The following passages from a large clay tablet are excerpts from an evaluation of the workforce dedicated to collecting and processing wood and grass products in the province of Umma. Ration lists for the Umma foresters are attested only for the winter-spring season, during which the central administration of Umma provided them with barley and wool. During the rest of the year, they were likely working land that they held in prebend from the state in return for their foresting duties. The inspection was conducted under the authority of A'a-kala, governor of Umma, to determine how much barley and wool was needed to support the foresters during the next working season. There were thirty forests, divided into three groups of ten, each group under the supervision of a different foreman. The text lists sixty men and their ranks. (For example, A-class corresponds to foreman; B-class to head worker.) The text is.....
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