Position in chronology
ATU 5, pl. 077, W 9579,dv
About this tablet
One of the earliest written documents in human history, this clay tablet from ancient Uruk (in modern southern Iraq) dates to around 3200–3000 BCE, before writing was even fully developed. It records quantities of sheep and goats — using round and wedge-shaped impressions for numbers — alongside early pictographic signs identifying the animals and perhaps the official responsible. Tablets like this are the direct ancestors of all later cuneiform writing: accountants at a large Mesopotamian temple or palace institution invented these marks simply to keep track of livestock, and in doing so accidentally created literacy itself.
Plain-language summary by the engine — meant as a doorway into the literal translation below.
Translation · reference
Low confidence2(N34) 2(N01) [large round + small round impressions], NUN~b [commodity/designation] 1(N34) 2(N14)# [impressions], UD5~a# [she-goat] 4(N14)# 9(N01)# [...], [...] UDUNITA~c# [male sheep/ram] 4(N14) 1(N01), NIR~b UKKIN~a UTUA~b [designations/titles of official or category] 7(N34) 3(N14) 8(N01)#, UDU~a BA [sheep; ration/disbursement]
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-4-6 (2026-05-12/v4-interpretation)
Translation · AI engine
read from photo2(N34) 2(N01) [large round + small round impressions], NUN~b [commodity/designation] 1(N34) 2(N14)# [impressions], UD5~a# [she-goat] 4(N14)# 9(N01)# [...], [...] UDUNITA~c# [male sheep/ram] 4(N14) 1(N01), NIR~b UKKIN~a UTUA~b [designations/titles of official or category] 7(N34) 3(N14) 8(N01)#, UDU~a BA [sheep; ration/disbursement]
6 uncertain terms ↓
- N34, N14, N01 — These are proto-cuneiform numerical notation signs. N34 is a large round impression (= 10 in a 'bisexagesimal' or animal-counting system); N14 is a large oval impression (= 10 in some systems, or a fractional value in others); N01 is a small round impression (= 1). The exact metrological system for animal counts at Uruk in this period is still debated.
- NUN~b — A proto-cuneiform sign of uncertain reading and meaning in this context; may denote a commodity class, an official title, or a place designation. The '~b' indicates a specific graphic variant.
- UD5~a — Generally interpreted as 'she-goat' in proto-cuneiform zootechnic texts, but the reading is based on contextual parallelism, not a bilingual key.
- UDUNITA~c — Likely 'male sheep' or 'ram'; UDUNITA is the proto-cuneiform predecessor of later Sumerian udu-nita. The '~c' variant is a specific sign form.
- NIR~b UKKIN~a UTUA~b — These signs in sequence may denote an official's title, an institutional category, or a herd classification. Their precise Sumerian or administrative reading in the proto-cuneiform period remains uncertain.
- BA — In later Sumerian, ba means 'to distribute/allot.' In proto-cuneiform contexts it is interpreted as a disbursement notation, but this is an extrapolation from later usage rather than a deciphered reading.
Reasoning ↓
Visually examined the photograph (VAT 15007, W 9579,dv). The obverse (upper image) shows a roughly rectangular tablet divided by incised lines into compartments. Within the compartments I can see multiple large circular impressions (N34 = large round, sexagesimal 'ten' in later notation) and smaller circular impressions (N01 = small round = '1'), consistent with the transliteration's numerical notation. In the upper-right compartment a crossed-circle sign (consistent with an early form of a determinative or the sign UTUA~b / UKKIN~a) is clearly visible, matching the transliteration's row 4. Incised tally-marks (resembling the sign NUN~b or UDUNITA) are visible in the upper-left area. The reverse (lower image) shows a crossed-circle sign at top and additional round impressions below, consistent with the continuation of the account. Surface erosion and a crack through the middle of the obverse obscure several impressions; the '#' and '[...]' notations in the transliteration correctly reflect damaged passages I cannot fully resolve. The museum label 'VAT 15007 / 9579,dv' is legible in the photograph on the right edge, confirming the object identity. The N14 signs (larger, elongated oval impressions representing '10' in proto-cuneiform notation) are harder to distinguish clearly from N34 in the photo due to lighting and wear, introducing some uncertainty. Reading aligns broadly with the published ATU 5 transliteration; no significant discrepancies detected beyond expected photographic resolution limits.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · prompt 2026-05-12/v4-interpretation · May 12, 2026 · 3496 in / 1138 out tokens
Why it matters
Transliteration
2(N34) 2(N01) , NUN~b 1(N34) 2(N14)# , UD5~a# 4(N14)# 9(N01)# [...] , [...] UDUNITA~c# 4(N14) 1(N01) , NIR~b UKKIN~a UTUA~b 7(N34) 3(N14) 8(N01)# , UDU~a BA
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Uruk IV (ca. 3350-3200 BC)) — ATU 5, pl. 077, W 9579,dv. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin, Germany (P001369) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from engine:claude-sonnet-4-6 (2026-05-12/v4-interpretation).
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.