Position in chronology
ARET 03, 247
About this tablet
A fragment of an administrative textile account from the palace archives of Ebla in western Syria, around 2350 BCE. The scribe is logging luxury garments — cloaks, tunics, and multicoloured kilts — issued to the rulers ('en') of allied or client cities such as Lumnan and Ursa'um, and to Ursa'um's 'badalum', a high vizier-like official of the north-Syrian cities. Such gift-lists are among our best evidence for the diplomatic network of gift exchange that bound the kingdoms of Early Bronze Age Syria together.
Plain-language summary by the engine — meant as a doorway into the literal translation below.
Written in modern English
This is a page from the palace clothing ledger. It lists distributions to foreign rulers: the king of Lumnan, the king of Ibubu, and the king of a city whose name is broken away. After a gap the account resumes: two fine multicoloured kilts; then a set for the king of Ursa'um and his chief minister, the badalum — one 'à-da-um cloak of the first type, one aktum tunic, one fine garment, and two multicoloured kilts. The rest of the tablet is broken off.
A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.
Translation — our engine
Our engine(Obverse, column preserved) The king (en) of Lumnan, the king (en) of Ibubu, the king (en) of ... [...] (Break) [...] 2 kilts, fine quality, multicoloured; the king (en) of Ursa'um and his badalum (second-in-command): 1 'à-da-um cloak — (type) 1 —, 1 aktum-tunic, 1 fine (garment), 2 multicoloured kilts (íb-III), textiles [...] (remainder broken)
Our translation engine — Fable 5. Reads the photo, translates the cuneiform, and writes a plain-language interpretation. See methodology for limits.
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Transliteration
_en_ lum-na-an _en_ i-bu16(NI)-bu _en_ x x [...] [...] 2(asz@c) _|IB2+n(DISZ@t)|# sa6 dar_ _en_ ur-sa2-um wa ba-da-lum-su3 1(asz@c) 'a3-da-um 1(disz@t) 1(asz@c@90) _aktum_ 1(asz@c) _SAL_ 2(asz@c@90) _|IB2+3(DISZ@t)| dar tug2_ [...]
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Ebla (ca. 2350-2250 BC)) — ARET 03, 247. 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 (P242440) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved).
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