Chapter 03 · 2334 – 2154 BCE
Akkadian Empire
Sargon brings rival city-states under imperial rule.
~2270 BCE · BdI 1, 138 — Banca d'Italia, Rome, Italy
TCBI 1, 157
In plain English
The wife of Lugal-gidri-du receives the following: three loaves of a 4-unit size, three loaves of dabin-flour bread, ten loaves of gu-bread, sixty barley loaves, one sheep's hindquarter, six bowls of soup and two jars of kir-beer. Beli-gi the cook receives a smaller allocation of six loaves of dabin-flour bread, forty barley loaves and two bowls of soup.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse 1. 3 (loaves of) bread, (of) 4 (units each); 2. 3 (loaves of) dabin-flour bread; 3. 10 (loaves of) gu-bread; 4. 60 (loaves of) barley bread; 5. 1 sheep's hindquarter; 6. 6 'bowls' of soup; Reverse 7. 2 (jars of) kaš-kir beer: 8. (for) the wife of Lugal-gidri-du. 9. 6 (loaves of) dabin-flour bread; 10. 40 (loaves of) barley bread; 11. 2 'bowls' of soup: 12. (for) Beli-gi, the cook.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-01/v9-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · BdI 1, 203 — Banca d'Italia, Rome, Italy
TCBI 1, 158
In plain English
Feed issued: three hounds get four loaves each, which takes 2 barig of flour by the Agade measure over twenty days. Twenty kurgi-geese get two-thirds of a sila each, which takes 1 gur, 2 barig and 4 ban of barley for a period of some tens of days. The next lines are lost. On the back, after another damaged entry of 12 shekels, there is an item of 4 for a journey, also 12 shekels, and this too is flour. The chief gatekeeper is responsible. Dated to the month of the barley harvest.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse 1. 3 hounds, 4 breads (each); 2. their flour: 2 barig (by the) Agade (measure), 3. for 20 days. 4. 20 kurgi-geese, 2/3 (sila each); 5. their barley: 1 gur 2 barig 4 ban, 6. for [n+]10 [days]. (Break) Reverse 1'. 10? [...] ...-gi-a ... 12 shekels; 2'. 4 for the journey, 12 shekels; 3'. their flour. 4'. The chief gatekeeper. 5'. Month: Barley harvest.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-01/v9-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · BdI 1, 080 — Banca d'Italia, Rome, Italy
TCBI 1, 160
In plain English
Provisions, measured by the Akkade standard: one gur of onions, three gur of large beans, and one gur of small beans or lentils. The next entries are damaged. One is a product whose name ends in '-lu', another is salt, and the last is at least one gur of gazi spice. The exact amounts of the damaged items are lost.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 1 gur of onions, (by the gur) of Akkade; 2. 3 gur of large legumes; 3. 1 gur of small legumes; 4. [...]-lu, [n] gur; 5. [...] salt, [n] gur; 6. [n+]1 gur of gazi-spice.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-01/v9-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · BdI 2, 004 — Banca d'Italia, Rome, Italy
TCBI 1, 165
In plain English
One jar of sesame oil and five 'umbin' are booked to Dingir-sipa; this entry belongs to An-na-šum's barley account. Two more jars of sesame oil go to someone whose name is only partly preserved, ending in '-nigu'. Ur-erra returned the goods. Dated to the month Ab-e-ziga.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse 1. 1 jar of sesame oil, 5 umbin: 2. Dingir-sipa; 3. it is (for) the barley of An-na-šum. 4. 2 jars of sesame oil: 5. [...]-ni-gu [...]. Reverse 6. Ur-erra 7. returned (it). 8. Month: Ab-e-ziga.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-01/v9-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · BdI 1, 096 — Banca d'Italia, Rome, Italy
TCBI 1, 169
In plain English
Oil allocations: Ur-zigumma gets one full jar of oil. Anna gets one jar, one sila (about a litre) short. Nammaḫ gets one jar plus an extra four sila. Lugal-iri gets one jar, about one and a half sila short.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 1 jar of oil: 2. Ur-zigumma. 3. 1 jar of oil, less 1 sila: 4. Anna. 5. 1 jar of oil (and) 4 sila: 6. [N]ammaḫ. 7. 1 jar of oil, less [1] [1/2] [sila]: 8. Lugal-iri.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-01/v9-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · BdI 1, 120 — Banca d'Italia, Rome, Italy
TCBI 1, 170
In plain English
The opening lines are mostly lost: they listed some shekels' and sila's worth of oil, but the figures and items are gone. What survives says that MUŠ3xAN came for the šešuš occasion and that the oil was handed over to him. The oil is booked as an expense. Dated to the month of Še-sag-saga.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“(Beginning destroyed) 1. [...] shekel(s) [... of oil], [...] sila 2. [...] ... 3. [...] ... 4. [...] 5. MUŠ3xAN, 6. for the šešuš (ŠE.NAM2) (ceremony?), 7. went there; 8. he gave (it) to him. 9. Oil expended. 10. Month: Še-sag-saga.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-01/v9-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · BdI 1, 200 — Banca d'Italia, Rome, Italy
TCBI 1, 171
In plain English
Ghee issued: one jar to Igisu and one jar to Abamuna. IM-ki gets 11 2/3 litres, Ur-zigumma gets just under 11 litres (11 minus a sixth), and Ur-gu gets 9 litres (10 minus 1).
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse 1. 1 jar of ghee: 2. Igisu. 3. 1 (jar): Abamuna. 4. 11 2/3 sila: IM-ki. 5. 11 sila less 1/6 (sila): 6. Ur-zigumma. 7. 10 less 1 sila: Ur-gu.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-01/v9-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · BdI 1, 153 — Banca d'Italia, Rome, Italy
TCBI 1, 179
In plain English
Apples still outstanding, counted in gurdub-baskets: Erin-dani owes two baskets, Lugal-keš owes two, Ur-li owes one, and Ur-manugal owes two. That comes to seven baskets of apples in all, recorded as a shortfall that has not yet been delivered.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse 1. 2 gurdub-baskets of apples: 2. Erin-dani; 3. 2 (baskets): Lugal-keš; 4. 1 (basket): Ur-li; Reverse 5. 2 (baskets): Ur-manugal. 6. Total: 7 gurdub-baskets of apples, 7. outstanding (deficit).”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-01/v9-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry