June 18, 2025 Dataset Open Access

Kt 94/k 1150 (X-Ray Tomography 3D data of an Enveloped Clay Tablet, Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara)

Michel, Cécile; Schroer, Christian; Olbrich, Stephan; Beckert, Andreas; Ehteram, Samaneh; Schropp, Andreas; Paetzold, Philipp; Bohn, Mathias; Zerbe, Katrin; Aksoy, Avni

Written Artefact Metadata

Object type: Enveloped clay tablet
Material: Clay
Writing: Cuneiform writing
Language: Old Assyrian
Nature of the text: Letter
Provenience: Kanesh (mod. Kültepe)
Period/Date: Old Assyrian (ca. 1920-1850 BCE)
Country of discovery: Türkiye
Dimensions: Height: 5.3 cm; Width: 4.9 cm; Depth: 2.6 cm
Museum/Collection: Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara, Türkiye
Excavation number: Kt 94/k 1150
Publication number (envelope): KT 6b, 298
 

Transliteration of the tablet in the envelope

¹a-na En-um-A-šur ²qí-bi-ma um-ma A-na-a-na-/ma ³a-ma-lá té-er-tí-kà ⁴ša ta-áš-pu-ra-ni ⁵a-šu-mì Lá-qé-pì-im ⁶a-ta-na-lá-ak-šu-ma ⁷um-ma šu-ut-ma kù-°babbar° ⁸a-na Ku-da-tim áš-qul ⁹áš-ni-ma a-li-ik-šu-ma ¹⁰um-ma a-na-ku-ma ¹¹ší-bi₄ : lá-áš-ku-na-ku-um lo.e.¹²a-šar a-na Ku-da-tim ¹³lá ta-áš-qú-lu um-ma °ku° ¹⁴°x x° šu-ut-ma rev.¹⁵kù-babbar ku-a-tí lá a-da-na-ki-/im ¹⁶i-na a-lá-ak ¹⁷En-um-A-šur šu-a-tí-ma ¹⁸a-ša-qál be-lí a-ta ¹⁹mì-nam ur-ki^!(SÁ) hu-sá-ri-im ²⁰qá-qá-ad-kà ta-ta-na-i ²¹a-na-kam té-er-ta-kà ²²kù-babbar 10 ma-na ù 20 ma-na ²³lu i-na Bu-ru-uš-ha-tim ²⁴lu i-na Wa-ah-šu-ša-na ²⁵lu a-na-kam té-er-ta-°kà° u.e.²⁶té-zi-ib qá-qá-ad/-kà ²⁷ta-ta-na-i l.e.²⁸šu-ma a-dí 10 u₄-me lá ta-/li-kam ²⁹a-ṣí-kà? té-eb-a-/ma ³⁰a-tal-kam : ³¹«a-ta-kàm» ³²a-wa-tim lá-am-na-tim áš-ta-na-/me-e

Translation of the tablet in the envelope

Say to Ennum-Aššur: thus (says) Anna-anna.

According to the instructions you sent me, regarding Laqēpum, I repeatedly go to him, and he (answers) as follows: “I paid the silver to Kudātum.” I checked and went to him (saying) as follows: “I will certainly get witnesses (to testify) against you in case you did not paid (it) to Kudātum.” He (answered) as follows: “I will not give the silver to you. When Ennum-Aššur arrives, it will be to him that I will pay (it)!”

You are my master. Why do you keep turning your head towards the lapis lazuli? Here, your instructions concerning silver, 10 or 20 minas that are either in Burušhattum, or in Wahšušana, or here, you left your instructions and you keep turning your head towards it. If within 10 days you have not arrived as for your departure, stand up and come. I hear bad words all the time! 

Structure and data

00_Photos.zip:

Photos of the enveloped tablet from all sides.

• 94k1150a photos.docx

• 94k1150aLeft Edge.jpg

• 94k1150aLower Edge.jpg

• 94k1150aObverse.jpg

• 94k1150aReverse.jpg

• 94k1150aRight Edge.jpg

• 94k1150aue.jpg

01_VolumeData.zip:

3D tomographic reconstruction volume data.

• 038_94k1150_reconstruction_crop.nxs

02_Visualisations.zip:

Geometry files of the tablet and envelope (.ply) and internal format files (.exa).

• 038_94k1150_5.exa

• 038_94k1150_5_medianw_0.015_32_8_-0.35_5.exa

• 038_94k1150_5_medianw_0.015_32_8_-0.35_5_32_0.5_2.exa

• 038_94k1150_envelope.ply

• 038_94k1150_tablet.ply

03_Scripts.zip:

Scripts to run the extraction and visualisation software Exavis42.

• 038_94k1150_extract.sh

• 038_94k1150_visualise.sh