Tablets with cuneiform writing
Type:
Inscription
Year:
Ur Dynasty III, reign of Shulgi (2094-2047 B.C.); inv. MB 229: third year in the reign of king Amar-Sin (2043 B.C.)
Material and technique:
Clay
Origin:
From southern Mesopotamia, Umma
Inventory:
Inv. MB 229, 342, 343, 344, 345, 346, 347, 348
These are administrative records in Sumerian that document the system used to collect and redistribute resources under king Shulgi. Two tablets (inv. MB 343 and 344) are marked by a seal related to the governor of Umma, Ur-Lisi. In tablet MB 343, the seal mark is accompanied by what remains of a scene in which a worshiper is led by a deity into the presence of the deified king or the god, seated on a throne.
In tablet MB 229 an administrative record in Sumerian, regarding day laborers ( gurush) employed on different types of jobs, mainly on farms. The seal imprinted on the tablet was the mark of a scribe, Ur-Shara, who worked in the central administration of Umma.