Position in chronology
MDP 06, 5003
About this tablet
A proto-Elamite administrative tablet from Susa (modern Shush, Iran), dating to roughly 3100–2900 BCE — among the earliest writing in the world. It records quantities of undeciphered commodity categories using numerical notations of the proto-Elamite accounting system, where different numeral signs (N01, N24, N30C, N30D) represent different orders of magnitude within a metrological system. The tablet is substantially broken, with numerous lacunae, but its structure — sign clusters paired with numbers — is characteristic of the proto-Elamite bookkeeping tradition that managed goods across a complex administrative network. Proto-Elamite remains the largest undeciphered writing system in existence, so the specific goods and persons involved cannot be identified, yet the accounting logic is clear.
Plain-language summary by the engine — meant as a doorway into the literal translation below.
Written in modern English
This tablet lists a series of commodity entries, each paired with a quantity. The quantities range from small units (2, 4, 8 items or measures) up to larger accounting units — suggesting a structured inventory or ration record covering multiple categories of goods. Several lines are too broken to read. The rest is lost.
A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.
Translation — our engine
Our engineLine 1: [Sign M264~b] , 2 Line 2: [Sign M264~a] , 2 Line 3: [Sign M264~b?] [...] , [...] Line 4: [...] , 4 Line 5: [Sign M036+1(N24)?] , 8 Line 6: [Sign M036+1(N30C)] , 4 Line 7: [...] , 8 Line 8: [Sign M387~ca] [Sign M037] [Sign M243~h] , 1 (large unit) Line 9: [Sign M297] , 1 (large unit) Line 10: [...] , 1 (large unit, higher order) Line 11: [Sign M002] , 1 (large unit, higher order) Line 12: [Uncertain sign] [Sign M265~f?] [...] , [...] Line 13: [...] [Sign M036+1(n)] , 2 Line 14: [Uncertain sign] [...] , [...]
Our translation engine — Sonnet 4.6. Reads the photo, translates the cuneiform, and writes a plain-language interpretation. See methodology for limits.
Engine notes
read from photo6 uncertain terms ↓
- M264~b / M264~a — Proto-cuneiform commodity signs whose exact referent is debated; may relate to a type of vessel, ration, or processed food product. The distinction between the ~a and ~b variants is subtle and not securely readable from the photo.
- N01, N24, N30C, N30D — Numerical signs whose absolute value depends on which proto-cuneiform counting system is in use (sexagesimal, bisexagesimal, capacity, area, etc.). Without secure commodity identification, the metrological system cannot be assigned with confidence.
- M036+1(N24) / M036+1(N30C) — Composite signs — a base sign M036 combined with a numerical element — functioning as commodity or institutional designators. Their referent is uncertain; such compounds in proto-cuneiform often denote grain-products or animal categories.
- M387~ca M037 M243~h — A cluster of three signs in one cell, possibly a compound commodity designation or an institutional label. Multi-sign compounds in proto-cuneiform administrative tablets are common but often resist secure interpretation.
- M002 — Tentatively read; one of the most basic proto-cuneiform signs, possibly functioning as a determinative or commodity classifier. Reading marked uncertain (#) in the transliteration.
- M265~f — Tentatively read with strong uncertainty (marked #?); cannot be verified from the photograph.
Reasoning ↓
The photograph shows a badly damaged, cracked tablet broken into several pieces and photographed from multiple angles (obverse, reverse, and edges). The surface is heavily worn with significant erosion, and numerous wedge impressions are visible but many are indistinct. The characteristic horizontal lines dividing entries into cases/cells are clearly visible on the obverse face, consistent with proto-cuneiform administrative tablets of the Uruk/Jemdet Nasr period. Numerical signs — repeated vertical and diagonal wedge strokes consistent with N01, N30C, and similar notation — are recognizable in several cells on the obverse, broadly confirming the transliteration's numerical columns. The logographic/commodity signs in the left columns are much harder to confirm visually at this resolution and state of preservation; signs in the upper left area show box-like and composite forms consistent with proto-cuneiform, but individual sign identification (M264, M036, M387 etc.) cannot be verified from the photo alone. The reverse (bottom image, labeled Sb 15233) appears blank or too eroded to carry text, with only modern museum accession numbers visible in ink. The transliteration provided by the project editors reflects the highly damaged state honestly, with numerous lacunae and uncertainty markers; the photo is fully consistent with this assessment. No major discrepancies between photo and transliteration are detected, but confirmation of individual sign readings is not possible at this resolution.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · prompt 2026-05-12/v4-interpretation · May 15, 2026 · 1990 in / 1191 out tokens
Transliteration
M264~b , 2(N01) M264~a# , 2(N01) M264~b#? [...] , [...] [...] , 4(N01) |M036+1(N24)|? , 8(N01) |M036+1(N30C)| , 4(N01)# [...] , 8(N01) M387~ca M037 M243~h , 1(N30C) M297 , 1(N30C) [...] , 1(N30D) M002# , 1(N30D) x M265~f#? [...] , [...] [...] |M036+1(n)|# , 2(N01) x [...] , [...]
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Proto-Elamite (ca. 3100-2900 BC)) — MDP 06, 5003. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: Louvre Museum, Paris, France (P008189) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from engine:claude-sonnet-4-6 (2026-05-28/v6-glossary-aware).
Related tablets
Related sources
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.
Marks the boundary between proto-writing and writing. We can see signs being used systematically — but not yet phonetically. The leap to recording speech itself comes a few centuries later.
The earliest historical document in human history. Before this, we have lists, accounts, and dedications. Here, for the first time, a ruler tells us what happened — with names, places, and consequences.