Written Artefact Metadata
Object type: Enveloped clay tablet
Material: Clay
Writing: Cuneiform writing
Language: Old Assyrian
Nature of the text: Proceedings
Provenience: Kanesh (mod. Kültepe)
Period/Date: Old Assyrian (ca. 1920-1850 BCE)
Country of discovery: Türkiye
Dimensions: Height: 5.3 cm; Width: 5.7 cm; Depth: 2.2 cm
Museum/Collection: Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara, Türkiye
Excavation number: Kt 91/k 287
Publication number (envelope): KT 8, 104
Transliteration of the tablet inside the envelope
Ob.1Pí-lá-ah-A-šùr 2a-na E-lá-ma 3iṣ-ba-at-ni-a-tí-ma 4um-ma Pí-lá-ah-A-šur-ma 5a-na E-lá-ma-ma 6a-na an-naki-kà 7ša ta-dí-na-ni 8a-ga-mì-il5-kà 8 gín-/ta 9kù-babbar a-na A-limki 10ú-ša-ak-ša-da-/kà lo.e.11um-ma Pí-lá-ah-A-/šur-ma rev.12ú i-nu-mì a-na-ku 13a-na A-limki a-lu-ku 1415 ma-na kù-babbar 15ta-da-nam-ma a-bé-/el 16um-ma E-lá-ma-ma 17a-da-na-kum igi Lá-qé-/ep 18Šu-bé-lim ú lugal-dim 19táp-pá-ú-a 20a-na a-wa-tim a-ni-a-/tim u.e.21<kà-ru-um> Kà-ni-iš 22i-dí-ni-ma igi gír <ša A-šur> l.e.23ṭup-pá-am ša ší-bu-tí-a 24a-dí-in
Translation of the tablet in the envelope
Pilah-Aššur seized us against Elamma and Pilah-Aššur (said) to Elamma as follows:
“With respect to your tin that you gave me, I will do you a favor, I will supply you in the City (of Aššur) silver (at a rate of 1 shekel of silver) per 8 shekels (of tin).”
Pilah-Aššur (answered) as follows: “And when I go to the City (of Aššur) will you then give me 15 minas of silver for my free disposal?”
Elamma (replied) thus: “I will give (it) to you.”
In the presence of Laqēp, Šu-Bēlum and Šarrum-Adad were my fellow (witnesses).
For these proceedings, the (Assyrian authorities) of Kaneš appointed me (as arbitrator) and I gave (this) tablet with my testimony before the dagger (of Aššur) in the Gate of the God.
Structure and data
00_Photos.zip:
Photos of the enveloped tablet from all sides.
Kt91k287aLe.jpg
Kt91k287aLoe.jpg
Kt91k287aOb.jpg
Kt91k287aRe.jpg
Kt91k287aRev.jpg
Kt91k287aUe.jpg
01_VolumeData.zip:
3D tomographic reconstruction volume data.
042_91k287_reconstruction_crop.nxs
02_Visualisations.zip:
Geometry files of the tablet and envelope (.ply) and internal format files (.exa).
042_91k287_2.exa
042_91k287_2_medianw_0.015_32_8_-0.22_5.exa
042_91k287_2_medianw_0.015_32_8_-0.22_5_32_0.5_2.exa
042_91k287_envelope.ply
042_91k287_tablet.ply
03_Scripts.zip:
Scripts to run the extraction and visualisation software Exavis42.
042_91k287_extract.sh
042_91k287_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.
