Chapter 03 · 2334 – 2154 BCE
Akkadian Empire
Sargon brings rival city-states under imperial rule.
~2270 BCE · FLP 0111 — Free Library of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
MVN 03, 110
In plain English
This is a list of bread and beer handed out to several people. Someone whose name ends in '-ka' heads the list, but that line is mostly lost. Ibni-šarrum gets the biggest share: 120 loaves plus several measures of two grades of beer. Šeš-šeš, U-barrum and one more person each get 60 loaves with a ban of each beer grade, and I-mi-Utu gets 30 loaves and one ban of beer. The total comes to 510 loaves and 50 more of another bread type, with the beer counted out in jars. The last lines mention Agade and give a date in year 6, but they are too damaged to read in full.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse (?) 1. [...]-ka 2. 120 (loaves of) bread; 1 barig 1 ban; 1 ban beer; 1 barig 1 ban; 1 ban beer, 5 ban; 3. 2 ban beer, 3 ban: Ibni-šarrum. 4. 60 (loaves of) bread; 1 ban beer, 5 ban; 1 ban beer, 3 ban: 5. Šeš-šeš. 6. 60 (loaves of) bread; 1 ban beer, 5 ban; 1 ban beer, 3 ban: 7. U-barrum. 8. 60 (loaves of) bread; 1 ban beer, 5 ban; 1 ban beer, [n ban] (name lost or omitted). 9. 30 (loaves of) bread; 1 ban beer, 5 ban: I-mi-Utu. 10. [Total]: 510 (loaves of) bread, 50 du8-loaves (?); 11. [...] bread; 1 barig 1 ban 2 (?); 2 ban beer, 5 ban, (in) jars; 12. [...] 1 ban beer, 3 ban, (in) jars. 13. [... flour (?) of A]gade. 14. [...] year 6 (?), [month ...].”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · FLP 0115 — Free Library of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
MVN 03, 114
In plain English
Beer issued: two large jars for Beli-ursag's man, one large jar for Ur-sa, who works for Ur-nim, and one large jar for Lugal-ezem's man. The total is recorded as one ordinary jar plus one large jar of beer. All of it is booked as spent, under the name of Utu-lu.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“2 gur4-gur4 (jars) of beer: (for) the man of Beli-ursag. 1 gur4-gur4 (jar) of beer: (for) Ur-sa, the man of Ur-nim. 1 gur4-gur4 (jar) of beer: (for) the man of Lugal-ezem. Total: 1 jar (dug) (and) 1 gur4-gur4 (jar) of beer, expended. Utu-lu.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · NM 44.0016 — Nicholson Museum, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
NM 44.0016
In plain English
The tablet is an inventory. It lists 30 gur of flour (the rest of the line is damaged) and 1 gur 2 barig of a special 'A' flour. It goes on to twelve large and six small items of the type called u3, eight u3-suh5 items (perhaps fir wood) for the ubara'u, 240 cloth strips, twelve items whose name is partly lost, and eighteen units of red wool. All of this is assigned to the big magur-boat and to NI-NI. It comes from Du11-ga-me-AN-til-la-bi, son of the lady (or sister) of Ur-ega.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 30 gur of flour(?) [......] 2. 1 gur 2 barig of A-flour; 3. 12 large u3; 4. 6(?) small u3; 5. 8 u3-suh5 (fir?) of the ubara'u(?); 6. 240 bar-si-cloths (4 × 60); 7. 12 ma-[x]; 8. 18 (lit. 20 minus 2) (units of) red wool; 9. that which belongs to the magur-boat 10. and NI-NI, 11. from 12. Du11-ga-me(?)-AN-til-la-bi, 13. son of the lady (or: sister) of Ur-ega.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · NM 44.0017 — Nicholson Museum, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
NM 44.0017
In plain English
Wadarum is allotted one gur and three barig of barley, measured by the Agade standard, plus one ban of emmer flour and one ban of groats. Dumu-mešar gets an entry of barley whose amount and description are partly lost. He also gets one gur of barley, two barig of coarse barley flour and another ban of that flour (with a qualifier we can't pin down), plus a measure of aromatics, one shekel of silver and one sila of oil. The tablet doesn't say what the goods were for.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1 gur 3 barig of barley, (by the measure of) Agade; 1 ban of imgaga (emmer) flour; 1 ban of groats; (for) Wadarum. x (units) of barley [......]; (for) Dumu-mešar: 1 gur of barley, 2 barig of dabin-flour, 1 ban of dabin-flour, sa (quality/processing uncertain), 1 (unit) of aromatics, 1 shekel of silver, 1 sila of oil.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · NMS A.1978.439 — National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
NMS A.1978.439
In plain English
Ur-Nintu gets about 60 loaves of bread plus beer, measured out in jugs of set sizes. Šu-ilīsu receives 60 loaves (perhaps for the table), Lu-lugal-pa'e 60, and the boatman 60. Four portions go to the Amorite singers, five-sixths of a portion to a man from the steppe, and 18 to the crew of the big cargo boat. The bread totals 214 loaves, of which about 50 are baked. Further entries note jars of beer, a jug of beer and flour, a little over four ban of 'Akkad' flour, and two barig of barley set aside for brewing. The closing line gives a time span — apparently five months and twenty-five days, with the year figure lost.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse / Reverse (no section markers supplied in the source) 1. [60?] (loaves of) bread, 1 (jar of) beer, 1 barig 1 ban (capacity) jug(s); 2. 120? (units of) beer, 4-ban jug(s): 3. Ur-Nintu. 4. 60 (loaves of) bread, (for the) table?: Šu-ilīsu. 5. 60: Lu-lugal-pa'e. 6. 60: the boatman. 7. 4: the Amorite singer(s). 8. 5/6: the man of the steppe. 9. 20 minus 2 (= 18): the men of the (large) cargo-boat, bread from ...[x]... 10. Total: 3×60 + 30 + 4 (= 214) (loaves of) bread, 50? baked; 11. 1? (jar of) beer, 1? barig (n) jug(s); 12. 1 (jar of) beer, flour, jug; 13. 4 ban 3? sila of Akkad-flour; 14. 2 barig of barley (for) beer. 15. [n] year(s)?, 5 months, 25 days.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · NMS A.1978.440 — National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
NMS A.1978.440
In plain English
Received: about 3 gur 1 barig 4 ban 7 sila of coarse flour, measured by the standard gur, plus 1 gur 2 barig 3 ban 1 sila of fine flour, 3 gur 3 ban and about 4½ sila of groats, 1 gur 3 barig 2 ban of beer-bread, 1 gur 2 barig 2 sila of ba-ba malt, and roughly 2 gur 2 ban 8½ sila of ordinary malt. This flour and malt was sent out from the city to the Ipa'e canal to cover four days of work there.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 3 gur 1 barig 4 ban 7 sila of dabin-flour, (measured by the) sag-gal₂ gur; 2. 1 gur 2 barig 3 ban 1 sila of fine flour; 3. 3 gur 3 ban 4 ½(?) sila of groats, gur; 4. 1 gur 3 barig 2 ban of beer-bread, gur; 5. 1 gur 2 barig 2 sila of ba-ba malt, gur; 6. 2(?) gur 2 ban 8 ½(?) sila of malt, gur; 7. flour (and) malt, which went out from the city; 8. labour of 4 days; 9. (at) the Ipa'e canal; 10. received.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · NMSA 3650 — National Museum of Syria, Aleppo, Syria
NMSA 3650
In plain English
Sesame oil, measured by the Sumerian sila: an allowance went to Enlil-mes, and one sila (roughly a litre) went to NI.TUKU-gal. The tablet does not say how much Enlil-mes received. Lugal-pada oversaw the transaction as the responsible official. Dated the eighth month of year two.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse/Reverse (no section markers given in the source): 1. Sesame oil, (by the) Sumerian sila: 2. Enlil-mes (received an unstated amount); 3. 1 sila, Sumerian (measure): 4. NI.TUKU-gal. 5. Lugal-pada 6. (was) its commissioner. 7. Year 2, month 8.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · NYPLC 348 — New York Public Library, New York, New York, USA
NYPLC 348
In plain English
Lugal-kisal, son of E-u'e, the merchant, supplied 35 workmen, and 25 more came from Adab (if the place name is read correctly). A further entry, under a name ending in "-lugal", is partly broken, and its number is lost. All together the crew comes to 61 men. Lugal-sigar, the city's elder, took charge of them.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse/Reverse (no section markers in source): 1. Lugal-kisal(?), 2. son of E-u'e, 3. the merchant: 4. 35 workmen; 5. Adab(?): 6. 25 workmen; 7. [...]-x-lugal [... (workman/workmen)]; 8. Total: 61 workmen. 9. Lugal-sigar, 10. the elder (ad-da) of the city, took charge (of them).”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry