Annual Documents of Deliveries (mu-DU) to the Central Administration

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The Central Archive of Ebla, dating back to the 24th century BC, contains annual documents that detail the incomes of metals and garments to the Central Administration, alongside expenditures on various metal objects like weapons and jewels over approximately forty-six years. This unique documentary sequence is unmatched in cuneiform literature, covering the eleven-year reign of Irkab-damu and the thirty-five years of his son Iš‛ar-damu, with ministers Ibrium and Ibbi-zikir. The volume presents 110 texts, including annual income documents and partial accounts. Notably, it records silver and gold amounts from previous kings, with metals stored in bars and standard-weight vessels. Most goods were collected yearly by the minister, while additional silver and garments came from various lords and village overseers. City-states under Ebla’s influence provided small tributes as well. Over Ibrium’s eighteen years, silver collected exceeded 3,571 kg, while Ibbi-zikir contributed 2,640 kg of silver and 206 kg of low-quality gold. The significant increase in incomes indicates an evolving state administration. Ebla's kingdom stretched from the Syrian-Turkish border to Ḥama, suggesting that northern Syria developed regional state structures ahead of Mesopotamia by several decades. Images are available for download from the publisher's website, with copyright held by Missione Archeologica Italiana in Siria - Sapienza Università di Roma.