Chapter 03 · 2334 – 2154 BCE
Akkadian Empire
Sargon brings rival city-states under imperial rule.
~2270 BCE · OIM A01007 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Adab 1007
In plain English
The opening is lost. The record lists beer for Angu, the general, then one dabulug-container of bread and two measures of beer for a second general whose name is only partly preserved, ...-en-.... A further allotment of bread and beer follows, but its amounts are broken away. The next line, beginning Geš(?)-nim, is too damaged to understand. The tablet then lists one talent (or bale) of an uncertain commodity, three bundles of something and one bundle of coriander. An entry for someone whose name ends in -e involves gold. The last line says that the goods were brought, but the rest of it is lost.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse(?) [...] [...] (measures of) beer, (for) Angu, the general. 1 dabulug (container) of bread, 2 (measures of) beer, (for) ...-en-[...], the general. [...] da[bulug] of bread, [...] (measures of) beer, Geš(?)-nim [...] ... 1 talent of LU, ... nu-[...]-dar(?), 3 bundles of LU(?), 1 bundle of coriander, [...]-e: KU of gold, [...] brought.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-08/v10-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A01014 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Adab 1014
In plain English
Flour issued, measured by the Agade standard: 1 barig minus 5 sila to Da-bulug for making bread, 3 ban to the Meluhhans, and 1 barig to Nabium. Total: 2 barig 2 ban 5 sila of flour by the Agade standard, booked as an expenditure under Ug-IL₂. Gena handled the delivery, and Ili acted as the supervising commissioner.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse 1. 1 barig minus 5 sila of dabin flour, (by the) Agade (standard): 2. Da-bulug, (for) bread; 3. 3 ban: they are Meluhhans; 4. 1 barig: Nabium. Reverse 5. Total: 2 barig 2 ban 5 sila of dabin flour, (by the) Agade (standard), 6. expended (by/for) Ug-IL₂; 7. via Gena; 8. commissioner: Ili.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-08/v10-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A01015 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Adab 1015
In plain English
864 loaves of bread were issued, and baking them used 1 gur, less a small amount (the exact figure is partly lost), of semolina, measured by the Agade standard. A further measure plus half a sila of barley went for a product written ḪI×DIŠ. All of this was for Nisqu and the soldiers. The barley is recorded as spent by Enanatum, in the month of Šu-gar.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“864 (loaves of) bread; its semolina: 1 gur minus 1 (unit) 1 [... sila], (in) Agade (gur); 1 (unit) ½ sila of barley (for) ḪI×DIŠ; (for) Nisqu and the sol[diers]. Barley expen[ded] (by) Enanatum. Month Šu-[gar].”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-08/v10-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A01057 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Adab 1057
In plain English
The first line is damaged, but it lists some dabin-flour, followed by a heap of flour for an offering and an item called igi-zi. Then come 1 sila of dabin-flour and 1 sila of groats, used when the plough was 'released' to begin work. All of this is booked as expended, handled by Sipa-anne the cook, in the month of Dukug.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“[...] dabin-flour, [... a heap (of) fl]our (zidubdub), igi-zi; 1 sila of dabin-flour, 1 sila of gr[oats]: (for when) the plough was 'released'; expended; Sipa-anne, the cook. Month Dukug.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-08/v10-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A01067 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Adab 1067
In plain English
Three jars of oil, each holding 4 sila, are recorded for Ur-Utu, the overseer of the large boats, for the voyage to the sea. The next line, which said what was done for him, is broken. The transaction was supervised by a cupbearer whose name is only partly preserved (Lu-x-zi), acting as commissioner. Dated to the month Še-sag-saga.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“3 jars of oil, (each of) 4 sila, Ur-Utu, overseer of the large boats, to the sea [...] to/for him [...] [...] Lu-x-zi, the cupbearer, (was) its commissioner. Month: Še-sag-saga.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-08/v10-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A01095 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Adab 1095
In plain English
Harvest month. Five days in, the plot was made ready for threshing. By day ten the barley had been reaped. At the fifteen-day mark, the second stage of the work, the field was checked and confirmed as being in order.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Month of the harvest: 5 days have passed; the [sar] for the threshing (gaz) has been done. 10 days have passed; the barley has been harvested. 15 days: its second (stage), the field is confirmed.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-08/v10-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A01099 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Adab 1099
In plain English
Ten (the rest of the line is lost) received barley rations of 4 gur and 3 ban, measured by the royal Agade standard. One ox was allotted 2 barig and 3 ban of barley. Together that makes 4 gur and 3 barig of barley by the Agade measure. The grain was issued under Bizaza, here in Adab.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“10? [...] ..., its barley ration: 4 gur 3 ban, (by the gur of) Agade; 1 ox, its barley ration: 2 barig 3 ban. Total: 4 gur 3 barig of barley, (by the gur of) Agade. Issued; Bizaza. In Adab.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-08/v10-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A01104 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Adab 1104
In plain English
The account opens with 6 large units and 2 smaller units of bar-bar reeds, entered for someone described as a chief of Agade. The next entry mentions a person whose name begins with Nin-. Most of the following lines are too damaged to read, although one entry ends in a name or word ending in -si-ešgur. The grand total is 7 large units, 7 smaller units, 4 sixties and 43 bar-bar reeds, and the account is credited to the boatmen.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“6 gešʾu(@v) 2 gešʾu bar-bar reeds, [...] the chief(?) of Agade; [...] ... Nin-[...]; [...] ... [...] [...] [...] [...] ... [...] [...]-si-ešgur(?); [Total:] 7(?) gešʾu(@v) 7 gešʾu 4(?) geš 43 bar-bar reeds, (of) the boatmen.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-08/v10-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry