Letters from Mesopotamia: Official, Business, and Private Letters on Clay Tablets from Two Millennia

by A. Leo Oppenheim (Compiler)

This book contains the translations of one hundred and fifty letters written in Akkadian on clay tablets. The earliest date from the time of King Sargon of Akkad (about 2334-2279 B.C), the latest from the period of Persian domination over Mesopotamia (beginning 539 B.C.). The tablets come either from Mesopotamia proper or from regions to the west, even from as far as Asia Minor, Cyprus, and Egypt. Oppenheim selected these letters from many thousands of published clay tablets of this type to provide a panoramic view of Mesopotamian civilization during this extended span of time. His purpose in making such an anthology is to convey a more intimate and varied image of this civilization than that offered by the readily available translations of Akkadian epic texts, royal inscriptions, and law codes. Although the selection is, ultimately, subjective, two guiding principles were adopted: he chose the atypical rather than the typical to reproduce, however inadequately, the kaleidoscopic diversity of life as mirrored in these documents; and he concentrated on letters that are reasonably well preserved and that do not urgently require comment and elucidation.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

217 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1967

Reviews

[Michael Fuller · Rating 3 out of 5]

The translation is very dry but there are still some zingers in here.

[Marianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Qui solo per Nanni.

[Will · Rating 2 out of 5]

"An order of the king (Esarhaddon) to the 'Non-Babylonian' inhabitants of Babylon:
I am fine.
There is a proverb often used by people: 'The potter's dog, once he crawls into the (warm) potter's shop, barks at the potter.' There you are, pretending - against the commands of the god - to be Babylonians, and what unspeakably things you and your master have devised against my subjects! There is another proverb often cited by people: 'What the adulteress says at the door of the judge's house carries more weight than the words of her husband.' Should you ask yourselves after I sent back to you, with seals intact, your letters full of empty and insolent(?) words which you had dispatched: 'Why did he return the letters to us?' I am telling you that I would have opened and read whatever message my loyal and loving Babylonians had sent me but ... [end broken]
116. ABL 403

To the king, my lord (Assurbanipal), your servant Adad-šumi-ușur.
Good health to Your Majesty! May the gods Aššur, Sin, Šamaš, Bēl, Nabû, and Nergal bless Your Majesty many times.
The sun did not have an eclipse, it let (the computed event) pass by.
The planet Venus will reach the constellation Virgo; the heliacal rising of the planet Mercury is near; there will be a hard rain and the storm god Adad will thunder. Your Majesty should know (all this).
Nobody has reminded (the king) about Arad-Gula, a servant of Your Majesty; he is dying of a broken heart. It is in the power of Your Majesty to bestow grace(?) - Your Majesty is one who has granted mercy to many people.
95. ABL 657

Tell my master: Your slave girl Dabītum sends the following message:
What I have told you now has happened to me: For seven months this (unborn) child was in my body, but for a month now the child has been dead and nobody wants to take care of me. May it please my master (to do something) lest I die. Come visit me and let me see the face of my master! [Large gap] Why did no present from you arrive for me? And if I have to die, let me die after I have seen again the face of my master!
17. TIM 1 15

[Beholderess · Rating 5 out of 5]

A slice of life in the ancient world, with some accounts surprisingly current and entertaining

[Ky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really dry historical intro (which takes up about 25% of the whole book) dragged down my enjoyment of this book. I think instead of one long block that the reader needs to keep in mind, that it would have been better broken into short explanations near the most relevant letters.

And yes, I'm sure it's outdated. I don't blame a book written in 1967 for that; it's on me to take that into consideration before reading that section. However, an updated book with the same premise would be great, especially since the Letter to Ea-Nasir has become so popular online. Especially if there were historical notes near their most related letters instead of a long block about history.

My recommendation: read an updated article (or articles) about the Sumerian, Akkadian, and Babylonian periods, then skip the sections about history and language, and go right to the letters themselves.

[Michael Bacon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading the private correspondence of the earliest people in history to have any is inherently interesting. The more we can learn about these people, the closer we can come to an understanding of what makes us all human. This is a bit of a strange book to read for fun, perhaps. But I am a bit strange.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting but I would have liked to read more private letters.

[Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came for letters, not drab exposition clumped at the start of the book.

[Carro Rebaixado · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book. The introduction is long and probably dated by now, but it creates some context for the letters.