Sumerian Clay Tablet Recording Sheep Transactions

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Sumerian Clay Tablet Recording Sheep Transactions

Place of OriginIraq, Puzriš-Dagan (modern Drehem)

Date2037 BCE

Dimensions1 9/16 × 1 5/16 × 1/2 in. (4 × 3.3 × 1.2 cm)

MediumClay

ClassificationUtilitarian Objects

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number

1913.506

Not on View

DescriptionRectangular clay tablet with cuneiform script on both obverse and reverse. The text is a neatly inscribed administrative record from the Ur III period, detailing the allocation of sheep and goats for various purposes, including religious offerings and taxation.

Label TextThis administrative tablet, written in Sumerian cuneiform, comes from Puzriš-Dagan (modern Drehem) and dates to the Ur III period (ca. 2100–2000 BCE). It documents the allocation of livestock, including sheep, ewes, and goats, for various purposes such as religious offerings, taxation, and provisions for the military. The text mentions a messenger named Aradmu, a scribe named Nūr-Adad, and references the month of the barley harvest during the reign of Bur-Sin (year 9). The Ur III dynasty maintained detailed records of economic transactions, reflecting the highly organized administrative system of ancient Mesopotamia.Published References

Langdon, S., "Miscellanea Assyriaca," Babyloniaca, 7, 1922-1923, p. 77, n. 9.

Van der Meiroop, Marc, "Cuneiform Tablets from The Toledo Museum of Art," Revue d'Assyriologie, no. 1, 1985, p. 18, repr. p. 26. “Babyloniaca 07, 077 09 Artifact Entry.” (2001) 2024. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). August 15, 2024. https://cdli.ucla.edu/P104767. http://bdtns.filol.csic.es/catalogo_directo_new.php?numBDTS=003749 https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/epsd2/P104767 Sallaberger, Walther, Der kultische Kalender der Ur III-Zeit, Berlin, De Gruyter, 1993, p. 153, n. 734, T 50a.