Early Dynastic Terracotta Administrative Cuneiform Tablet Recording Livestock and their Owners

IIIB, 2400-2340 B.C.

3 in. (202 grams, 78 mm).

Pillow-shaped tablet with dense cuneiform text to two broad faces and one edge, concerning the listing of 146 sheep and their owners or shepherds:

Column I	Column II	Column III
5 sheep, Pirigni, Kor 2? 6 male sheep, Ur-ur of Umma 3 sheep, Zag-mu, ki ni mu zu 5 sheep, x x-gi 4 male sheep …	Ur-Ishkur, herder of Abdu 4 sheep, Urgu (of) E-RU 2 … , herder IL, scribe 3 Gimni, herder chief galla-official 5 male sheep, Ur-lu, .. 2 sheep Lu-ra, herder…	…, herder 2 male sheep, Akadu, son of Lugal-sanga 2 Shesh-zimu 3 Zagmu, Akadu 2 Ekalsi 1 Gimdu, son of Ekal 2 Mashda 1 … Guzi… 2 …kam … NA
Column IV	Reverse Column V	Column VI
2 Ur-…dua 6 Zagmu, herder of Mesanne 1 Urtul 3 GISH.MI, herder of Ilum-su?ni 4 Lugal-shalasu Adda, singer? 5 Almu 2 Ur-Ezida IGI MI ZI SI	3 Lueshla 2 Ur-… NE-RA 8 Azuzu 2 Adda, captain 1 En…du, nuesh-officiant 3 Sheshpadda, overseer 2 … ki-bi … … 6 E…	1 Ur… … 1 Ur … 1 … 3 Dingir-urmu 1 Pirigni Da… 1 Ur-Ninshaza, wife of U-u 4 Lugallu, herder of Lugalla…, majordomo 5 …igi-en … 1 Lugal-E…nisi
Column VII	Column VIII	Total
4 E-gish MI bi?, .., farmer 1 Ur-dingir, …si-TExESZ3 1 … 1 Lugal-nuduga 1 Aba-Enlil 1 Lugal … 2 Urmes 1 Urdam 1 Akadu, Adda… 1 U-u, … Umunene	2 … -niE-u? (space)	Its total: 146 sheep, … Pirigni (is) kush-official.

Provenance

with Laemmle Gallery, San Vicente Boulevard, Los Angeles, USA.
Acquired from the above in the early 1970s.
with Bonhams, London, 13 April 2011, no.133.
Private central European collection.

Accompanied by copies of the relevant Bonhams catalogue pages.
Accompanied by a copy of the translation for this tablet.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12121-218147.

Literature

See Pomponio, F. and Visicato, G., I mezzi di pagamento nei contratti di Fara e il loro rapport con il funzionario bala, Studia Asiana, 7, pp.149-166, Roma, 2011, for discussion of territorial sales and their documentation in cuneiform ceramic records.

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