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Source Description
This thick rectangular clay tablet is broken at the bottom and damaged on its face, but is otherwise covered in cuneiform text. This complex text is a letter from Buzutaja in Kanesh to Puzur-šadue, Aššur-[...and], Pušuken in Assyria regarding the imprisonment of another man whom Buzutaja quotes in the letter. The author stresses that it was the decision of the plenary assembly of the colony to imprison the individual for cheating the colony in a sale of precious metals. Around 20,000 clay tablets dating to the 2nd millennium BCE have been discovered at Kültepe (ancient Kanesh), Turkey, which was near Kayseri (ancient Caesarea) where this tablet is said to have been found. During this period, Kanesh had a large commercial quarter and was part of a network of Assyrian trade colonies. Many tablets found at Kanesh are letters recording business transactions between Kanesh and Assyria in northern Mesopotamia. They were enclosed in clay envelopes and impressed with stamp or cylinder seals. These letters provide a glimpse into everyday life in the ancient Near East during the beginning of the 2nd millennium BCE, illustrating complex economic and social interactions between Assyria and its colonies.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
10009
label
Tablet Recording a Business Letter
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
10009
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Tablet Recording a Business Letter
description
This thick rectangular clay tablet is broken at the bottom and damaged on its face, but is otherwise covered in cuneiform text. This complex text is a letter from Buzutaja in Kanesh to Puzur-šadue, Aššur-[...and], Pušuken in Assyria regarding the imprisonment of another man whom Buzutaja quotes in the letter. The author stresses that it was the decision of the plenary assembly of the colony to imprison the individual for cheating the colony in a sale of precious metals. Around 20,000 clay tablets dating to the 2nd millennium BCE have been discovered at Kültepe (ancient Kanesh), Turkey, which was near Kayseri (ancient Caesarea) where this tablet is said to have been found. During this period, Kanesh had a large commercial quarter and was part of a network of Assyrian trade colonies. Many tablets found at Kanesh are letters recording business transactions between Kanesh and Assyria in northern Mesopotamia. They were enclosed in clay envelopes and impressed with stamp or cylinder seals. These letters provide a glimpse into everyday life in the ancient Near East during the beginning of the 2nd millennium BCE, illustrating complex economic and social interactions between Assyria and its colonies.
provenance
Dikran Kelekian, Paris and New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [said to be from Caesarea]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1913, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
ca. 1840-1730 BCE (Assyrian Colony)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Ceramics
tablets
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
4.9
height
6.7
depth
2.7
dimensionsRaw
H: 1 15/16 × W: 2 5/8 × D: 1 1/16 in. (4.9 × 6.7 × 2.7 cm)
Source extras
cul
Assyrian
style
Kültepe Ib
inscriptions
[Translation from composite text of Cuneiform Digital Library
M. Trolle Larsen. Festschrift Lubor Matous. Edited by Blahoslav Hruška
and Géza Komoróczy. Budapest: Eotvos Lorand Tudomanyegytem
1978.] From Buzutaja to [...]
/ Puzur-szadue
Aszszur-[...]
Puszuken:/ Because of the [...] of the [man?]/ I confronted the city here and I got a tablet of the City/ addressed to the primary assembly of the colony
which they bring (it) to you./ Therefore you should listen to the tablet of the City
/ and you must confront the colony and (have it established) that it was the primary assembly of the colony
/ and not I
who threw him into jail./ My dear brothers
take care and (get hold of) a tablet/ of the Kanesz colony and a message from/ the Puruszaddum colony
indicating that he cheated the Kanesz colony and (sold?) the iron/ in Puruszhaddum. For that reason the primary assembly of the colony/ [threw him into jail?]. Take care [...]/[to] the palace [.../ [...]/ [which] I gave to the palace
and to the palace [...]/ held me back
and [...] 2 minas of silver to [...]/ live; and for the orders of the palace
when I stayed/ in jail you sold textiles for me./ When the iron and the textiles were sold in Aszszur-malik
/ Kurub-Isztar
his brother Aszszur-imitti
son of Ikkupija
/ Puzur-szadue and Aszszur-makik
son of Luzina
were my witnesses./ When the money was paid Ammurumbani
Szu-Kubum
/ son of Aszszur-bel-awatim
Aszszur-malik son of Alahum
/ Puzur-szadue and Aszszur-malik
son of Luzina
/ went up to the palace together with (me) and I paid the money:/ they are my witnesses. Seize the men and [lead them] to the Gate of the God/ [...] in accordance with /[...]/ [...]/ of the iron he brought./ (he) said: also
take the iron [...]/ of my partners [...] the iron [...]/ and I will take [...]/ I personally will [...] our gate [...]/ which I gave to him
Puzur-szadue [...][https://cdli.ucla.edu/P272901]
med
clay, hand made; impressed
creator_ids
2431
collection_ids
ANE
exhibition_ids
none
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
2bbcd3129d61e4fb