Position in chronology
DP 199
Translation — curated editorial
EditorialEditorial entry — translation cited from: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P220849.
Translation · AI engine
read from photo1 sheep (for) Nin-Mar 1 sheep (for) the animal pen (é-tur₃) — calves to be properly fed/tended — Bara-namtara has applied/struck the (wooden) implement (gešbe₂-tag) Nin-mu-ma-da-ag₂ the barber (šu-i) has brought in (e-da-kux) (and they have been) fed (gu₇-a) (by) Enku The animal fattener (kurušda): 4 (animals in total)
7 uncertain terms ↓
- gesz be2-tag — Literally 'to strike/apply the wooden implement'; the exact administrative action is debated — it may refer to marking, branding, or a wooden tally/authorization instrument. Context suggests an official act of authorization or marking of the animals.
- nin-mu-ma-da-ag2 — A personal name; the element ag₂ means 'to measure/love'; the full name may be read 'My lady/mistress has truly measured/loved (me)' or similar — a theophoric construction. Could also be a title rather than a name.
- szu-i — Conventionally translated 'barber' in Lagash administrative texts; the presence of a barber in a livestock record may indicate he is a named official/recipient rather than performing barbering duties in this context.
- e-da-kux(DU) — Verbal form: 'has entered/brought in (with someone)'; the prefix e-da- implies comitative action ('brought in together with'). The precise reading of the DU sign as kux (a specialized entry/delivery verb) is well-attested in Early Dynastic Girsu but worth noting.
- amar a si-ge4-de3 — 'Calves to be properly watered/fed': si-ge₄ can mean 'to fill, to satisfy, to water/feed properly'; the phrase describes the intended treatment of the young animals. Some scholars read this as 'calves to be returned to their mothers (for suckling)'.
- kuruszda — The title of an official responsible for fattening animals destined for institutional consumption or offering; sometimes rendered 'animal fattener,' 'chief herdsman,' or 'fodder official' in different scholarly traditions.
- 4(|ASZxDISZ@t|) — The numeral sign here uses a composite notation for 4; this is the total count summary at the tablet's close, standard for Lagash administrative records. The exact graphemic form of the numeral sign as described in the transliteration cannot be independently verified from the photo at this resolution.
Reasoning ↓
The photograph shows a small, well-rounded clay tablet (museum number AO 13407 visible in purple ink on the left edge) displayed from multiple angles: obverse, reverse, and all four edges. The surface is light tan/buff clay, moderately worn but with wedge impressions clearly visible on the obverse and parts of the reverse. The obverse shows multiple horizontal lines of text with clear Sumerian cuneiform signs; individual sign clusters are legible under magnification corresponding to the transliteration's livestock and personal-name entries. The reverse (bottom panel of the photo) is somewhat smoother with fewer lines but still carries signs consistent with the summary line (kurušda-kam and the numeral). The transliteration and photo are broadly consistent: the numeric notation 1(asz@c) for the sheep entries, the personal names (Bara-namtara, Nin-mu-ma-da-ag₂, En-ku), and the functional terms (šu-i = barber, kurušda = fattener/animal keeper) all appear to correspond to the sign clusters visible on the tablet. Cannot fully verify every sign from the photo at this resolution, particularly the AMAR phrase and the gešbe₂-tag sequence. The term e-da-kux(DU) 'has brought in' and gu₇-a 'fed' are standard Early Dynastic Girsu administrative vocabulary. The tablet belongs to the well-known Lagash/Girsu corpus (Deimel Plates = DP series), comparable to similar livestock allocation records from that archive.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · prompt 2026-05-12/v4-interpretation · May 16, 2026 · 2263 in / 1294 out tokens
Transliteration
1(asz@c) udu nin-mar 1(asz@c) udu e2-tur3 amar a si-ge4-de3 bara2-nam-tar-ra gesz be2-tag nin-mu-ma-da-ag2 szu-i e-da-kux(DU) gu7-a en-ku3 kuruszda-kam 4(|ASZxDISZ@t|)
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (ED IIIb (ca. 2500-2340 BC)) — DP 199. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: Louvre Museum, Paris, France (P220849) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P220849..
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Marks the boundary between proto-writing and writing. We can see signs being used systematically — but not yet phonetically. The leap to recording speech itself comes a few centuries later.
The earliest historical document in human history. Before this, we have lists, accounts, and dedications. Here, for the first time, a ruler tells us what happened — with names, places, and consequences.