MDP 17, 061

~3000 BCE·Uruk Period·P008259

Translation · reference

Experimental

Source: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P008259.

Translation · AI engine

read from photo

Low confidence

[Header/account identifier: M024~1?] [Entry 1:] M304 M260 — 1 (unit) [Sub-total:] M354 — 1 N14 (large unit) [Entry 2:] M059~d M251 — 1 (unit) [Sub-total:] M354 — 5 (units) [Entry 3:] [damaged sign] M260 — 1 (unit) [Sub-total:] M354 — 5 (units) [Entry 4:] [damaged] [damaged] — 2 (units) [Sub-total:] M354 — 4 (units) [damaged] [Entry 5:] [damaged] [damaged] — 1 (unit) [Sub-total:] M354 — 2 (units) [damaged] [Entry 6:] M387~b M387~b M260 — 1 (unit) [Sub-total:] M354 — 2 (units) [damaged] [Final entry:] M297~b — 4 (N39B units) M387 [total/closing sign]

6 uncertain terms ↓

M024~1? — Header or rubric sign; identity uncertain (marked with '?' in transliteration). May be a commodity classifier or account label; cannot be read from photo.
M304, M260, M059~d, M251, M297~b, M387~b — Proto-cuneiform signs whose precise meanings remain debated or unknown. Many Uruk-period pictographic signs have no confirmed Sumerian reading or semantic equivalent. Translations given here are sign-labels only, not semantic renderings.
M354 — Appears repeatedly as a sub-total or category divider marker; its precise function (subtotal line, commodity class, or something else) is uncertain. Damaged ('#') in most occurrences.
N14 — Higher-order numerical sign; conventionally ~10× N01 in sexagesimal contexts, but exact value depends on which metrological system applies to the commodity in question — unknown here.
4(N39B) — N39B is an elongated impressed numeral used in specific Uruk-period metrological systems, possibly for area or capacity. Its commodity-specific value in this context is debated.
M387 (final line) — Appears alone at the end without a numeral; may function as a total or closing marker, or could be a commodity sign for the preceding entry. Interpretation uncertain.

Reasoning ↓

The photograph shows a small, rounded rectangular tablet displayed in five views (obverse, reverse, left edge, right edge, and top). The obverse (upper central image) is the most legible: wedge-impressions and circular stylus-marks are visible, consistent with proto-cuneiform administrative notation. Several round impressed numerals (N01-type dots) can be discerned in the right-hand column, and linear impressed signs appear in the left column, broadly consistent with the transliteration's structure of sign + numeral pairs. The reverse (lower central image) shows shallower, more worn impressions; some sign clusters are visible but individual signs cannot be confidently identified from the photo at this resolution. The edge views show further impressed signs but surface erosion and the small scale make independent reading impossible. The '#' damage notations throughout the transliteration are corroborated by the photo's evidence of surface wear, small holes/pits, and indistinct wedges in several areas. The M024~1?, M304, M260, M354, M059~d, M251, M297~b, and M387 sign identifications cannot be independently verified from the photo alone at this resolution — they rely entirely on the scholar-provided transliteration. The numerical signs (N01 round impressions) are the most visually confirmable elements. The N39B notation for M297~b's count is unusual and its commodity-specific value remains debated in the literature on proto-cuneiform metrology (cf. Englund & Grégoire, MDP 17).

Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · prompt 2026-05-12/v4-interpretation · May 15, 2026 · 2142 in / 1234 out tokens

Why it matters

Transliteration

M024~1? ,
M304 M260# , 1(N01)
M354 , 1(N14)
M059~d M251# , 1(N01)
M354 , 5(N01)
x M260 , 1(N01)
M354 , 5(N01)
x x , 2(N01)
M354# , 4(N01)#
x x , 1(N01)
M354# , 2(N01)
M387~b# M387~b# M260# , 1(N01)
M354# , 2(N01)
M297~b# , 4(N39B)
M387 ,

Scholarly note

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Proto-Elamite (ca. 3100-2900 BC)) — MDP 17, 061. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).

Attribution

Image: Louvre Museum, Paris, France (P008259) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P008259..

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