Clay Tablet with Hymn of Praise

2094 BC - 2047 BC
Clay
Original Site Unknown
15.5 cm x 12.5 cm x 4.0 cm
A7533

Oriental Institute Museum

Clay Tablet with Hymn of Praise

Hymns of praise addressed to kings were composed during the Ur III and Old Babylonian periods (2100-1600 BC), but not after that time. There are about 125 known compositions. This clay tablet (written in Sumerian) contains the text of Shulgi Hymn A. It recounts a semi-legendary journey made by the king from the city of Nippur to Ur and back again during a raging storm, all in a single day.

Inscription

Like a fierce lion I charged furiously,
like a wild ass I galloped...
In Nippur and Ur, in one day,
I celebrated their eshesh festival.



Multimedia

An Early Clay Tablet
See how this early clay tablet used pictures to communicate.

Suggested Readings

Hunter, Erica. First Civilizations: Cultural Atlas for Young People. New York: Facts on File, 1994.

Kramer, Samuel Noah. Cradle of Civilization. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1967.

Roaf, Michael. Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East. New York: Facts on File, 1990.