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September 26, 2005
The Cuneiform Short Alphabet: Part 2.
Record of Purchases: KTU 4.31 (RS 5.197+5.212+5.213, UT 57, CTA 207, Syria 14, 103):
This is the second in my series of studies of the texts in the short cuneiform alphabet. You can find the first study, " Amurriyu's Sacrifice to Baal: KTU 1.77" at The Cuneiform Short Alphabet: Part 1. Along with that study is a short discussion of the short cuneiform alphabet, a discussion of methodology and a disclaimer in which I advise the reader on my qualifications or lack of same to study these texts. Please go read this material.
The second text I want to discuss is a tablet known as KTU 4.31 which consists of three fragments whose excavation numbers are RS 5.197, RS 5.212 and RS 5.213. It is a record of purchases. This text from Ugarit was found in the "library of the high priest of Ugarit" along with several long cuneiform alphabetic tablets in the Hurrian language. There is no reasonable doubt that this text is in a Semitic language. Like many of the texts in the short cuneiform alphabet, this text is written from right to left. Aside from lines 6 and 7, the tablet is intact on the right edge with every line broken on the left edge. Except for the first two lines that appear to be almost complete, with only two or perhaps three letters missing, about 35% or four to six letters of the other lines are likely missing. For more details on this tablet, please go to the accompanying PDF file.
Here is my translation:
1) Abdirsi from Ta[baqu(?) ]
2) for sixteen (shekels): pe[rfumer's] (?) oil.
3) Pabbanu from Taba[qu(?) ]
4) for fifteen (shekels): [ ]
5) for fifteen (shekels): [ ]
6) for fi[fteen (shekels) ]
7) [(? unreadable and unintelligible) for(?)]
8) and ben Guzilla s[on of ]
9) (The) witness is Kun‛ammu [ ]
Rev.
10) Ichmannu from Taba[qu ]
11) for fifteen (shekels): [perfumer's (?)] oil.
Remember, square brackets indicate broken or restored areas on the tablet. If you want to know why I think this is a reasonable translation of KTU 4.31 link to the PDF file.
Above, two photographs from Herder's CTA pl. LXXXVIII. The one on the left is of the face of the tablet (the obverse) and the one on the right is of the back of the tablet (the reverse).
On the left above is Virolleaud's transcription of the table and on the right is my transliteration.
In the transliteration and translation, square brackets indicate that some part of the text is or may be missing. Any letters within the square brackets are restored. Also, what I literally translate "perfumer's oil" is perhaps best understood simply as "perfume" or "fragrance."
This text is a record of trade in four sections. Section one, lines 1 and 2, records Abdirsi's purchase of perfume for sixteen shekels. Section two, lines 3 to 6 (or 7 or 8?), deals with three or four purchases of unknown items. It is possible that one additional transaction was recorded in the lacuna. Section three, perhaps lines 7 or 8 to 9, but certainly line 9, is a witness certification and section four is a final record of Ichmannu's purchase of perfume for sixteen shekels. All three purchasers appear to be from the same town or region, Tabaqu. If Kun‛ammu is a temple official, then the transactions recorded in this tablet (or at least one of them) had the authority of the temple of El at Ugarit behind them.
If I have whetted your appetite for more information on this tablet, take the link to the PDF file.
Like last time, I will take a shot at stating the probability that a native speaker/reader reading KTU 1.43 would concur with my translation and interpretation. If he had only the fragmented text and knew nothing else, I believe there is a high probability that such a native speaker would concur with my interpretation. Such a reader might understand the personal and place names in a more informed way. If, on the other hand, such a native speaker had access to an unbroken version of the text, the likelihood of concurrence decreases with regard to the details. However, I believe that even then, my general interpretation of the tablet as a record of several purchases that contained an official witness would still hold up.
Posted by Duane Smith at September 26, 2005 7:37 PM | Read more on Ugarit |
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