MSVO 1, 120

~3100 BCE·Uruk Period·P005187

Translation · reference

Experimental

Source: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P005187.

Translation · AI engine

read from photo

Low confidence

[...] , [...] [...] , [...] [...] , [...] X [...] , [...] 3 (units) , 1 (unit) , GA'AR (dairy/grain product) [...] , [...] 1? [...] , [...] 1 (large unit) , [...] [...] , X 1 (unit) , SIG7? (green/yellow?) + barley 1 (large unit) , 1 (large unit) , , [...] , DU + fish

6 uncertain terms ↓

GA'AR~a1 — A proto-cuneiform sign for a processed food product, often interpreted as a grain or dairy preparation (possibly dried/pressed grain cake or cheese-like product). The precise referent is debated.
SIG7? — Tentatively read as SIG7 (a color qualifier: green, yellow, or fresh); the question mark in the transliteration signals the editor's own uncertainty. Could alternatively be a different qualifier sign.
SZE~a — Standard proto-cuneiform sign for barley (Sumerian še). Reading is well-established but the combination with SIG7 is unusual and may indicate a quality or state of the barley.
DU KU6~a — KU6~a is the standard sign for fish. DU here may be a verb ('to bring/deliver') or a qualifier; in proto-cuneiform contexts the grammatical function of accompanying signs is often unclear.
N05, N06, N24 — These denote specific capacity or counting units in the proto-cuneiform numerical system. Their absolute values in modern measures remain debated and system-dependent (sexagesimal vs. bisexagesimal vs. area systems).
X — Unidentified sign(s) in the transliteration; photo does not allow clarification.

Reasoning ↓

Visual examination: the obverse shows a roughly oval clay tablet, pale buff in color, broken at the lower left and upper left corners. The surface is partially eroded but several incised wedge-groups are visible. In the upper register I can make out what appear to be box-ruled columns consistent with proto-cuneiform administrative format. A distinctive circular/radiating impression in the mid-section is consistent with a complex sign (possibly GA'AR or a related commodity sign). Lower registers show angular impressed numerals and further sign-groups, but erosion and the photographic resolution prevent confident individual sign identification. The reverse (lower image, accession number 1928.444 visible in ink) appears blank or heavily abraded — no legible signs detected. The transliteration aligns with the physical appearance: a multi-entry administrative tablet with many broken sections. The numerical signs N01, N05, N06, N24 belong to the standard proto-cuneiform sexagesimal or bisexagesimal systems. SZE~a (barley) and KU6~a (fish) are among the most common commodity signs in Uruk/Jemdet Nasr period accounts. The qualifier SIG7 (green/fresh?) before SZE is uncertain and flagged accordingly. Cannot verify individual broken entries or the exact numeral classes from the photo alone.

Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · prompt 2026-05-12/v4-interpretation · May 14, 2026 · 1852 in / 1029 out tokens

Why it matters

Transliteration

[...] , [...]
[...] , [...]
[...] , [...] X
[...] , [...]
3(N03) ,
1(N01) , GA'AR~a1
[...] , [...]
1(N05)#? [...] , [...]
1(N06) , [...]
[...] , X
1(N01) , SIG7? SZE~a
1(N05) ,
1(N24) ,
, [...]
, DU KU6~a

Scholarly note

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Uruk III (ca. 3200-3000 BC)) — MSVO 1, 120. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).

Attribution

Image: Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK (P005187) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P005187..

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Related sources

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