Chapter 03 · 2334 – 2154 BCE
Akkadian Empire
Sargon brings rival city-states under imperial rule.
~2270 BCE · CL 256 — Carl L. Lippmann Collection, Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid, Spain
Lippmann Coll 176
In plain English
Six people received wool from the institutional stores this month: Mamummi got 30 mana; Nin-nig, 30; Ašdar, 40; Tani'a, 30; Nin-adgal, 30; and Me-nigin-ta, 20 — three talents of wool in total. There is also a damaged entry for someone whose name begins Ur-[su]-pa-sikil, but the rest of that line is lost. The wool was issued from the wool account and handed over to the recipients during the month of Ab-eza-ziga.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“30 mana of wool — Mamummi; 30 — Nin-nig; 40 — Ašdar; 30 — Tani'a; 30 — Nin-adgal; 20 — Me-nigin-ta. Grand total: 3 talents of wool. [Wool? for] Ur-[su?]-pa-sikil? [...] From the wool[-account/handlers] [...] He gave to him. Month: Ab-eza-ziga.”
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 207 — Carl L. Lippmann Collection, Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid, Spain
Lippmann Coll 177
In plain English
Four workers — Mama-ummi, Nin-adgal, Se[be]tum, and Nin-nigzu — each drew two talents of wool from the wool-workers, eight talents in total among them. The wool-workers handed it over and the transaction was duly recorded, dated to the month of GAN₂-eš-gar-šu-gar.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“2 talents of wool — (for) Mama-ummi; 2 (talents, for) Nin-adgal; 2 (talents, for) Se[be]tum; 2 (talents, for) Nin-nigzu. Total: 8 talents of wool. From the wool-workers, they received. Month: GAN₂-eš-gar-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 152 — Carl L. Lippmann Collection, Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid, Spain
Lippmann Coll 178
In plain English
In the month of Nig-kiri6, ten talents of wool were received from the wool-workers — though the delivery was twenty minas short of the expected amount. Nin-ama-mu separately received twenty minas of wool. The following month, Mu-tir, a second batch arrived: four talents and twenty-two minas from the wool-workers, with Nin-ama-mu again taking delivery of twenty-something minas (the exact number is broken). The final lines are too damaged to read fully — they mention ten units for a man whose name is lost, ten for a shepherd, and more wool entries — then the tablet breaks off.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“10 talents of wool, deficit: 20 minas — from the wool-workers received. 20 minas of wool — Nin-ama-mu received. Month: Nig-kiri6. 4 talents [of] wool, 22 minas — from the wool-workers received. 20+[n minas,] Nin-ama-mu — Month: Mu-tir. 10 [for] Lu2-[x x] — 10 [for the] shepherd [...] wool [...]”
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 325 — Carl L. Lippmann Collection, Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid, Spain
Lippmann Coll 179
In plain English
The following people received wool: Ur-Enlil got 1 talent and 27 minas; Enlil-lē got 1 talent and 7 minas; the shepherd Du-du received [a broken number of] talents and 40 minas. The scribe Ur-a2's allocation was paid out in two installments — 1 talent 17 minas the first time, then [a broken quantity of] talents and 1⅔ minas the second time. Grand total: 11 talents and 32⅔ minas of prime wool, drawn from the wool-workers' stores. Everything was received.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1 talent, 27 minas of wool — Ur-Enlil. 1 talent, 7 minas — Enlil-lē. [x] talents, 40 minas — Du-du the shepherd. 1 talent, 17 minas — [first] installment. [x] talents, 1⅔ minas — [second] installment: Ur-a2, the scribe. Total: 11 talents, 32⅔ minas of prime wool [...]. From the wool-workers. Received.”
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 142 — Carl L. Lippmann Collection, Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid, Spain
Lippmann Coll 180
In plain English
The first entry covers one bale of wool weighing 23 minas, with a partial note — possibly naming a source or describing an action — that the damage has made unreadable. The second entry is three bales of wool weighing 18 minas, identified as coming from a specific place. The scribe then totals everything up: four bales, 41 minas of wool. A closing line confirms the amount is in stock. The lines in between the two main entries are too damaged to read with confidence.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1 [bale of] wool — 23 minas, [...] ...-a, was [drawn out/weighed from], 3 [bales of] wool — 18 [minas]; — (these) are wools from [the] place. Total: 4 [bales of] wool — 41 minas. [...] is available/on hand.”
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 314 — Carl L. Lippmann Collection, Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid, Spain
Lippmann Coll 185
In plain English
The following officials are each recorded as receiving just under 2 minas of silver — specifically, 2 minas less 5 shekels (roughly 55 grams short of the full amount): Ma-ma-ummi, Geme-Enlil, and Nin-adgal. Ashdar receives a full 2 minas, with a subtotal notation. One entry is partly broken, but it records a similar amount for Tania, who held the rank of inspector. The rest of that line is damaged. This is a concise payroll or allotment record — the kind of everyday bureaucratic paperwork that kept an Akkadian-period institution running.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“2 [+n] mina(s), less 5 shekels — Ma-ma-um-mi. 2 minas, less 5 shekels — Geme-Enlil. 2 minas — Ashdar; total. [n] mina(s), less 5 shekels — Ta-ni-a, [inspector]. 2 minas, less 5 shekels — Nin-adgal.”
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 334 — Carl L. Lippmann Collection, Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid, Spain
Lippmann Coll 186
In plain English
This record tracks wool owed to (or by) five people: Mama-ummi gets 8 minas, Nin-nigzu gets 14, Aštar gets just under 10 minas, Tania gets just under 13 minas, and Nin-adgal gets 10. Altogether that comes to 54 and a half minas of carded wool. The tablet notes this total as a balance still outstanding — money or goods not yet settled — and identifies the whole record as belonging to the wool account, filed under the month of Šugar.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“8 minas of carded wool: Mama-ummi. 14 (minas): Nin-nigzu. 10 minas less 1/3 (shekel): Aštar. 13 minas less 10 shekels: Tania. 10 (minas): Nin-adgal. Total: 54 1/2 minas of carded wool. Outstanding balance (deficit). It is from the wool account. Month: Šugar.”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-5 (2026-05-28/v6-glossary-aware) · claude-sonnet-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · CL 135 — Carl L. Lippmann Collection, Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid, Spain
Lippmann Coll 187
In plain English
This tablet is a short wool-distribution record. Geme-Enlil received 17 minas of combed wool; Nin-nigzu received 11 and two-thirds minas; Nig-banda received 2 minas; Sebetum received 2 minas (the number is a little unclear); and Nin-amamu received 8 and a half minas. A closing note confirms that the wool shipment was delivered. It reads like a routine payroll or ration slip from a textile workshop, tracking exactly how much raw wool went out to each named worker.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“17 (minas) mug-wool: Geme-Enlil. 11 2/3 (minas): Nin-[nig]-zu. 2 (minas): Nig-banda. 2(?) (minas): Sebetum. 8 1/2 (minas): Nin-amamu. It was delivered.”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-5 (2026-05-28/v6-glossary-aware) · claude-sonnet-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry