Position in chronology
MAD 4, 139
About this tablet
A small delivery note from Umma, in southern Iraq, written under the kings of Akkad around 2300–2200 BCE. It records seven goat skins, sorted by whether their edges were 'covered' or not, credited to two men, Ur-Šara and Ur-Suen. Two others, Mutila and Dumuzi-andul, brought the skins in for the governor's offerings. It shows that even humble materials like hides were counted and tracked by the provincial administration, and that the governor's cult supplies passed through the same bookkeeping.
Plain-language summary by the engine — meant as a doorway into the literal translation below.
Written in modern English
Ur-Šara's share is three goat skins: two with the edges covered and one without. Ur-Suen's share is four goat skins: three with the edges covered and one without. Mutila and Dumuzi-andul delivered the skins for the governor's offerings. Dated year 3, month 10.
A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.
Translation — our engine
Our engine1. 2 goat skins, side(s) covered, 2. 1 goat skin, side not covered: 3. it is (that) of Ur-Šara. 4. 3 goat skins, side(s) covered, 5. 1 goat skin, side not covered: 6. it is (that) of Ur-Suen. 7. (For) the offerings of the governor, 8. Mutila (and) 9. Dumuzi-andul 10. brought (them) in. 11. Year 3, month 10.
Our translation engine — Opus 5.5. Reads the photo, translates the cuneiform, and writes a plain-language interpretation. See methodology for limits.
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Transliteration
2(asz@c) kusz ud5 za3-szu2 1(asz@c) kusz ud5 za3 nu-szu2 ur-szara2-ka-kam 3(asz@c) kusz ud5 za3-szu2 1(asz@c) kusz ud5 za3 nu-szu2 ur-suen-kam ensi2 nidba-ka mu-ti-la-a dumu-zi-an-dul3-e mu-kux(DU) 3(disz@t) mu 1(u) iti
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Old Akkadian (ca. 2340-2200 BC)) — MAD 4, 139. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: Louvre Museum, Paris, France (P215299) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved).
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One of the earliest specimens of human writing. Not literature, not law — accounting. The need to keep track of grain in a temple bureaucracy is what pushed marks-on-clay into a system that could one day carry epics.
A window into the world's first total state. The Ur III administration tracked every animal, every worker, every shekel — for a population in the millions. The level of paperwork was not exceeded until the modern era.