A Boundary Dispute Between Adab and Umma

In this article, we present an updated edition of a Sargonic document first published by Bertrand Lafont in 2020. We offer several new readings and perspectives but admit that our understanding of the text is still incomplete. The preserved portion of the text records a land claim against Adab by Šubur-Nagarpae, the ensi of Umma usually known as Šubur, and settled by Naramsin in favor of Adab. The process involved witnesses from neighboring (yeta’ātim) towns and Adab, but also cities from much further east, Tallani, Ibrat, and Pašime. The last preserved section of the text describes the “piling up of the boundary markers” (in sapāki pulukke) in the presence of both ensis. Lugal-ša, ensi of Adab, is attested here for the first time.