Chapter 03 · 2334 – 2154 BCE
Akkadian Empire
Sargon brings rival city-states under imperial rule.
~2270 BCE · FM 229241 — Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, USA
OAIC 35
In plain English
Five shekels of silver, set aside for a ring. One shekel of silver for Tesitum. One shekel of silver for Ṭāb-ilī. Then three garments: one of the burutum kind, one of the našpartum kind, one of the zimtum kind. He handed over one shekel of silver to me, and I gave him one bala-garment in return. That is the whole note — a brief tally of silver and cloth changing hands.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 5 shekels of silver, 2. (that) of a ring (šewirum), 3. 1 shekel of silver, 4. Tesitum; 5. 1 shekel of silver, 6. Ṭāb-ilī; 7. 1 burutum-garment, 8. 1 našpartum-garment, 9. 1 zimtum-garment; 10. 1 shekel of silver he gave (to me); 11. 1 bala-garment I gave to him.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · FM 229216 — Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, USA
OAIC 39
In plain English
Here is the list of dependent workers: Urrim; Libur; Lulu, who works copper; someone connected with wood (the name is broken away); Admar; Dingir-gi; Bēlī, son of Bubu; and Izur-basu, son of Amatu, the man in charge of the carpenters. No quantities or payments are recorded — it is simply a roll of names.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. ŠUBUR (servants/dependents): 2. Urrim, 3. Libur, 4. Lulu, the copper(-worker), 5. wood [...], 6. Admar, 7. Dingir-gi, 8. Bēlī, 9. son of Bubu, 10. Izur-basu, 11. son of Amatu, foreman of the carpenters.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · FM 229225 + FM 229229 — Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, USA
OAIC 45
In plain English
What remains reads like a list of payments. Someone identified as the son of Warassuni is involved; a sum is set aside for Isugi and another for the oxen, with the amounts counted in shekels of copper. A leatherworker is paid, and so are the people assigned to the bricks. After a gap, the tablet lists names — Dania, Nabium, someone whose name ends in -zu, Tabni, and two more whose names are only partly readable — most likely the individuals who received or owed these amounts. The beginning and end of the tablet, and the figures themselves, are lost.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“(Beginning destroyed) [......] [son] of Warassuni, for Isugi, for the oxen, ...... shekel(s) of copper, the leatherworker, those of the bricks; [......] (Break) Dania, Nabium, [...]-zu, Tabni, [...]-ni, [...]-ib. (rest destroyed)”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · FM 229240 — Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, USA
OAIC 46
In plain English
This is a checklist. It notes beer for the allotment, and the governor in charge of that allotment; the chief administrator of the household; beer for the man of some place whose name is now broken away; an entry for Inanna, and another for the city of Ešnunna, each followed by the same tag 'gur'; a line reading 'eš-ra'; barley; silver together with the allotment; and a female worker belonging to the temple of Inanna. No totals or dates are given, and several of the entries are too cryptic to explain with confidence.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. beer of the allotment (šīmtum), 2. and the governor 3. of the allotment; 4. the chief household administrator; 5. beer of the man of [...]; 6. Inanna — gur; 7. eš-ra; 8. barley — HU; 9. silver and (of) the allotment; 10. the female worker of Inanna; 11. Išnun — gur.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · FM 229217 — Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, USA
OAIC 47
In plain English
What survives begins with a short list: sesame oil and emmer flour, followed by two lines too broken to read. Then comes the opening of a message — 'Thus says [someone]' — addressed to a man named Zuzu. It concerns barley for the soldiers and something sent to the elders, and mentions a person or place called Gudusiš. The last lines return to goods: sesame (apparently 'of Kitim') and more sesame. Who was writing, and exactly what was being ordered or delivered, is lost with the broken portions of the tablet.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“(Obverse) 1. sesame oil, 2. emmer flour, 3. [......] 4. [......] 5. AN-[......] 6. Thus (says) [......]: 7. to Zuzu, 8. for barley 9. (of) the soldier(s), 10. to the elder(s), 11. Gudusiš, 12. sesame of Kitim (?), 13. sesame.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · FM 229223 — Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, USA
OAIC 48
In plain English
Libur the leatherworker — in the back storeroom. Bread and oil, flour and cakes — in the back storeroom. Bēlī-[...]: tabrium. The kitchen. A certain amount of barley (the quantity is broken off); barley, 'li-si' (meaning unclear). A line is lost here. Then: one guzītum garment. It is a checklist of goods and the people or rooms they are associated with; several entries are damaged and the figures cannot be recovered.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. Libur, 2. the leatherworker, 3. in the rear (storeroom); 4. bread (and) oil, 5. flour (and) cake, 6. in the rear (storeroom); 7. Bēlī-[...], 8. tabrium; 9. the kitchen (house of the cook); 10. [...]-at of barley, 11. barley: li-si(?); 12. [...] 13. a guzītum-garment.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · FM 229247 — Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, USA
OAIC 50
In plain English
This is simply a roll call. It names eleven people one after another: Dumaga, Ummī-Eštar, Eštar-ge, Dārētum, Bilā the fowler, Lāwiptum, Wazuzu, Zuzu, Gur-bibi, Ilī-abī and Tadlultum. Nothing else is recorded — no amounts, no date, no reason for the list — so we can only say that someone in Ešnunna needed to keep track of this particular group of people, several of them women, and one of them a man who made his living catching birds.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. Dumaga 2. Ummī-Eštar 3. Eštar-ge₆ (Eštar-mī?) 4. Dārētum 5. Bilā, the fowler (mušen-[dù]) 6. Lāwiptum 7. Wazuzu 8. Zuzu 9. Gur-bibi 10. Ilī-abī 11. Tadlultum”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · FM 229244 — Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, USA
OAIC 51
In plain English
The opening is broken, but it mentions an official, a commissioner. The record then states that the following people took an oath at the Gate of the god Tišpak: Ili-bani, Lu-ba-...-na (the middle of his name is lost), and Ilulu, son of Ibibi, with a further damaged word after him. The last lines name Darsuba and Gaziru in connection with the oaths — apparently the parties or witnesses to the sworn statement. What the oath was about is not preserved.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. [......] the commissioner (maškim), 2. [at the Gate of] Tišpak 3. they swore (an oath). 4. [1: I]li-bani, 5. 1: Lu-ba-[...]-na, 6. 1: Ilulu, 7. son of Ibibi, ... (SAG-x), 8. Darsuba and 9. Gaziru 10. of the oaths.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry