Chapter 03 · 2334 – 2154 BCE
Akkadian Empire
Sargon brings rival city-states under imperial rule.
~2300 BCE · Reconstructed composite — see ORACC entry for manuscript witnesses
Sargon 2007add
“(1) To Šara of the Abzu-banda, Egal-isi, the temple administrator of Zabalam, dedicated this (object) for the well-being of Šarrukin, king of Agade.”
Source: Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Royal Inscriptions (ETCSRI), University of Vienna, edited by Gábor Zólyomi et al. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/etcsri/Q004876/
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · Ashm 1971-0349 — Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK
AAICAB 1/2, pl. 140, 1971-349
In plain English
Barley allocations, measured in the large standard gur: 20 gur for Gala, the chief carpenter; 20 gur for Ur-e, the leatherworker; 20 gur for Inim-Utu; 20 gur for En-anne, holder of an office we cannot identify. Gala, who holds the same office, is listed with no amount. Another 20 gur goes to the chief reed-worker. All of these are men who did not show up. The plowman is the official in charge of the matter.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse 1. 20 gur of barley, (by the) great (gur measure), 2. Gala, the chief carpenter; 3. 20 (gur): Ur-e, the leatherworker; 4. 20 (gur): Inim-Utu; 5. 20 (gur): En-anne, the SIG₁₅@v; 6. (no amount entered): Gala, the SIG₁₅@v; 7. 20 (gur): the chief reed-worker. 8. They are men who did not come. 9. The plowman is its commissioner.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-08/v10-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · Bod S 295 — Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK
AAICAB 1/3, pl. 245, Bod S 295
In plain English
Mama-hursag's account: 2 barig of beer-bread measured by the Agade standard, 2 barig of groats, 2 barig of malt, 2 barig of flour, and 2 ban of fine flour. Altogether that comes to 1 gur, 3 barig and 2 ban of flour by the Agade gur, of which 2 ban is fine flour. Dated year 3, month 7.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“2 barig of beer-bread (by the measure of) Agade, 2 barig of groats, 2 barig of malt, 2 barig of flour, 2 ban of fine flour: Mama-hursag. Total: 1 gur 3 barig 2 ban of flour, (by the) gur of Agade; 2 ban of fine flour (included). Year 3, month 7.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-08/v10-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · Bod S 340 — Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK
AAICAB 1/4, Bod S 340
In plain English
Grain and flour account: 1 barig and 3 ban of fine flour, measured by the Agade standard; 1 gur and 1 barig of zi-gu flour; 3 gur of dabin flour; and 2 gur and about 3 ban of barley for making malt flour. A further 2 ban of something follows, but that line is mostly illegible, and so are the next few lines. One of them begins with roughly 1 barig of an unknown item. The account closes with a time span: 2 years and 2 months.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1 barig 3 ban fine flour, (by the measure of) Agade; 1 gur 1 barig zi-gu flour; 3 gur dabin flour; 2 gur 3(?) ban barley (for) malt flour; 2 ban ...... AN(?) ... la; ...... ......; ......; 1(?) barig ......; 2 years, 2 months.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-08/v10-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · AO 19762 — Louvre Museum, Paris, France
AAS 009
In plain English
Two jars holding 5 ban of beer each and two jars holding 3 ban each were issued as an additional nesag (first-fruits) offering. The barley for all of it comes to 2 barig 4 ban in total. Dated: year 6, month 8.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“2 jars of 5 ban of beer, 2 jars of 3 ban of beer: extra nesag-offering. Total: 2 barig 4 ban, its barley. Year 6, month 8.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-08/v10-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · AO 19721 — Louvre Museum, Paris, France
AAS 012
In plain English
Two sheep go to Šage-pada, and one lamb to the side of UD.HUB2. One lamb is for Dumuzi, one lamb for Lugal-pa'e, and one sheep for the cook. Five lambs are for the Abzu. Eleven more sheep follow (the first numeral is partly restored), and then a goat, if the reading is right, is recorded as returned. In all, 14 sheep and 9 lambs (written as 'ten minus one') are booked as spent.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“2 sheep: Šage-pada; 1 lamb: the side (of) UD.HUB2; 1 lamb: Dumuzi; 1 lamb: Lugal-pa'e; 1 sheep: the cook; 5 lambs: the Abzu; [1]1 sheep; goat?, returned. Total: 14 sheep, 10 minus 1 (= 9) lambs: expended.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-08/v10-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · CFC 141 — College de France, Paris, France
AAS 202
In plain English
This is a roll call of men, counted one at a time. The first line is unreadable. Then come a man whose name ends in -kalla, Mepa-something, Ur-something, Lugal-maškim, two men whose names begin with Lu-, and one whose name begins with Pa-geš-. Most of these names are broken off partway through. The list ends by recording that the group has been inspected, followed by a note of a period of 7 years and 5 months.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse 1. [......] [......] 2. 1 [......]-kalla(?) 3. 1 Mepa(?)-[x] 4. 1 Ur-[......] 5. 1 Lugal-maškim 6. [1] Lu-[......] 7. [1] Lu-[......] 8. [......] Pa-geš-[......] 9. Its inspection was carried out. 10. 7 years, 5 months.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · CFC 140 — College de France, Paris, France
AAS 203
In plain English
Barley land, plot by plot. A field of 2 iku and 30 sar goes to someone whose name is lost, the son of Adda. A further 2 sar of barley land is noted with an obscure qualifier. Another plot, of unknown size, belongs to Adda-iri. Di-sudde the cook holds 2 iku, and Ur-Nin-kituš-gub the envoy holds 5 iku and more. Ur-Inanna has 2 iku in the Ediri field. The closing lines refer to barley 'standing' in connection with the first-fruits, and again to the Ediri field, but their exact meaning escapes us.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“(No obverse/reverse markers are given in the transliteration; lines are numbered in sequence.) 1. 2 iku 30 sar (of field), barley: 2. [......], son of Adda. 3. [(...)] 2 sar, barley, aš-e (meaning unclear). 4. [n] iku [......] barley: 5. Adda-iri. 6. 2 iku (of field), barley: Di-sudde, the cook. 7. 5 + [n] iku (of field), barley: 8. Ur-Nin-kituš-gub, the envoy. 9. 2 iku, field of Ediri, its GEŠ-UD, barley: 10. Ur-Inanna. 11. Standing at the nesag (first fruits?). 12. Field of Ediri, DAG-gub₃.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry