This tablet has a total of 27 lines of Babylonian
cuneiform on the obverse and reverse. It is
joined from two pieces and there is some loss of
surface at the join, and some covering of signs
by some kind of adhesive, which could be
removed. Otherwise the tablet is generally well
preserved and most of the writing is clear. The
letter is addressed to My Lord by a
certain Sin-eribam. The lord is either
the king or a high official, since the writer
reports to him on the general condition of the
area and seeks his decision in matters of some
importance.
Translation:
Speak to my lord, “Thus says Sin-eribam,
your servant, ‘The land, the troops and the
district are secure. My lord sent me to …
Concerning the barley of Mar-ummanu about
which my lord first ordered me to put guards
over it, Shamash-nasir, the servant of my lord,
wrote as follows: “First, about guarding the
barley of Mar-ummanu I spoke to my lord and
he
had guards stationed. Now from the … estate I
have received from him 588 kurru of
barley. Leave for him his barley which is in the
bend of the river.” This is what he wrote to me.
Here I am writing to my lord, and my lord should
write to me about … leaving it or not leaving it
(for him).’”
The measure kurru was a measure of
capacity, about 253 litres, so
588 kurru was a huge quantity, but
this is typical of Babylonian agriculture at this
period. The tablet dates to c. 1900-1700 B.C.
Description and translation kindly provided by
Professor W. G. Lambert
