Position in chronology
OIP 014, 126
About this tablet
A small Old Akkadian administrative note from Adab in southern Iraq, around 2300 BCE. It records two issues of pig fat (lard) from a central store: the larger portion goes to a man named Išbi-ilī to treat or dress leather, and a smaller amount is set aside for a group of women, handed over by one Ašgi-dalu. The whole outlay — just under four litres — is charged to the account of an official named Ur-dingira. It is a glimpse of how even cheap workshop supplies like animal fat were counted and signed off in a Mesopotamian city administration.
Plain-language summary by the engine — meant as a doorway into the literal translation below.
Written in modern English
Just under three litres of lard (three sila minus two-thirds) went out for softening and dressing leather; Išbi-ilī took that lot. One litre went to the ama-maš women, and Ašgi-dalu picked it up. That makes a total of a little under four litres of lard — this fat is booked as an expenditure on Ur-dingira's account.
A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.
Translation — our engine
Our engine3 sila less 2/3 (sila) of lard, for treating leather, (for) Išbi-ilī; 1 sila (for) the ama-maš (women), Ašgi-dalu received (it). Total: 4 sila less 2/3 (sila) of lard — fat, (the) expenditure of Ur-dingira.
Our translation engine — Fable 5.1. Reads the photo, translates the cuneiform, and writes a plain-language interpretation. See methodology for limits.
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Transliteration
3(disz) sila3 la2 2/3(disz) i3-szah2 kusz-e ak-de3 isz11-be-e2-li-li 1(disz) sila3 ama-masz-e-ne aszgi-da-lu ba#-tum2 szunigin 4(disz) sila3 la2 2/3(disz) i3-szah2 i3 zi-ga ur-dingir-ra-kam
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Old Akkadian (ca. 2340-2200 BC)) — OIP 014, 126. This record has no stored scholarly English translation; the existence of published translations has not been checked; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA (P215982) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from engine:claude-fable-5-1 (2026-09-20/v8-evolved).
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