| Line | Text original | Text translated |
|---|---|---|
| o. 1 | 8 sar kiĝ2 saḫar | |
| o. 2 | saḫar zi-ga | |
| o. 3 | 20 ĝuruš u4 2-še3 | |
| o. 4 | a-da gub-ba | |
| o. 5 | ki ĝeš-i3[glossary=ki ĝeš-i3] a de2-a | sesame plots[glossary=ki ĝeš-i3]; flooded |
| r. 1 | a-ša3 dnin-ur4-ra | Ninurra field; |
| r. 2 | ugula ur-ĝešgigir šabra | overseer Urgigir, temple administrator |
| r. 3 | kišeb3 a-ši-an | sealed receipt of Ašian |
| r. 4 | mu gu-za den-lil2-la2 ba-dim2 | Date (year) |
| 0 | Seal of Ašian |
BPOA 7 2472
by Paola Paoletti 
Commentary
This text documents workers doing earth-work at the dikes in order to intentionally „flood“ or „leach“ (a de2-a) sesame plots. Waetzoldt 1990: 9-11 pointed out that flooding was also done to control high water shortly before and during barley harvest season (XII/March-II/May). This happened shortly before the sesame seeding season.
Work at the irrigation system of the sesame plots in the Ninurra field is documented also by the text BIN 05 272 r. iii 4’-8’ (AS.03.00.00): “12 men for five days / this work: 60 (work-)days / stationed at the water (at the) sesame plot / Ninurra field”. The Ninurra field was very likely located in Da-Umma[geogr=Da-Umma] (Ouyang 2010: 329-330).
Bibliography
- Ouyang 2010 = Ouyang, Xiaoli (2010): Administration of the Irrigation Fee in Umma during the Ur III Period (ca. 2112-2004 BCE), in: Kogan, Leonid; Koslova, Natalia; Loesov, Sergey; Tishchenko, Serguei (eds.), City Administration in the Ancient Near East. Proceeding of the 53e Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale. Vol. 2. Babel und Bibel 5. Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns, 317-349.
- Waetzoldt 1990 = Waetzoldt, Hartmut (1990): Zu den Bewässerungseinrichtungen in der Provinz Umma, in: Bulletin on Sumerian Agriculture 5, 1-29.