MSVO 1, 009

~3100 BCE·Uruk Period·P005076

Translation · reference

Experimental

Source: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P005076.

Translation · AI engine

read from photo

Low confidence

2 [units], barley-fish (ration allotment?), male workers [...] 1(N22) 2 [units], tablet X [...] 2(N22), [commodity ...]? [...] remainder [...] [...], field [...]

8 uncertain terms ↓

|SZE~a&SZE~a| — Proto-cuneiform 'double grain' sign, possibly indicating a barley-based ration commodity or a compound cereal term; exact referent in this context uncertain.
KU6~a — Proto-cuneiform fish sign; whether this indicates actual fish, a fish-product ration, or a fish-associated institutional category is debated.
ERIM~a — Archaic sign read as 'male workers' or 'men' in labor-accounting contexts; precise referent and phonetic value in this early period remain debated.
DUB~b — Possibly the archaic 'tablet' sign; reading is uncertain (marked with ? in transliteration); alternative sign identifications possible.
|NI~a.RU| — Compound sign reading uncertain (marked with ? in transliteration); could refer to a commodity or institutional term not yet fully identified.
ME~a — Proto-cuneiform sign with multiple possible referents; in administrative contexts sometimes associated with categories of goods or capacities.
TAK4~a — Typically read as 'remainder' or 'balance' in accounting contexts, but reading is uncertain here (marked with # in transliteration).
N22 — A numerical notation in the proto-cuneiform system representing a larger capacity/count unit; exact quantity value depends on the commodity system in use.

Reasoning ↓

The photograph shows a small, lenticular clay tablet (museum number 1926-0689 visible in the image) photographed from multiple angles: obverse (main face, centre), reverse (lower image, largely blank/smooth with faint impressions), top edge (upper image), left and right edges. The obverse surface is heavily worn and eroded; the wedge impressions are shallow and difficult to resolve individually. On the obverse I can make out groups of vertical and diagonal wedge-impressions consistent with the N01 and N22 numerical notations of the proto-cuneiform system, and at least one composite sign cluster in the upper-right area that could correspond to the |SZE~a&SZE~a| (double-grain) sign or KU6~a (fish). The ERIM~a sign (a figure-like archaic logogram) is plausible in the lower cluster but cannot be confirmed from this resolution. The reverse (bottom image) shows a largely plain surface with faint horizontal ruled lines and a few wedge impressions at the top, consistent with a summary or blank reverse typical of early Uruk/Jemdet Nasr tablets. The transliteration's brackets and question marks accurately reflect the damaged state. The |NI~a.RU| and ME~a readings on line 3 cannot be independently verified from the photo. The TAK4~a ('remainder/balance') reading is plausible in context. Overall the photo confirms a heavily damaged, small administrative tablet with numerical and logographic content broadly consistent with the transliteration, but resolution and erosion prevent sign-by-sign verification.

Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · prompt 2026-05-12/v4-interpretation · May 14, 2026 · 1853 in / 1097 out tokens

Why it matters

Transliteration

2(N01)# , |SZE~a&SZE~a|# KU6~a ERIM~a
[...] 1(N22)# 2(N01)# , DUB~b? X [...]
2(N22) , |NI~a.RU|#? ME~a TAK4~a# [...]
[...] , GAN2# [...]

Scholarly note

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Uruk III (ca. 3200-3000 BC)) — MSVO 1, 009. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).

Attribution

Image: Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK (P005076) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P005076..

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Related sources

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