Valdosta Five - Umma, šu-Suen, Year 3, Month 2, Day 7
| FRONT | Translations by line |
| 1(diš) dug dida 5(diš) sila2 kaš sag10 | One pot (ca. 20 liters) of dida beer, five sila (ca. 5 liters) of high-quality beer, |
| 1(ban2) ninda 2(diš) gin2 i3 2(diš) gin2 naga | one ban (ca. 10 liters) of bread, two shekels (ca. 30cc) of oil and two shekels of alkali, |
| 3(diš) ku6 3(diš) sa sum | three fish and three bunches of onions, |
| a-gu-´a sukkal?` gaba-´aš` | Agu'a, the messenger, (sent) to Persia. |
| 1(diš) dug ´dida 6(diš)? sila3?` [i3] | One pot of dida beer, six shekels of oil, |
| 1(ban2) [ninda] 2(diš) ´gin2` [i3 2(diš) gin2 naga] | one ban of bread, two shekels of oil, two shekels of alkali, |
| ´3(diš) ku6` [3(diš) sa sum] | three fish and three bunches of onions, |
| BACK | |
| (blank space) | |
| i3-kal-´la sukkal` [...] | Ikala, the messenger, ... . |
| 3(diš) sila3 kaš 2(diš) sila3 [ninda] | Three sila of beer, two sila of bread, |
| 2(diš) gin2 i3 2(diš) gin2 ´naga` | two shekels of oil, two shekels of alkali, |
| ´1(diš)` ku6 1(diš) sa sum | one fish, one bunch of onions, |
| du10-ga-mu ka-us2-sa2 | Dugamu the ... . |
| ŠU+LAGAB 2(diš) dug dida du 1(ban2) | Total: two pots of average-quality dida beer (made with) one ban (of barley); |
| ŠU+LAGAB 5(diš) sila3 kaš sag10 ŠU+LAGAB 6(diš) gin2 i3? | total: five liters of high-quality beer; total: 6 shekels of oil; |
| ŠU+LAGAB 2(ban2) 2(diš) sila3 ninda ŠU+LAGAB 6(diš) gin2 i3 | total: 2 ban 2 sila of bread; total: six shekels of oil; |
| ŠU+LAGAB 6(diš) gin2 naga | total: six shekels of alkali; |
| ŠU+LAGAB 7(diš) ku6 ŠU+LAGAB 7(diš) sa sum | total: seven fish; total: seven bunches of onions. |
| u4 7(diš)-kam iti sig4-geši3-šub-ba-gar | On the 7th day, month: "Bricks are placed in the moulds" (Month 2) |
| LEFT SIDE | |
| mu us2-sa ma2 denki ba-ab-du8 | The year after: "The boat of Enki was caulked" (Šu-Suen, year 3) |
Valdosta Five
A rare messenger tablet (c. 2350 B.C.) on which an expense allowance for a temple messenger is recorded. Bread, dates, oil, and wine are but a few of the provisions listed on the tablet.
5.1. This is a record of distributions to sukkals, 'court messengers/officials' and a ka-us2-sa2. sukkals regularly traveled far and wide, carrying out the business of the royal court, and in this text they receive the types of food that were the standard fare: beer and bread, fish and oil. The term naga, which is conventionally translated as 'alkali', has been dealt with by Butz (1984: 283-286), where he suggests several possible interpretations, including its use as soap or as a softening agent for the dried fish that often occur in messenger texts. Or, alternatively, naga may be a cover term for a variety of plant derivatives. Yoshikawa has explained gaba-aš "to the chest" as a shorthand that was used in Umma for trips to Elam, east of Mesopotamia (Yoshikawa 1988).
Identifier Number: UA211B6#5Next Tablet