Letter from Iddin-Sin to Zinu

The letter is often cited as a document giving insight into daily life in ancient Mesopotamia and as an example of the unchanging essence of human nature through the ages.

The Assyriologist A. Leo Oppenheim translated the letter as follows in 1967:[2][3] Tell the lady Zinu: Iddin-Sin sends the following message: May the gods Shamash, Marduk and Ilabrat keep you forever in good health for my sake.

[7][8] It was customary during this time not only for boys who wished to become priests or scribes, but also sons of public officials, to attend boarding schools where they could study cuneiform and literature.

[5][9][10][11] Iddin-Sin was concerned with the quality of his clothes vis-à-vis those of his friends;[11] just like today, his status was based, at least in part, on appearing to be wealthy.

The standard opening "Iddin-Sin sends the following message" suggests dictation[3] but the script used in the letter is somewhat clumsy, with the language used showing mistakes expected of an inexperienced writer and perhaps colloquial speech.

[15] The Assyriologist Rivkah Harris considered the letter to "vividly capture the spirit of a clever and manipulative child who is already something of a 'clothes-horse'".

[5] The historian William H. Stiebling Jr. considered the letter an example showcasing that "human nature has not changed very much since antiquity", with the letter evidencing competition between peers to have the best clothes and jewelry, and further concluded that "children's whiny attempts to manipulate their parents have not changed over the ages".