CHIEFLY FROM NIPPUR. 251 



same age doubtless belong most, if not all, of the other inscriptions published on Pis. 

 3(3-47 (No. 112). I shall prove my theory in detail by the following arguments : 



I. Palseographically they exhibit most important points of contact with Uruka- 

 gina, Ur-Nina, Edingiranagin, Enanatuma I, Entemena, Enanatuma II, especially 

 with the first three mentioned. 



a. Characteristic signs are identical in these Nippur and Tello inscriptions. Cf , 

 e. g., gish, No. 87, col. I, 10, col. II, 37, No. 110, 4 f. e., with the same sign in the 

 texts of Ur-Nina and Edingiranagin j 1 ban, No. 87, col. I, 10, col. II, 37 (cf. No. 

 102, 2) with the same sign in the texts of Edingiranagin ; a, No. 86, 8 ( Var.), 1 f. e., 

 No. 87, passim; No. 96, 2; No. 104, 3; 106, 4; 110, 8 f. e., 112, 7, with the sign 

 used by Ur-Nina, Edingiranagin, Enanatuma I, Entemena (cf. also the present work, 

 No. 115, col. J, 7, col. II, 1, 2, etc.) ; sh.il, No. 87, col. Ill, 34 (and Var.) with Uru- 

 kagina, Edingiranagin ; da, No. 86, 7, No. 87, col. I, 19, col. II, 18, 20, 29, etc., with 

 the sign used by UivNina, Edingiranagin, Entemena; a (ID), No. 87, col. II, 41 

 (Var.) with Entemena (No. 115, col. I, 5) ; ta, No. 87, col. I, 46, col. II, 4, 12, with 

 the same sign used by Urukagina, Ur-Nina, Edingiranagin, Entemena ; ma, No. 88, 

 col. Ill, 2, with the same sign used by Urukagina, Endigiranagin y ma, No. 87, col. 

 II, 40 ff., with the same sign used by Urukagina, Edingiranagin ; and many other- 

 characters. 



b. The script is almost entirely linear like that of Urukagina, 3 Ur-Nina and 

 Edingiranagin. 



c. They show certain peculiarities in the script, which so far have been observed 

 only in the most ancient texts of Tello: (1) Lines of linear signs running parallel 

 to a separating line (marking columns and other divisions) frequently fall together 

 with this latter so that the character now appears attached to the separating line 

 above, below, to the light or left. Sometimes characters are thus attached to two sep- 

 arating lines at the same time. Cf. No. 87, col. I, 5 (ma), 12 (lea), col. II, 9 (shu), 17 

 (la), 29 (U), col. Ill, 36 (ur), No. 106, 2 (nin), and many others written on different 

 fragments of No. 87. 4 (2) In accordance with this principle two or more characters 



J In these quotations, as a rule, I shall abstain from giving the exact passages, as I expect that everybody who 

 examiues my arguments has made himself familiar with the palaeography and contents of the most ancient inscriptions 

 of Tello before, and to those who have not done so, I do not intend to give introductory lessons in the limited number 

 of pages here at my disposal, in fact for those I do not write. 



2 Also used by Naram-Sin, cf. No. 120, col. II, 4. 



3 Except of course his barrel cylinder, which has cuneiform characters, as it was inscribed with a stylus. 



4 For this paloeographic peculiarity in the inscriptions of Tello, cf. Urukagina (De Sat zee, Decouvertes, PI. 32, 

 col. II, 9, 10, col. Ill, 2, 5, col. IV, 3, 9, col. V, 2, 4) ; Ur-Nina (De Sarzec, I. c, PI. 2, No. 2, col. I, 1, 3, Berne d'As- 

 syriologie II, p. 84, 3 and 4 ; p. 147, col. I, 3, 5, col. Ill, 3, 6, col. IV, 3, 5); Edingiranagin (De Sarzec, I. e , PI. 4, 

 Frag. A, col. I, 6, col. II, 3, 4, 5, 10, etc.; PI. 31, No. 2, col. I, 1-4, 6, col. II, 1-3, 5, etc.); Enanatuma I (Revue 



