Chapter 03 · 2334 – 2154 BCE
Akkadian Empire
Sargon brings rival city-states under imperial rule.
~2270 BCE · N 0279 — University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
OSP 2, 079
In plain English
Here are the twelve men: En-lil-la, Lugal-DU, Gissu, Ka'a, Ug-il, Lu-UN-da, Iri-mu-du, Lugal-kigala, Zur-zur, Lugal-e'ana, Inimani and Ur-pisan — one each. That makes a crew of twelve šar-workers in all. They have been posted to the governor's field and are on duty there.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 1 En-lil-la 2. 1 Lugal-DU 3. 1 Gissu 4. 1 Ka'a 5. 1 Ug-il 6. 1 Lu-UN-da 7. 1 Iri-mu-du 8. 1 Lugal-kigala 9. 1 Zur-zur 10. 1 Lugal-e'ana 11. 1 Inimani 12. 1 Ur-pisan 13. Total: 12 šar-men; 14. at the field of the governor 15. they are stationed.”
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 0270 — University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
OSP 2, 083
In plain English
Garlic account. Seventy kab2-ku5 garlic (units), amounting to 1 ban (about 10 liters) of garlic — from Nig-...-pa'e. Thirty-five from Lu-sa, 1 ban. Thirty-five from Dingir-bani, 1 ban. One hundred fifty from Lugal-e'ana, 9 sila (about 9 liters). One hundred twelve from Ur-e, 1 ban and 2 sila. Two hundred ten from Adda (no volume given). One hundred sixty from Lugal-shud, 1 ban. All from the Small Field.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 1(gesz2) 1(u) (= 70) garlic (szum2) kab2-ku5, 2. its garlic: 1(ban2) (= 1 ban); 3. Nig2-|U.SZA|-pa-e3. 4. 3(u) 5(asz) (= 35): Lu2-sa6 — 1(ban2); 5. 3(u) 5(asz) (= 35): Dingir-ba-ni — 1(ban2); 6. 2(gesz2) 3(u) (= 150): Lugal-e-a2-na — 1(u) la2 1(disz) sila3 (= 10 less 1 = 9 sila); 7. 2(gesz2) la2 8(asz) (= 120 less 8 = 112): Ur-e2 — 1(ban2) 2(disz) sila3 (= 1 ban 2 sila); 8. 3(gesz2) 3(u) (= 210): Ad-da; 9. 3(gesz2) la2 2(u) (= 180 less 20 = 160): Lugal-szud3 — 1(ban2); 10. GAN2-banda3 (the "Small Field").”
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 0408 — University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
OSP 2, 085
In plain English
This is a grain ledger organized by field. First, 123 gur were handed over, under the name Kabku; of that, the share belonging to the Upper Field is listed. Then come the entries: Ur-tir with 240 gur and 2 ban, for the field of Enzi-kalama; Kabku and Lu-lila with 30 gur 2 ban; Sag-dingir-tuku with 70 gur 2 ban; Kar-sa with 20 gur 2 ban; Ne-sag with about 120 gur 2 ban, for the Lesser Field; and finally Lugal-itida with 200 gur 3 ban less 3 sila (the scribe accidentally repeated 'less 3 ban' here), for the Small Upper Field. No total is written on what we have.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 123 (gur) given; [Kabku]. 2. Within it (i.e. of this amount): 3. the field of Igi-nima (the 'upper field'). 4. 240 (gur) 2 ban: Ur-tir. 5. The field of Enzi-kalama. 6. 30 (gur) 2 ban: Kabku, 7. Lu-lila. 8. 70 (gur) 2 ban: Sag-dingir-tuku. 9. 20 (gur) 2 ban: Kar-sa. 10. 120(?) (gur) 2 ban: Ne-sag. 11. The field of Banda (the 'lesser field'). 12. 200 (gur) 3 ban <<minus 3 ban>> (dittography) minus 3 sila: Lugal-itida. 13. The field of Igi-nima-tur (the 'small upper field').”
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 0534 — University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
OSP 2, 087
In plain English
Two hundred forty strings of garlic were checked; measured out, they came to 1 ban and 1 sila (about 11 liters) each. These are booked under E-pa'e. Next come 191 of something whose label is broken; then 120 for Lugal-(name lost), measured at 1 ban and some sila; then 66 more, also measured at 1 ban and a lost number of sila. Uri's share is 180 strings, measuring 2 ban, and Ur-pisan's is 240 strings, measuring 1 ban. Several entries are damaged, so the names and some figures are incomplete.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 4(geš₂) = 240 (strings of) garlic, checked (kab₂-ku₅); 2. its garlic (yield): 1 ban₂ 1 sila₃ each. 3. E₂-pa-e₃. 4. 3(geš₂) 1(u) 1 = 191 [...] 5. 2(geš₂) = 120 (for) Lugal-[...]: 1 ban₂ [...] sila₃. 6. 1(geš₂) 6 = 66 [...]: 1 ban₂ [...] sila₃. 7. 3(geš₂) = 180 (for) Uri: 2 ban₂. 8. 4(geš₂) = 240 (for) Ur-pisan: 1 ban₂.”
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 0002 + N 0017 + N 0115 — University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
OSP 2, 088
In plain English
The record reads as a list of grain amounts next to names. Lugal-itida is down for about 250 gur plus 1 ban and 5 sila; Lugal-daki for 52 gur and a few more sila, though the middle of that line is broken; Ur-kidma for 70 gur, 1 ban and 5 sila; and An-ikuš for a lost amount of gur plus 1 ban and 5 sila. The last preserved line mentions the porters — the menial labour force — but what was recorded for them is lost, and whatever followed is not preserved.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 250 (gur), 1 ban, 5 sila — Lugal-itida. 2. 52 (gur) [...] sila — Lugal-daki. 3. 70 (gur), 1 ban, 5 [sila] — Ur-kidma. 4. [...], 1 ban, 5 sila — An-ikuš. 5. [...] porters (ug₃-IL₂). (rest not preserved in the transliteration)”
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 06215 — University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
OSP 2, 091
In plain English
This is a tally of amounts assigned to six individuals. Lugal-[...] gets 123 units; Lugal-ennu gets 60, with an additional amount in sila now lost; Lugal-KA (if that is his name) gets 190; A-na gets 270; Ur-kidma gets 60, plus a further 2 ban of something whose name is broken; and another Lugal-[...] gets 40. The scribe then wrote a total, but the figure is lost, and the final line is too damaged to read.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 2(gesz2) 3(disz) [= 123 (sila?)] — Lugal-[...] 2. 1(gesz2) [= 60] — Lugal-ennu, x [sila] 3. 3(gesz2) 1(u) [= 190] — Lugal-KA?(-[...]) 4. 4(gesz2) 3(u) [= 270] — A-na 5. 1(gesz2) [= 60] — Ur-kidma; 2 ban [...] 6. 4(u) [= 40] — Lugal-[...] 7. To[tal: ...] 8. [...] ... [...]”
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 06251 — University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
OSP 2, 092
In plain English
What survives is the middle of a ledger. After a lost opening, it reads: 22 for Dadi; 30 for Ur-kidma; another 3 for Ur-kidma; 12 for Enlila; 18 for Gissu; 24 for Enlile; 3 for Nig-Enlil. Then a subheading, 'the field on the Unu canal', introduces a second group: 9 for Enlilda; 24 for Ur-Enlil; 10 for Enlila; some number ending in 2 for Namtare; and a lost figure for Šagani. The beginning and the end of the tablet are broken, so we cannot see what commodity or unit was being counted or any final total.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“(Beginning destroyed) [...] 22 — Dadi 30 — Ur-kidma 3 — Ur-kidma 12 — Enlila 20 less 2 (= 18) — Gissu 24 — Enlile 3 — Nig-Enlil Field (of) the Unu canal: 10 less 1 (= 9) — Enlilda 24 — Ur-Enlil 10 — Enlila [n+]2 — Namtare [n] — Šagani [...] (rest destroyed)”
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 0032 — University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
OSP 2, 103
In plain English
What survives is a ledger of grain. It opens with a line about 'its tithe', then records who was responsible for or received each lot: Ur-Abzu, then some 660 gur and a few ban for Girini, about 605 gur for Aneda, a batch of roughly 180 gur, then 110 gur less an amount now lost, for A-GIR-gal, and a final 60 gur or so marked as allotted. A field connected with silver or with a man named Ku-... is mentioned, and the text ends with a date formula: 'the year the king ...'. The right-hand side of nearly every line is broken away, so the commodity and most of the totals' tails are lost.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. Its tithe (zag-10) [...] 2. Ur-Abzu [...] 3. 660 (gur) 3 ban [...] 4. Giri-[ni] 5. 605 (gur) [...] 6. Ane-[da] 7. 180 (gur) 1 ban ... [...] 8. 110 (gur) 3 ban minus [...] 9. A-GIR2-gunû-gal 10. 60 (gur) 3 ban, allotted (ba-)... [...] 11. Field: Ku-[...] 12. Year: the king 13. ... [...]”
Source: engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved) · claude-fable-5-1 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry