# 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…

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/unread-cuneiform/evidence/EVD0DEDYS8MZGTA/the-abu-salabikh-kesh-temple-hymn-is-readable-because-its  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

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[Unread cuneiform: half a million tablets and the limits of Sumerian](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/unread-cuneiform)Evidence

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 question[Why do the Early Dynastic literary texts from Fara and Abu Salabikh resist reading, and can they be read without later duplicates?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/unread-cuneiform/questions/QST0DEDT3AM4NHK/why-do-the-early-dynastic-literary-texts-from-fara-and-abu)

3 answers, none ahead yet

**Open** unchanged

Answer this evidence bears on[Only texts with later duplicates can be read](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/unread-cuneiform/answers/ANS0DEDWX41X1XH/only-texts-with-later-duplicates-can-be-read)

Supports2 for, none against

**Still possible** unchanged

## Next steps 1

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?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/unread-cuneiform/questions/QST0DEDT3AM4NHK/why-do-the-early-dynastic-literary-texts-from-fara-and-abu)

**—** 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](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDJ4RSV9CP/an-archaic-sumerian-version-of-the-kesh-temple-hymn-from)

Biggs 1971

SRC

[CDLI Literary 000751, ex. 011 (P010248): Kesh Temple Hymn witness from Abu Salabikh](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DEDJNSNBQX9/cdli-literary-000751-ex-011-p010248-kesh-temple-hymn-witness)

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
```

Key

**EVD** 0DEDYS8MZGTA

Kind

Evidence

Tier

Supported

Version

1

Added by

[apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)

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