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box 1

School text, unknown content Item no. 1 - Old Babylonian

School text, unknown content - Old Babylonian

General Physical Description note: 6.3x6.4x2.2cm, square tablet with rounded edges, complete

Scope and Contents note

Obverse only inscribed. The preserved portions of the text mention silver. The last line of the obverse also speaks of a man named Lu-tar raising his hand in violence. Without the left portion of the tablet preserved a better understanding and translation is not possible.
box 1

School text, lexical exercise of personal names Item no. 2 - Old Babylonian

School text, lexical exercise of personal names

General Physical Description note: 6.5x7.2x2.8cm, square tablet, fragment

Scope and Contents note

A small fragment of a larger lexical exercise of listing personal names inscribed on obverse. Three of the four identified names from this tablet correspond to UMBS (Univ. of Penn. The Museum. Publications of the Babylonian Section), Vol. XI, Nos. 702, 704, 776.
This tablet plays on the multiple meanings of one cuneiform sing. The first three names use the same sign "pu2" but draw on a variety of its meanings: orchard, well, pit. This is a common practice in school texts because it teaches students the different ways to use each sign in context.
box 1

School text, sign exercise Item no. 3 - Old Babylonian

School text, sign exercise

General Physical Description note: 14.8x11.8x3.9cm, large rectangular tablet, complete w/ two holes on the reverse

Scope and Contents note

A two-column exercise where the teacher has written a simple sign on the left-hand side and the student practices replicating the sign on the right side of the tablet. The signs are large and crude, typical of a young scribe just beginning instruction.
box 1

School text, literary exercise of "Inanna and Mt. Ebih" Item no. 4 - Old Babylonian

School text, literary exercise of "Inanna and Mt. Ebih"

General Physical Description note: 11.6x13.2x2.8cm, square tablet, complete w/ damage to the right edge

Scope and Contents note

On this tablet are lines 55-73 of the Sumerian epic "Inanna and Mt. Ebih".
box 2

School text, lexical exercise of deity names Item no. 1 - Old Babylonian

School text, lexical exercise of deity names

General Physical Description note: 11.5x6.1x3.5cm, rectangular tablet, complete, obverse has heavy surface damage, reverse is effaced

Scope and Contents note

Obverse only inscribed. This text is a list of deity names, a common lexical exercise in Old Babylonian school curricula. The severe surface damage makes translation impossible.
box 2

School text, lexical exercise of nouns and gold jewelry Item no. 2 - Old Babylonian

School text, lexical exercise of personal names

General Physical Description note: 8.0x8.3x2.8cm, lentil, complete w/ fracture lines

Scope and Contents note

The obverse is five line list of Sumerian nouns. The reverse is a three line excerpt naming various items of gold jewelry. This text follows the Old Babylonian Nippur lexical list: Ura 2 (lines 599, 633) and Ura 3.
box 2

School text, unknown content Item no. 3 - Old Babylonian

Unknown [illegible] - Early Old Babylonian: - Old Babylonian

General Physical Description note: 9.5x10.1x2.8cm, lentil, complete w/ lower edge broken off

Scope and Contents note

This practice lentil is a three-line teacher-student copying exercise with significant damage. The full content of the text is not recoverable due to the breaks in the tablet.
box 2

Administrative text, contract with witnesses Item no. 4 - Old Babylonian

Administrative text, contract with witnesses

General Physical Description note: 11.0x6.3x2.6cm, rectangular tablet, complete w/ bottom edge broken, obverse has heavy surface damage

Scope and Contents note

A significant portion of this tablet is effaced. Only fragments of information are recoverable. The last line of this text gives the year name as "the year after Elam was destroyed", which is known to be the 30th year of Hammurabi's reign in Babylon. This dates to approximately 1762 BCE. The list of witnesses at the end of the tablet indicate that this was a contract, however the exact terms and involved parties of this contract remain unknown.
box 2

School text, sign and lexical exercises Item no. 5 - Old Babylonian

School text, sign and lexical exercises

General Physical Description note: 7.7x7.9x2.5cm, lentil, complete w/ slight damage to the edges

Scope and Contents note

The reverse contains rudimentary sign exercise done by a young student just beginning instruction. The sign list involves economic-oriented terms, such as basic commodities a professional scribe would be expected to keep track of in business accounts and write receipts for. The obverse contains a lexical list, which was probably not done by the same student given the increased difficulty of the text on the reverse. However, it still appears to be centered on economic goods. Most likely this exercise was for practicing administrative vocabulary.
box 2

School text, grammatical exercise Item no. 6 - Old Babylonian

School text, grammatical exercise

General Physical Description note: 8.1x7.7x2.8cm, lentil, fragment w/ right edge broken off

Scope and Contents note

A three-line school exercise written on a lentil-shaped tablet. The obverse is the teacher's example of three simple sentences. The reverse contains the students copy of the teacher's exercise. The only preserved information is the direct object of the sentence. The verbs are unknown. The direct object could be three different words, and the right reading could only be determined by the verb. Therefore, the exact translation is unknown.
box 2

School text, lexical exercise of abstract nouns Item no. 7 - Old Babylonian

School text, lexical exercise of abstract nouns

General Physical Description note: 8.0x8.1x2.4cm, lentil, complete w/ lower left edge broken

Scope and Contents note

A teacher-student three-line copy exercise listing abstract nouns written by the teacher on the obverse which were then copied by the student on the reverse of the tablet plus a short colophon. Based on OB Izi, II, 234, 240. The author of this school exercise is identified as "Awilutum".
box 2

School text, lexical exercise of the deity Nanna Item no. 8 - Old Babylonian

School text, lexical exercise of the deity Nanna

General Physical Description note: 6.6x4.2x2.1cm, small oval tablet, fragment

Scope and Contents note

The tablet is a list of deity names. Only the first one or two signs are identifiable making a translation impossible.
box 2

School text, mathematical exercise Item no. 9 - Old Babylonian

School text, mathematical exercise

General Physical Description note: 7.5x7.3x2.2cm, lentil, complete w/ heavy surface damage

Scope and Contents note

This lentil is a mathematical exercise written by a student. Due to the heavy damage the exact nature of the math problem is unknown. The text appears to be an exercise in adding amounts of grain. This task was a common scribal assignment since scribes knew mathematics as well as writing.
box 3

School text, lexical exercise of boat vocabulary Item no. 1 - Old Babylonian

School text, lexical exercise of boat vocabulary

General Physical Description note: 5.4x4.2x1.8cm, rectangular tablet, fragment

Scope and Contents note

A five-line list of types of ships and ship related vocabulary modeled after OB Nippur Ura 1, 278-288. The reverse is effaced where only the determinative for wood or wooden objects is detectable.
box 3

School text, lexical exercise of wooden objects Item no. 2 - Old Babylonian

School text, lexical exercise of wooden objects

General Physical Description note: 4.5x5.0x2.2cm, square, fragment, heavily effaced

Scope and Contents note

This small tablet contains only four readable signs and appears to be a lexical list of wood or wooden objects as denoted by its initial determinative. The entire reverse and most of the obverse are damaged.
box 3

Administrative text, unknown content Item no. 3 - Old Babylonian

Administrative text, unknown content

General Physical Description note: 9.0x5.3x3.3cm, rectangular tablet, complete w/ indentations on the right edge

Scope and Contents note

The damage to the surface of this text leaves only small fragments of readable text. The content of this tablet is administrative in nature but the only understandable commodity is silver. Information regarding the involved parties and goods exchanged is lost.
box 3

Cuneiform tablet, effaced Item no. 4 - Old Babylonian?

Cuneiform tablet, effaced

General Physical Description note: 7.7x5.2x2.8cm rectangular tablet, complete, obverse complete effaced, reverse surface worn

Scope and Contents note

This tablet is completed effaced on the obverse and mostly effaced on the reverse. Only a few non-sequitor signs are discernible on the reverse. There is no recoverable information from this tablet.
box 3

Administrative text, farm contract in Akkadian Item no. 5 - Old Babylonian

Administrative text, farm contract in Akkadian

General Physical Description note: 8.1x4.6x2.7cm, rectangular tablet, complete w/ broken edges on upper-left and lower-right edges

Scope and Contents note

Most of this text is damaged leaving only the reverse moderately intact. This tablet is written in Akkadian and appears to be an administrative contract recording the exchange of farm items.
box 3

Unknown Item no. 6 - Old Babylonian

Unknown

General Physical Description note: 10.0x6.3x2.7cm, rectangular table, complete w/ damage to left edge

Scope and Contents note

Only the reverse is inscribed, the obverse is effaced. The damage to the reverse is significant preventing a complete transliteration or translation. The last six lines appear to be a list of types of trees. The purpose of this text is not understood.
box 3

Administrative text, grain contract Item no. 7 - Old Babylonian

Administrative text, grain contract

General Physical Description note: 8.9x4.8x2.7cm, rectangular tablet, complete w/ lower section of obverse effaced

Scope and Contents note

This tablet is an administrative text most likely from Nippur. The month name given on the tenth line of the obverse is only attested in Nippur. The content of the text discusses the payment and receipt of grain with a list of three witness at the end of the text. The bottom of the reverse is damaged so no year name is given.
box 3

School text, drawing of a bovine Item no. 8 - Old Babylonian

School text, drawing of a bovine

General Physical Description note: 7.6x8.4x2.9cm, lentil, fragment in 2 pieces

Scope and Contents note

Obverse only inscribed. Shows a hand drawing of a zebu (with a hump on the back) cattle most likely a domesticated animal. These bovine figures were seen as symbols of controlled strength in contrast to wild cattle, which were perceived as reckless. Drawings in general are a rare find in cuneiform texts, but they were essential to training the steady and refined hand of a professional scribe.
box 3

Unknown [illegible] Item no. 9 - Early Old Babylonian

Unknown [illegible] - Early Old Babylonian: - Old Babylonian

General Physical Description note: 10.5x6.9x2.9cm, rectangular tablet, join of 2 fragments

Scope and Contents note

This four column text is too fragmentary to recreate a translation. This tablet is a join from the upper and lower half of the tablet. This leaves a small gap in the middle of the text.
box 4

School text, lexical exercise of personal names on a prism Item no. 1 - Old Babylonian

School text, lexical exercise of personal names on a prism - Old Babylonian

General Physical Description note: 10.2x7.9x4.6cm, prism, fragment

Scope and Contents note

This 4-column prism is a student copy of an elementary lexical exercise in writing personal names. The entire exercise is organized thematically where each name begins with the same sign and names of similar meaning or using the same sign are grouped together. The prism is heavily damaged and intact personal names are only recoverable from the second and third columns.
box 4

School text, lexical exercise of personal names on a prism Item no. 2 - Old Babylonian

School text, lexical exercise of personal names on a prism - Old Babylonian

General Physical Description note: 11.0x6.9x7.5cm, prism, fragment

Scope and Contents note

This 6-column prism is a student copy of an elementary lexical exercise in writing personal names. The entire exercise is organized thematically where each name begins with the same sign and names of similar meaning or using the same sign are grouped together.
box 4

School text, lexical exercise of personal names on a prism Item no. 3 - Old Babylonian

School text, lexical exercise of personal names on a prism - Old Babylonian

General Physical Description note: 11.7x8.2x7.0cm, prism, fragment

Scope and Contents note

This 5-column prism is a student copy of an elementary lexical exercise in writing personal names. The entire exercise is organized thematically where each name begins with the same sign and names of similar meaning or using the same sign are grouped together. The prism is heavily damaged so only a few names are recoverable from the text.