| Line | Text original | Text translated |
|---|---|---|
| o. 1 | a-na zi-nu-u2[individual=Zinû] | To Zinû[individual=Zinû] |
| o. 2 | qi2-bi2-ma | say: |
| o. 3 | um-ma nu-ur2-dnin.šubur-ma | thus (speaks) Nūr-Ilabrat. |
| o. 4 | dutu u3 dnin.šubur li-ba-al-li-ṭu2-ki | May Šamaš and Ilabrat keep you in good health! |
| o. 5 | aš-šum še.giš.i3[glossary=šamaššammū] ša aq-bu-ki | Regarding the sesame[glossary=šamaššammū] I told you about, |
| o. 6 | 3.0.0 gur še.giš.i3 ma-ṣu2-u2 | 3 kur (900 l) of sesame are to be reached; |
| o. 7 | Iden.zu-qe2-ru-⸢ub[individual=Sîn-qerub] še20⸣-er-tam-ma | let Sîn-qerub[individual=Sîn-qerub] hurry to pound[glossary=napāṣum] it in the morning |
| o. 8 | li-iḫ-mu-ṭa-am-ma | |
| r. 9 | li-ip-pu-su2-nu-ti[glossary=napāṣum] | |
| r. 10 | u3 re-eš ma-ak-ku-ri-im | |
| r. 11 | li-ša-⸢ar⸣-ši-šu-nu-⸢ti⸣ | |
| r. 12 | gu4ḫi.a ku-{x x}um-ma ša ma-a-a-ra-am | |
| r. 13 | im-ḫa-ṣu2[glossary=mayyāram maḫāṣum] u3 še.numun ku-um-ma | |
| r. 14 | še.giš.i3 ša le-qe2-e-ki | this is the sesame that belongs to you. |
| r. 15 | Iden.zu-qe2-ru-ub ma-di-iš | |
| r. 16 | i-di-iš-šu u3 i-n[a na]-p[a-ṣ]i-im | |
| r. 17 | li-ig-mu-ur-ma | |
| lo.e. 18 | ⸢še.giš.i3⸣ ša-mu-u2 | |
| lo.e. 19 | ⸢la⸣ i-ka-⸢ša-da⸣-am | |
| lo.e. 20 | ⸢ša na-pa-ṣi am-ri⸣ | Examine what (results) from the pounding! |
AbB 04 141
Commentary
This letter evokes sesame seeds, which must be crushed to make oil; this means that the text was written and sent after the actual harvest of sesame (šamaššammū[glossary=šamaššammū]). In the background, we can guess the operation of ploughing[glossary=mayyāram maḫāṣum] sesame thanks to oxen that belonged to Zinû as well. We can see from this text that Zinû has to check the pounding[glossary=napāṣum] procedure by herself.
For more details and parallels, see Dossier A.1.1.13.
Bibliography
- Fiette 2018a = Fiette, Baptiste (2018): Le palais, la terre et les hommes: La gestion du domaine royal de Larsa, d'après les archives de Šamaš-Hazir. Archives babyloniennes 3. Mémoires de NABU 20. Paris: SEPOA.
- Stol 1985b = Stol, Marten (1985): Remarks on the Cultivation of Sesame and the Extraction of its Oil, in: Bulletin on Sumerian Agriculture 2, 119-126.