Chapter 04 · 2112 – 2004 BCE
Ur III · Neo-Sumerian
A bureaucratic golden age, the Code of Ur-Nammu.
~2050 BCE · CUNES 52-04-065 — Department of Near Eastern Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
CUSAS 03, 0222
In plain English
One male worker, a fuller by trade, was assigned for 25 days. He came from Na-silim, the king's messenger, and was sent to fetch or escort a man; he went along with him. The labor is recorded as a disbursement processed through Šu-Kabta. It came from [a source whose name is broken off], and the rest of the tablet — a few more lines — is too damaged to read.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1 male worker, a fuller, for 25 days — from Na-silim, the king's messenger, to fetch/escort the man, he went along (with him). Booked out (disbursement), via Šu-Kabta, from [...] — [...]...... ...... [...]-EN-[...] [...] ......”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved) · claude-sonnet-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2050 BCE · CUNES 49-09-145 — Department of Near Eastern Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
CUSAS 03, 0232
In plain English
On this day, skilled workers were assigned as follows: one and two-thirds leatherworkers, one feltworker, and one smith — all for one day's labor. The task involved reed and fresh reed material that had been brought from the temple household of Šara to the town of Garšana; the delivery is noted twice, confirming it arrived. The transaction was handled through the official Beli-ili, drawn from the account of Iškur-illat, and the materials/labor were formally disbursed. The record is dated to the month called 'Piglet-Feast,' in the year that the land of Zabšali was destroyed (a Šu-Suen era date).
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1 2/3 workmen (labor-days): leatherworkers; 1 workman: feltworker; 1 workman: smith; for 1 day — reed and fresh (gizi-)reed, from the house of Šara, brought to Garšana — brought. Via Beli-ili; from (the account of) Iškur-illat, it was disbursed (ba-zi). Month: Sesdagu ("eating of piglets"), Year: "the land of Zabšali was destroyed."”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved) · claude-sonnet-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2050 BCE · CUNES 48-09-019 — Department of Near Eastern Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
CUSAS 03, 0349
In plain English
This tablet records crews of construction laborers at Garšana. One group is a certain number of male builders described as 'men of Isin'; another two male builders belong to a household or person called Nig-baba; two more male builders follow, though their description is broken. A crew of 16 male workers is placed under the foreman Irib, who is identified as the slave of a man named Ea-meš. Five male workers and one female worker are grouped under a man named Lu-dulugal-pa'e. Further female workers are assigned to a foreman named Bazi, and the final, badly broken line names another foreman, Zala'a, overseeing an unspecified number of workers.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“[n] male workers, builders, men of Isin. [2] male workers, builders, men of Nig-baba. 2 male workers, [builders]. 16 male workers; foreman: Irib, slave of Ea-meš. [5] male workers, 1 female worker, (under) Lu-dulugal-pa'e. [n] female workers; foreman: Bazi. [n ...]; foreman: Zala'a.”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved) · claude-sonnet-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2050 BCE · CUNES 50-03-088 — Department of Near Eastern Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
CUSAS 03, 0356
In plain English
This tablet logs a batch of baked brick — a bit over 25 sar (partly restored due to damage), plus 15 shekels and 5 grains by weight-measure — made for an orchard belonging to Zabalam. It notes the labor rate: each workman was credited with about 3 2/3 shekels 15 grains of work per day, and in total 404 man-days went into the job. The hired laborers were paid 6 liters of barley apiece as their ration. Ibni-ilum oversaw the transaction as the responsible official, the paperwork went through the scribe Puzur-Ninkar, and Iškur-illat, the estate's household manager, was also involved. The record is dated to the month of the Mekigal festival, in the year the land of Zabšali was destroyed — the rest of the tablet is broken off.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“[2(u) 2(disz)] 3(disz) sar 1(u) [5(disz) gin2] 5(disz) grains of baked (fired) brick, wage-rate of the workmen: 3 2/3 gin2 15 grains each, its workmen: 6(gesz2) 44 (= 404) [workdays], barley: 6 sila3 each, was paid (to the hired men). The baked brick (is for) the [orchard] of Zabala(m). It was delivered. Ibni-ilum, the responsible official (maškim). Via Puzur-Ninkar(ak), the scribe, and Iškur-illat, the household manager (šabra). Month: '[festival of] Mekigal.' Year: 'the land of Zabšali was destroyed.' [...] (text breaks off)”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved) · claude-sonnet-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2050 BCE · CUNES 49-15-591 — Department of Near Eastern Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
CUSAS 03, 0360
In plain English
This account records 113 sar and 16 shekels of bricks. A note clarifies that this amount has not yet been subtracted from the ledger — it's still pending in the books. The next two lines are too damaged to read clearly, though one seems to reference a place or person's name ending in '-ir,' marked as a second instance, and another simply trails off. The transaction was handled through the official Ea-šar. It's dated to the month of Akiti, in the year the great ceremonial barge was built — a year-name placing this record in the reign of Amar-Suen.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1(geš2) 53 sar 16 shekels of bricks — its consumption (disbursement) has not been booked out (deducted from the account). [...]-ir(?), 2nd (occurrence) [...]-da via (the official) Ea-šar. Month: Akiti. Year: 'The great barge (magur-boat) was built.'”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved) · claude-sonnet-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2050 BCE · CUNES 48-06-063 — Department of Near Eastern Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
CUSAS 03, 0365
In plain English
This tablet is a list pairing individual names with quantities, written in the standard Ur III counting system of sixties and six-hundreds. The beginning is broken, so we don't know what is being counted or totaled — possibly workdays, rations, or materials issued to each person. What survives reads roughly: '10 (?) — Lamazatum,' then entries for Ḫilā, Taribum, and Abima'a with their amounts lost, followed by six clearer entries: 360 units to Ḫanḫabi, 360 to Weṣitum, 240 to Lu-banid, 360 to Ili-bašti, roughly 420 to Ili-turi, roughly 600 to Ili-ibqi, 60 to Šat-ili, and 720 to a person named Šalim-something (the rest of that name is broken off). It's a bookkeeping tally, but the specific commodity or purpose the scribe was tracking is no longer legible.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“(Line 1) [......] 10 (?), Lamazatum (Line 2) [n], Ḫilā (Line 3) [n], Taribum (Line 4) [n], Abima'a (Line 5) 6(geš₂) [= 360], Ḫanḫabi (Line 6) 6(geš₂) [= 360], Weṣitum (Line 7) 4(geš₂) [= 240], Lu-banid (Line 8) 6(geš₂) [= 360], Ili-bašti (Line 9) 7(geš₂)? [= 420?], Ili-turi (Line 10) 1(geš'u)? [= 600?], Ili-ibqi (Line 11) 1(geš₂) [= 60], Šat-ili (Line 12) 1(geš'u) 2(geš₂) [= 720], Šalim-[......]”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved) · claude-sonnet-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2050 BCE · CUNES 48-12-057 — Department of Near Eastern Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
CUSAS 03, 0371
In plain English
This record lists several workers or crew leaders along with quantities counted in the Sumerian base-60 system: Ubarum is credited with 360 units, a woman named Geme-[...] with 240, Ur-sukkal with 360, someone named Namura (uncertain) with 240, and Šat-ili with 240. The tablet then gives a running total far exceeding the sum of these entries — 9,180 plus an unreadable additional amount — which tells us this is only the final portion of what was originally a much longer list of names and figures; the earlier lines that would explain the discrepancy are lost.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“6(gesz2) [=360]: U-barum 4(gesz2) [=240]: Geme-[...] 6(gesz2) [=360]: Ur-sukkal 4(gesz2) [=240]: Namura(?) [...] 4(gesz2) [=240]: Šat-ili 2(šar2) 3(geš'u) 3(geš2) [n] [=9180+n]: (total)”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved) · claude-sonnet-5 · low confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2050 BCE · CUNES 49-15-598 — Department of Near Eastern Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
CUSAS 03, 0373
In plain English
The tablet tracks a brick-hauling job. Three entries record quantities of bricks — each apparently 720 units, though the details after each number are broken off — followed by a running total of over 7,200. The work was under the responsibility of a man named Šu-Eštar. The text then gives the standard labor formula: each female worker was expected to carry 120 bricks a day, and four such workers were assigned to the job (the rest of that line is lost). Each worker received 3 sila3 of barley as her ration, with a total barley figure now broken away. The final lines label this as 'labor for carrying bricks,' tied to a building whose name is lost in the break.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1(gešu) 2(geš2) [...] (= 720 [...]) 1(gešu) 2(geš2) [...] (= 720 [...]) 1(gešu) 2(geš2) [...] (= 720 [...]) 2(šár) [n] (= 7200 [+n], total) Šu-Eštar its length: [n ninda ...] labor of female workers, per one (worker): [2(geš2) bricks each, i.e. 120 bricks] its female workers: 4 [...] barley: 3 sila3 [each] its barley: [n] labor for carrying bricks the house of [...]”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved) · claude-sonnet-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry