1. Prices of Dairy Fats in the Ur III Period
This dossier gathers the data on prices of “butter” (i3-nun[glossary=i3-nun]), “scented butter” (i3-nun du10-ga[glossary=i3-nun du10-ga]) and “… butter” (i3-nun ḪA) as well as „sour milk cheese“ (ga-ara3[glossary=ga-ara3]/ga-murub4[glossary=ga-murub4]) in the Ur III period. The available data point to a significant drop – almost 7 times lower – in the price of „butter“ (i3-nun) from the middle to the end of the reign of Šulgi, followed by a quite constant trend from the end of Šulgi’s reign to the reign of Šu-Suen. The few attestations of the price of „…-butter“ (i3-nun ḪA) document a quite constant price from the end of Šulgi’s reign to the reign of Ibbi-Suen. The price of cheese instead remained quite constant according to the available data1The one-time rise in the year AS.09 is attested only in the balanced account of the Inana temple in Nippur[geogr=Nippur]. This text is published only in transliteration; neither a hand copy nor photos are available to verify – and, if necessary, to collate – the passage (BBVO 11 257 4N-T197 r. iii 21-22). Comparable rises are also attested in two undated texts (SAT 3 2102 and Nisaba 15/2 1034), which – without date – are not illustrated in the graph. Moreover, SAT 3 2102 is published only in transliteration without hand copy or photos, and according to the edition, the passage is epigraphically unclear..
2. Price of Butter
2.1. Price in Litres of Butter per one giĝ of Silver
2.2. Price in giĝ of Silver per one Litre of Butter
2.3. Tables
Price of „butter“ (i3-nun).
| Date | Quantity of Butter in Litres | Quantity of Silver in giĝ | Litres per One giĝ of Silver | Price of One Litre in giĝ of Silver | Text | Place | Type of Text |
| Šu.32.00.00 | 1 | 0.67 | 1.49 | 0.67 | BPOA 2 1877 r. i 11-12 | Ĝirsu[geogr=Ĝirsu] | Bal. account on silver |
| Šu.46.00.00 | 180+ | 20 | 9- | 0.1+ | BPOA 7 1569 o. 1-2 | Umma[geogr=Umma] | Receipt of silver by Dadaga as reimbursement for butter |
| Šu.48.00.00 | 275 | 27.5 | 10 | 0.1 | TCL 2 5499 r. iii 3, 5 | Puzriš-Dagān[geogr=Puzriš-Dagān] | Bal. account on PN, administrator (saĝĝa) of GN |
| AS.03.00.00 | 895.87 | 89.582This results from the sum of the silver amounts listed in ll. r. i 1-10, also including the “weight adjustment” (saĝ-na4-bi) indicated in l. r. i 10 (Waetzoldt 1972, 30 fn. 252) | 10 | 0.1 | MVN 15 108 r. 1-11 | Umma | Bal. account on dairy products |
| AS.04.00.00 | 5 | 0.5 | 10 | 0.1 | VDI 137/3 110-111 r. 18 | Umma | List of expenditures of various goods |
| AS.05.00.00 | 6 | 0.6 | 10 | 0.1 | Nisaba 09 307 o. 1 | Umma | Expenditure of various goods for the bala -obligation |
| AS.07.00.00 | 3 | 0.3 | 10 | 0.1 | Nisaba 33 1090 r. 11 | Umma | Bal. account on silver of PN |
| AS.09.00.00 | 3,005.83 | 3.96 | 7593The price attested in BBVO 11 257 4N-T197 (AS.09.00.00) is not included in the graphs because it differs quite suspiciously from the norm and would distort the rendering. Moreover, there is no picture or copy available of the text to collate the passage. | 0.00134The price attested in BBVO 11 257 4N-T197 (AS.09.00.00) is not included in the graphs because it differs quite suspiciously from the norm and would distort the rendering. Moreover, there is no picture or copy available of the text to collate the passage. | BBVO 11 257 4N-T197 r. iii 15-16 | Nippur | Bal. account of the Inana temple in Nippur |
| ŠS.05.00.00 | ┌1.67┐ | 0.17 | 9.82 | 0.1 | AuOr 35 107 r. i 10‘-11‘, r. iii 11’ | Umma | Bal. account on oil/fat and wool of the shepherds of Kas for 6 years |
| 1.03 | 0.1 | 10.3 | 0.1 | ||||
| […] | 0.33 | 0.05 | 6 | 0.17 | UDT 179 r. 1-2 | Puzriš-Dagān | Receipt of various goods: Price of butter and sesame oil |
| […].00.00 | 3.83 | 0.64 | 6 | 0.17 | NATN 160 r. 8-105This is an account of sesame oil, scented sesame oil and butter with the indication of their prices and of their addressee, sometimes an individual, a cultic place, or deities. The lack of a specific administrative term does not allow the identification of the transaction in greater detail. The total of „scented oil“ (i3 du10-ga[glossary=i3 du10-ga]) in line o. 7 exactly matches the sum of the individual amounts listed in lines o. 1 – 6 only if line o. 6 is read as follows: „½ sila: (for) Niĝar“ (½ sila3 niĝarĝar). Moreover, the price registered in line r. 8-10 poses a similar question. R. 10 could refer to both the amounts registered in the previous two lines r. 8-9, although r. 8-9 distinguish “butter” (i3-nun) without addressee from butter for Niĝir. If taken together, the price of butter results as given in the chart and resembles that attested in other sources. Taken separately the price indication must remain inconclusive. | Nippur | List of various fats with their addressee |
| […] | 50 | 5 | 10 | 0.1 | Princeton 2 372 r. 1-2 | Umma | Account of various goods with their prices |
Price of „butter …“ (i3-nun ḫa).
| Date | Quantity (litres) | Price (silver in giĝ) | Litres per one giĝ of silver | Price of one litre in giĝ of silver | Text | Place | Type of Text |
| Šu.48.00.00 | 2.17 | 0.22 | 9.86 | 0.1 | SNAT 302 o. 1-2 | Umma | Balanced account on (the activity of) Dadaga |
| IS.03.00.00 | 27.3 | 3.4 | 8 | 0.125 | UET 3 1514 o. 7-9 | Ur | Account of the herders of native sheep and of the goat herders in Ur |
| IS.03.00.00 | 5 | 1.74 | 8 (2.9) | 0.125 (0.3) | UET 3 1198 o. 1-3; r. 6ˈ-7ˈ6The text explicitly indicates in o. 3, r. 7’ that 1 giĝ of silver did buy 8 litres of …-butter (i3-nun ḫa), although the registered quantities of silver and ḫa-butter in ll. o. 1-2, r. 5’-6’ do not correspond to this rate. Moreover, l. 1 (and many other lines of the text) features traces either of signs then erased by the scribe or due to damages caused during the excavation. In the chart, I added the correspondent price in brackets. In the graph, I decided to illustrate the price given in ll. o. 3, r. 7’ as the deviating amounts might result from various reasons, taking into consideration the many traces on the tablet. | Ur | Account of the fat, cheese and sheep (wool) arrears of the goat herders in Marum in the territory of Irisaĝrig |
| 80.67 | 17.77 | 8 (4.5) | 0.125 (0.2) | ||||
| […] | 1 | 0.17 | 6 | 0.17 | AUCT 1 517 r. 6-7 | Umma? | List of various goods with their prices |
| […] | 11.6 | 1.84 | 6.3 | 0.16 | UET 9 0916 o‘. 4-5 | Ur | Fragment of account with dairy products |
Price of „scented butter“ (i3-nun du10-ga).
| Date | Quantity (in litres) | Quantity of silver in giĝ | Litres per one giĝ of silver | Price of one litre in giĝ of silver | Text | Place | Type of Text |
| AS.09.00.00 | 9.65 | 4.84 | 2 | 0.5 | BBVO 11 257 4N-T197 r. iii 13-14 | Nippur | Balanced account of the Inana temple in Nippur |
| […] | 1 | 0.33 | 3 | 0.3 | AUCT 1 293 o. 4-5 | Unkn. | List of various fats/oils with the indication of their prices |
Price of Cheese
2.4. Price in Litres of Cheese per one še of Silver
2.5. Price in še of Silver per one Litre of Butter
2.6. Tables
Price of “Sour Milk Cheese” (ga-ara3/ga-murub4).
| Date | Cheese Quantity (in litres) | Silver Quantity (in še) | Litres per one še of silver | Price of one litre in še of silver | Text | Place | Type of Text |
| Šu.44.00.00 | 150 | 135 | 1.1 | 0.9 | BPOA 7 2029 r. 2-3 | Umma | Receipt of various goods from Lugalizim to Dadaga with the indication of their price |
| Šu.48.00.00 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 1 | SNAT 302 o. ii 10-11 | Umma | Balanced account on (the activity of) Dadaga |
| Šu.48.00.00 | 412.5 | 495 | 0.8 | 1.2 | TCL 2 5499 r. iii 4, 6 | Puzriš-Dagān | Balanced account on (the activity of) PN administrator of GN |
| AS.04.00.00 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | VDI 137-3, p. 110-111 r. 20 | Umma | List of expenditures of various goods |
| AS.09.00.00 | 5.5 | 157.5 | 0.03 | 28.6 | BBVO 11, p. 257 4N-T197 r. iii 21-22 | Nippur | Balanced account of the Inana temple in Nippur |
| IS.03.00.00 | 41 | – | 0.8 | 1.2 | UET 3 1514 o. 10-r. 1 | Ur | Account of the herders of native sheep and goat herders in Ur |
| IS.03.00.00 | 121 | – | 0.8 | 1.2 | UET 3 1198 o. 4-5 | Ur | Account of the fat, cheese, and sheep (wool) arrears of the goat herders in Marum in the territory of Irisaĝrig |
| 00.00.00.00 | 0.5 | 10? | 0.05 | 20 | SAT 3 2102 o. 5-6 | Umma | Expenditure of various goods with the indication of their price |
| […] | 2,089.33 | 31,750 | 0.1 | 15.2 | Nisaba 15/2 1034 r. iii 3-4 | Irisaĝrig[geogr=Irisaĝrig] | Fragment of an account of dairy products |
Price of gazi-Cheese (ga-(ara3)-gazi).
| Date | Cheese Quantity (in litres) | Silver Quantity (in še) | Litres per one še of silver | Price of one litre in še of silver | Text | Place | Type of Text |
| Šu.48.00.00 | 8 | 12 | 0.67 | 1,5 | SNAT 302 o. i 3-4 | Umma | Balanced account on (the activity of) Dadaga |