Ur III period, reign of Shulgi, circa 2094–2047 BCE.
Square clay tablet, neatly impressed in horizontal registers with cuneiform script, recording an administrative account of barley rations as regular offerings for the god Enki and the deified king Shulgi.
An account of barley for offerings to several deities and hired personnel. Dated to year 9 of King Amar-Suen.
n (amount)
n kor of barley, ordinary regular offering (from) the tablet of Ur-gipar,
n regular offering for (the goddess) Ninegal, N (amount) regular offering for the Temple Oval, (from) the tablet of Budu,
n (from) the tablet of Ur-ninlagare,
n for the wages of hired men (from) the tablet of Ur-Nungal,
n (from) the tablet of Nigarkidu, offering for Enki,
n kor for wages for hired men,
Set aside: n of barley in place of emmer, (from) the tablet of Ur-Shulgi …
Month XI, year “The en-priestess (of the god Nanna) at Ga’esh was installed.”
Condition: Intact w/ surface wear and minor encrustations in recesses.
Size 1-1/2 inches l x 1-3/8 inches w. Intact.
Provenance: Pierce Thomas Williamson (15 March 1949 – 18 November 2025), of Tiverton, Rhode Island. Williamson was a graduate of De La Salle High School (Newport, RI) and of Rhode Island College, where he earned a bachelor's degree in history and secondary education. He taught history at Tiverton High School for thirty-six years, ultimately serving as Chairman of the History Department, and was widely known among his students, colleagues, and community for his scholarly engagement with American and European history and for his ability to bring historical objects and events vividly into the classroom.
