Chapter 03 · 2334 – 2154 BCE
Akkadian Empire
Sargon brings rival city-states under imperial rule.
~2270 BCE · BM — — British Museum, London, UK
CUSAS 26, 247
In plain English
Enne-ne receives drinking beer (the amount is lost) plus one jug of beer to take on the road. Ur-ganungal receives 2 ban of bread, 5 sila of pea flour, one vessel of drinking beer and one jug for the road.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. [n] (vessel(s)) of drinking beer, 1 jug (for) the road: 2. Enne-ne. 3. 2 ban of bread, 5 sila of pea flour, 4. 1 (vessel) of drinking beer, 1 jug (for) the road: 5. Ur-ganungal.”
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, 248
In plain English
This is a record of beer-making supplies. Gišgal-esi gets top-grade beer-bread, counted by the large gur measure (the amount is not given), plus 5 gur of top-grade groats. Mīrānum, the household manager, gets 2 barig of top-grade beer-bread and 2 barig of top-grade groats. Ēṭib-mēr, the wine-man, gets 2 barig each of ordinary-grade beer-bread and groats. The chief administrator of Ninazu's temple, whose name is only partly legible, signed for the goods. They are booked as withdrawn from stock.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“[n] gur of fine-quality beer-bread, (measured by) the large gur; 5 gur of fine-quality groats: (for) Gišgal-esi. 2 barig of fine-quality beer-bread, 2 barig of fine-quality groats: (for) Mīrānum, the household administrator. 2 barig of ordinary-quality beer-bread, 2 barig of ordinary-quality groats: (for) Ēṭib-mēr, the wine-man. ISZ-ISZ-gi4-x, the temple administrator of Ninazu, received (it). Expended.”
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, 249
In plain English
Four minas of wool, about two kilograms, are recorded against a list of people: Agugi; Nig-KA-zu (the reading is not certain), who works for Atume; two more people whose names are lost; Adabar (partly restored); and Binitum. Next comes an entry of 1, probably a further mina of wool, for someone whose name ends in '-mum' and is otherwise damaged. The last line is too damaged to understand. It may mention a place or a field.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 4 minas of wool: 2. Agugi; 3. Nig-KA-zu(?), 4. man of Atume; 5. [......] 6. [......] 7. [A?]dabar; 8. Binitum; 9. 1: x-(x)-mum; 10. KI(?) x GAN2(?) ......”
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, 253
In plain English
The first line is broken apart from a few signs. Next come some grain-fed sheep, apparently taken from a field holding, entered under Abzu-kiduga, together with two boatloads of food offerings, in the month of Šesagku. Then three grain-fed sheep are entered under Nanna-ramugi, in the month of Akiti.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse(?) 1. [...] x AN x 2. [n sheep(?)] grain-fed, 3. [(x)] cut off from the field(?); 4. Abzu-kiduga. 5. 2 boats (of) food offerings; 6. [month] Šesagku. 7. 3 grain-fed sheep; 8. Nanna-ra[mu]gi. 9. [month] Akiti.”
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, 259
In plain English
The top of the list is lost. What survives is a register of amounts entered against names. An unknown amount goes to the man from Lagaš and another unknown amount to Dudu. E-edinne gets 2 and Išar-aḫi gets 3. An amount is missing for someone whose name begins Amar-. Lu-marza, described as 'son of Meluḫḫa' (the Indus region), gets about two and a half. A further amount is listed under the Gutians or a Gutian. After that the tablet breaks off.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“(Beginning destroyed) 1. [x]: the man of Lagaš 2. [x]: Dudu 3. 2: E-edinne 4. 3: Išar-aḫi 5. [x]: Amar-x 6. 2?½: Lu-marza, 7. son of Meluḫḫa 8. [x]: Gutium (rest destroyed)”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · Anonymous 427619 — private: anonymous, unlocated
CUSAS 26, 275
In plain English
This is a receipt for copper and copper knives. It opens with a number of knives, apparently including a special "šum" knife, maybe a slaughtering knife. Next comes a quantity of copper for knives, written as "so many minus two", and it's linked to a man named Lugal-šu. Two items go to a man whose name begins with Amar-, and the lines after that are damaged. In the next readable entries, Lugal-šu gets 13 and Lugal-iri gets 4. After another gap, the last entry lists more copper, again tied to the word "šum", and the whole list is marked as received.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“(1) [n ...] knife/knives, ..., šum-knife (2) [n] less 2 NI of copper, knife/knives (3) Lugal-šu (4) 2 (for) Amar-x (5) [...] (6) [...] ... [...] (7) 13 (for) Lugal-šu (8) 4 (for) Lugal-iri (9) [...] (10) n n [...] copper, šum (11) [re]ceived.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · Anonymous 427634 — private: anonymous, unlocated
CUSAS 26, 287
In plain English
A roster, one person per entry: the wife of someone whose name is lost; the wife of Ur-…-dudu; the wife of Lu-…. Next comes a note, 'man of Lugal-…', perhaps naming the man these people belonged to. The list continues with the wife of Lugal-…. The next line is almost entirely lost. Then comes a person whose name or title starts with 'Aga-', and finally the wife of someone whose name has broken away.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“(Line numbers added for reference; the source has none.) 1. 1 (person): the wife of x-[...] 2. 1 (person): the wife of Ur-x-[(...)]-dudu 3. 1 (person): the wife of Lu-[...] 4. man of Lugal?-[...] 5. 1 (person): the wife of Lugal-[...] 6. x [...] 7. 1 (person): AGA3-x-[...] 8. 1 (person): the wife of [...]”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · MS 2872/1 — Schøyen Collection, Oslo, Norway
CUSAS 27, 058
In plain English
Message from Isu-ilum, chief scribe, to Šu-ilissu: About the priestess's field and the things (or people) that were seized — see that their case gets settled. And whatever was carried off, make sure it is handed back over. A few phrases in the middle are too obscure to pin down exactly, but the thrust is clear: this is an instruction to resolve a dispute and restore what was taken.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. Thus (says) 2. Isu-ilum, 3. the chief scribe, 4. to Šu-ilissu: 5. Concerning(?) the field of the ereš-dingir priestess 6. and the seized (persons/property) — 7. their case 8. let it be settled(?); 9. and whatever 10. ...(?) 11. they carried off, 12. let him make (them) hand (it) over.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry