Message

The majority of the letters are concerned with the transfer of goods from one person or institution to another. This is described with the verb sum “to give”. The verbal form is always maru stem (/sum-e/ < sum-mu) and precative ha- / he2- prefix. Some derivations from this rule can be explained as scribal errors (he2-na-ab-sum-e in TCS 1 192 is overly correct and in principle an error).

The repertoire of verbal roots used in the Ur III letters is restricted to; bar, du8, gar, gi4, kalag, si(g), and zi. These are only attested in the maru stem; bar-re / ba-re, du8-e, ga2-ga2, gi4-gi4, kala-ge, si-ge, and zi-zi.

Catalogue:

/szu … bar-e/

to be continued

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