1. Ur-Sulpae manager of oils and fats in Umma

1.1. Ur-Sulpae in the administrative documentation of Ur III Umma

Ur-Sulpae was a scribe (dub-sar) and son of Lugalkugani (dumu lugal-ku3-ga-ni) according to his seal inscription (e.g. Vicino Oriente 8/1 082), the presence of which confirms Ur-Sulpae’s role as the recipient in these transactions.  As such, he managed – among various other activities – the workforce deployed in the milling of sesame oil as well as expenditures and/or deliveries of various oils and fats on behalf of the provincial administration. He is also attested in Umma in the „control bureau“ (nam-ša3-tam) from the reign of Šulgi (Vicino Oriente 8/1 082, Šu.46.00.00; Nisaba 32 152, Šu.42.09.00 or AS.06.00.00) until at least the beginning of the reign of Šu-Suen (CDLI P234977, ŠS.02.00.00). Moreover, he functioned also as an underling of the provincial administration (e.g. MCS 2 69 BM 105442; see Ouyang 2013: 53-54).

The name Ur-Sulpae without title or patronymic is extremely common within the administrative documentation from the Umma province in the Ur III period. It occurs in transactions covering a very wide range of activities dealing with miscellaneous materials. Among them, there are records of a certain Ur-Sulpae dealing with sesame oil and sesame seeds on behalf of the provincial administration of Umma during Amar-Suena’s and Šu-Suen’s reigns. Since these activities are documented within similar time frames and involved in part the same or interdependent products as those of Ur-Sulpae scribe and son of Lugalkugani, we assume that they pertain to the same individual.

1.2. Ur-Sulpae as manager of sesame seeds and sesame oil

Ur-Sulpae took over sesame oil from the Umma merchants on behalf of the provincial administration (e.g. Ledgers pl. 32 18 o. 1-2, r. 20-21, AS.04.00.00; ASJ 11 204-216 r. ii 33-34, AS.09.00.00). He also received from Ur-Bau 1[individual=Ur-Bau 1] up to 2,280 litres of sesame seeds as rent for ploughmen (a₂ engar), no specific time frame is attested (as rent for ploughmen: Nisaba 09 191, AS.09.00.00; UTI 3 2108, ŠS.01.00.00; BPOA 1 1087, ŠS.02.00.00; without specification: Princeton 1 275, AS.02.00.00). He sealed the receipt of the oil allotments (i3-ba) for various individuals (MVN 16 1127, AS.05.00.00) as well as various receipts of sesame oil (i3-ĝeš), lard (i3-šaḫa_x) or also aromatized oils („aromatized sesame oil“ i3-ĝeš du10-ga, „aromatized milk fat“ i3-nun du10-ga) that „entered into the palace“ (e2-gal-la ku4-ra: SAT 2 0706, AS.02.00.00), as provisions (igi-kara2: BPOA 7 2206, ŠS.02.00.00) or as „from repaid arrears“ (la2-ni-ta su-ga: OrSP 47-49 334, AS.04.11.00). Moreover he supervised expenditures of sesame oil (and lard) (BPOA 7 2065, As.05.00.00; MVN 18 463, ŠS.01.00.00).

Ur-Sulpae often received leather for closing vessels for various fats and oils and supervised their transportation, in particular for oil bottles (^dugsaman4), for oil and dairy products („oil and milk“ i3 ga or „oil and fermented milk“ i3 ga-še-a  „brought to the palace“ e2-gal-še3 de6-a), for „lard“ (i3-šaḫa_x), for „butter“ (i3-nun) or „sour milk cheese“ (ga-ara3) (e.g. BPOA 6 1226, AS.04.00.00; BPOA 6 1464, ŠS.02.05.00;  BPOA 2 2293, AS.07.09.00; BPOA 1 1206, AS.08.12.00; BPOA 1 0711, ŠS.02.03.00).

1.3. Ur-Sulpae as manager of the workforce

Ur-Sulpae took over the workforce employed „for milling sesame oil“ (ĝeš-i3 sur-sur-še3[glossary=ĝeš-i3 sur]: Nisaba 31-2 152, Šu.42.12.00 or AS.06.12.00; BDTNS 064051, AS.02.00.00; „‚for milling oil“ i3 sur: UTI 6 3625, AS.06.00.00). Besides the „sesame oil-milling women“, Ur-Sulpae also managed the work of various other workforces, among them most prominently „(female) millers“ ((geme2) kinkin) and „(female) grinders“ (geme2 niĝ2-ar3-ra) (e.g. CST 628, Šu.46.00.00; MVN 16 1091, AS.09.00.00).

On the production and management of sesame and sesame oil in Umma, see Dossier A.1.1.05 and A.1.1.07.

2. Ur-Sulpae’s other businesses

Besides the oils and fats business, Ur-Sulpae often received considerable amounts of reed bundles, sometimes with the specification of their final destination (e.g. BPOA 7 2162). He also often received reed containers of various kinds to be filled with various food stuff (e.g. SAT 3 1424) and reed mats (e.g. UTI 4 2495). Ur-Sulpae also managed the workforce for various tasks (e.g. UTI 4 2341), though among them particularly often female millers (e.g. UTI 4 2573). He also received various kinds of goods and food stuff, sometimes on behalf of the provincial administration for the bala-duty (e.g. UTI 5 3038; Aleppo 334).