AbB 09 125

Sesame seeds for pressing oil in Damrum

by Manon Ramez and Anne-Isabelle Langlois

LineText originalText translated
o. 1a-na na-bi–dutu qi2-bi2-maTo Nabīum-Šamaš, say:
o. 2 um-ma dlal₃-na-ṣi-ir-ma[individual=Alammuš-nāṣir] thus speaks Alammuš-nāṣir[individual=Alammuš-nāṣir].
o. 3 ⸢d⸣utu u₃ damar.utu li-ba-al-li-ṭu₂-ka May Šamaš and Marduk keep you in good health!
o. 4 a-nu-um-ma Iḫa-bil-a-ḫi
o. 5 u₃ ma-an-nu-um-ki-ma-diškur[individual=Mannum-kīma-Addu] sur.ra[glossary=ṣāḫitum]
o. 6 aṭ-ṭar-da-ak-kum
o. 7 2 še gur še.giš.i₃[glossary=šamaššammū]
o. 8 šu-um-ḫi-ir-šu-ma
o. 9 l[i-iṣ-ḫ]u-ut[glossary=ṣaḫātum] he may extract[glossary=ṣaḫātum] (the oil).
o. 10 [ki?-ma? aš-pu-r]a-ak-kum As? I wrote to you,
r. 11 [1/2 ma.n]a ku₃.babbar a-nu-u[m-ma?-am?]
r. 12 [a-na qa₂-ti]-ia u₂-ṣur
r. 13 a-na m[a]?-[a]m?-[m]a?-an? la ta-na-ad-di-in Do not give (it) to anybody!
r. 14 u₃ ṭe₄-em še.giš.i₃
r. 15 ma-la ⸢a⸣-[na] ṣa-ḫa-t[im][glossary=ṣaḫātum]
r. 16 š[a] q[a₂-at] Ibe-li₂-t[u]-ra-am
r. 17 me-ḫe-er ṭup-pi₂-ia
r. 18 šu-bi-lam
Commentary

This letter echoes another from Alammuš-nāṣir to Nabīum-Šamaš, AbB 09 011. Again the oil presser Mannum-kīma-Addu is mentioned about oil extraction from sesame seeds, although it was his son who was sent in the other letter, thus giving the impression of a skill passed on from generation to generation.

Bibliography

  • Driver 1924 = Driver, Godfrey Rolles (1924): Letters of the First Babylonian Dynasty. Oxford Editions of Cuneiform Texts 3. Oxford: Oxford University.
  • Ebeling 1942 = Ebeling, Erich R. F. (1942): Altbabylonische Briefe der Louvre-Sammlung aus Larsa. Mitteilungen der altorientalischen Gesellschaft 15. Leipzig: Harrassowitz.
  • Lutz 1917 = Lutz, Henry F. (1917): Early Babylonian Letters from Larsa. Yale Oriental Series, Babylonian Texts 2. New Haven and London: Yale University; Oxford University.
  • Stol 1981 = Stol, Marten (1981): Letters from Yale. Altbabylonische Briefe in Umschrift und Übersetzung 9. Leiden: Brill.