Decad (Sumerian texts)
Encyclopedia
The Decad is a name given to a standard sequence of ten scribal training scripts in ancient Sumer
.
Several literary catalogue
s of tablets have been found, normally used for administration of a library
. The Decad was instead found to have been written on a curricular
clay tablet
from ancient Nippur
(P), forming the first of six grouped sections of around ten entries. This totals sixty two in all, fifty five of which have been identified and translated. Another curricular list was found from an unknown origin (L), was credibly identified and compared with the one from Nippur. Another source exists (U) which is slightly adapted from (P) and (L). Whilst the first ten texts were the same in each case, the extended lists differed in areas suggesting that once scribes had completed set core works they continued their studies in a less rigid order. Steve Tinney suggested the sequence of texts includes the Kesh temple hymn
and Hymn to Enlil
. Steve Tinney commented "the Decad constituted a required program of literary learning, used almost without exception throughout Babylon
ia. The Decad thus included almost all literary types available in Sumerian
."
Steve Tinney also identified another group of compositions of an even more basic introductory level, which he called the Tetrad. This consisted of four brief hymns that would have introduced student
s to various aspects of Sumerian grammar
; it was only occasionally used by some teachers
. The Tetrad includes a Hymn to king Lipit-Estar of Isin, Iddin Dagan B, Enil Bani A and Nisaba A. Tinney noted that these hymns were often found together as a collection, occasionally on a single tablet or prism. Herman Vanstiphout suggested that these were "easier pieces" or "teaching texts" as they did not feature in the larger catalogues. He noted that the debates
did not feature in either as they were more complex in form.
The Decad is shown below.
Sumer
Sumer was a civilization and historical region in southern Mesopotamia, modern Iraq during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age....
.
Several literary catalogue
Collection catalog
In museums and archives, the collection of objects or material is normally catalogued in a collection catalog . Traditionally this was done using a card index, but nowadays it is normally implemented using a computerized database and may even be made available online.- External links :* from the...
s of tablets have been found, normally used for administration of a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
. The Decad was instead found to have been written on a curricular
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
clay tablet
Clay tablet
In the Ancient Near East, clay tablets were used as a writing medium, especially for writing in cuneiform, throughout the Bronze Age and well into the Iron Age....
from ancient Nippur
Nippur
Nippur was one of the most ancient of all the Sumerian cities. It was the special seat of the worship of the Sumerian god Enlil, the "Lord Wind," ruler of the cosmos subject to An alone...
(P), forming the first of six grouped sections of around ten entries. This totals sixty two in all, fifty five of which have been identified and translated. Another curricular list was found from an unknown origin (L), was credibly identified and compared with the one from Nippur. Another source exists (U) which is slightly adapted from (P) and (L). Whilst the first ten texts were the same in each case, the extended lists differed in areas suggesting that once scribes had completed set core works they continued their studies in a less rigid order. Steve Tinney suggested the sequence of texts includes the Kesh temple hymn
Kesh temple hymn
The Kesh Temple Hymn or Liturgy to Nintud or Liturgy to Nintud on the creation of man and woman is a Sumerian myth, written on clay tablets as early as 2600 BC...
and Hymn to Enlil
Hymn to Enlil
The Hymn to Enlil, Enlil and the Ekur , Hymn to the Ekur, Hymn and incantation to Enlil, Hymn to Enlil the all beneficent or Excerpt from an exorcism is a Sumerian myth, written on clay tablets in the late third millennium BC.-Compilation:Fragments of the text were discovered in the University of...
. Steve Tinney commented "the Decad constituted a required program of literary learning, used almost without exception throughout Babylon
Babylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
ia. The Decad thus included almost all literary types available in Sumerian
Sumerian language
Sumerian is the language of ancient Sumer, which was spoken in southern Mesopotamia since at least the 4th millennium BC. During the 3rd millennium BC, there developed a very intimate cultural symbiosis between the Sumerians and the Akkadians, which included widespread bilingualism...
."
Steve Tinney also identified another group of compositions of an even more basic introductory level, which he called the Tetrad. This consisted of four brief hymns that would have introduced student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s to various aspects of Sumerian grammar
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
; it was only occasionally used by some teachers
Teachers
Teachers may refer to:* Teachers, people who provide schooling for pupils and students* Teachers , one of the five Ascension Gift Ministries* Teachers , a British sitcom* Teachers Teachers may refer to:* Teachers, people who provide schooling for pupils and students* Teachers (ministry), one of the...
. The Tetrad includes a Hymn to king Lipit-Estar of Isin, Iddin Dagan B, Enil Bani A and Nisaba A. Tinney noted that these hymns were often found together as a collection, occasionally on a single tablet or prism. Herman Vanstiphout suggested that these were "easier pieces" or "teaching texts" as they did not feature in the larger catalogues. He noted that the debates
Sumerian disputations
The Sumerian disputation or Sumerian debate is a topical short story created in the middle to late 3rd millennium BC. Seven major debates are known, with specific titles.The list of the majority of the known debates is as follows :...
did not feature in either as they were more complex in form.
The Decad is shown below.
| Number | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hymn to Shulgi (Shulgi A) | Royal hymn |
| 2 | Lipit-Estar A | Royal hymn |
| 3 | Song of the hoe Song of the hoe The Song of the hoe or the Creation of the pickax is a Sumerian creation myth, written on clay tablets from the last century of the 3rd millennium BC.-Disputations:... |
Composition around the sign AL = "hoe" |
| 4 | Inana B | Hymn to Inana or Ninmesara |
| 5 | Hymn to Enlil Hymn to Enlil The Hymn to Enlil, Enlil and the Ekur , Hymn to the Ekur, Hymn and incantation to Enlil, Hymn to Enlil the all beneficent or Excerpt from an exorcism is a Sumerian myth, written on clay tablets in the late third millennium BC.-Compilation:Fragments of the text were discovered in the University of... (Enlil A) |
Hymn to Enlil or Enlilsurase |
| 6 | Kesh Temple Hymn Kesh temple hymn The Kesh Temple Hymn or Liturgy to Nintud or Liturgy to Nintud on the creation of man and woman is a Sumerian myth, written on clay tablets as early as 2600 BC... |
Temple hymn |
| 7 | Enki's Journey to Nippur | Narrative composition |
| 8 | Inana and Ebih | Narrative composition |
| 9 | Nungal A | Hymn to 'lady prison' |
| 10 | Gilgamesh and Huwawa | Narrative composition |