Finding Aid for the Cumberland Clark Cuneiform Tablet collection, Old Babylonian Period (ca. 2000-1600 BCE) LSC.1826
Finding aid prepared by Sara Brumfield in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), with assistance from Kelley
Wolfe Bachli, 2008; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé.
UCLA Library Special Collections
© 2011
Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library
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Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: Cumberland Clark Cuneiform Tablet collection
Creator:
Anonymous
Identifier/Call Number: LSC.1826
Physical Description:
4 oversize boxes
Date (inclusive): circa 2000-1600 BCE
Abstract: Twenty-five cuneiform tablets from the ancient Mesopotamian school environment called eduba (literally, "house of tablets")
and includes examples ranging from simple sign exercises to advanced Sumerian literary exercises. The majority of the texts
come from the Old Babylonian period, which began after the fall of the Third Dynasty of Ur (ca. 2000 BCE) and continued until
the Hittites conquered Babylon in 1595 BCE.
Physical Location: Stored off-site. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Language of Material:
Sumerian
.
Restrictions on Access
Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright, are retained
by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue
the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Anonymous gift, 2007.
UCLA Catalog Record ID
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Cumberland Clark Cuneiform Tablet collection (Collection 1826). UCLA Library Special Collections,
Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Processing Information
Processed by Sara Brumfield in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), with assistance from Kelley Wolfe Bachli,
2008.
Collections are processed to a variety of levels depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived user
interest and research value, availability of staff and resources, and competing priorities. Library Special Collections provides
a standard level of preservation and access for all collections and, when time and resources permit, conducts more intensive
processing. These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards and best practices.
We are committed to providing ethical, inclusive, and anti-racist description of the materials we steward, and to remediating
existing description of our materials that contains language that may be offensive or cause harm. We invite you to submit
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Biography
The collection of 25 cuneiform tablets were donated in 2007 by an anonymous donor who wished to name the collection after
Cumberland Clark.
While the exact provenience of this collection is unknown, it has been established that the corpus of texts came from an ancient
Mesopotamian school environment called an
eduba (literally, "house of tablets"). It was at the
eduba that scribes received their training in the scribal arts. A student would train from early childhood to adulthood to become
a
dubsar (literally, "tablet writer"). Their curriculum, as represented in this collection, was comprised of learning sign formations,
copying lexical lists, learning mathematics, and popular epics of the Mesopotamian culture.
The majority of the texts come from the Old Babylonian period, which began after the fall of the Third Dynasty of Ur (c. 2000
BCE) and continued until the Hittites conquered Babylon in 1595 BCE. Most of the Old Babylonian period was spent in political
fragmentation, which created smaller independent scribal traditions at different cities. Only under the reign of King Hammurabi
(c. 1795-1750 BCE) was there a degree of centralization. This political environment had a direct impact on the scribal curriculum
as a uniform course of instruction would indicate a state-run school, whereas a variegated curriculum would seem to refer
to privately run schools.
It is within this context that the Cumberland Clark Cuneiform Tablet Collection exists. The content of the texts suggests
significant editing of previously standardized lexical lists and literary passages. However, the general pattern and progression
of instruction remain constant as the collection exhibits examples from the simplest sign exercises to advanced Sumerian literary
exercises.
Scope and Content
Twenty-five cuneiform tablets from the ancient Mesopotamian school environment called
eduba (literally, "house of tablets") and includes examples ranging from simple sign exercises to advanced Sumerian literary exercises.
The majority of the texts come from the Old Babylonian period, which began after the fall of the Third Dynasty of Ur (ca.
2000 BCE) and continued until the Hittites conquered Babylon in 1595 BCE.
Organization and Arrangement
Tablets are described at the item level.
Related Material
Online Items Available
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Cuneiform tablets.
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.
