Chapter 03 · 2334 – 2154 BCE
Akkadian Empire
Sargon brings rival city-states under imperial rule.
~2270 BCE · FM 229253 — Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois, USA
OAIC 53
In plain English
Message from Ikūnum to Ilum-alsu: Why, after I already wrote to you and made my demand, is the balance still outstanding? Get moving and come. The next two lines are too broken to read. Then: the field was handed over to Su-bēlī, but his flour allotment has not been prepared.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. Thus (says) 2. Ikūnum 3. [t]o Ilum-alsu: 4. Why, 5. (although) I wrote 6. (and) I ... to you (a-ni-er3-kum), 7. (does) the remainder (still stand)? 8–9. Take the road (i.e. set out)! 10. [......] 11. [......]-da-ba 12. The field to Su-bēlī 13. he [g]ave; 14. his flour-ration (zi3-ba) 15. he has not made/prepared.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A00998 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
OIP 014, 089
In plain English
Beer at 12 sila a day for seven days; that works out to 2 barig and 6 sila of barley, charged as the regular daily provision. Then four loaves of bread for the first-fruit offering, with a damaged entry mentioning someone or something described as 'tall'; a line here is lost. The barley for that comes to 5 ban. All of it went to the Emaḫ temple as food consumed by the god Enlil. Dated to the month of the Akitu festival.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 12 sila of beer each (per day), 2. for 7 days; 3. its barley: 2 barig 6 sila — regular provision (sa₂-du₁₁). 4. 4 loaves of bread, first-fruit offering (ne-sag) [...] UMBIN×LU, tall (sukud); 5. [...] 6. its barley: 5 ban. 7. (For) the Emaḫ, 8. consumed by (offering of) Enlil. 9. Month: Akiti.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A00819 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
OIP 014, 090
In plain English
Three cows and one ox, held on behalf of the commissioner's office, have been assigned to the women's workhouse of the E-maš. Out of that group, one ox was handed over from the palace to the cowherd Ur-dingira, who took charge of it. Recorded in the month of Du-ku. The numbers after the cows and the first ox are damaged, so any further detail about those animals is lost.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“(Obverse) 1. 3 cows [...] 2. 1 ox [...] 3. (these are) the property of the maškim-office, 4. in the house of the female workers of the E-maš: it is allotted (al-ba-a-kam). 5. [From] among them: 6. 1 ox, 1 (head), 7. Ur-dingira, the cowherd, 8. from the palace 9. received (took in charge). 10. Month: Du-ku.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A00925 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
OIP 014, 092
In plain English
Issued: 29 sila of top-quality beer, plus 1 gur, 1 ban and 2 sila of regular beer, and 2 ban of groats. In barley terms that comes to 1 barig, 1 ban and three and a half sila. The disbursement is booked under Mesag. Dated to the month Bahir(?), whose full name is not quite clear from the last line.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 3 ban less 1 sila (= 29 sila) of fine beer, 2. 1 (gur) 1 ban 2 sila of (ordinary) beer, 3. 2 ban of groats; 4. its barley (equivalent): 1 barig 1 ban 3½ sila — 5. issued (expended). 6. Mesag. 7. Month: Bahir(?) ... igi.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A00956 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
OIP 014, 098
In plain English
Two jars of lard went out for fifty-one select staff and twenty musicians, in connection with the festival of še-[...] (the festival's name is partly broken; the fourth line, 'ib-še', is unclear). Two-thirds of a sila of oil — roughly two-thirds of a liter — went to Išbe-Elili. These amounts are booked as oil expenditure. The official who signed off on the issue was Ur-dingira, the barber.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 2 jars of lard, 2. 51 select (personnel), 3. 20 musicians, 4. ib-še (?), 5. (at) the festival of še-[...]; 6. 2/3 sila of [oil]: 7. Išbe-E[lili]; 8. oil expended (booked expenditure). 9. Ur-dingira, the barber.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A00970 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
OIP 014, 101
In plain English
Beer dispensed from the stores: one jar of premium beer and one jar of standard beer went to Igmulum, the cupbearer. Four jars of standard beer went to the Gutians. E'a-muda, serving as commissioner (part of his entry is broken), brought the beer over. Totals: one jar of premium beer and five jars of standard beer. This was charged to the account of Mesag. Dated to the month Še-sag-saga.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 1 (jar) of good-quality beer, 2. 1 (jar) of ordinary beer: 3. Igmulum, the cupbearer; 4. 4 (jars) of ordinary beer: 5. the Gutians — 6. E'a-muda 7. [...], the commissioner (maškim), 8. brought (it). 9. Total: 1 (jar) of good-quality beer; 10. total: 5 (jars) of ordinary beer. 11. Expenditure of Mesag. 12. Month: Še-sag-saga.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A00918 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
OIP 014, 102
In plain English
Ten sila of beer went to Ur-Nisaba, ten sila to Bēlī-dabum, and four sila to Geš-šu, who works for Eliš-mani; Šu-ilī, who works for the household's chief administrator, is also listed. Altogether that comes to one standard measure of beer, representing two ban (about 20 liters) of barley. It is booked as an outlay from the household of Sukkal-gesi, in the month Ab-e, under expenditures.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 10 sila of beer: 2. Ur-Nisaba; 3. 10 sila: Bēlī-dabum; 4. 4 sila: Geš-šu, 5. the man of Eliš-mani; 6. Šu-ilī, 7. the man of the chief administrator of the household. 8. Total: 1 (measure) of beer; 9. its barley: 2 ban. 10. Expenditure 11. (from) the household of Sukkal-gesi. 12. Month 'Ab-e': expenditure.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · OIM A00822 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
OIP 014, 104
In plain English
The top of the tablet is lost. What survives reads like a balance sheet for draft animals. On hand: 34 assorted donkeys. Issued out: 13 assorted oxen and 10 assorted donkeys. Written off as losses: 74½ assorted oxen and seventy-odd assorted donkeys (the exact number is broken), recorded as the shortfall due to animals that had died. The half-ox is presumably a share in a jointly held animal.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“(Beginning destroyed) [...] 34 donkeys, [assorted], (are) stationed (present); 13 oxen, assorted, 10 donkeys, assorted, expended; 74½ oxen, [assorted], 7[0+ ...] donkeys, assorted — deficit: fallen (dead) animals.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry