On the Periphery of the Clerical Community of Old Babylonian Ur

Abstract We offer transliterations, translations, and autograph copies of three Old Babylonian tablets held by the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire (MAH) in Geneva. MAH 15899 adds a new name to the roster of temple administrators in Ur, and leads us to propose a new interpretation of the year-name Rīm-Sîn IIa. MAH 16042 concerns a second son of the Uqqû first recognized in MAH 15896. MAH 15953 extends the family tree of the well-known Balamunamḫe of Larsa and connects the family with the religious life of the city. It probably postdates Samsu-iluna’s reconquest of Ur (Si 10) but it is difficult to say by how long. The witness lists of the tablets are intertwined with each other and with tablets from scientific excavations. These interrelationships reflect a common origin in Ur, and permit speculation about the location of the site from which they were plundered for the antiquities market.