Position in chronology
AAS 202
About this tablet
A small administrative tablet from the Akkadian period (roughly 2350–2150 BCE), found in an unknown location in Mesopotamia and now held in Paris. It records a list of workers or officials — identified by personal name, most of them Sumerian — whose service or labour account has been formally audited. The closing formula 'their account has been made' and the summary tally of 7 persons over 5 months are standard bureaucratic closings found across the great administrative archives of ancient Iraq. Despite its modest size and fragmentary state, it is a typical example of the meticulous record-keeping that allowed Mesopotamian institutions to track labour obligations across weeks and months.
Plain-language summary by the engine — meant as a doorway into the literal translation below.
Written in modern English
Seven individuals — including Kalla, Me-pa-[unknown], Ur-[unknown], Lugal-maškim, and at least two others whose names are partly broken — have had their accounts formally reviewed and closed. The tally at the bottom confirms: 7 people, 5 months of service. The rest of the entries are too damaged to read in full.
A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.
Translation — our engine
Our enginex x [...] 1 [...] Kalla? 1 Me-pa-[x] 1 Ur-[...] 1 Lugal-maškim [1] Lu-[...] [1] Lu-[...] [...] Pa-geš-[...] Their account-inspection has been performed. 7 persons, 5 months.
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 ↓
- kal?-la? — Reading uncertain; could be a personal name element or an occupational term (e.g., 'kala' = strong, or part of a compound name). The '?' in the transliteration signals the editor's own doubt.
- me-pa?-x — Possibly a personal name beginning with 'me-pa-' but the final sign is unread; alternative readings of 'me-' component are possible.
- lugal-maszkim — Sumerian personal name: lugal = 'king', maškim = 'deputy, commissioner, constable'. Well-attested as a personal name in this period.
- pa-gesz-[...] — Possibly a personal name or toponym; the 'pa-geš' element is known in Sumerian onomastics but the broken end prevents a firm reading.
- gurum2-bi i3-ak — Standard administrative formula: 'their (account-)inspection has been performed / their account has been made'. Attested widely in Ur III and Akkadian administrative texts.
- 7(disz@t) mu 5(disz@t) iti — The '@t' notation indicates a tablet-format number; translates as '7 (persons), 5 months'. 'mu' here functions as a classifier for persons in some readings, though it can also mean 'year' — context favours persons given the list structure.
Reasoning ↓
The photograph shows what appear to be multiple views of the same small lenticular/oval tablet (a form common in Akkadian-period administrative records) plus a flat fragment labelled 'CFC 141' at bottom. The central face (obverse) shows clearly ruled horizontal lines with cuneiform wedges; individual signs are visible but the resolution and surface erosion make precise sign-by-sign confirmation difficult. The top portion of the obverse is the most legible: vertical and horizontal wedges consistent with number signs (the asz@c / lenticular 'one' sign) followed by groups of signs matching the personal names in the transliteration. The reverse/lower oval view appears largely uninscribed or too worn to read. The flat lower fragment (CFC 141 label) shows additional ruled lines with signs that are consistent with the summary lines 'gurum2-bi i3-ak' and the final count line, though individual wedges cannot be confirmed at this resolution. The transliteration is taken as the primary reading guide; the photo corroborates the general format (list of ones + summary) but cannot verify specific sign readings such as 'kal?-la?' or 'me-pa?-x', hence the low confidence. The 'gurum2-bi i3-ak' formula ('their account has been made/checked') is a standard Ur III / Akkadian administrative closing formula, lending credibility to the reading. The totals line '7(disz@t) mu 5(disz@t) iti' — 7 persons, 5 months — is a typical labor-account summary.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · prompt 2026-05-12/v4-interpretation · May 12, 2026 · 3480 in / 1056 out tokens
Transliteration
x x [...] 1(asz@c) [...] kal?-la? 1(asz@c) me-pa?-x 1(asz@c) ur-[...] 1(asz@c) lugal-maszkim [1(disz)] lu2-[...] [1(disz)] lu2# [...] [...] pa-gesz-[...] gurum2-bi i3-ak 7(disz@t) mu 5(disz@t) iti
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Old Akkadian (ca. 2340-2200 BC)) — AAS 202. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: College de France, Paris, France (P212450) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from engine:claude-sonnet-4-6 (2026-05-18/v5-modern-rendering).
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Related sources
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A window into the world's first total state. The Ur III administration tracked every animal, every worker, every shekel — for a population in the millions. The level of paperwork was not exceeded until the modern era.