In “Archives familiales et propriété privée en Babylonie ancienne : Étude des documents de «Tell Sifr»,” Dominique Charpin (1980) worked through 107 texts that were associated with Tell Sifr, ancient Kutalla. This analysis improved upon Strassmeier (1882) and Jean (1931). Recall that Johann Strassmaier was the first to publish an Old Babylonian archival text (see more here).
Charpin reexamined the Tell Sifr texts because of the publication of UET V (1953), the catalogue and hand copies of more than 800 tablets relating to letters and documents of the Old Babylonian Period from Woolley’s excavations at Ur (1922-1934).
Already in 1955, Fritz Kraus connected legal texts written at Ur and with some of the Tell Sifr texts. A realization like this has substantial weight to it because Ur and Kutalla were not close to one another. Kutalla was something like a suburb of Larsa, capital city of the Larsa dynasty.
So, Charpin (1980) identified 34 of the Tell Sifr texts with Ur. He was able to do this through comparison of sealing practice (here, the use of ‘burgul’ seals), scribal formulae (the way one wrote up receipts and contracts), and prosopography (the study of names, networks, and biography).
In “Le clergé d'Ur au siècle d'Hammurabi: (XIXe-XVIIIe siècles av. J.-C.),” Charpin (1986) brought those 34 texts into conversation with the site of Ur. At this point in time, it was understood that these Tell Sifr-Ur texts came from area EH based on how Taylor described his excavation at Ur.
According to Charpin (1986), the area EH and EM belonged to the a sprawling neighborhood closely associated with the city's temple complex immediately north.
Later on, Charpin (2020) was able to clarify that the texts actually came from area EM. A meaningful correction, these 34 texts now tighten up our understanding of neighborhood behavior.
While we don't have exact assurance which house this is (I have my thoughts), we know what sort of vessel likely held those tablets: the "double bowl" like some examples here from area AH.
We now know those 34 texts came from area EM during Taylor’s second excavation of Ur, so what about those other texts that had been misidentified, coming from area EH? They’re at the British Museum, study delayed due to COVID-19: "il me faut donc reporter cette tâche à plus tard."
One of the 34 texts can be seen here.
Christopher Jones (@cwjones.bsky.social): resources for learning how to read OB legal texts?