Chapter 03 · 2334 – 2154 BCE
Akkadian Empire
Sargon brings rival city-states under imperial rule.
~2270 BCE · N 0614 — University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
OSP 1, 059
In plain English
Beer distribution list. The potter gets one jar; Ur-Utu one; Ur-sag one; Ur-tur-tur one; Engar-mah one; a man whose name is partly lost (...-lulu) one; Puzur-Eštar two; Adda one; Lu-sukkal two. The next entry is too damaged to read, and the one after that preserves only part of a name, Lu-...-dugi. The list ends with one jar for Dingir-kalga. The edges of the tablet are chipped, so the first numeral and the first name are restored.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. [1] (jar of) beer — 2. the potter; 3. [1 — Ur]-Utu; 4. 1 — Ur-sag; 5. 1 — Ur-tur-tur; 6. 1 — Engar-maḫ; 7. 1 — ...-lu-lu; 8. 2 — Puzur-<Eš>tar; 9. 1 — Ad-da; 10. 2 — Lu-sukkal; 11. [...] ... ... ...; 12. [...] Lu-[...]-dugi; 13. 1 — Dingir-kalga.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · N 0320 — University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
OSP 1, 060
In plain English
What survives is a headcount. The top of the list is damaged: there is someone whose name was probably Puzur-Eštar, another man whose name ends in '-išti', and a man belonging to Ariri, but how many of each there were is lost. Then the readable part: one Ilum-qar; one man of Alu; one man from Šuruppak; and two men from Adab. Nothing else of the tablet remains in the transliteration.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. [......] Puzur-[Eš]tar(?) 2. [......]-išti 3. [......] man of Ariri 4. 1 Ilum-qar 5. 1 man of Alu 6. 1 man of Šuruppak 7. 2 men of Adab”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · CBS 08459 — University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
OSP 1, 108
In plain English
One kid goat, received from Lugal-inimdu, was taken on; while it was in A-GIR-gal's charge it died. The carcass was brought to the great storehouse, the Ganun-mah. A further line about something in the Ganun-mah is damaged, but it seems to mention another death. The animal counts as the mašdaria-contribution owed by Dingir-ga'abe. Dated to the month Udru.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 1 kid (young goat), 2. from Lugal-inimdu 3. was accepted(?); 4. at the place of A-GIR₂-gal 5. it died. 6. To the Ganun-mah (the great storehouse) 7. it was brought. 8. In the Ganun-mah 9. [...] died(?). 10. (It is) the mašdaria-contribution 11. of Dingir-ga'abe. 12. Month: Udru.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · N 0226 — University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
OSP 1, 120
In plain English
This is a list of field plots and the people who hold them. Ur-lugal has 2 bur and 1 eše of land (about 15 hectares); Iriš has about 2 bur and 1 iku; Ida-il about 1 bur, 1 eše and 1 iku; Bubu's figure is lost. Ur-Šulpa'e has 1 bur, while Šab and E-sikil each hold 4 bur — the largest plots on the tablet, around 26 hectares each. Gugal has roughly 1 bur and 1 eše, and the entry for someone whose name ends in -gi is broken. Me-abzu, Ubartum and Nin-nigzu each hold 1 bur and 1 eše. The last entry, a person whose name ends in -atum, is damaged, and the beginnings of several lines are lost.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 2 bur 1 eše (of) <field> — Ur-lugal. 2. [...] 2 bur(?) 1 iku (of) <field> — Iriš. 3. [...] 1 bur(?) 1 eše(?) 1 iku(?) (of) <field> — Ida-il(?). 4. [...] — Bubu. 5. 1 bur (of) <field> — Ur-Šulpa'e. 6. 4 bur (of) <field> — Šab. 7. 4 bur (of) <field> — E-sikil. 8. 1 bur(?) 1 eše [...] (of) <field> — Gugal(?). 9. [...]-gi. 10. 1 bur 1 eše (of) <field> — Me-abzu. 11. 1 bur 1 eše (of) <field> — Ubartum. 12. 1 bur 1 eše (of) <field> — Nin-nigzu. 13. [...]-atum.”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · CBS 06722 — University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
OSP 1, 126
In plain English
This is a provisions list for someone whose name is broken off. It assigns 2 barig (about 120 liters) of flour each for four kinds of bread — gan-bread, sal-sal-bread, black bread, and gin-bread — plus 2 barig of ḫal-ḫal flour and 2 barig of white wine. Then one unit of something now lost and one jar of honey. After a gap, the list continues with 2 baskets of pomegranates, 2 leather bags of wild game, and ten strings each of gamur-fruit, figs, and apples. It reads like the shopping list for a banquet or an offering.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse 1. [...]-zi 2. 2 barig of flour (for) gan-bread 3. 2 barig of flour (for) sal-sal-bread 4. 2 barig of flour (for) black bread 5. 2 barig of flour (for) gin-bread 6. 2 barig of ḫal-ḫal flour 7. 2 barig of white wine 8. 1 (jar/unit) [...] 9. 1 jar of honey/syrup 10. [...] 11. 2 gurdub-baskets of pomegranates 12. 2 leather bags (kuš-lá-a) (of) wild goat/gazelle 13. 10 nig-du (strings/bundles) of gamur-fruit 14. 10 nig-du (strings/bundles) of figs 15. 10 nig-du (strings/bundles) of apples”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · N 0336 + UM 29-16-277 — University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
OSP 1, 141
In plain English
What survives reads like a short ledger. Thirty of something (the item is lost) are entered first, next to the name Ur-Emaḫ. Then five birds of a kind no longer legible, under Kurrere. A line with the figure 3 follows, but its contents are broken. Three more men are listed — Lu-ḫegal, Ur-Inanna and Mes-utu-ba — and the final line, mostly lost, closes with a sequence note, 'the second'. The beginning and ending of several lines are missing, so who gave what to whom cannot be reconstructed.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 30 [......] 2. Ur-Emaḫ(?) 3. 5 bird(s) [......] 4. Kurrere 5. [......] 3 [......] 6. Lu-ḫegal 7. Ur-Inanna 8. Mes-utu-ba 9. [......] the 2nd (......)”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · N 0427 + N 0483 — University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
OSP 1, 143
In plain English
Twenty at the first location, eighteen at the second, three at the third — those belong to Lugal-idmu, from Girgilu. Forty-four to Ur-ninmu, from Ab-anka. Two to U4-u4. Five to Ma-du. The household overseer was responsible for ... — the rest of the line is broken off, and the record ends there.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 20 — location/plot 1, 2. 20 minus 2 (= 18) — location/plot [2], 3. 3 — location/plot 3: 4. Lugal-idmu, 5. (of/at) Girgilu. 6. 44 — Ur-ninmu, 7. (of/at) Ab-anka. 8. 2 — U4-u4. 9. 5 — Ma-du. 10. The overseer of the house(hold) [...] (rest lost)”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2270 BCE · N 0305 — University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
OSP 1, 154
In plain English
This is a beer distribution record. The top is broken, but it begins with a quantity of beer, then lists recipients: the potter, an overseer, Ur-sag, Ur-ašgi, and then Puzur-Eštar with 2 measures, Sig-e with 1, Šu-ilišu with 1, Lu-u (the man from Umma) with 1, Lu-lugal with 1, Ide-de with 1, and one more recipient whose name is lost, with 1. The record closes with a total of beer, but the figure is broken away.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“(Beginning broken) 1. [...] beer 2. (for) the potter 3. [... the] overseer (nu-banda) 4. [... Ur]-sag 5. [... Ur]-[ašgi] 6. 2 (measures): Puzur-Eštar 7. 1 (measure): Sig-e(?) 8. 1 (measure): Šu-ili[šu] 9. 1 (measure): Lu-u 10. (of) Umma 11. 1 (measure): Lu-lugal 12. 1 (measure): Ide-de 13. 1 (measure): [...] 14. [Its total]: 15. [...] beer”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry