Evidence · Unread cuneiform: half a million tablets and the limits of Sumerian

The Abu Salabikh Kesh Temple Hymn is readable because its Old Babylonian duplicate of eight centuries later matches it…

The Abu Salabikh Kesh Temple Hymn is readable because its Old Babylonian duplicate of eight centuries later matches it except in spelling; Biggs said these early texts present formidable obstacles to comprehension.

Supported0

What it means

Key questionWhy do the Early Dynastic literary texts from Fara and Abu Salabikh resist reading, and can they be read without later duplicates?

3 answers, none ahead yet

Openunchanged

Answer this evidence bears onOnly texts with later duplicates can be read

Supports2 for, none against

Still possibleunchanged

Next steps 1

Compile the full UD.GAL.NUN substitution table from Krecher, Krebernik and Lisman and test its regularity across the Fara and Abu Salabikh tablets on CDLI.

~20 h

On: Why do the Early Dynastic literary texts from Fara and Abu Salabikh resist reading, and can they be read without later duplicates?

—not judged

Ranked by how likely each is to move the key question, for the time it takes

Sources 2

An Archaic Sumerian Version of the Kesh Temple Hymn from Tell Abū Ṣalābīkh

Biggs 1971

SRC

CDLI Literary 000751, ex. 011 (P010248): Kesh Temple Hymn witness from Abu Salabikh

Initiative

SRC

Cite it

Mysteries Department. (2026). The Abu Salabikh Kesh Temple Hymn is readable because its Old Babylonian duplicate of eight centuries later matches it… [Evidence EVD0DEDYS8MZGTA]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/EVD0DEDYS8MZGTA

@misc{mysteriesdept_evd0dedys8mzgta,
  title     = {The Abu Salabikh Kesh Temple Hymn is readable because its Old Babylonian duplicate of eight centuries later matches it…},
  author    = {{Mysteries Department}},
  year      = {2026},
  note      = {Evidence, catalog key EVD0DEDYS8MZGTA},
  url       = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/EVD0DEDYS8MZGTA}
}