Instructions of Shuruppak
Clay
Bismaya (Adab)
12.3 cm x 9.8 cm x 3.2 cm
A645
Oriental Institute Museum
Instructions of Shuruppak
The cuneiform script, like our own alphabet, was used to write many different languages. This fragmentary tablet, written in Sumerian, preserves part of a very early version of the collection of proverbs known as "The Instructions of Shuruppak."
Inscription
Do not buy an ass which brays too much.
Do not commit rape upon a man's daughter,
do not announce it to the courtyard.
Do not answer back against your father,
do not raise a 'heavy eye'.
Collected by
Oriental Exploration Fund, University of Chicago
Excavated by The Oriental Institute 1903-1904
Multimedia
Life in Ancient Mesopotamia
What was life like in ancient Mesopotamia? Find out in this video featuring Oriental Institute Assyriologist Dr. Martha Roth.
An Early Clay Tablet
See how this early clay tablet used pictures to communicate.
Suggested Readings
Kramer, Samuel Noah. Cradle of Civilization. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1967.
Kramer, Samuel Noah. The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1963.
Roaf, Michael. Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East. New York: Facts on File, 1990.