Chapter 03 · 2334 – 2154 BCE
Akkadian Empire
Sargon brings rival city-states under imperial rule.
~2270 BCE · OIM A05441 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
CUSAS 26, 199
In plain English
Errara received 60 'large' gur of barley, which works out to 30 gur by the standard measure. Irizisu received 2 gur, 2 barig and 3 ban in large measure, handed over through Ba-zizi. Lu-dingira received 2 gur, 2 barig and 3 ban in standard measure. The totals come to 60 gur (as written), 2 barig and 3 ban in large measure, and 32 gur, 2 barig and 3 ban in standard measure. The account is signed off by E-šegid.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse/Reverse (no side markers in the source; lines numbered sequentially here) 1. 60 gur of barley, (by the) large gur, 2. (equal to) 30 gur (by the) standard gur: 3. Errara 4. received (it). 5. 2 gur 2 barig 3 ban, (by the) large gur, 6. Irizisu 7. — hand of Ba-zi[zi] — 8. rec[eived] (it). 9. 2 gur 2 barig 3 ban, (by the) [standard] gur: 10. Lu-dingira. 11. Total: 60 (gur) 2 barig 3 ban, (by the) large gur; 12. total: 32 gur 2 barig 3 ban, (by the) standard gur. 13. Hand of E-šegid.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · BM — — British Museum, London, UK
CUSAS 26, 221
In plain English
The start of the list is lost. After that, the tablet counts work gangs: a gang of twelve-plus men under Lugal-DIRI-DI, forty-six men under Dingir-nu-mea, and another gang of at least twenty men whose leader's name is broken off. The total is 418 workmen organised under 9 foremen, and the name Ur-sag-Utu follows, probably the man responsible for the whole workforce. After a damaged line, a new entry begins with a count of more than fifty workmen, followed by a broken reference that may be to a seah measure of grain and to 'heads'. The rest can't be read.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“(Beginning destroyed) [...] ... [...] ... 2 [...] ... [...+]12 workmen: Lugal-DIRI-DI 46 workmen: Dingir-nu-mea [...+]20[+...] [...] Total: 7 sixties less 2 (= 418) workmen, 9 foremen; Ur-sag-Utu. [...] ... [...] 5[x+]1 workmen, [...?] seah(?) [...] head(s)(?) [...?]”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · BM — — British Museum, London, UK
CUSAS 26, 232
In plain English
Lugal-abzua is credited with 25 talents and 23 minas of wool, and Ur-ad₆ with 23 talents less 7 minas. Out of this, Inim-mani received 3 talents of wool. All of it is wool that was plucked from the sheep belonging to the goddess Inanna.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse / Reverse (no side division is marked in the source) 1. 25 talents 23 minas of wool: 2. Lugal-abzua. 3. 23 talents less 7 minas of wool: 4. Ur-ad₆. 5. From it, 3 talents of wool [...] 6. Inim-mani 7. received. 8. (This is) wool of the sheep of Inanna, 9. (which) was plucked.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · BM — — British Museum, London, UK
CUSAS 26, 235
In plain English
Receipt: Ur-[...] (the rest of the name is lost) has taken delivery of 960 gur of barley, principal amount, properly checked, as barley rations. The purpose or recipient that followed is broken. A second lot of at least 600 gur of barley, also principal, has been received by the men of the mar-za. Next to it is a note of some number of minas, apparently at 10 each, but the exact figure is damaged.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse(?) 1. 16 (curved notation: 1 × 600 + 6 × 60 = 960) gur of barley, cap[ital], in order, 2. barley rations [......]: 3. Ur-[......] 4. [has] received. 5. 1(× 600) [+ n] gur of barley, capital; 6. [n+]1 mina(s), 10 each(?): 7. the men of the mar-za 8. have received. (The transliteration supplied ends here)”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · BM — — British Museum, London, UK
CUSAS 26, 237
In plain English
Some shekels of silver (the exact amount is lost) were paid out as the price for Ur-nukam, and it was the en who weighed out the silver. Nanna-anzud held that silver as a claim against Lugal-KA. The last line names Lugal-KA again as the one who acts, but the text as we have it does not say what he did.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“[n] shekels of silver, the purchase price of Ur-nukam, the en weighed out for it. That silver, Nanna-anzud with Lugal-KA had (as a claim) — Lugal-KA …”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · BM — — British Museum, London, UK
CUSAS 26, 240
In plain English
Urrani received 10 gur of barley. Ama-… received 2 minas 15 shekels of copper, though the rest of his name is broken off. Nanna-ikuš received half a mina of copper. Finally, 2 barig of barley are entered on account of the 2 barig of barley that someone measured out.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 10 gur of barley: 2. Ur[rani] 3. rec[eived]. 4. 2 min[as] 15 shekels of copper: 5. Ama-[......]. 6. ½ [mina] of copper: 7. Nanna-ikuš. 8. 2 barig of barley (gur-measure), 9. on account of the 2 barig of barley (that) he measured out.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · BM — — British Museum, London, UK
CUSAS 26, 243
In plain English
The record opens partway through an entry: someone whose name ends in "-ri" has signed for a delivery. Next, one gur of coarse barley flour went to be baked into bread, and someone whose name ends in "-daka" signed for it. Another batch of flour, amount lost, was also baked into bread and signed for by a person whose name is partly readable as "...-lumlum". A final entry of flour starts with an amount that includes 2 barig, but the text stops there and the rest of the entry is missing.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“[...]-ri received. 1 gur of dabin-flour, baked into bread: [...]-da-ka [...] received. [n (gur of)] dabin-flour, baked into [bread]: x-lum-lum [...] received. [(n gur)] 2 barig of dabin-flour, ...”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · BM — — British Museum, London, UK
CUSAS 26, 244
In plain English
Two gur of barley, measured by the official Akkade standard (about 600 liters). Next comes an entry for beer-bread, but the amount and details are lost. The following entries are 1 barig, 1 ban and 5 sila (about 75 liters) of something that is broken off; 1 barig and 1 ban of barley (about 70 liters) for someone whose name ends in '-zizi'; and 2 ban and 5 sila (about 25 liters) of an item that can no longer be read. The rest of each of these lines is damaged.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“(Beginning of the text as given) 1. 2 gur of barley, (by the gur) of Akkade; 2. beer-bread ... [...] ...; 3. 1 barig 1 ban 5 sila [...] from(?) [...]; 4. 1 barig 1 ban of barley, [...]-zizi(?); 5. 2 ban 5 sila ... [...] ... (End of the transliteration as given)”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry