THE BABYLONIAN EXPEDITION

FROM THE TEMPLE ARCHIVES OF NIPPUII. 27
the letters, they are introduced either (a) directly or (b) by do or (c) by .ic and one
of the above given particles or phrases.I0
Letters not in answer to a previous communication are much simpler in form
and construction. In these the subject matter is stated either directly," or the
~~ ~ ~~ ~-
Whcnever these pmticles are found they take up either (a) tlie urn-ma after ki-bLi-?~~a or (6) tlie urn-.ma-a of the
introduction: urn-ma-a a-ne mY.-ma rap, urn-ma-a a-nu be-li-ia-nin or (c) some other um-inn(-a) in the text of the
lettcr; tliey are, therefore, nothing but particles that introduce direct speech by quuting eitlicr from a previous communication
or hy giving tile answer to an inquiry or note; sce p. 24 notes2, 4. For um-ma 86 : 1Sff. is instructive.
Wllile 1. 19 contains tlic "answer" (with um-ma-a omitted) tu the 'Lord's' inquiry concerrdng Ernidn-Marduk, wc still
find another sentence introduced hy urn-ma in 1.20. Tllis urn-n~n lriust tako up H, preceding um-ma(-a), to bc fuund
either in tlic text of the letter or in the introduction, seeing that it othorwisc stands quite isolated I think we IWCL~ translate
thiaum-ma by: '(seeing that this is so) therefore, please (um-ma), grant lriln his petition (or will), i e., let him do it
(but ci. p. 25, note I).' For unz-mu-a cf., r.g., 89 : 2lf. L.c., 11. 17f. (seep. 25, n. 4), cotltaiin theanswer to nit inquiry
of ".VIN-nu-ti-a with regard to tlic into (judgn~ent?) of ccrtair~ rnrn who had tahen (stolen?) wlicat flour. 1,. 21f.,
introduced by urn-ma-a. 1vhic11 Iattcr takes up tlle [urn-ma-a] uf 1. 14, contains nn answer to anothcr inquiry, resp. reprimand,
which liad been exprcsscd (in s former lcttcr addressed to Pd~~-AN.G.iL-lli7nw) in probably some sue11 wonls as
"Why haet tllou not conlrnunieated by a messenger the result of the trial of these lncn long ere this? Answer: I. 21f,
um-ma-a mar ship-ri-in sh6 a-na ""EINLIL~~ a-nn rnuh sharri (= LUGAL) ash-pu-ru (erasure) Iri (erasure) i-nru-nt-ku.
ma-la a-sap-rak-ku ip-ba-a uni-ma-a i-na G 1 u ~ ~ . ~ i ~ shu-Li l ~ . N mdr ~ ~ ship-ri-ia k i ul ash-pu-ralc-ku m6r ship-ri-ia
a-na "l"~~.K~U.N~~\~ki al-tap-rak-lcu um-ma-a a-na "NIN-nu-d-a-ma de(= A'/$)-im-ka li shii-lum-ka shii-up-ra;
i.e., "(But as regards thy reprimand in thy lettcr af recent date I bcg to assure thco of) the following
(urn-ma-a): 'my messenger whom I had sent to Nippnv to tlie king was, wllen he saw (= would
sce) thee, to hsvc told cvcrything I l id written thcc. But he (tht: mcsscnger, wllrn he had returned to mc) stid
(um-ma-a): " he (i.c., "NIN-nu-d-a) is in Sippar," (This is tile rcason why) I have not sent my mcssenger to thee
(and why) I have (*low) dispatched my mcssenger to thee st Sippnr with the followi~~gnote (urn-ma-a): "To "NIN-nu-
6-a. Sc:ld thy news and thy greeting (i.e., will1 this letter, =king ior an answer by "return nail")!' "' The events discussed
in this letter are the fallowing: (a) NIN-nu-Li-a of Nippur has written tu Pan-AlV.GAL-larnur of Dlir-ilu concerning
tho fate of certain Inen who had tsl