Chapter 03 · 2334 – 2154 BCE
Akkadian Empire
Sargon brings rival city-states under imperial rule.
~2270 BCE · AO 00286 — Louvre Museum, Paris, France
AO 00286
In plain English
An issue slip from the storeroom: 30 liters of coarse semolina flour, 30 liters of fine flour, 20 liters of flour for first-quality bread, 30 liters of zatum-flour, and 30 liters of barley for making soup. A further note concerns zikum-flour on hand. All of it is booked as the regular, recurring offering deliveries — the standing order that the kitchen filled on schedule.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 3 ban (of) dabin-flour, 2. 3 ban (of) fine flour, 3. 2 ban (of) flour for first-quality (sag-)bread, 4. 3 ban (of) zatum-flour, 5. 3 ban (of) barley for soup, 6. ... there is (in stock?) zikum-flour; 7. (as) regular offerings.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · AO 03393 — Louvre Museum, Paris, France
AO 03393
In plain English
This is a payout record for dates. The heading books three donkey-loads of dates in leather sacks, issued at three sila (about three liters) per person. Then come the recipients: Ur-šul, Geme-bani, Geme-Šulpa'e, Meme, Nin-hegal, Geme-Ištaran, Zizi, Sa-sa, Ka-sa and E-zi each get the standard three sila, while Nin-alla and Lu-Nunki receive around sixty — perhaps supervisors or heads of gangs. The account is dated to the month of the Festival of Baba and closed with the bookkeeper's stamp of finality: booked as expenditure.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 3 donkey(-loads) of leather sacks(?) of dates — at 3 sila each: 2. Ur-šul, 3. 3 (sila): Geme-ba?-ni, 4. 3 (sila): Geme-Šulpa'e, 5. 60(?) (sila): Nin-alla, 6. 3 (sila): Meme, 7. 3 (sila): Nin-hegal, 8. 3 (sila): Geme-Ištaran, 9. 3 (sila): Zizi, 10. 3 (sila): Sa-sa, 11. 3 (sila): Ka-sa, 12. 3(?) (sila): E-zi, 13. 60(?) (sila): Lu-Nunki. 14. Month: "Festival of Baba." 15. Expenditure (zi-ga).”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · AO 03416 — Louvre Museum, Paris, France
AO 03416
In plain English
Seed allocation, by man: Iškur-kalama 210 sar; ARAD-e-PU3 60; Dingir-gani 20; Lu-banda 27 (written "30 less 3"); Ur-nigar 86; Ba-zizi 57 ("60 less 3"); Gi-gittum 30; E-damu 40; Puzur-Ea 30; Ur-dumu 30. Total: 590 sar of seed (written "600 less 10"). A further figure, 20, is entered below the total without explanation. The arithmetic balances exactly.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 210 sar of seed: 2. Iškur-kalama; 3. 60: ARAD-e-PU3; 4. 20: Dingir-gani; 5. 30 less 3 (= 27): Lu-banda; 6. 86: Ur-nigar; 7. 60 less 3 (= 57): Ba-zizi; 8. 30: Gi-gittum; 9. 40: E-damu; 10. 30: Puzur-Ea; 11. 30: Ur-dumu. 12. Total: 600 less 10 (= 590) sar of seed. 13. 20.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · AO 31359 — Louvre Museum, Paris, France
AO 31359
In plain English
One each is booked for Udu-[...], Lugal-[...], Dada, Ur-e, Lu-Utu, Ur-Abu, Ur-dumu, and [Ur?]-e. The total comes to twelve men, all of them soldiers in the king's service. A final line, damaged, adds something about im-sag and possibly a goat. Only eight names survive against a stated total of twelve, so part of the roster is lost or stood elsewhere on the tablet.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 1 (unit): Udu-[......] 2. 1 (unit): Lugal-[x x?] 3. 1 (unit): Da-da 4. 1 (unit): Ur-e 5. 1 (unit): Lu-Utu 6. 1 (unit): Ur-Abu 7. 1 (unit): Ur-dumu 8. [1 (unit): Ur?]-e 9. Total: 12 able-bodied men, 10. they are royal soldiers (aga-us). 11. ... im-sag, goat(?)”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · AO 31388 — Louvre Museum, Paris, France
AO 31388
In plain English
A short disbursement list of beer. The first recipient's name is damaged beyond recovery; he received four jars. A gala-priest also received four. Lugal-ma-[...] and Da-da were each allotted three jars, and the list closes with Lugal-bi. Nothing else survives — no date, no issuing office, no total — just the quantities and the people who took them.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. Da-[...]-...-[...] 2. 4 jars of beer 3. gala(-priest) 4. 4 jars of beer 5. Lugal-ma-[...] 6. 3 jars of beer 7. Da-da 8. 3 jars of beer 9. Lugal-bi”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A32264 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
AS 17, 09
In plain English
The account opens with 371 apples delivered but never tallied on arrival. Then come six further batches, counted in order: 73 in the first, 68 in the second, 57 in the third, 49 in the fourth, 18 in the fifth and 20 in the sixth. A line about pine follows, with a figure of 25 or so that is too damaged to read with confidence. The ledger then closes with two grand totals — 656 apples, charged to Išar-bēlī, and 656 figs, likewise recorded as brought out. The apple figure matches the individual entries exactly.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 371 apples — 2. they were brought out; not counted. 3. 73 (+ n?) — this is (of) the first (batch) 4. 68 — for the second 5. 60 minus 3 (= 57) — for the third 6. 50 minus 1 (= 49) — for the fourth 7. 20 minus 2 (= 18) — for the fifth 8. 20 — for the sixth 9. (......) pine 10. [n] 25(?) (......) 11. Total: 656 apples — 12. Išar-bēlī. 13. Total: 656 figs — 14. they were brought out.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · Berlin 059 — Land Berlin, Berlin, Germany
ASJ 14, 102 6
In plain English
Barley receipts, measured in the standard 'head' gur and certified as correct: Lul-gu-ak, gu-sur — 521 gur, 2 barig, 5 sila; Abba-saga, gu-sur — 237 gur; E-halub-e, gu-sur — 63 gur; Ur-nigar, gu-sur — 100 gur; Lugal-kisal — 60 gur; Amar-ezinu, brother of Ur-PA — 23 gur, 1 barig, 2 ban2; Dada, gu-sur — 300 gur. Grand total: 1,305 gur less 3 ban2 5 sila, same standard measure, checked. Enna-dingir took delivery. Lugal-saga signed off as commissioner.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 521 gur 2 barig 5 sila of barley, by the sag-gal gur, (measured) exact: 2. Lul-gu-ak, the gu-sur; 3. 237 (gur): Abba-saga, the gu-sur; 4. 63 (gur): E-halub-e, the gu-sur; 5. 100 (gur): Ur-nigar, the gu-sur; 6. 60 (gur): Lugal-kisal; 7. 23 gur 1 barig 2 ban2: Amar-ezinu, 8. brother of Ur-PA; 9. 300 (gur): Dada, the gu-sur. 10. Total(?): 1,305 gur less 3 ban2 5 sila of barley, by the sag-gal gur, (measured) exact. 11. Enna-dingir 12. received (it). 13. Lugal-saga was the commissioner (maškim).”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · MM 0021 — Montserrat Museum, Barcelona, Spain
AuOr 09, 148 1
In plain English
The surface is badly worn, but the entries that survive read like a work-and-supply ledger: a plot of land, seed grain set aside for storage, two days of labour credited, some timber, and a named man assigned to processing work. Two further lines are destroyed. The account closes the way such records normally do — logged to the scribe, marked as a delivery received, and dated to the seventh year, with the month name now lost.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. [......] iku field(?) (GAN₂) 2. seed, to be deposited(?) 3. labour: 2 days 4. ... wood/timber, PAP-[......] 5. [......] the man (of the) du₈(-work) 6. [......] ... ... [......] 7. [......] ... ... [......] 8. [for/by the sc]ribe 9. delivery (mu-kux(DU)) 10. [......] year 7, month(s)”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry