Written Artefact Metadata
Object type: Enveloped clay tablet
Material: Clay
Writing: Cuneiform writing
Language: Old Assyrian
Nature of the text: Letter
Provenience: Kanesh (mod. Kültepe)
Period/Date: Old Assyrian (ca. 1920-1850 BCE)
Country of discovery: Türkiye
Dimensions: Height: 5.3 cm; Width: 4.9 cm; Depth: 2.6 cm
Museum/Collection: Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara, Türkiye
Excavation number: Kt 94/k 1150
Publication number (envelope): KT 6b, 298
Transliteration of the tablet in the envelope
1a-na En-um-A-šur 2qí-bi-ma um-ma A-na-a-na-/ma 3a-ma-lá té-er-tí-kà 4ša ta-áš-pu-ra-ni 5a-šu-mì Lá-qé-pì-im 6a-ta-na-lá-ak-šu-ma 7um-ma šu-ut-ma kù-°babbar° 8a-na Ku-da-tim áš-qul 9áš-ni-ma a-li-ik-šu-ma 10um-ma a-na-ku-ma 11ší-bi4 : lá-áš-ku-na-ku-um lo.e.12a-šar a-na Ku-da-tim 13lá ta-áš-qú-lu um-ma °ku° 14°x x° šu-ut-ma rev.15kù-babbar ku-a-tí lá a-da-na-ki-/im 16i-na a-lá-ak 17En-um-A-šur šu-a-tí-ma 18a-ša-qál be-lí a-ta 19mì-nam ur-ki!(SÁ) hu-sá-ri-im 20qá-qá-ad-kà ta-ta-na-i 21a-na-kam té-er-ta-kà 22kù-babbar 10 ma-na ù 20 ma-na 23lu i-na Bu-ru-uš-ha-tim 24lu i-na Wa-ah-šu-ša-na 25lu a-na-kam té-er-ta-°kà° u.e.26té-zi-ib qá-qá-ad/-kà 27ta-ta-na-i l.e.28šu-ma a-dí 10 u4-me lá ta-/li-kam 29a-ṣí-kà? té-eb-a-/ma 30a-tal-kam : 31«a-ta-kàm» 32a-wa-tim lá-am-na-tim áš-ta-na-/me-e
Translation of the tablet in the envelope
Say to Ennum-Aššur: thus (says) Anna-anna.
According to the instructions you sent me, regarding Laqēpum, I repeatedly go to him, and he (answers) as follows: “I paid the silver to Kudātum.” I checked and went to him (saying) as follows: “I will certainly get witnesses (to testify) against you in case you did not paid (it) to Kudātum.” He (answered) as follows: “I will not give the silver to you. When Ennum-Aššur arrives, it will be to him that I will pay (it)!”
You are my master. Why do you keep turning your head towards the lapis lazuli? Here, your instructions concerning silver, 10 or 20 minas that are either in Burušhattum, or in Wahšušana, or here, you left your instructions and you keep turning your head towards it. If within 10 days you have not arrived as for your departure, stand up and come. I hear bad words all the time!
Structure and data
00_Photos.zip:
Photos of the enveloped tablet from all sides.
94k1150a photos.docx
94k1150aLeft Edge.jpg
94k1150aLower Edge.jpg
94k1150aObverse.jpg
94k1150aReverse.jpg
94k1150aRight Edge.jpg
94k1150aue.jpg
01_VolumeData.zip:
3D tomographic reconstruction volume data.
038_94k1150_reconstruction_crop.nxs
02_Visualisations.zip:
Geometry files of the tablet and envelope (.ply) and internal format files (.exa).
038_94k1150_5.exa
038_94k1150_5_medianw_0.015_32_8_-0.35_5.exa
038_94k1150_5_medianw_0.015_32_8_-0.35_5_32_0.5_2.exa
038_94k1150_envelope.ply
038_94k1150_tablet.ply
03_Scripts.zip:
Scripts to run the extraction and visualisation software Exavis42.
038_94k1150_extract.sh
038_94k1150_visualise.sh
The research for this data set was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany's Excellence Strategy – EXC 2176 'Understanding Written Artefacts: Material, Interaction and Transmission in Manuscript Cultures', project no. 390893796. The research was conducted within the scope of the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) at Universität Hamburg.
