... your comrade, your friend, you do not observe them
14. [...] nu-mu-un-na-ab-si-ge#-[...]
 en: Why do you not assimilate with them?
15. [...]-ne# si-ge2-na#-ab#
 en: It has not (previously been the case?)! (Now) assimilate with (your) “big brothers”
16. [...]-ne si-ge2-na#!?-ab#
 en: It has not (previously been the case?)! (Now) assimilate with (your) “little brothers”
17. [...] gaszam#?-ta ma-da ab-tusz-a#
 en: From the (ranks of) skilled humanity that resides in the land(?)
18. [...] nig2-nam mu sze21-a
 en: Come!(!?) Enki (himself) has discovered that(?) nothing that has a name (among them)
19. [... nam-dub]-sar#-gin7 al#-gig ga-na mu-ni#?-[...]
 en: Is as painstaking as the assigned task(?) of the place of(?) scribal art
20. [...] tukumbi# nam-nar [...]
 en: Nothing that could be named(?), except for the art of the musician
21. [...]-x bad#?-bad-ra2#
 en: Like the shores of the sea, where one shore is separated far away from the other
22. [...] al#?-[...]
 en: Thus the content of the art of the musician is esoteric
column 2
1. [...] e?-NE-dag?
 en: You can be idle(?) for eternity
2. [...]-ra#-zux(SU) ba-ab-gu-ul#
 en: Greatly your “that which is released” has been enlarged(?)
3. [...] x-x-sag3-sag3-ge-esz
 en: Because your ... reputation has not been smitten(?)
4. [...]-ub#?-dub2#?-dub2#?-da-ke4-esz
 en: Because (your?) reputation has not been beaten into the dust(?)
5. [...] x NI# ma-ab-szid-de3-en
 en: Because of what has been destroyed(?) I will recite to you (the following(?)) for my benefit(?)
6. [...]-ge-esz
 en: ...
7. [...] x ri i ak
 en: What now to do?(!?)
8. [...]-x-ak#-gu10 nu-SZE3#
 en: That which I did was not ...

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, 0161 + 0164 + 0619

    [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, 0161 + 0164 + 0619 Artifact Entry.” (2006) 2024. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). June 19, 2024. https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346246.
UET 6, 0161 + 0164 + 0619 artifact entry (No. P346246). (2024, June 19). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346246 (Original work published 2006)
UET 6, 0161 + 0164 + 0619 artifact entry (2024) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346246 (Accessed: September 15, 2024).
@misc{2024UET,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2024-09-15]},
	year = {2024},
	month = {jun 19},
	title = {UET 6, 0161 + 0164 + 0619 artifact entry},
	url = {https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346246},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346246},
}


TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2024/6/19/
PY  - 2024
ID  - P346246
LB  - CDLI:P346246
M1  - 2024/9/15/
TI  - UET 6, 0161 + 0164 + 0619 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346246
ER  -
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