Chapter 05 · 2000 – 1600 BCE
Old Babylonian
Hammurabi, the Epic of Gilgamesh, mathematics.
~2099 BCE · MS 1739/1 — Schøyen Collection, Oslo, Norway
MS 1739/1
In plain English
Puzur-Haya took delivery of one royal-standard gur of barley, worth one and a quarter shekels of silver, handed over by Katar. Ur-dukuga and Puzur-Haya (again, or a namesake) witnessed the transaction. It was dated to an intercalary 'harvest' month, in the year that the throne of Enlil was made. On the other side of the tablet is a second, badly damaged entry recording what looks like another gur of barley changing hands, with a witness named Puzur-something, dated to the same intercalary month and the same year — but the rest of the details are lost to breaks in the clay.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1 royal gur of barley, corresponding to 1 1/4 shekels of silver, from Katar — Puzur-Haya received (it). Witness: Ur-dukuga. Witness: Puzur-<Ha>ya. Month: 'extra month, Harvest' (intercalary). Year: 'the throne of Enlil was fashioned.' (second entry, reverse) 1 gur of barley [...] for/in the amount of [...] Witness: Puzur-[...] Month: 'extra month, Harv[est]' Year: 'the thro[ne ...']”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved) · claude-sonnet-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2017 BCE · LB 1104 — de Liagre Böhl Collection, Netherlands Institute for the Near East, Leiden, Holland
TLB 05, 10
In plain English
This tablet is a leather-workshop and provisions account. It lists one leather bag and a royal leather strap-set; sheepskin (nine black hides, with five shekels of cord); eight pairs of shoes with hoof-shaped fittings made for the king, issued in sets of one or two; an ox hide along with five shekels' worth of tanning material; and a billy-goat hide, two-thirds of a black portion. Also recorded are three baskets of sweet bread and five sila of bitumen, all set aside as an offering for the granary. The transaction went through Ur-alla and the cook Iddin-Adad, under the supervision of the official Anah-ili, on an unspecified day of the month NE-NE-gar, in the year King Išbi-Erra defeated Šimaški and Elam. The tablet is marked as a duplicate copy of the original record.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1 naḫbatum (leather bag/pouch), royal ka-kara4 (leather strap/gear) — sheep hide, ram(?)-hide, its black (portion): 9; its cord/sinew: 5 shekels. 8 shoes (with) hoof-fittings(?), royal ka-kara4, 1 (or) 2 each. Ox hide, its tanning-agent (u2-ḫab2): 5 shekels. Billy-goat hide, its black (portion): 2/3. 3 baskets of gug2-cake (bread); its bitumen: 5 sila. For the offering of the granary. Via Ur-alla and Iddin-Adad, the cook; overseer: Anaḫ-ili. Day [n]. Month: NE-NE-gar. Year: Išbi-Erra, the king, defeated Šimaški and Elam. Copy (gaba-ri).”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved) · claude-sonnet-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~1984 BCE · OIM A29993 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
JANES 18, 44 08
In plain English
Twenty-seven liters of barley-meal bread, earmarked as festival supplies for the month of Gu'sisu, are currently held by A-zida. He is to hand them over in the month of Abu. Dated to the month of Gu'sisu, in the year Šu-ilišu became king. Responsible party: A-zida, son of Ur-nigar.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“2 ban₂ 7 sila₃ of bread (made) of dabin-flour, festival provisions for the month Gu'sisu (month II), which are on hand with A-zida; in the month NE-NE-gar (Abu, month V) it is to be delivered. Month: Gu'sisu. Year: Šu-ilišu (is) king. A-zida, son of Ur-nigar.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved) · claude-opus-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~1984 BCE · OIM A29994 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
JANES 18, 45 10
In plain English
Six sila of bread (about six liters), issued from the temple household as the food allowance for a named group of workers. Dated the 11th day of the month of Abu; the next lines, which would have given the recipients and the person who took delivery, are broken away, leaving only what looks like the word 'received.' The tablet closes with the year formula: the year King Šu-ilišu built the wall named Rīm-Ištar.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“6 sila of bread — of/for the AB[…] (temple? household?), food allotment (šuku) of the [...]-people; month: NE.[NE]-gar (Abu), day 11, [...] [...] received(?) [...] Year: Šu-ilišu the king built the wall (called) Rīm-Ištar.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved) · claude-opus-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~1974 BCE · UM 55-21-102 — University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
JANES 18, 48 21
In plain English
Received from the temple of Enlil: four liters of flour mixed with honey, and a bowl of dates. Enum-Suen took delivery and drew up the record himself. Dated to the harvest month, in the year King Iddin-Dagan married his daughter Matum-niatum to the king of Anšan.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“4 sila of honeyed flour, [n] sila of dates (in) a burzi-bowl — delivery; from the temple of Enlil [En]um-Suen has received. Month: Še-sag-ku (harvest month). Year: Iddin-Dagan the king — Matum-niatum, his daughter, the king of Anšan married her. Enum-Suen, the scribe.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved) · claude-opus-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~1974 BCE · OIM A29999 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
JANES 18, 48 24
In plain English
Receipt: four sheep, cooked, credited to Inim-Enlila, at Nippur. Delivery, issued for a meat allocation, apparently to the house of Gissu — the next line is lost. Dated to the eighth month, day 12, in the year Iddin-Dagan installed the high priest of the goddess Nin-Isina. Several lines in the middle of the tablet are broken and cannot be read.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“4 sheep, cooked (al-še₆), (from/for) Inim-Enlila, [in] Nippur. [De]livery. For ... meat. [...] the house of Gissu(?) [...] [Month:] Apin-du'a (eighth month), [...] day 12. [Year:] "Iddin-Dagan the king elevated the lumaḫ-priest of [the goddess] Nin-Isina."”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved) · claude-opus-5 · experimental confidence
Read the full tablet entry~1974 BCE · OIM A29997 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
JANES 18, 49 25
In plain English
Seven sheep, cooked, delivered as part of the standing offering allotment for Enlil and Ninlil. The meat went to the temple's butchery, transferred out of the É-gissu store, and the transaction was certified under the seal of the temple administrators. Dated to the 26th day of the ninth month, in the year Iddin-Dagan installed the lumaḫ-priest of Nin-Isina.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“7 sheep, cooked (boiled), regular offerings (sá-du₁₁) of Enlil and Ninlil. Delivery, for the meat-house (é-uzu), from the É-gissu; sealed tablet of the šatammu-officials. Month: Gan-gan-è (month IX), day 26, year: Iddin-Dagan the king elevated (installed) the lumaḫ-priest of Nin-Isina.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved) · claude-opus-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~1974 BCE · OIM A29998 — Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
JANES 18, 49 26
In plain English
Received: nine sheep, cooked. (Two further lines are too broken to read.) The transaction took place in Nippur, and the animals came from the É-gissu establishment. Entered as a delivery, in month nine (Gan-gan-e), in the year that King Iddin-Dagan installed the lumaḫ-priest of the goddess Nin-Isina.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“9 sheep, cooked; [...] x [...] within Nippur. From (the household of) É-gissu: delivery. Month: gan-gan-e₃ (month IX). Year: Iddin-Dagan the king elevated the lumaḫ-priest of Nin-Isina.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved) · claude-opus-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry