Clay Tablet, with 35 lines of
Sumerian Cuneiform writing
The top of the tablet is incomplete, and while not
much is missing several lines cannot be clearly
read.
It is an administrative document from the period
of the Third Dynasty of Ur, with remains of date
from the reign of Ibbi-Sin, last king of the
dynasty, c.
2029-2004 BC. It contains a listing of flocks of
sheep and goats with numbers of each type
given, and the shepherd in charge, with some
indication of owners at the end.
Translation:
……] …120 billy goats: Shu-ili, herder
1200 sheep, 180 rams, 60 male kids: Nuh-ilum,
herder 600 sheep, 120 billy goats: Ushu-kin,
herder 900 sheep, 180 rams: Erra-palik, herder
240 sheep, 60 rams:…gu……, herder 300 sheep,
60 rams: Ilum-rabi, sheep of Ninshaga 2100
sheep, 180 ewes, 240 rams:……zi, herder 1140
sheep, 120 ewes, 120 rams: Inazzir, herder 240
sheep, 60 ewes: Imdada, herder 180 sheep, 60
ewes,: Ur-Shulpa’e, herder, sheep of the
governor 300 sheep, 60 rams: Madah-ili, herder
300 sheep, 60 ewes: Mumu, herder, sheep of
Ninbaragesi 600 sheep, 120 ewes: Ipqusha,
herder, sheep of Halhalla (?)
Total: 480 ewes
Total: 60 kids
Total: 120 billy goats
112, 600* (*or 1860)
… ] …
… …] …
[The year: Ib]bi-Sin
[king of U]r
***
The figures and the totals cause us problems. A
few lines are missing at the top, so one could
expect our additions to result in fewer than the
ancient totals at times but the opposite occurs
with the ewes. What appears to be the grand
total is also problematic.
Unless the missing lines had very large numbers,
“112, 600” is too big a grand total. Since
Sumerians had no symbol for “zero” one could
read the grand total as 1860, but that is much
too small, Perhaps the scribe was not too careful,
since all the individuals groups have obviously
approximate numbers. And no one would ever
see all these animals together.
- (LSO.27)
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