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ΕλληνικάSumerian tradition Paleo-Babylonian copy
Love song to Shu-Sin
A love song addressed to Shu-Sin
The writing also preserved the affection, desire and words of a song.
Museum documentation · free public access, no account required.
Documentary original · Exact correspondence
Photograph of the original tablet: Love Song to Shu-Suen, Ni.2461. Andriy Makukha / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0; clipping published in Commons.
Andriy Makukha (Amakuha) · Archaeological Museums of Istanbul, Türkiye · Inventory: Ist Ni 02461 / Ni.2461; CDLI P343111 · CC0 1.0
History and context
A voice addresses Shu-Sin with affection and desire. The song reminds us that ancient archives don't just contain accounts and victories: they also keep ways of talking about love. The Oxford edition identifies it as a balbale of Inanna.
The king and the copy do not have to be contemporaries. CDLI classifies this tablet as Paleo-Babylonian, while Shu-Sin belongs to the third dynasty of Ur. We also do not know the identity of the person who composed the song nor should we confuse a poetic voice with a private confession.
Evidence and interpretation
Inventory Ni.2461, not Si.2461. The museum disclosure approximates its date to 2000 BCE; The dating of the copy of the academic catalog is preserved. Its relationship with rituals does not prove a specific ceremony or its annual performance.
Catalogue facts
- Date of piece
- Paleo-Babylonian copy, around 1900–1600 BCE according to CDLI
- Culture and period
- Sumerian tradition Paleo-Babylonian copy
- Provenance
- Nippur, Iraq
- Material
- Clay
- Inventory
- Ist Ni 02461 / Ni.2461 · CDLI P343111
A SHARED TOPIC, DIFFERENT MOMENTS
Objects connected through time
Follow a topic across the collections. A shared tag is a way to compare objects, not proof that one culture influenced another.
The order uses the midpoint of each approximate date range; ranges can overlap. Spacing does not represent elapsed time. Swipe, scroll or use the arrows. With the sequence focused, use ← / →, Home or End.
Clay32 dated objects
≈29,000–27,000 years
Dolní Věstonice I
Prehistory
Approximate catalogue age; editorial reference 2026 for ordering only, not calibrated dating.
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mid-6th–5th millennium BCE
Before Sumer
Sumer
The full 6th–5th millennia BCE provide broad limits for chronological ordering; the record qualifies the date as ‘mid’; the item's date is used, not the broader preceding period.
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Early Neolithic · VI–V millennia BCE
Twin-chambered vessel from Cova de l’Or
Prehistory
Interval of the VI–V millennia BCE; no precise annual date.
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ca. 4400–3800 BCE
Before Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Date of the representative vessel, not of the entire predynastic period.
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V–IV millennium BCE
Before Nubia
Nubia, Kerma and Kush
Interval of the V–IV millennia BCE of the element, not of the entire preceding period.
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Middle Neolithic, c. 4000 BCE
Before Gojoseon
Gojoseon and early Korea
Date of the ceramic element, not of the preceding period.
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ca. 3500–3000 BCE
Bevel-rimmed bowl
Sumer
The wage ration hypothesis is not used as a functional label.
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3500–2900 BCE · proto-urban period; towards 3300 BCE as a guide, not exact date
Susa accounting bulla
Sumer
Posted range; "towards 3300" is just orientation within that range.
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c. 3100–2900 BCE
Jemdet Nasr
Sumer
Approximate dating according to the record.
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c. 3100–2900 BCE
Account of malt and barley
Sumer
Approximate dating according to the record.
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Middle Jōmon, ca. 3000 BCE
Before Yayoi
Yayoi Japan
Date of the Jōmon element, not of the entire preceding period.
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ca. 2500–2200 BCE
Vasiliki
Greek worlds
Date range for the regional pottery assemblage.
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c. 2500–2000 BCE
Before Ancient China
Ancient China
Approximate dating according to the record.
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c. 2500–2000 BCE
Longshan
Ancient China
Date range for the Longshan pottery assemblage.
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c. 19th century BCE
Overlapping datesBefore the Hittites
Hittites
Date of the representative document, not of the entire preceding period.
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Kotosh-Mito Tradition, c. 2200–1500 BCE; the enclosure is usually situated around 1800 BCE.
Overlapping datesBefore Pre-Inca Cultures
Pre-Inca cultures
Element tradition interval; "around 1800" orients the enclosure.
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19th–18th centuries BCE
Overlapping datesQueen of the Night
Sumer
Approximate dating according to the record.
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Paleo-Babylonian period · around 1800 BCE
Overlapping datesPlimpton 322
Sumer
Approximate dating according to the record.
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Towards 1800 BCE
Overlapping datesSumerian King List
Sumer
Date of preserved copy, not of reigns listed.
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You are viewingPaleo-Babylonian copy, around 1900–1600 BCE according to CDLI
Love song to Shu-Sin
Sumer
Date of the preserved Paleo-Babylonian copy, not of the origin of the song.
Current record
Towards 1900–1600 BCE · paleobabylonian; uncertain chronological attribution in CDLI
Overlapping datesSi.427 tablet
Sumer
Unclear chronological attribution in CDLI.
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≈1700–1650 BCE
Overlapping datesPhaistos Disc
Greek worlds
The signs have no accepted reading.
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Towards 1650 BCE
Overlapping datesSumerian Flood of Nippur
Sumer
Approximate dating according to the record.
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Above all 17th–13th centuries BCE
Overlapping datesBoğazköy Archive
Hittites
Main date range for the archive, not a single date for all the tablets.
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c. 1375 BCE
Linear B
Greek worlds
Approximate dating according to the record.
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c. 1300 BCE
Alaksandu of Wilusa
Hittites
Approximate dating according to the record.
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c. 1259 BCE, year 21 of Ramesses II
Treaty with Egypt
Hittites
Date of the treaty and its copy; not of the origin of relations between the two kingdoms.
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7th century BCE
Flood Tablet
Sumer
Approximate dating according to the record.
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Towards 700–500 BCE
Babylonian map of the world
Sumer
Approximate dating according to the record.
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522–486 BCE
Glazed brick guards
Achaemenid Persia
Date range associated with the reign of the decoration.
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Towards 509–493 BCE
Rations for women and children
Achaemenid Persia
Date range of the archive and its documents.
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regional range c. 800 BCE–650 CE
Urewe vessel
Bantu-speaking worlds
Regional date range for the Urewe type, not an individual date for each vessel.
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Also connected, without a comparable date (8)
These objects are not placed after the others: an unknown date does not mean a more recent object.
- A White Wall on the DanubeCeltic worlds · 6th century BCE
- Blue that does not yieldMaya worlds · Documented use from the Classic, c. 300–1500 CE
- Cyrus speaks as king of BabylonAchaemenid Persia · After the conquest of Babylon in 539 BCE
- Early potteryMande Worlds · before ca. 9400 cal BCE
- Made in GaramaGaramantes · I millennium BCE–I millennium CE
- Piece-mold castingAncient China · c. 1600–1046 BCE
- The unfinished gestureBatwa / Twa histories · 1947
- Vessels without a languageBantu-speaking worlds · Urewe, broad regional range ca. 800 BCE–650 CE
A closer look
About 1 min to read · 1 section. Further reading and sources · free access. Editorial review recorded: .
A literary voice, not a biography
The song uses sweetness and closeness to express affection; It also names the king and the divinities. It is possible to study this language and its religious context without attributing it to an identified author or describing as fact a wedding that the tablet does not directly document. A literal translation of the poem is not reproduced here.
Where it is held
Istanbul Archaeological Museums
Item or group in the record · Documented collection
Institution that preserves the piece; Check with the museum about its availability to visit.
The holding institution is documented; public display may change. Check its official record before visiting.
Sources and references
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