CUNEIFORM TEXTS FROM BABYLONIAN TABLETS

Transcription

1 CUNEFORM TEXTS FROM BABYONAN TABETS

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3 CUNEFORM TEXTS FROM BABYONAN TABETS N THE BRTSH MUSEUM PART 2 OD BABYONAN ETTERS BY C. B. F. WAKER PUBSHED FOR THE TRUSTEES OF THE BRTSH MUSEUM BY BRTSH MUSEUM PUBCATONS MTED

4 1976 The Trustees of the British Museum SBN Published by British Museum Publications td. 6 Bedford Square, ondon WC1B 3RA Set in Times Roman by Pindar Print, Scarborough and printed in Great Britain by The Scolar Press imited, lkley

5 FOREWORD The present volume offers 186 Old-Babylonian letters selected and copied by Mr C. B. F. Walker. t will certainly add in no small measure to the information on history, social circumstances, and grammar already gained from the vast corpus of letters of the classic age of Babylonia. n the preparation of his work, Mr Walker has enjoyed the co-operation of many colleagues, to whom he expresses his gratitude in his preface, and should like to thank them also, personally and on behalf of the Department. The drawings of the seal impressions have been made by another member of the Department, Miss Ann Searight. E. SOBERGER, Keeper. Department of Western Asiatic Antiquities, The British Museum. March, 1976.

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7 PREFACE The letters here published come from the Old Babylonian city of Sippar and its vicinity. The tablets registered in the collections and AH were found in Rassam's excavations on behalf of the Trustees at Abu Habbah; the Bu collection was mostly purchased by Budge in Baghdad and Hillah and the larger part of the collection was presumed to have come from Abu Habbah. The collections Bu , and were said to have come from the archive chambers found at Tell ed Der, as was the collection (not represented here). Numerous other tablets from the great find at Tell ed Der subsequently entered the British Museum's collections as part of miscellaneous groups of tablets acquired by purchase; their provenance can only be determined from internal evidence. No. 8 here is included on the presumption that its author is the same as the author of no. 96 and CT 43, nos. 1 and 4; no. 170 is included as possibly belonging to the same archive as no The Old Babylonian tablets in the Bu and Bu collections were catalogued by the late J. J. Finkelstein as part of the Department's planned Catalogue of Tablets from Sippar, and his manuscript was used in the selection of material for this volume. A number of letters from other Sippar collections were identified by A. K. Grayson in the course of his work on the same project. The present volume completes the publication of all the Old Babylonian letters identified to date in the earlier Sippar collections (before 1892) apart from a small number of very broken or nearly illegible letters. The preparation of this volume was planned in co-operation with the Old Babylonian letters project of the University of eiden under the direction of F. R. Kraus, and a companion volume by him, Altbabylonische Briefe 7, containing transliterations and translations of all the letters here copied, will appear shortly. Almost all of these letters were collated by Professor Kraus, and his suggestions and the opportunity to collate all the copies against his transliterations resulted in innumerable improvements. A. Shaffer also assisted with numerous collations of difficult and broken passages. t is a pleasure to thank both of them for their fruitful co-operation. Drawings of the seal impressions accompany the copies. The opportunity has been taken to include (on pi. 61) the seal impressions on all previously published Old Babylonian letters in the Museum's collection, except for BM 1648 (already copied in CT 43, p. 19) and BM A (the envelope of BM (CT 6, pl.39) the seal on which is the same as that on no.16 here). The seal impressions are all enlarged 4:3. The tablets have been arranged in alphabetical order by the name of the addressee where given (nos. 1-76), or by the name

8 of the sender (nos ), except for no.134 (joined after the plates had been substantially completed) and no.91 (the affinity of which to CT 44, 0 was only lately noticed). t is hoped that this arrangement may assist in the eventual reconstruction of the original archives. The addresses of nos are illegible or broken away. Nos have no address. Of these nos are of the shape recently equated by Finkelstein (YOS 9, pp.2-6) with the Old Babylonian term ze'pum; nos. 79, 89, 94, 97, 2,9, 132, 133 and 138 are also of the same type. Nos may be part of a single archive. Nos. 14- and 167 are rectangular rather than 'round', and no. 18 is much thicker than the others, perhaps being an early example of the type. The term ze'pum is used in nos. 89, 94, 132, 169, 170, 176 and 180. n addition to the characteristics of the ze 'pum observed by Finkelstein, it may be noted that letters of this type are not ruled except at the end of the text or at the end of the Reverse where the text continues on the left edge. The copies are the same size as the original tablets except in the case of no. 14 which is enlarged 4:3.

9 CATAOGUE To Abba-DNGR [...] Abum-waqar Adi-ilum Adi-ilum Ahassunu Ahi[...] Ahum[...] Akatiya Akiya Amat-beltim Amat-Samas Amat-Samas Amat-Samas Amat-Samas Amat-Samas Amat-Samas Amat-Samas Apil-Amurrum Ata Awil-Adad (envelope) Belesunu Belesunu Erib-Sin Eristaya Eristi-Samas Eristum Eristum Etel-pum Hunabatum and Mattaki bbi-sin bni-marduk bni-sin sme-adad (envelope) tlb/itib-libbas'u amassaniya amassi ipit-adad ipit-adad ipit-adad ipit-adad ipit-adad ipit-adad Mar-Sippar Mar-Samas Marat-[...]tim Marduk-musallim, Nuratum, From Samsu-iluna Aksak-iddinam Ris-Subula Sin-abusu Samhum Huru[...] Nur-ilisu nibsina Nanna-mansum Sin-iddinam Bels'unu u-dingir.mah u-dingir.mah u-dingir.mah u-dingir.mah u-dingir.mah Ubarrum Sin-igmeanni ltanatum Marat-ele Addatum Kubbutum Etel-pi-Sin Selepum Nur-Adad Abi-asata Hasibani Nisi-inisu Ur-Menum Atta Nisi-inisu Ammi-saduqa RiS-bel-binim Ammi-ditana Samas-magir piq-ningal Elmesum Marduk-musallim Marduk-musallim Marduk-musallim Samas-bani and the judges... ] Samas-nasir Nuiratum bbatum Abi-esuh Abum-waqar, the karum and judges of Sippar No BM A Plate

10 No. BM To Marduk-musallim, Marduk-lamassasu and Sin-bel-aplim A B Marduk-nasir and the judges of Sippar Marduk-nisu (envelope) Mattaki Mattaki Mattaki Mattaki Nabium-iddinam Nanna-indu Nidnat-Sin Nisi-inisu Nur-dSAG.KUD Ris-Subula [Ru]ttum Ruttum Sin-aham-iddinam Sin-iatum Sin-iqiam Sin-remeni Samas-asared Samuhtum Si-lamassi Sumum-libsi Ubar-ramu Urrani-du Utul-Mami Warad-Sin [...]-Sin [...] ana awilim ana ahiya ana beliya ana awilim ana abiya ana sapiriya ana abiya ana awilim [... ] ana belini ana awilim [ana awilim] [ip]izza ana awilim ana awilim [...] ana abini [...]tiya ana ahiya ana ahiya [...] From Ammi-saduqa Ammisaduqa Ammisaduqa Ammisaduqa Sin-musallim Belesunu Ahusina Kurum Kurum Summa-libbi-ersetim Utu-su-mundib Adad-sarrum Marduk-lamassasu bnatum Etellum Belesunu Astabalitum-ummi Astabalitum-ummi [...]ani Sin-iddinam Marduk-lamassasu Ahiusina Awil-Adad Warad-bari r-nanna na-palisu abruq-abi kun-pi-sin Beltani bbi-adad Aksak-mansum Ali-talimi Awil-Sin Belesunu Belesunu Beli-tukulti Beli-tukulti Belsunu, pqatum, Marduk-nasir and Etel-pi-Marduk Etel-pi-Marduk Etel-pi-Nabium bni-adad bni-sin and the judges of Sippar ddin-star li-iqisam li-naplisam lsu-bani lsu-bani ltani mgur-sin and Samas-[...] nibsina skur-mansum skur-mansum sme-sin P'late

11 No. BM To ana abbi X-ti-ia [...] ana awilim ana wakil tamkari ana awilim 807 ana awilim ana abiya x xx x ana wakil tamkari ana beliya v 1 80 ana sangi Samas [...] [...] tum ana awilim ana awile [...] ana wakil habbati ana abiya ana abiya ana awilim Sin ana wakil tamkarim ana awilim ana beliya ana wakil Amurrim ana beliya [...] x x x x [...] [...] ana beltiya [...] and [...] ana abiya ana abiya ana abiya Address lost A Not addressed 13 (cancelled) Not addressed (+) Envelope sealed by Rs-Marduk From KA-Aya Kurum a-bistum [amas]sasu Mannum-balus'su and Susinak-semi Marduk-lamassasu Marduk-musallim Marduk-nasir Marduk-[...] Nakkartum Nidnat-Sin Samsu-il[una] Sin-hazir Sin-musallim Sin-nadin-sumi Sin-erib[am] Sin-nadin-sumim Sin-semi Sallurum Samas-andulli Samas-musezib Samas-nasir Samas-rabi Samas-... Sarrum-bani Siktum Sim[...] Sinduh Taribatum Tarisa Tutub-magir Ugarum Warad-Kubi x-ra-kum Amat-beltim Plate

12 No. BM A A A A A A A A To Not addressed,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Envelope sealed by Adad-bani Seal impression From Plate

13 NDEX BM Collection , , A,347A 1684A,381A , A , 41A , ,471 04, AH , , , , , , Bu , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Bu 91--9, , , , , , , , ,43 803, , , , , , ,12 CT BM A 80402B Collection Bu 91--9, 13,1,19,,22,30,38,39,40,41A,41B,48,1,3,6,62,63,70,78,80,82A,82B,83,84,91,93,601,603,609,632,640,68,662,672,67,69,713,716,726,728B,730,738,739,746,787,796,802,803 CT

14 BM Collection Bu 91--9, 812,814,829,832,834,840,842,881,890,908,909,913,917,918,9,934,939,960,974,982,98,988,989, 990,991,992,99, 09,29,41,2,,6,9A,69,72,77,96,98,13, 11,1112,1118,1123,1144,114,118,1166,1167,1169,1174,1176,1179,1181,1183, 1190, 1198, 1213 CT BM Collection 899 Bu 91--9, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,24 867A, 24A 82190, , A,2313A 8223, , ,24A 8236, ,2422A 82367,2422B 82388, ,2436A 8232, , , , A Bu 91--9, 8A 9781A , 869A 97817A,871A , A , 128A A , 3A CT

15 PATE Obv ;rasures one or two lines of missing Rev uninscribed C over asures A.4- / erasure 2 e.ed....o over erasures

16 PATE e.d. ^ Go ^<4 a;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~',.-< by. _ ov erasure remainder uninscribed

17 PATE 3 * over erasure """over erasures lower edge broken off 'e- 1 1l 0i ^ r Remainder uninscribed e.ed. By ^ ^~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~V-- -

18 PATE half tablet missing ' e.ed. 9 lower edge broken off r Rev ' e.ed. ' K...:'~;..::''... :,. - e. Ed. ~ff 'o over erasures

19 PATE C jre 1 1 2( 2 2E 1 _ 8128 J Ob Re

20 PATE F %. V over asure ' rasure

21 PAT'E ( Obv 1 2 t e Re v. -.--,. l< 2 r _ (envelope of 82363) K 7 no sel no seal e. Ed. "'*~/~ '~~:?:/ - J

22 PATE n k.. JUV. -- rasure er rasures R( 0 1 o over erasure -" over erasures 2C e.ed., W ^<^~ ~4~.:- _

23 PATE 9 Vw" erasures Ob 'ErrF 1 1 J

24 PATE obv. hit., h Re C e. Ed, :T - ^^ff~~~~~~~~a-t Re' Hev. - -!0 r-! T, Seal J f f 'i'.,^ S^_~3f remainder uninscribed

25 PATE 1 f1~is-~f T 4 Rs~g r e. Ed. r 867 A 7 -(-^ r 34 about one third of tablet missing uninscribed sealed also on 7227 and all four edges '0 Ul) -,, UVer nut taudet missing uninscribed

26 PATE O t perhaps half of and two thirds of missing Re\ R4 e.ed. :. 1'. o erasures e.ed.. F- 30 7tt ^^^^^%^F %~~~~~~~rt4 1 remainder uninscribed

27 PATE l uninscribed uninscrib ed i ;, < _J

28 PATE Obv, ) er erasures about half tablet missing 1, erasure! 2 e. Ed, : k,. /, Ob' F - rasure J

29 ve abu. b ig PATE 1 ;-- - j, ','~ ".J_» lia- *a... z'/j X, /- ^. over 7^ffi^^^ v^^ > ^~ ~erasures WS m 1 about a quarter of tablet missing e.ed. He erasure Remainder uninscribed Obv ' " 1 about a quarter of tablet missing 1'

30 PATE Ftr- 4-4*- ^P 4lk^W^F 4 g half tablet missing ' more than half tablet missing Re r) K,, half tablet missina

31 PATE Ob v lower edge broken off Do m4z e. Ed. ~ r A A '-q sealed also on and all four edges J 9~~~r&Z

32 PATE eed. t, ~,.3 ', ~-',_~1' ' Reov.,,..V. ---> 1 o erasures 1 e.ed.. 7-M if e.ed. : 2

33 PATE e. Ed :1269 o...o over erasures Rev - r- ---i 1 2 faint traces of a seal impression on upper and left edges _ e.ed. * ~F-' ' " : _.30 "".. ower Ed. ~Z

34 PATE e.ed. G ()Kv U V. F -- ReV.,-N.. 1 asures e. Ed.

35 PATE r J 7a U ( T T 7 T. T T 7 ~ ~R e v. Remainder uninscribed o sic 1 J

36 PATE Ot Re 1

37 ... _ PATE 23 -A-- lwefr eage missing 1 r 1 ' -1 < - rff ~ rr F , 1 '' oerasure

38 PATE ot 1 w

39 PATE 2 [ eed. Ft r-. %-., -

40 PATE K_' Rev, uninscribed e.ed. ^^zffe.ed. H o erasure r- 1 ver sure Remainder uninscribed

41 PATE R R 'er sure 2 30

42 PATE B : '.* R0i about one fifth of tablet missing 2 Remainder uninscribed Ob' o over erasures 1 _J

43 PATE 29 Ob upper edge missing lower edge missing ' ' 2 e.ed. :: :: e.ed. 40 r Ap~ ~jg

44 PATE /F M a. - -_ i lower edge missing Wtb * i --. -_ Ot_..,.... sealed also four times on Obv and twice on upper part of C 1 e v. '

45 _ PATE erasure 1 R 2C 2 3C e. Ed.C" ~ f~~3

46 PATE ff :..' :".: ::': ;. " X''''' C '.....,. r :\ mfil 'V. :~~fw^^^ oerasure 1 eed. - - '"'''''''''' ''' ''... e- e.ed. VT t,. ~.~.' : ~~~~~~~~:-:-~~~,.

47 PATE 33 9,_ Obv about one third of tablet missing 1 e.ed rrf4 f^ ri -0At <-^ rese : 7 ^ ^' ' Ad t< a $o=\ t >X+ t A H^Fa \ erasure sealed on all four edges y

48 PATE about half tablet cut away 1 remainder uninscribed over erasure,..o over erasures Rev lower edge missing '

49 PATE 3 Obv r erasure over erasure 1 1,J r7 remainder uninscribed ' _ 1 _J

50 PATE uninscr ibed Fr Re.F',_,,-~,~.',<~.."'.:- XVr <g A ~~~2~ 'i_:x;7,:;> An~.. +- Y7 -- g J 1 o over era sure

51 PATE 37 o erasure ' o erasure O 1 remainder uninscribed lower edge lost ' o over erasure '

52 PATE /-..

53 PATE 39 1 remainder uninscribed 2 e.ed P17V ' lower edge lost '. ''... '': l ; '" ''. io \:f ' '"' ' '' '... :. " " - "'.... """' " " " "' " '.""."" "".. _ '''' ::.:: ::..' \l;ts3y 9s

54 PATE probably two lines lost Obv ' 1 1 2' 30" e.ed. over erasure of uninscribed Seal on upper, lower and left edges 1

55 PATE 41 Ob 1 Re 2 30 e.ed. ' :r :'' :. :~ ~ : :j ~~~~~... "!!:

56 PATE over rasure 1 1 sic 2 2 Oh\ V v o...o over erasures over rasure _J eed.

57 PATE lower edge broken off 1

58 PATE e.ed. ;MM _J sealed on Obv,, upper, lower and left edges T J J C T " probably two lines lost Rev ( end of and upper edge lost

59 PATE probably one line lost over half tablet cut away Re e.ed.'..: 'W? end of Rev and upper edge lost e.ed. xl >,.. F-""F

60 PATE ~ 13.i7A -, lp 0 V -j/ A+ 1 1 sure 2 2C e.ed. / upper edge missing J e.ed, F

61 r PATE t is published as CT 43, 24 1A7 Q over hnllf +nhl+t nf loc+ 1 (one line erased) 2 (16787)

62 PATE upper, lower and left edges lost perhaps half tablet lost ' ' l ' half tablet cutaway rasure erasure 3sure 1 isure sure ' 2 j e.ed. '* * * * * * *

63 probably two lines lost Re PATE probably three lines lost : :. :: : :.. 1 2C end of and upper edge lost e.ed.

64 PATE half tablet missing half tablet missing over eras eras C Rev over eras 1 2C e.ed. t-)k.. U\DV A about two thirds of tablet cut away half tablet missing Rev rrasure

65 PATE about three lines missing half tablet missing ' about six lines missing Re remainder missing sealed on left and right edges e.ed. ' ' h ::' ''... / " -' ' ;.. " " ' 8127 ii\nnr- orn>o r\f +tohl+t m cci n (k. VUV about two thirds of tablet missing ' Rev 1 ' e.ed. e.ed.

66 PATE (cancelled) n~ rt{cv. about a quarter of tablet lost D~~no..t>«,~~~~C erasure Rev 2 over o 0 o erasure! 2( 2' afx \ v¼r\ v_'.' '

67 r- r PATE 3 f- X o over erasure Rev -. ~~~~~~~~- Rev - r-n /: \ 1 o erasure 82366(t) (envelope) F - e.ed.. -.' a i. :,.- 'AV i ''" '.' "' An0, ;b 40000O. CO a... 0 UO 0.00.(X.0c0 0 C VOC00 _~~~~~~~r.... Ṫs

68 PATE lower edge missing 1 Obv Ubv Rev 1Q>:..: f.. ' - 1 Rev 1 ( t 1 _J

69 PATE Rev, rl- <,: 1 T Ob\ r i Rev 1 Rev missing

70 PATE r a m, ,...'.'. :':.."..' z.; : ao t et... o,,-;.l.t 't'.h'd u- t '''' '...'.'.'.'.'... o'.'f:':.c.': about one third of tablet cut away remainder uninscribed Obv ' e.ed. 4: X. r^^ '.'' lor03-< ( X

71 PATE 7 r-.- Kev. 1 1 e.ed2. K Obv "r" 4j

72 PATE 8 Obv Rev about one third of tablet cut away uninscribed ' Obv e.ed. <a O erasure or 70 o several signs obliterated O 1 Rev, m

73 PATE 9 Obv erasure C r remainder of lost m r O bv. F-,-<". 1 Remainder uninscribed few2 '8>8>il s,~ c-" ~ '~~ :~;: r, 4.~':.: - i~c-y~rr i t-^p ^f^^. j: Rev 1 * j 1 rf^.-. :'..'...'...:.:..,... ;;;.....,.... l~:.~ :.^ ~ ^. ' ~:: ' ^ ^ - :'.'..~._" :-6- i.. ',,_ `.-, /-l - -. \ i 2 uninscribed

74 PATE Ta<rrf At ^S^-^-^ / X Remainder uninscribed 1 - t obṿ r_ J^^^ 2ffi^[ it <Spo 4 K6-> ~~2 ~ai;r 0 -t<a 1 ; ::;j~::..!:.... Fltl' T 1 /t /t > 7 m~v 7 Zz o 7 o over.:.. ;.. erasure ::':'.. :'... ^'..:.';'.!: ~.;~-. ':' i:.:.':.....;: :.. /-... Remainder uninscribed (fragment of envelope) address lost seal. V T -*1t

75 PATE A (envelope of CT43,1) inscribed: a-na a-bi-ia A (CT43,84) A (CT 29, pi.29) - : l-. co~~ml-l~~~~s~' -\-~oii;o;~o MbRSS ~ mauoca~~d~b40~u ~~Cm 9'-A,-' :-n:farpn-i w^';*pl t *<t- '? -ww «H<»-»tPK-r.F,-ar-* A (CT44,3) -T A (CT29,pl. 37) ( li i (e7.i (CT 43,7) A (envelope of 9740-CT 33,pl.26) inscribed: a-na dam-q(-ia u zi-ki-ir-lutu '111 'Jo. "A ri )l A -- j A (CT 43,122) i -T-_ M M ii 1a lir A (CT43,12) N -9

76