Theme
Economy
Tens of thousands of tablets recording cattle distributions, silver weights, temple inventories, and merchant contracts. The world's first accounting — and the reason writing exists at all.
ATU 5, pl. 013, W 6710,a
13 ZATU678, male workers (ERIM~a) 10 ZATU678, ZATU765 5 ZATU718(?) 5 women (SAL) 5 PAP~a [elders/supervisors?] 10 copper (URUDU~a?) [Total:] 4(N14) 8(N01) [= 48]
Economy
ATU 5, pl. 071, W 9579,cc
2 cows — [of type] NUN~a, ZATU639, LAM~b — herald(?) / official(?), ox 1 cow — [of type] X, [disbursed?] [...] 1 cow — [of type] SZE~b — Uruk 4 cows — [type] GU4, ZATU639 — Uruk
Economy
ATU 5, pl. 077, W 9579,dv
2(N34) 2(N01) , NUN~b 1(N34) 2(N14) , [small cattle — female goat] 4(N14) [9(N01)] [...] , [...] [male castrated sheep] 4(N14) 1(N01) , NIR~b UKKIN~a UTUA~b 7(N34) 3(N14) 8(N01) , [sheep/small cattle] — disbursed
Economy
ATU 5, pl. 089, W 9656,ab
1(N01)[?] , [large capacity unit].BAD~a 1(N01) , [sign ZATU689] [...] , ZAG~b[?] [...] 1(N01) , [sign ZATU693] UKKIN~a 1(N01) , AK~a 1(N01)[?] [...] , [...] [...] 9(N01)[?] , [...] fish NUN~b
Writing & LiteratureEconomy
ATU 7, pl. 018, W 19416,a
20 [units], MA, ZATU735~b 20 [units], GU, fine wool(?), apple/orchard-fruit 2 [units], DIN, [vessel with sign |GAN~c×LAGAB~b|] 2 [units], [vessel with sign |GAN~c×X|] 10# [units], GAN~b [...], GI, |SAR~a׊E~a|, DA~a [...], DIN 7# [units], MA 2 [units] (higher order), apple/orchard-fruit 20 [units], MA#, ZATU735~b [...], |SAR~a׊E~a|#, A#, [...]
EconomyProto-Cuneiform Account Tablet
One of the earliest specimens of human writing. Not literature, not law — accounting. The need to keep track of grain in a temple bureaucracy is what pushed marks-on-clay into a system that could one day carry epics.
Writing & LiteratureEconomy
ATU 7, pl. 084, W 22102,5+
40 [units], [container/storehouse with sun sign], open court, fish 20 [units], land/country — small, female, fish, [total/chief] 4 [units], fish, minister/courier, [approach/bring near] 2 [units], [reed+wood compound sign] 2 [units], [mixed?], day/sun 3 [units — damaged] [...], [...] 5 [units], cattle pen/fold 5 [units], [mixed?], day/sun, young man/male adult 2 [units], date-palm(?) 1 [unit] [...], [...]
Economy
CDLI Lexical 000030, ex. 057
1(N01) , [...] X AD~a#? 5(N01) , MUNU3? 5(N01) , GAZI 1(N01) , [...] 1(N14) , SUHUR 1(N14) , KAR2~b 1(N01) , [...] 1(N01) , [...] 1(N01) , X [...] 1(N01) , [...] [N] , [...] X
Economy
CDLJ 2009/4 §4
Obverse (face): [Top edge:] 1(N57) — salt 4(N14) 3(N01) — hoe/agricultural implement [AL] 1(N14) 1(N01) — [for/of] the lord (EN~a), junior [TUR] 5(N01) — [commodity marked by] |U4×1(N57)|, junior 1(N14) — [commodity marked by] |U4×2(N57)|, junior 1(N14) 6(N01) — [commodity marked by] |U4×3(N57)|, junior Summary/total line: 1(N34) 2(N14) 5(N01) — [grand total] — 1(N57) 2(N57) salt; [commodity] SU~a; elder/supervisor [PAP~a]; |1(N58).BAD~a|; SI; AN; AD~a; GIR~a
Economy
CMAA 020-C0003
[...] 1(N01), [...] X X 1(N01), goat (MASZ2) [processed/fashioned?] (ZATU628~a DIM~a) female (SAL) 1(N01), [NUN~b category] [processed/fashioned?] (DIM~a) 1(N01), [NUN~b category] ration/bread? (GAR) head/person (SAG) [unidentified sign] (ZATU694~c) [...], [...] [...] 6(N01), [...]
Economy
CahDAFI 8, 95 16
[...] [Sign M377] [Sign M251] x x , [...] [...] , 1(N39B) [Sign M146] x 1(N14) 2(N01) [Sign M387] [Sign M240] [Sign M096] , 1(N14) 3(N01) x x [Sign M218] [Sign M177~a] , 3(N01) x , [...]
Economy
Anonymous 270814
Line 1: [x x] x Ur-Amaraka [x] Line 2: 1 gur, 1 barig — fisherman — to Šuruppak, delivered Line 3: [...] overseer of boatmen Line 4: 1 gur, 1 barig — storehouse scribe Line 5: 1 gur, 1 barig — agent (PA-official)
Economy
AoF 41, 010-014
8 bur of field — the gešur field. 2 bur 1 eše of field — KA-banda. 3 bur 1 eše [?] of field — the sal₄-la mound. 3 bur 1 eše of field — the al-lu₂ furrow. 2 bur 1 eše of field — the Nam-gi mound. Fields of Ur-lugal-gub. 5 brothers — allotments — were disbursed. Field — household allotment — belonging to Gišgal-si.
EconomyCT 50, 015
2 garments, 2 linen [garments] — U5-ri the carpenter. The bailiff [who will] return [them]: to the storehouse they are to be brought. 1 [and] 1/2 garments. The king's bailiff. A-ḫu-ti has returned [them]. To Mes-lu2-nu [they were] brought along.
Economy
AAICAB 1/2, pl. 140, 1971-349
20 (shekels of barley), top-quality rations — Gala-priest of the master-carpenter; 20 (shekels): Ur-e'a, the leather-worker; 20 (shekels): Inim-Utu; 20 (shekels): En-an-ne, [of the] lower [quality / second grade]; (quantity lost): Gala-priest, [of the] lower [quality / second grade]; 20 (shekels): Ad-kup-gal; — the 'non-irrigating man' (canal-work gang); their overseer: the farmer (agricultural official).
Economy
AAICAB 1/3, pl. 245, Bod S 295
2 barig of Akkadian bappir (beer-bread) 2 barig of groats 2 barig of malt 2 barig of flour 2 ban of fine flour (for/by) Mama-hursag Total: 1 gur 3 barig 2 ban of flour — Akkadian 2 ban of fine flour Year 3, month 7
Economy
AAICAB 1/4, Bod S 340
1 barig 3 ban of fine flour from Agade 1 gur 1 barig of lentil/chickpea flour 3 gur of semolina 2 gur [2? ban] of malt flour 2 ban [of ...] x x [AN?] x la [A?] x x x x x x x x x [1 barig?] x x x x 2 [names?], 2 months
Economy
AAS 009
2 jugs of 5-ban beer 2 jugs of 3-ban beer ne-sag surplus Total: 2 barig 4 ban — its barley equivalent 6 years, 8 months
Economy
AAS 012
2 sheep chosen by the heart (= selected) 1 lamb [of/for] the edge (side) of UD-HUB₂ 1 lamb [for/of] Dumuzi 1 lamb [for/of] Lugal-pa-e₃ 1 sheep [for the] cook (muhaldim) 5 lambs [for/of] Ab-zu [1]1 sheep [as] goat(s)? returned/brought back (šu-gi₄-gi₄) Total: 14 sheep, 9 (= 10 minus 1) lambs Expenditure (zi-ga)
Economy
AAS 202
x x [...] 1 [...] Kalla? 1 Me-pa-[x] 1 Ur-[...] 1 Lugal-maškim [1] Lu-[...] [1] Lu-[...] [...] Pa-geš-[...] Their account-inspection has been performed. 7 persons, 5 months.
Economy
AAICAB 1/1, pl. 059, 1924-0553
24 talents of wool — gir2-gul (quality/type); stone-weight: 1 talent 1⅔ mina each. Via: Šulgi-mišar. Wool of the sheep-pen of Tummal. From [x]-Inanna (source official, name partially broken): delivered. Nur-Suen received. Month: Šu-eššá (8th month). Year: the throne of Enlil was fashioned.
Economy
AAICAB 1/2, pl. 093, 1935-541
16 sar 10 gin of bricks — Agaga, the singer; 20 sar of bricks in the village settlement (é-duru₅); 3 and 2/3 sar 5 gin in the mill-house (é-kikken-na) — the boatman, for counted brick-carrying; [x] workers [via (the responsibility of)?] Month: é-iti-6; Year: the throne of Enlil was fashioned.
Economy
AAICAB 1/1, pl. 055, 1923-427
15 kaskal[-rations (?)] 7 doves (tu-gur8) entered the palace (é-gal ku4-ra) from Lugal-kuzu. Via [PN, broken] Sealed by Ur-[Šul]pa'e. Month: dal. Year: the throne of [Enlil was fashioned]. Ur-[Šulpa']e, scribe, son of Lugal-kuga-[ni].
Economy
AAICAB 1/1, pl. 059, 1924-0555
2 lambs — day 28, from Abba-saqa, Inta'e received [them]. Month: the extra month after the Mekigal festival, [Year:] the year the throne of Enlil was fashioned. (Total:) 2.
EconomyDrehem Cattle-Distribution Tablet
A window into the world's first total state. The Ur III administration tracked every animal, every worker, every shekel — for a population in the millions. The level of paperwork was not exceeded until the modern era.
EconomyDaily Life
AAS 048
1 milch cow, 1 milk[-fed] ox, (1) calf of a draft ox — via Abbagina, the herdsman, a courier received (them). Year: Harshi and Kimaš were destroyed.
Economy
AAS 024
[2 eše] 3 iku of field — tug2-gur bundling work, [at a rate of] ½ iku [+] ¼ iku per [worker-day]; for rafter-wood work, times 3, [at a rate of] 4 iku ½ iku per [worker-day] — [The labor] of the workers thereof: 150 days. [The field:] KWU729-x-[…]. [Overseer:] Šeš?-[…]. [Sealed by] Ur-emah. Year after Šu-Suen, [the king], built the Martu (Amorite) wall. Ur-emah, scribe, son of Dada.
Economy