Chapter 03 · 2334 – 2154 BCE
Akkadian Empire
Sargon brings rival city-states under imperial rule.
~2270 BCE · OIM A07861 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
MAD 1, 318
In plain English
Delivery receipt: 2 very large še-du trees, 4 large ones, and 2 ordinary ones; 5 mountain apple trees; 1 very large poplar and 1 regular poplar; 2 biradan trees; 15 u-trees; and 2 apple trees. Grand total: 38 trees (written as 'forty less two'). Imutum transported the lot to the city of Ešnunna. In short, a one-page shipping manifest for a load of orchard and timber trees brought into town by a named carrier.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. [2] very large še-du₁₀-trees, 2. 4(?) la[rge] še-du₁₀-trees, 3. 2 še-du₁₀-trees, 4. 5 mountain apple trees, 5. 1 very large poplar, 6. 1 poplar, 7. [2] biradan-trees, 8. [1]5 u-trees, 9. 2 apple trees; 10. total: 40(?) less 2 (= 38) trees. 11. Imutum 12. to Išnun (Ešnunna) 13. brought (them).”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A07863 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
MAD 1, 320
In plain English
This is a barley ledger. Erra-ra gets 1 gur; Ša-an, son of Nūrum, gets 4 barig; Ilum-nāṣir gets 1 gur; Šamium, son of Puzur-abi, gets 3 barig; Azu-ilum, son of Mumu, gets 3 barig; Ilī-bilanī, son of Izamar, gets an amount now broken away; and a man whose name is partly lost, son of Abībī, closes the list. The final line once gave the grand total in gur of barley, but the figure is damaged.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 1 (gur) — Erra-ra; 2. 4 barig — Ša-an, 3. son of Nūrum; 4. 1 (gur) — Ilum-nāṣir; 5. 3 barig — Šamium, 6. son of Puzur-abi; 7. 3 barig — Azu-ilum, 8. son of Mumu; 9. [n] — Ilī-bilanī, 10. son of Izamar; 11. [...]-AN, 12. son of Abībī. 13. [Total: n] gur [of barley].”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A07864 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
MAD 1, 321
In plain English
This is a barley account. The first entry, under a name now broken away, is followed by a loan: Tabsiga the scribe owes 5 gur of barley as an interest-bearing debt. Then a bigger item: Nabium the merchant took receipt of 62 gur of barley for an exchange transaction. The bottom line tallies everything at 271 gur of barley — roughly 65,000 liters — with a damaged figure possibly adding a bit more. In modern terms: a ledger page recording who holds grain on credit and who has drawn stock for trading.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. Nu-[...] 2. 5 gur of barley: 3. Tabsiga, 4. the scribe — 5. (as) an interest-bearing loan. 6. 62 gur of barley 7. Nabium 8. the merchant received, 9. for the exchange of [barley]. 10. Total: 271 [+ n] gur of barley.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A07866 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
MAD 1, 323
In plain English
A receipt for incoming ghee. Zuzu delivered 5 jars; Ilī-sukkal 2 jars and 1 sila; Šu-ilīsu 1 jar and 3 sila; Ududa 1 jar and 4 sila; Bibi 16 sila; and Salulu 23 sila. The clerk adds it all up: 10 jars and 17 sila of ghee received in total. The arithmetic works out if a jar held 30 sila — the loose sila amounts roll over into one extra jar.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 5 jars of ghee — 2. Zuzu; 3. 2 jars (and) 1 sila of ghee — 4. Ilī-sukkal; 5. 1 jar (and) 3 sila of ghee — 6. Šu-ilīsu; 7. 1 jar (and) 4 sila of ghee — 8. [U]duda; 9. 16 sila of ghee — 10. Bibi; 11. 23 sila of ghee — 12. Salulu. 13. Total: 10 jars (and) 17 sila of ghee, 14. received (deliveries).”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A07872 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
MAD 1, 325
In plain English
Stock count: thirteen zar-...u items; four toothed blades; thirty pieces of poplar wood; two beds; twenty-nine hoe-heads (recorded as 'thirty less one'); twenty-seven shovels ('thirty less three'); sixty-seven pieces of še-du wood; about ten molds, probably for bricks; and one hundred forty rope or cordage items. The entries for several items are chipped away, so what exactly some of these objects were is no longer readable, but the list is clearly a warehouse inventory of tools and worked wood.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 13(?) zar-[...]u-objects 2. 4 "tooth-and-claw" (toothed blades/tool parts) 3. 30 ...(?) of [wood of the] poplar 4. 2 beds(?) 5. 30 less 1 (= 29) hoe-heads 6. 30 less 3 (= 27) shovels 7. 67 ...(?) of [wood of the] še-du₁₀-tree 8. 10(?) [... brick(?)]-molds 9. 140 [...] of eš-bara (rope/cordage items(?))”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A07877 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
MAD 1, 327
In plain English
Barley on the books: 3,240 gur sit in the new granary, and another 304 gur are credited to Arʾim. A further entry — the figures are broken away — records barley assigned to someone else, noted as currently on hand, along with an amount ending in 124 gur. The running total comes to something over 2,638 gur of barley, though damage to the tablet obscures part of the sum. Finally, 10 gur of barley were issued as seed grain to Ilī-dan and written off as an expenditure.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 3,240 gur of barley — 2. that of the new granary; 3. 304 gur of barley — 4. that of Arʾim; 5. [...] gur of barley [...] 6. [that(?) f]or [...] 7. which are on hand(?); 8. [...] 124 [gur of barley]. 9. Total(?): [...] 2,640 minus 2(?) [...] gur of barley. 10. 10 gur of barley, (as) seed: 11. Ilī-dan. 12. Expended.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A07878b — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
MAD 1, 329b
In plain English
Receipt: six measures of oil and one gur of barley, valued at two shekels of silver, paid as the purchase price for the field. Tirum and Admar received the payment. The next several lines are too damaged to read. When the text resumes, it records that their [...], the son of Šu-Išḫara, together with Admar, received (payment). In effect, two linked acknowledgements of payment for a land transaction, with the sellers' names on file.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“6 (measures of) oil, 1 gur of barley — (as) the price: 2 shekels of silver. (For) the field, Tirum and Admar received (it). [...]-nu [...] [...] [...] [...] their [...] son of Šu-Išḫara, (and) Admar received.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A07879 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
MAD 1, 330
In plain English
This is a monthly grain ledger. Dada gets 4 barig of barley for the oxen (the start of his line is damaged); Si-ḫursag, Dadī, Kurub-ilī, Abba and Eštar-nu'id each get 4 barig, every entry ticked off with a check mark; Mansa-ninsu receives 2 gur; Zawi gets the largest share, 4 gur and 1 barig; and Utu-e gets 2 barig. The clerk adds it all up — 11 gur and 2 barig of barley in total — and dates the account to the month Zalliltum. The arithmetic checks out exactly.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 4 barig [...] barley (for) the oxen — 2. Dada; 3. 4 barig, PAP (check mark): Si-ḫursag; 4. 2 gur of barley: Mansa-ninsu; 5. 4 barig, PAP: Dadī; 6. 4 barig, PAP: Kurub-ilī; 7. 4 barig, PAP: Abba; 8. 4 barig, PAP: Eštar-nu'id; 9. 4 gur 1 barig of barley: 10. Zawi; 11. 2 barig: Utu-e; 12. Total: [1]1 gur 2 barig of barley. 13. [Month:] Zalliltum.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry