2000 – 1600 BCE

Old Babylonian

Hammurabi, the Epic of Gilgamesh, mathematics.

Sumerian becomes a learned tongue, like Latin in medieval Europe; Akkadian dominates daily life. In Babylon, Hammurabi inscribes his code on a black diorite stele. Scribal schools copy and refine the Epic of Gilgamesh into the form we know. Mathematicians on tablets like Plimpton 322 work out Pythagorean triples a thousand years before Pythagoras.

Primary sources

Tablets from this period

22543 tablets dated to Old Babylonian — showing 24 below; browse all 22543.

~2099 BCE·Old BabylonianOur engine

MS 1739/1

1 royal gur of barley, corresponding to 1 1/4 shekels of silver, from Katar — Puzur-Haya received (it). Witness: Ur-dukuga. Witness: Puzur-<Ha>ya. Month: 'extra month, Harvest' (intercalary). Year: 'the throne of Enlil was fashioned.' (second entry, reverse) 1 gur of barley [...] for/in the amount of [...] Witness: Puzur-[...] Month: 'extra month, Harv[est]' Year: 'the thro[ne ...']

Economy

~2017 BCE·Old BabylonianOur engine

TLB 05, 10

1 naḫbatum (leather bag/pouch), royal ka-kara4 (leather strap/gear) — sheep hide, ram(?)-hide, its black (portion): 9; its cord/sinew: 5 shekels. 8 shoes (with) hoof-fittings(?), royal ka-kara4, 1 (or) 2 each. Ox hide, its tanning-agent (u2-ḫab2): 5 shekels. Billy-goat hide, its black (portion): 2/3. 3 baskets of gug2-cake (bread); its bitumen: 5 sila. For the offering of the granary. Via Ur-alla and Iddin-Adad, the cook; overseer: Anaḫ-ili. Day [n]. Month: NE-NE-gar. Year: Išbi-Erra, the king, defeated Šimaški and Elam. Copy (gaba-ri).

Economy

~2017 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

TLB 05, 11

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — TLB 05, 11. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Išbi-Erra y1 — Išbi-Erra became king based on canonical year-name formula in the trans…

Economy

~1984 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

JCS 28, 237 01

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — JCS 28, 237 01. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Šu-iliszu y1 — Šu-iliszu became king based on canonical year-name formula in the t…

Economy

~1984 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

TLB 05, 23

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — TLB 05, 23. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Šu-iliszu y1 — Šu-iliszu became king based on canonical year-name formula in the trans…

Economy

~1984 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

JANES 18, 44 08

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — JANES 18, 44 08. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Šu-iliszu y1 — Šu-iliszu became king based on canonical year-name formula in the…

Economy

~1984 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

JANES 18, 45 10

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — JANES 18, 45 10. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Šu-iliszu y1 — Šu-iliszu became king based on canonical year-name formula in the…

Economy

~1974 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

JANES 18, 48 21

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — JANES 18, 48 21. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Iddin-Dagan y1 — Iddin-Dagan became king based on canonical year-name formula in…

Economy

~1974 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

JANES 18, 48 24

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — JANES 18, 48 24. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Iddin-Dagan y1 — Iddin-Dagan became king based on canonical year-name formula in…

Economy

~1974 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

JANES 18, 49 25

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — JANES 18, 49 25. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Iddin-Dagan y1 — Iddin-Dagan became king based on canonical year-name formula in…

Economy

~1974 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

JANES 18, 49 26

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — JANES 18, 49 26. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Iddin-Dagan y1 — Iddin-Dagan became king based on canonical year-name formula in…

Economy

~1974 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

JANES 18, 49 27

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — JANES 18, 49 27. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Iddin-Dagan y1 — Iddin-Dagan became king based on canonical year-name formula in…

Economy

~1974 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

JANES 18, 50 29

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — JANES 18, 50 29. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Iddin-Dagan y1 — Iddin-Dagan became king based on canonical year-name formula in…

Economy

~1973 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

JANES 18, 48 23

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — JANES 18, 48 23. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Iddin-Dagan y2 — Year after: Iddin-Dagan became king based on canonical year-name…

Economy

~1953 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

JCS 28, 238 02

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — JCS 28, 238 02. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Išme-Dagan y1 — Išme-Dagan became king based on canonical year-name formula in the…

Economy

~1953 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

RIME 4.01.04.04, ex. 02

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — RIME 4.01.04.04, ex. 02. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Išme-Dagan y1 — Išme-Dagan became king based on canonical year-name formu…

Writing & LiteratureReligion & Myth

~1953 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

RIME 4.01.04.04, ex. 03

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — RIME 4.01.04.04, ex. 03. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Išme-Dagan y1 — Išme-Dagan became king based on canonical year-name formu…

Writing & LiteratureReligion & Myth

~1953 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

RIME 4.01.04.04, ex. 04

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — RIME 4.01.04.04, ex. 04. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Išme-Dagan y1 — Išme-Dagan became king based on canonical year-name formu…

Writing & LiteratureReligion & Myth

~1953 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

RIME 4.01.04.04, ex. 05

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — RIME 4.01.04.04, ex. 05. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Išme-Dagan y1 — Išme-Dagan became king based on canonical year-name formu…

Writing & LiteratureReligion & Myth

~1953 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

RIME 4.01.04.04, ex. 06

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — RIME 4.01.04.04, ex. 06. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Išme-Dagan y1 — Išme-Dagan became king based on canonical year-name formu…

Writing & LiteratureReligion & Myth

~1953 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

RIME 4.01.04.04, ex. 09

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — RIME 4.01.04.04, ex. 09. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Išme-Dagan y1 — Išme-Dagan became king based on canonical year-name formu…

Writing & LiteratureReligion & Myth

~1953 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

RIME 4.01.04.04, ex. 10

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — RIME 4.01.04.04, ex. 10. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Išme-Dagan y1 — Išme-Dagan became king based on canonical year-name formu…

Writing & LiteratureReligion & Myth

~1950 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

AJSL 32, 275, 289 13

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — AJSL 32, 275, 289 13. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).

Daily LifeEconomy

~1950 BCE·Old BabylonianEditorial

AJSL 32, p. 272-3, 282, no. 6

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Early Old Babylonian (ca. 2000-1900 BC)) — AJSL 32, p. 272-3, 282, no. 6. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).

Daily LifeEconomy

See all 22543 tablets in Old Babylonian