Instructions of Shuruppak
Also known as: Instructions of Shuruppag, The Instructions of Shuruppak, Shuruppak's Instructions
A Sumerian father, Shuruppak, addresses maxims to his son Ziusudra, offering practical and moral counsel on speech, property, piety, and social conduct. The collection became a foundational school text, linking early Mesopotamian wisdom to the flood hero’s lineage.
Description
The Instructions of Shuruppak is among the oldest extant works of wisdom literature, cast as paternal counsel from Shuruppak (son of Ubara-Tutu) to his son Ziusudra, the flood survivor known later as Utnapishtim. In tightly phrased proverbs and admonitions, it urges restraint in speech, honesty in dealings, deference to elders, proper treatment of neighbors, and reverence for the gods. Its voice blends pragmatic social instruction with moral cautions about theft, slander, impulsiveness, and sexual impropriety, aiming to secure prosperity and reputation through measured conduct. The text circulated widely in scribal schools, where apprentice scribes copied it on clay tablets. Although framed by legendary figures connected to antediluvian tradition, the maxims themselves are non-mythic and everyday in scope, reflecting the urban household and marketplace of early Mesopotamia. Its manuscript diffusion and enduring use attest to a long Mesopotamian pedagogy that prized order, prudence, and piety.
Historiography
Known from multiple Old Babylonian tablets, especially from Abu Salabikh and Nippur, with one very early exemplar pointing to an Early Dynastic origin. The composition became a staple of the Old Babylonian curriculum, copied alongside lexical lists and proverbs. Modern editions collate dispersed fragments to reconstruct a sequence of admonitions, though exact line counts vary. Scholarly debate centers on its earliest redaction and the relationship between the legendary framing figures and later flood traditions.
Date Notes
A Sumerian wisdom text likely composed in the Early Dynastic III period; preserved chiefly in Old Babylonian school tablets from sites such as Abu Salabikh and Nippur.
Major Characters
- Shuruppak
- Ziusudra
Myths
- Pre-Deluge Wisdom of Shuruppak
- Counsels to Ziusudra
- Ethical Maxims of Right Conduct
Facts
- Widely regarded as one of the oldest surviving literary compositions.
- Cast as paternal advice from Shuruppak to his son Ziusudra, the Sumerian flood hero.
- Transmitted primarily via Old Babylonian school tablets from sites such as Abu Salabikh and Nippur.
- Written in Sumerian and copied extensively in scribal curricula.
- Content focuses on practical ethics: speech, property, sexual conduct, and social harmony.
- Earliest exemplar points to Early Dynastic III composition.
- The legendary frame links the text to antediluvian traditions without narrating a flood.
- Line order and count vary across manuscripts due to fragmentary preservation and school recensions.
- Often grouped with Mesopotamian wisdom texts like Counsels of Wisdom and Advice to a Prince.