Chapter 04 · 2112 – 2004 BCE
Ur III · Neo-Sumerian
A bureaucratic golden age, the Code of Ur-Nammu.
~2050 BCE · LB 0256 — de Liagre Böhl Collection, Netherlands Institute for the Near East, Leiden, Holland
LB 0256
De Liagre Böhl Collection, NINO, Leiden / CDLI — LB 0256 (P388790), photographic montage of the clay envelope; converted to WebP without cropping
In plain English
Received: 3 gur and 3 barig of barley, measured by the royal standard. It came out of the Elamites' grain heap and was supplied by Šu-Eštar for the gaba-tab work on the field called Elam-egara. Adda, son of GIŠ-BAD, signs for it with his seal. Dated in the month of Baba's festival, in the year Kimaš was destroyed. The seal reads: Adda, son of GIŠ-BAD, steward of Dumuzi.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 3 gur 3 barig of barley, royal (measure), 2. from the grain-heap of the Elamites, 3. from Šu-Eštar, 4. for the gaba-tab work of the Elam-egara field. 5. Sealed document of Adda, son of GIŠ-BAD. 6. Month: Festival of Baba; 7. Year: Kimaš was destroyed. Seal: 1. Adda, 2. son of GIŠ-BAD, 3. steward of Dumuzi.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-01/v9-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2050 BCE · LB 0257 — de Liagre Böhl Collection, Netherlands Institute for the Near East, Leiden, Holland
LB 0257
De Liagre Böhl Collection, NINO, Leiden / CDLI — LB 0257 (P388791), photographic montage of the clay envelope; converted to WebP without cropping
In plain English
Four gur of barley, measured by the royal standard, were issued as rations for the porters. One line naming further details is too damaged to read. Next comes Ur-[...], a porter, whose name is only partly preserved. The barley came from the field beside a place whose name is uncertain. Dated: the year after Karhar was destroyed for the second time. The last two lines are fragmentary. One begins with another name in Ur-, and the other preserves only the sign AN.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 4 gur of barley, (by the) royal (measure), 2. barley rations of the porters; 3. [...] ... [...] ... [...] 4. Ur-[...], the porter. 5. Barley of the field beside the SILA3(?). 6. Year after the year Karhar was destroyed for the second time. 7. Ur-[...] 8. [...] AN [...]”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-01/v9-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2050 BCE · LB 0259 — de Liagre Böhl Collection, Netherlands Institute for the Near East, Leiden, Holland
LB 0259
De Liagre Böhl Collection, NINO, Leiden / CDLI — LB 0259 (P388793), photographic montage of the clay envelope; converted to WebP without cropping
In plain English
Receipt for 76 gur and 4 barig of barley, issued by Bazi as wages for the hired labourers on bala rotation. The grain came from the Kunzida canal-inlet, where the name of the place is damaged. The receipt is sealed by Atu, son of Lala, and the delivery was handled by Erra-nuid. It is dated to the month of Mu-šu-du, in the year Simurrum and Lullubum were destroyed for the ninth time.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 76 gur 4 barig of barley, 2. wages of the hired workers, the labor-troops of the bala-service staying (on duty), 3. from Bazi; 4. from the Kunzida (canal-inlet) of ......; 5. sealed document of Atu, son of Lala; 6. via Erra-nuid. 7. Month: Mu-šu-du7. 8. Year: Simurrum (and) Lullubum were destroyed for the 9th time.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-01/v9-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2050 BCE · LB 0268 — de Liagre Böhl Collection, Netherlands Institute for the Near East, Leiden, Holland
LB 0268
De Liagre Böhl Collection, NINO, Leiden / CDLI — LB 0268 (P388801), photographic montage of the clay envelope; converted to WebP without cropping
In plain English
Twelve plowmen have each received 4 gur of barley, measured by the royal standard, for a total of 48 gur. The barley is a loan to the plowmen. It was supplied by Ur-Ašnan and taken from the E-gibil field. The document is sealed by Adda, administrator of Inanna's temple, and the transaction went through Ur-Baba, who seems to have been a plowman himself. It is dated to the year when the high priestess of the moon-god Nanna was chosen by reading the omens of a sacrificial kid. Adda's seal names him as a scribe, the son of Ur-abba and the temple administrator of Inanna.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Obverse 1. 12 plowmen, 4 gur of barley (by the) royal (gur) each: 2. their barley: 48 gur; 3. barley loan of the plowmen, 4. from Ur-Ašnan, 5. from the field E-gibil. 6. Sealed document of Adda, temple administrator of Inanna; 7. via Ur-Baba, the plowman(?). Reverse 8. Year: the en-priestess of Nanna was chosen by means of the omen kid. Seal 9. Adda, scri[be], 10. son of Ur-ab[ba], 11. temple administrator of Inanna.”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-01/v9-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2050 BCE · LB 2360 & LB 0285 — de Liagre Böhl Collection, Netherlands Institute for the Near East, Leiden, Holland
LB 2360 & LB 0285
De Liagre Böhl Collection, NINO, Leiden / CDLI — LB 2360 & LB 0285 (P388814), photographic montage of the clay envelope LB 0285, catalogued with tablet LB 2360; converted to WebP without cropping
In plain English
Ur-Baba, son of Ur-iedina, still owes 27 gur, 1 barig, 6 1/3 sila and 1 shekel of barley, measured by the royal standard. This is the balance left over when his account was settled. Dated: the year after Simurrum and Lullubum were destroyed for the ninth time. The text appears twice, and the second copy is formally sealed by Ur-Baba. His seal reads: 'Ur-Baba, scribe, son of Ur-iedina.'
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1. 27 gur 1 barig 6 1/3 sila 1 shekel of barley, by the royal gur, 2. KU, the remainder of the account made; 3. Ur-Baba, 4. son of Ur-iedina. 5. Year after (the year) Simurrum and Lullubum [were destroyed for the 9th] ti[me]. 6. 27 gur 1 barig 6 1/3 sila 1 shekel of barley, by the royal gur, 7. KU, the remainder of the account made; 8. sealed document of Ur-Baba, son of Ur-iedina. 9. Year after (the year) Simurrum and Lullubum were destroyed for the 9th time. 10. [Ur]-Baba, 11. [scr]ibe, 12. [son of] Ur-iedin[a].”
Source: engine:claude-opus-5-5 (2026-11-01/v9-evolved) · claude-opus-5-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2050 BCE · Anonymous 114221 — private: Pinches, unlocated (dispersed)
MVN 05, 001
In plain English
This tablet is a receipt: 3 gur and 4 ban2 of grain (by the royal standard measure) were handed over as the regular offering due to the god Šara. The grain came from a man named Ur-lisi, and someone named Esagil signed for it — 'received.' The transaction is dated to the month called Min-eš, in the year that Karahar was destroyed for the second time (a year name placing this in the reign of king Šu-Sin of Ur). The final line names another person, Lu-AN-..., but the tablet breaks off before more can be read.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“3 gur 4 ban2, royal (measure) — regular offering of (the god) Šara. From Ur-lisi, Esagil received. Month: "Min-eš". Year: "Karahar was destroyed for the second time". Lu?-AN.[...]”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved) · claude-sonnet-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2050 BCE · Anonymous 114223 — private: anonymous, unlocated
MVN 05, 003
In plain English
This receipt records that Dingira took delivery of a batch of goods from Ur-lisi: 18 sila (about 18 liters) of ghee, 2 1/2 mina of fine reed, just under 2 mina of a metal item called gir2, and 8 sila of an aromatic substance. The transaction is dated to the sowing month, in the year following the one known as "the year Simurum was destroyed for the third time" — a standard Ur III dating formula tied to a royal military campaign. It's an ordinary storeroom or workshop disbursement record from the Umma administration.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“1 ban2 8 sila3 ghee (butter fat), 2 1/2 mina of good/sweet reed, 2 mina minus 5 shekels of gir2, 8 sila3 gu4-KA-ru aromatic (šim), from Ur-lisi, Dingira received. Month: Šu-numun ("month of the seed"), year following the year: "Simurum was destroyed for the third time."”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved) · claude-sonnet-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry~2050 BCE · Anonymous 114224 — private: anonymous, unlocated
MVN 05, 004
In plain English
Two lots of reed bundles were handed over: 2,736 bundles of one type and 1,560 bundles of another. The reeds came from Šeš-kalla, and a man named An-gugu received them. The transaction is dated to the sixth month, in the year that the temple complex at Puzriš-Dagan was built — a standard way Ur III scribes dated documents, by naming a major event of that year, here Šulgi's founding of the Puzriš-Dagan institution.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“2(gesz'u) ... total: 2736 bundles of reed, ŠID (a qualifier — "counted" or a type-designation); 1560 bundles of reed, NE (a qualifier — possibly "fired/burned" or another type-designation); from Šeš-kalla, An-gugu received. Month: "E-iti-6" (the 6th month), year: "the house of Puzur-Dagan was built."”
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved) · claude-sonnet-5 · medium confidence
Read the full tablet entry