Chapter 03 · 2334 – 2154 BCE
Akkadian Empire
Sargon brings rival city-states under imperial rule.
~2270 BCE · OIM A00693 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Adab 0693
In plain English
The opening lines are lost. The surviving list runs: the household of Gab-[...]; one garden held by Nar-[...]; one garden held by Lu-banda; next, the household of Dada; one garden held by Ur-mes, located at the Mound of Bilgames (Gilgamesh); two gardens at, or belonging to, Nippur; one garden held by Ur-Ba[...]; one garden held by Pirig-nam. A line is missing here. One more garden is held by Ur-[...]. The closing total is damaged, and only the ending '-sag' can still be read.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“(Beginning destroyed: three lines lost) [...] [...] [...] household of Gab-[...]; 1 garden: Nar-[...]; 1 garden: Lu-banda; household of Dada; 1 garden: Ur-mes, (at) the Mound of Bilgames; 2 gardens: Nippur; 1 garden: Ur-Ba[...]; [1] [garden]: Pirig-nam; [...] 1 garden: Ur-[...]; Total: [n ...]-sag.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A00695 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Adab 0695
In plain English
Nine men of the nisqu category and twenty-seven of the ša-du category, with Enlila as their foreman. Also one ma-šada boat and one ma-sag boat, followed by a word or two that cannot be read. A line or more is then lost, including the sender's name. The message says, in effect: "Tell Lugalmu to hand them over."
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse 1. 9 (literally 10 minus 1) nisqu 2. 27 (literally 30 minus 3) ša-du 3. foreman: Enlila. 4. 1 ma-šada boat; 5. [1] ma-sag boat, AN x [...] (Break: bottom edge damaged) Reverse 1'. [...] 2'. [...] says: 3'. to Lugalmu 4'. speak! 5'. Let him give (it) to him. (remainder of reverse uninscribed)”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A00696 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Adab 0696
In plain English
Crew one has four men: Da-akkil, Utu-saga, Ur-Enlila and Girini, with Da-akkil as their foreman. Crew two also has four men: Idi-Id, Išarrum, Inima and Ur-nigar, with Idi-Id in charge. The scribe forgot to write the '1' tally mark before Ur-nigar's name, but he is clearly counted with the others.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse 1. 1 (man): Da-akkil; 2. 1 (man): Utu-saga; 3. 1 (man): Ur-Enlila; 4. 1 (man): Girini; 5. foreman: Da-akkil. 6. 1 (man): Idi-Id; 7. 1 (man): Išarrum; 8. 1 (man): Inima; (Bottom edge / Reverse) 9. <1 (man)>: Ur-nigar; 10. foreman: Idi-Id.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A00698 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Adab 0698
In plain English
Regular allotment: about two ban of barley, less two sila and a few shekel-fractions, measured by the gur. The barley line also records that an extra amount (or a surplus) is on hand. Still outstanding: 10 gur, 1 barig, 1 ban and 5 sila of emmer wheat.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse 1. [2 ban] less 2 sila (and) 5 shekels(?), [barley] (by the) gur: regular allotment(s); 2. barley, the SI (excess?) being present; 3. deficit: 10 gur, 1 barig, 1 ban, 5 sila of emmer. (Remainder of obverse and reverse uninscribed in the photo)”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A00717 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Adab 0717
In plain English
The account opens with about 30 gur of barley measured by the Agade standard, followed by further amounts (one entry ends in 1 barig, 1 ban and 6 sila) and a note that something took place in Agade; the next line is too damaged to read. The first total comes to 91 gur, 2 barig and 3 ban of barley by the Agade measure, apparently connected with Umma. A second section lists more barley by the Agade measure in connection with Adab, with a total of roughly 21 gur and 2 barig; the exact figure is partly lost. After a broken line, the record states that Bizaza received the grain in Adab. The last line breaks off after its first sign.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“(The supplied transliteration does not mark obverse/reverse divisions; lines are numbered consecutively as given.) 1. [...] 30(?) gur of barley, (by the) A[gade gur]; 2. x gur, 2 [gur ...] 1 barig 1 ban 6 sila [...] 3. [...] in [Aga]de. 4. [...] ... [...] 5. Total: 91 gur 2 barig 3 ban of barley, (by the) Agade gur. 6. (That of?) Umma(?). 7. [...] gur of barley, (by the) Agade gur, 8. [...] Adab. 9. [Total: ...] 21(?) gur 2(?) barig [n ... of barley, (by the) Agade gur]. 10. [...] 11. Bizaza 12. rec[eived (it)] 13. in Adab. 14. i-[...]”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A00718 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Adab 0718
In plain English
Barley account: 10 gur came in, apparently delivered by or from Nasa-x; 6 gur came from Ašgi-pa'e; and 4 shekels of silver, worth 3 gur of barley, were tied to Enlile and to a cupbearer whose name is partly lost. In all that makes 19 gur of barley, which Ur-mamu received. Of this, 16 gur were credited back to the 'canal-field house' unit. The outstanding balance, restored by the editors as 3 gur 2 barig, is charged to Ur-mamu.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 10 gur of barley: 2. e3 (from?) Nasa-x; 3. 6 (gur): Ašgi-pa'e; 4. 4 shekels of silver, 5. its barley (equivalent): 3 gur: 6. [En]lile, 7. [...]-ni, the cupbearer. 8. Total: 19 gur of barley; 9. Ur-mamu received (it). 10. From this: 11. 16 (gur): E-GAN2-i7 (House of the Canal-Field?), 12. returned (credited back); 13. deficit: [3 gur 2 barig of barley]: 14. Ur-mamu.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A00726 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Adab 0726
In plain English
Two boatloads of barley, measured by the standard gur: 240 gur on En-anne's boat and 240 gur on Inim-ma's boat, 480 gur in all. The grain came from Dada, the steward. A line is broken here, and the next mentions Nippur; the barley was handed over to the recipient. Lu-lal the scribe drew up the account, and the entry has not yet been cleared from Dada's books.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 240 gur of barley, (by the) standard (measure): 2. the boat of En-anne; 3. 240 gur of barley: 4. the boat of Inim-ma. 5. Total: 480 gur of barley, [standard (measure)], 6. from Dada, the steward, 7. [......] 8. Nippur [......] 9. he gave (it) to him. 10. Lu-lal, the scribe, 11. drew up the account for him. 12. For Dada, the steward, 13. it has not been cleared.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A00727 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Adab 0727
In plain English
For seven days, 15 liters of barley a day went to brewing beer, measured by the standard used for regular deliveries. Then about 37 liters of barley and 12 liters of emmer went to bread, for five days. For eight days, 57 liters of barley a day went to beer and 28½ liters a day to bread, plus a further 6 liters of something now lost, for a number of days that is broken away. In total: about 13 gur of barley and just under 2 gur of emmer (the exact remainders are lost). The account ends with a name or title — perhaps Mušlaḫ, 'the snake-charmer' — and the start of another name, Im-..., before the text breaks off.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 15 sila of barley for beer, (measured by) the gur of the regular deliveries, each (day), 2. for 7 days; 3. 37 sila minus 10 shekels of barley for bread, 4. 12 sila of emmer for bread [...], 5. for 5 [days]; 6. 1 barig (60 sila) minus 3 sila of barley for beer, each (day), 7. for 8 days; 8. 30 sila minus 1½ sila of barley for bread, each (day), 9. 6 sila [...], 10. for [n] days. 11. Total: 13(?) gur [n sila ... of barley, (by the) gur]; 12. total: 2 gur minus 1 barig [n sila of emmer, (by the) gur]. 13. Muš-[laḫ] (the snake-charmer?); 14. Im-[...].”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry