Chapter 03 · 2334 – 2154 BCE
Akkadian Empire
Sargon brings rival city-states under imperial rule.
~2270 BCE · CL 113 — Carl L. Lippmann Collection, Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid, Spain
Lippmann Coll 069
In plain English
The tablet accounts for roughly 100 liters of salt allocated to a settlement of about 900 people, with bread rations recorded as fully covered. The transaction is tied to an orchard held by a man named Ur-tu-aš-gi₄, managed through the estate's chief steward. All of this was dispatched to the great house of the sukkal — the top official of the household — and confirmed as delivered. A work gang's movement is noted; the goods were formally drawn out and released. The whole record is dated to the month of šu-gar.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1 barig 4 ban₂ of salt. Settlement: 1(×600) + 5(×60) persons [= 900 people]. Bread rations — fully supplied. Orchard of Ur-tu-aš-gi₄. Šabra of the household. For the great house, for the sukkal. It has been delivered there. Work-force [of ...] — upon their going. [It] was drawn out. Month: šu-gar.”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-4-6 (2026-05-28/v6-glossary-aware) · claude-sonnet-4-6 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · CL 296 — Carl L. Lippmann Collection, Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid, Spain
Lippmann Coll 071
In plain English
The record opens with a large disbursement: about 100 liters of fenugreek, plus roughly 25 liters of a second commodity (whose name is unclear), issued to a person called Ašgibad. A second, smaller batch follows — 20 liters more of fenugreek, an uncertain amount of the same second commodity, and an unspecified number of gur-jars of a barley product — assigned to someone named Dada. All of these goods were subsequently returned. The final lines note that the transaction belonged to a group whose name is now broken, and that it took place in the month of Šugar.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1 barig 4 ban2 of fenugreek, 2 ban2 5 sila of zi-zi-bi2-a-num2 — Ašgibad. 2 ban2 of fenugreek, [n] sila of zi-zi-bi2-a-num2, [n] gur of šelu — Dada. Returned to hand. [Belonging] to the [...]-s. Month: Šugar.”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-4-6 (2026-05-28/v6-glossary-aware) · claude-sonnet-4-6 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · CL 048 — Carl L. Lippmann Collection, Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid, Spain
Lippmann Coll 072
In plain English
Two shipments of grapes arrived at the new palace. First delivery: 93 large-grade and 130 small-grade. Second delivery: 71 large-grade and 138 small-grade. Final tallies: 164 large-grade and 208 small-grade grapes were brought in. The transaction is dated to the month of Šu-gar. (The stated total of 208 small-grade grapes is 60 short of the sum of the two individual batches — 130 + 138 = 268 — suggesting a scribal counting error of one sexagesimal unit.)
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“93 large grapes 130 small grapes — first [delivery] 71 large grapes 138 small grapes — second [delivery] Grand total: 164# large grapes Grand total: 208 small grapes [Into the] new palace delivered Month of Šu-gar”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-4-6 (2026-05-28/v6-glossary-aware) · claude-sonnet-4-6 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · CL 058 — Carl L. Lippmann Collection, Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid, Spain
Lippmann Coll 073
In plain English
During the akiti festival month, dates were issued from stock in the following amounts: two ban-measures to the Emaḫ temple, two ban-measures to the é-GAN2-iš building, two ban-measures to the é-ašgi building, an uncertain quantity to ki-an, one ban-measure to the Iškur temple (or a person named Iškur), and one ban-measure to ešpeš. The nu-priests carried out all of these disbursements.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“2 ban2 of dates — Emaḫ [temple]; 2 ban2 — é-GAN2-iš; 2 ban2 — é-ašgi; [n ban2] — ki-an; 1 ban2 — Iškur; 1 ban2 — ešpeš; The nu-priests gave it to him. Month: a2-[ki-ti].”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-4-6 (2026-05-28/v6-glossary-aware) · claude-sonnet-4-6 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · CL 037 — Carl L. Lippmann Collection, Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid, Spain
Lippmann Coll 077
In plain English
During the month of Ga2-udu-ur4, the following date rations were issued: 2 barig went to the chief musician; 1 gur 1 barig 3 ban — measured out in ten gurdub containers — was delivered to Da-dum, an official in the steward's household; and 3 ban went to the stationed workers. The total disbursement came to 2 gur of dates, formally expended from the account.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“2 barig of dates — [for] the chief musician; 1 gur 1 barig 3 ban of dates, 10 gurdub [containers] — given — Da-dum, man of the steward; 3 ban of dates — [they are] stationed workers. Total: 2 gur of dates — disbursed. Month: ga2-udu-ur4.”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-4-6 (2026-05-28/v6-glossary-aware) · claude-sonnet-4-6 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · CL 310 — Carl L. Lippmann Collection, Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid, Spain
Lippmann Coll 082
In plain English
This tablet records date allocations. The commodity is identified as dates at the top, and the entries that follow list disbursements of varying sizes — 3 barig to one unnamed group, 10-something groups receiving 2 barig, then blocks of 4 gur 2 barig, 3 gur 2 barig, 2 gur 2 barig, and so on, tapering down through barig-level amounts to a final entry of just 1 ban for what looks like eight individuals. The names of all recipients are blank or lost. The grand total comes to 13 gur and 2 barig of dates. The account is held by Gissu, son of Ur-Haia.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Dates: 1 gur [—] 3 barig 10 [—] 2 barig [—] 4 gur 2 barig [—] 3 gur 2 barig 4 [—] 2 gur 2 barig [x] [—] 1 gur 2 barig [x]+3 [—] 1 barig [x] [—] 3 ban [x] [—] 2 ban [8?] [—] 1 ban Total: 13 gur 2 barig Gissu, son of Ur-Ha[ia]”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-4-6 (2026-05-28/v6-glossary-aware) · claude-sonnet-4-6 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · CL 010 — Carl L. Lippmann Collection, Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid, Spain
Lippmann Coll 083
In plain English
This tablet tracks a payout of dates from the orchard of A-ḫu-du10, son of A-ba-da-sa2. Eleven separate entries record amounts given to different individuals or groups — some receiving measures in barig, others in the smaller ban2 unit — but nearly every recipient's name has been lost to damage on the surface of the clay. When the scribe added it all up, the total came to 4 gur of dates, a large harvest disbursement. What survives is the accounting skeleton of an estate's date-palm output, a routine but revealing piece of economic paperwork from the age of the Sargonic empire.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“2 [PN] — 2 barig [PN] — 4 [asz] 2 barig [PN] — 3[+] [asz] 2[+] barig (damaged) [PN] — 2 [asz] 2 barig [PN] — 1[+] [asz] 2[+] barig (damaged) 4 [PN] — [1 barig] 4 [PN] — [n] (quantity lost) 4 [PN] — 4 ban2 (damaged) 3 [PN] — 3 ban2 (damaged) [PN] — 2 ban2 (damaged) 2 [PN] — 1 ban2 Grand total: 4 gur of dates Orchard of A-ḫu-du10, son of A-ba-da-sa2”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-4-6 (2026-05-28/v6-glossary-aware) · claude-sonnet-4-6 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · CL 102 — Carl L. Lippmann Collection, Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid, Spain
Lippmann Coll 084
In plain English
The tablet logs three batches of date-palm allocations. First, 18 date palms measured at 4 ban are assigned to a category or person called a-hu-du10, and then a second, identical batch goes to the 'junior' a-hu-du10; the running totals for both are left blank. Next, under the heading of a man or official named Abada, 7 date palms at 3 ban are earmarked for the divine lady (the nin-dingir priestess). Finally, 21 date palms are allocated to the great lukur-priestess. The subtotals were apparently never filled in, or have been lost.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“18 date palms, 4 ban — a-hu-du10 Subtotal: [blank] 18 date palms, 4 ban — a-hu-du10, junior Subtotal: [blank] A-ba-da: 7 date palms, 3 ban [for the] nin-dingir (divine lady / priestess) 21 date palms — great lukur-priestess”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-4-6 (2026-05-28/v6-glossary-aware) · claude-sonnet-4-6 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry