Sumerian·Book

Position in chronology

Letter from Shu-Suen to Sharrum-bani about digging a trench

~1800 BCE·Old Babylonian

Translation · reference

High confidence
Say to Carrum-bani: this is what Cu-Suen, your lord, says: The messenger whom you have sent to me ....... ...... you do not exceed ...... my instructions, as I ordered you. 1 line unclear As for myself, whatever you say to me ....... When you went into the province -- who but you (?) has approached the province? Midnight ....... When their dignitaries have ...... their words, if ...... 1 line unclear Their dignitaries should stand by you in (?) their quarters. When their ...... have been cast away, they themselves ...... the province. If ...... officials should pass by (?), 1 line unclear By (?) placing the enemy, their cities, their borders ......, until they come down (1 ms. has instead: they come out from their fortress), they must not overturn it!

Source: ETCSL c.3.1.16: Letter from Shu-Suen to Sharrum-bani about digging a trench. Black, J.A., Cunningham, G., Robson, E. & Zólyomi, G. (eds.), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=c.3.1.16

Why it matters

Transliteration

Scholarly note

Composition c.3.1.16 in the ETCSL catalogue. Sumerian literary text reconstructed from multiple cuneiform manuscripts, the great majority Old Babylonian (c. 1900–1600 BCE). Translation reproduced from the ETCSL edition.

Attribution

Image: .
Translation excerpted from ETCSL c.3.1.16: Letter from Shu-Suen to Sharrum-bani about digging a trench. Black, J.A., Cunningham, G., Robson, E. & Zólyomi, G. (eds.), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=c.3.1.16.

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