Chapter 03 · 2334 – 2154 BCE
Akkadian Empire
Sargon brings rival city-states under imperial rule.
~2270 BCE · Ashm 1932-0416 — Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK
MAD 5, 099
In plain English
A field measures 29 rods on its east side, 28 on the west, 25 on the south, and 22 on the north: area roughly one eše and three-quarters of an iku, with just over two gur of barley noted. A second field runs 28 rods on the south, 30 on the north, 62 on the east, and 40 on the west: area about two eše and two and three-quarter iku, with one barig of barley. A third set of side-measurements follows — about 2 on the north, nearly 20 on the south, 13 on the west — but the next lines are broken. After the gap, a damaged line mentions a house or household, then a final entry: one iku of field with its barley, belonging to Ilī-dan, bordering the land of Ilī-mupi.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“(Obverse) 1. 30 minus 1 (= 29 rods on the) east (side), 30 minus 2 (= 28 on the) [west (side)]; 2. 25 (on the) south (side), 22 (on the) [north (side)]; 3. field: 1 eše 1/2 iku 1/4 iku of area; ... barley: 2 (gur?) 1 barig. 4. 30 minus 2 (= 28 on the) south, 30 (on the) [north]; 5. [6]2 (on the) east, 40 (on the) [west]; 6. [fi]eld: 2 eše 2 iku 1/2 iku 1/4 iku of area; barley: 1 barig. 7. [...] 2(?) (on the) north, 20 minus [n (on the) south]; 8. [...] 13(?) (on the) we[st, ... (on the) east]; 9. [...] 10. [...] (Break) 11. ... and ... carried(?) ... house(?); 12. 1 iku of field [...] barley ...; 13. (of) Ilī-dan, 14. adjacent to (the field of) Ilī-mupi.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · Ashm 1932-0420 — Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK
MAD 5, 100
In plain English
Two wooden beds (apparently of the 'turned' or rounded type) sent to Mugdan. Also an unspecified number of sheep, and more wooden beds of the same kind — this part of the record is damaged. A man named Ida-badar is listed in connection with the shipment, again destined for Mugdan, and the note closes with another name, Ub-ilum, presumably the recipient or responsible official. A terse delivery docket; several entries are broken away.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 2 wooden beds(?), [tu]rned/rounded(?), 2. [to Mug]dan; 3. [...] sheep, 4. [... wooden] beds(?), rounded(?), 5. Ida-badar(?), 6. to Mugdan, 7. Ub-ilum.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · Ashm 1924-0655 — Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK
MAD 5, 105
In plain English
This is a land account. Lu-nimgir holds 5 iku of field (roughly 1.8 hectares), Sidu 4 iku, Lugal-entarsu 2 eše and 1 iku (about 4.7 hectares), and Ur-Enki 1 eše plus 3¾ iku (about 3.5 hectares). All together that comes to 1 bur, 2 eše, and 1¾ iku of farmland — around 11.4 hectares — belonging to or managed by Šeš-šeš, the farmer. The whole lot is being set against the purchase price of an ox.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“5 iku of field — Lu-nimgir; 4 iku — Sidu; 2 eše 1 iku of field — Lugal-entarsu; 1 eše 3½ ¼ iku — Ur-Enki. Total: 1 bur 2 eše 1½ ¼ iku of field, (of) Šeš-šeš, the farmer, for the price of an ox.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · Ashm 1924-0664 — Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK
MAD 5, 109
In plain English
Receipt log for the brewery stores: a first delivery of 137 cakes of good-quality beer-bread, followed by a second delivery of 201 cakes — 338 in all. Both consignments were checked into the E-ur storehouse. In other words, two batches of brewing ingredient arrived and were booked into stock.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 2 gešʾu 20 less 3 (= 137) good-quality beer-bread(s), 2. the first time; 3. 3 gešʾu 20 (and) 1 (= 201) beer-bread(s), 4. [the] second time: 5. into the E-ur ("roof-house") 6. it entered.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · Ashm 1924-0680 — Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK
MAD 5, 110
In plain English
An itemized list of one man's belongings: one bardul cloak, one šu-garment, three niĝdudu garments, two worn-out bardul cloaks, three minas (about a kilo and a half) of wool, two bundles of wool, two bur-garments, five shekels (roughly 40 grams) of tin for copper alloying, two yokes, and one sash. The closing line states plainly whose it all is: this is the property of Ur-saga.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 1 bardul-garment, 2. 1 šu-garment, 3. 3 niĝdudu-garments, 4. 2 old bardul-garments, 5. 3 minas of wool, 6. 2 bundles(?) ... of wool, 7. 2 bur-garments, 8. 5 shekels of tin (for) copper(-alloying), 9. 2 yokes(?), 10. 1 šagadu-sash; 11. (this is) the property of Ur-saga.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · Ashm 1924-0689 — Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK
MAD 5, 112
In plain English
This is a student's math problem, worked and signed. Given a plot measuring 216,240 ninda and 4 cubits on one dimension and 3,692 ninda and 1 cubit on the other, the scribe Ur-Ištaran computed the area. His answer, expressed in the full chain of surface measures — 7 šarkid, 4 šar'ugal, 7 šar₂, 1 bur'u, 7 bur₃, 1 eše₃, 3½ iku of field, plus 10 sar and 16⅔ shekels — 'was found,' i.e., this is the computed result. The numbers are deliberately enormous: the point was the arithmetic, not a real field.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 1 šargal 4 geš₂ (= 216,240) ninda 4 cubits — the 'seed' made equal (one side); 2. 1 šar₂ 1 geš₂ 32 (= 3,692) ninda 1 cubit — the 'seed' made equal (the other side); 3. (By) Ur-Ištaran. 4. 7 šarkid 4 šar'ugal 7 šar₂ 1 bur'u 7 bur₃ 1 eše₃ 3 ½ iku of field (area), (plus) 10 sar 16 ⅔ gin₂, 5. was found (= computed).”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · Ashm 1924-0692 — Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK
MAD 5, 113
In plain English
An inventory of milled grain products: 3 gur, 2 barig and 3 ban of coarse barley flour measured by the standard gur, 4 ban and 5 sila of fine flour, 3 ban and 5 sila of top-quality flour, 1 ban of beer-bread for brewing, and 4 ban of barley groats — all drawn from the account of Geme-TAR. Further amounts of top-quality and fine flour (the quantities are broken away) are booked to Dada. The city received the goods. In short: a receipt for flour, brewing supplies and groats passing from two individuals' accounts into institutional hands.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 3 gur, 2 barig, 3 ban of dabin-flour (barley flour), (in the) standard gur; 2. 4 ban, 5 sila of gu-flour (fine flour); 3. 3 ban, 5 sila of sig-flour (fine-quality flour); 4. 1 ban of beer-bread (bappir); 5. 4 ban of arzana-groats; 6. from Geme-TAR. 7. [...] sig-flour (fine-quality flour), 8. [...] gu-flour (fine flour): 9. (that) of Dada. 10. The city 11. received (it).”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · Ashm 1969-0562 — Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK
MAD 5, 114
In plain English
This is a cattle ledger, entry by entry: Namu has an unknown number of oxen (the figure is broken), Ali-aḫu has three oxen, Kititi one ox, Beli-dan one ox; Šaṭpum, a man whose name ends in -takkal, and Ilulu each held further oxen, but the numbers before their names are lost. The beginning and end of the list are broken away, so we cannot say how many men or animals the full account covered, or whether a total followed.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. [...] oxen(?) — Namu(?) 2. 3(?) oxen — Ali-aḫu 3. 1 ox — Kititi(?) 4. 1 ox — Beli-dan 5. [n oxen] — Šaṭpum 6. [n oxen — ...]-takkal 7. [n oxen] — Ilulu 8. [...] (rest broken)”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry