1. Urabba central manager of sesame and sesame oil

Urabba and his family were central managers of sesame and sesame oil, as well as other oils and fats, in Ur III Ĝirsu. Urabba in particular managed expenditures and deliveries of sesame and sesame oil, various other oils and fats, in addition to dairy products, fruits and wool on behalf of the provincial administration in Ĝirsu from the year Šulgi 36 to the first years of the reign of Ibbi-Suen (RA 62 03 02, Šu.36.00.00; PPAC 5 0872, IS.03.11d.00).

1.1. Urabba in the administrative documentation of Ĝirsu in the Ur III period

According to his seal inscription present on many administrative documents from Ĝirsu, Urabba was a scribe and son of Bazi (e.g. BPOA 1 0102). As such, he managed expenditures and deliveries of sesame and sesame oil, various other oils and fats, and dairy products, fruits and wool on behalf of the provincial administration in Ĝirsu from the year Šulgi 36 to the last years of the reign of Šu-Suen (RA 62 03 02, Šu.36.00.00; TCTI 1 00996, ŠS.08.00.00).

The administrative sources from Ĝirsu also document the name Urabba without any title or patronymic. In this case, the records document expenditures and deliveries of sesame and sesame oil as well as various other oils and fats, fruits and wool from the year Šulgi 37 to the first years of the reign of Ibbi-Suen (RA 58 104 83, Šu.37.00.00; PPAC 5 0872, IS.03.11d.00).

Since the sources mentioning only the name Urabba without any patronymic or title document transactions involving the same goods, and these transactions took place within the same time period, we can assume that it was the same individual as Urabba, scribe and son of Bazi.

1.2. Urabba as recipient of sesame seeds and sesame oil among other goods

According to the „balanced account on the management of oil“ (niĝ2-ka9-aka i3), various individuals provided more than 59,714 litres of sesame to Urabba in the year Amar-Suena 1 (HSS 04 003, AS.01.12.00). 99.2 % of this sesame (59,272.5 litres) was provided by Lu-Ninĝirsu[individual=Lu-Ninĝirsu], son of Bazi and brother of Urabba. Urabba received 15,450 litres of sesame in the year Amar-Suena 8 from a certain Kudamu according to „the balanced account on sesame“ (niĝ2-ka9-aka ĝeš-i3, TCTI 1 00846, AS.08.00.00). He also received sesame as „repaid arrears“ (la2-ni) from various individuals, e.g. Lu-Nadua, otherwise attested as a “man of sesame” (lu2 ĝeš-i3[glossary=lu2 ĝeš-i3]) (from Lu-Nadua: TÉL 070, ŠS.03.00.00; Lu-Nadua, man of sesame: ASJ 09 329 06 o. ii 9, ŠS.09.00.00), from Ur-Engaldudu (TCTI 2 02673, AS.09.00.00) or from both the temple administrator and the cult priest of Ĝešbare (TCTI 2 04198, ŠS.01.00.00; TCTI 2 03206, AS.07.00.00). Moreover, Urabba received sesame as „product share“ (a2-ĝeš-ĝar-ra) from various individuals (TCTI 2 03700, ŠS.04.00.00; CTPSM 1 140, ŠS.07.00.00) or simply received sesame from individuals (Orient 16 095 141, AS.01.02.00). Once the sesame he received as „product share“ (a2-ĝeš-ĝar-ra) was destined for the „oil allotment of the female weavers“ (i3-ba geme2 uš-bar, RA 58 105 90, ŠS.09.09.00). Urabba received sesame seeds, the oil of which was destined to the „house of the superintendent“ (i3 e2 maškim-še3, PPAC 5 1404, […]).

Urabba also received sesame oil, sesame, dates and silver according to the balanced account on the „outstanding arrears“ (la2-ni e3-a) of an individual (WMAH 20, Šu.48.00.00) and received sesame oil and/or dairy products, among them butter, from individuals often identified as merchants (e.g. RA 62 03 02, Šu.36.00.00; ITT 03 05258, ŠS.07.00.00). The „temple administrator of Ninmarki“ (saĝĝa ^dnin-mar-ki) supplied Urabba with sesame seeds, e.g., as a „product share“ (a2-ĝeš-ĝar-ra, AMHERST 117, AS.09.11.00) or he received sesame as „repaid arrears“ (la2-ni, DAS 391, ŠS.03.03.00).

1.3. Urabba as provider of sesame seeds

Both Urabba and his brother Lu-Ninĝirsu supplied the provincial administration with sesame seeds for sowing in the region of Guedina (MVN 06 280, 00.00.00.00; PPAC 4 108+109, AS.04.00.00; PPAC 5 1132, Šu.42.03.00 or AS.06.03.00) or for fields of unknown location in the province of Ĝirsu (ḫeĝal-Field: OTR 102, AS.05.02.00, Pettinato 1967a: 273-275; very likely, these were for sowing given the month, and no field name is attested: MVN 09 072, XX.XX.02.00). Moreover, he issued sesame seeds, the oil from which served for the treatment of textiles („oil to be applied on textiles“ i3 tu9-ge ke3-de3 e.g. DAS 359, Šu.44?.00.00).

1.4. Urabba as provider of sesame oil along with other oils and fats

However, the great majority of the administrative sources on Urabba document expenditures of sesame oil, sometimes together with lard and fruits, to various beneficiaries, among them individuals (RA 58 104 83, Šu.37.00.00), merchants (SAT 1 088, AS.07.07.00), „the palace“ (e2-gal, PPAC 5 0900, AS.07.07.00) or the „house of the weavers“ (e2 uš-bar), RA 58 103 66, Šu.42.12.00).

Urabba had to repay sesame oil among various other goods as the „remainder of a balanced account“ (si-i3-tum niĝ2-ka9-aka) in the years Šulgi 43-44 ( HLC 1 281 (pl. 050), Šu.43.00.00; SAT 1 046, Šu.44.00.00) or also as „repaid arrears“ (la2-ni, e.g. RA 50 109 124, IS.XX.00.00). He also paid silver as repaid arrears (la2-ni) of various goods, among them also „oil, fat“, to the palace (i3, CDLI P406627, AS.02.05.00). Moreover he delivered various goods to settle the balanced account on butter („for the balanced account on butter“ niĝ2-kas7 i3-nun-še3, RA 58 105 87, ŠS.07.00.00).  Eventually, he provided the millhouse (e2 kinkin) with oil milling residuals („sesame oil cake“ tuḫ (še-)ĝeš-i3[glossary=tuḫ ĝeš-i3]) sometimes together with dates (AMHERST  083, AS.05.08.00; PPAC 5 0673, AS.06.01.00) and received „barley allotments“ (še-ba) for the „sesame oil milling women“ (geme2 ĝeš-i3 sur-sur-ra[glossary=geme2 i3-sur], PPAC 5 0341, AS.07.09.00).

1.4.1. Expenditures of sesame oil for oil allotments, for anointment and for the cult

Urabba often supplied various types of workers with sesame oil, sometimes also with oil milling residuals, as „oil allotments“ (i3-ba, e.g. RA 58 106 103, IS.03.05.00; MVN 06 269, ŠS.06.03.25). Furthermore, Urabba delivered sesame oil „for anointing“ (šeš4-de3) individuals or various types of workers (e.g. BPOA 1 0144, AS.01.08.00; PPAC 5 0681, AS.06.10.00). Eventually he also supplied sesame oil to festivals (izim, PPAC 5 1008, ŠS.06.00.00) or delivered it as „consignments“ (sa2-du11) to deified kings (Šulgi: RA 58 107 106, IS.03.06.00; Šu-Suena: PPAC 5 0872, IS.03.11d.00).

1.4.2. Expenditures of sesame oil for technical use

The most frequent destination of sesame oil and other oils/fats documented in the expenditures by Urabba is the treatment of textiles („oil to be applied on textiles“ i3 tu9-ge ke3-de3, e.g. MVN 09 067, AS.04.07.00; „oil (for) finishing textiles“ i3 tu9 sa ge4-a, e.g. RA 58 104 76, AS.08.04.00; „oil (for) finished textiles“ i3 tu9 ša3-ḫa, e.g. PPAC 5 0597, AS.08.05.00). Other technical uses of sesame oil and other fats are also attested in the expenditures by Urabba, i.e., for the crown of the statue of Šu-Suena (ITT 2 03390, ŠS.05.01.00), for ropes (DAS 367, AS.08.00.00), to lubricate a door (MVN 22 230+A, Šu.44.05.00), „to caulk“ (tuḫ) the boat of king Amar-Suena (MVN 05 162, AS.06.04.00) and together with lard „for the boat bank of the king“ (ĝeš-ḫum ma2 lugal-še3) or „the millhouse“ (e2 kinkin, MVN 09 063, AS.03.00.00; MVN 22 235, AS.03.03.00).

1.5. Other business sectors and further prosopographical information

Besides his dealings in oils and fats, Urabba also managed various types of fruits delivered by gardeners, textiles and silver on behalf of the provincial administration.

Urabba, son of Bazi, was the father of Seskala 1[individual=Seskala 1] and possibly also of Seskala 2[individual=Seskala 2] and brother of Lu-Ninĝirsu[individual=Lu-Ninĝirsu], both involved in the management of oils and fats in the province of Ĝirsu as well.

For the production and management of sesame and sesame oil in Ĝirsu see Dossier A.1.1.02, A.1.1.03, A.1.1.04 and A.1.1.08.

On Urabba son of Bazi see Lambert 1960 and Lambert/Figulla 1964.