Position in chronology
ARET 03, 207
About this tablet
An administrative tablet from the palace archives of Ebla in northern Syria, written around 2350 BCE in the local Semitic language using Sumerian cuneiform. It records issues of clothing from the royal wardrobe to named individuals — Lu-muna-an, Šaranu, Manuwad — and to the ruler of Ib'al, a neighbouring polity, whose gift-set is the grandest: a gu-zi garment, a zara₆ mantle, a fine multicoloured kilt, and a gold belt. Texts like this are how the Ebla court tracked diplomacy: the rank of a guest is legible in the fabric and metal he was handed.
Plain-language summary by the engine — meant as a doorway into the literal translation below.
Written in modern English
Clothing issued from the palace stores. To Lu-muna-an: one …-NI-NI garment and one multicoloured kilt. To Šaranu, acting as holder: one fine garment and one multicoloured kilt; the same for his commissioner. The next entries are broken away. To Manuwad: one …-NI-NI garment and two fine garments. For Ib'al: one gu-zi garment, one zara₆ mantle, one fine multicoloured kilt, and a gold belt — this set for the king. The rest of the tablet is lost.
A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.
Translation — our engine
Our engineLu-mu-na-an: 1 …-NI-NI garment, 1 multicoloured IB+3 kilt. Ša-a-ra-nu, the holder (šu-du₈): 1 fine garment, 1 multicoloured IB+3 kilt. His commissioner (maškim). (Break) Ma-nu-wa-ad: 1 …-NI-NI garment, 2 fine garments. Ib-al₆ (Ib'al): 1 gu-zi garment, 1 zara₆ garment, 1 fine multicoloured IB+3 kilt, 1 belt of gold — the king (en). (Break)
Our translation engine — Opus 5. Reads the photo, translates the cuneiform, and writes a plain-language interpretation. See methodology for limits.
Spotted an error? Suggest a correction — confirmed corrections feed the engine's knowledge base.
Transliteration
lu-mu-na-an 1(asz@c) TUG2-NI-NI 1(asz@c) _|IB2+3(DISZ@t)| dar tug2_ sza-a-ra-nu _szu-du8_ 1(asz@c) _SAL_ 1(asz@c) _|IB2+3(DISZ@t)| dar tug2_ _maszkim_-su3 [...] ma-nu-wa-ad 1(asz@c) TUG2-NI-NI 2(asz@c) _SAL_ ib-al6 1(asz@c) gu-zi 1(asz@c) _zara6_ 1(asz@c) _|IB2+3(DISZ@t)| sa6 dar_ 1(asz@c) _ib2-la2 ku3-sig17_ _en_ [...]
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Ebla (ca. 2350-2250 BC)) — ARET 03, 207. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: National Museum of Syria, Idlib, Syria (P242399) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from engine:claude-opus-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved).
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