Position in chronology
Nik 1, 085
About this tablet
This is a Presargonic (Early Dynastic IIIb) administrative tablet from Girsu, part of the archive of Baranamtara, wife of the ruler Lugalanda of Lagash — one of the best-documented royal women of the ancient world, who managed a large economic household called the 'Emunus' (Women's House). The tablet records a large quantity of barley (270 gur) paid out as the price of wool, handled through two named merchants, with the goods ultimately shipped to Elam, on the Iranian plateau. It is a small but concrete window into the long-distance trade networks and palace-temple bureaucracy of Sumer around 2400 BCE.
Plain-language summary by the engine — meant as a doorway into the literal translation below.
Written in modern English
Two hundred seventy gur of barley, measured in the standard 'saggal' unit, were paid as the price for a quantity of wool. Ur-emush, the chief merchant working for the governor, handed the goods over to Enudana, a merchant attached to the Women's Household. From there the wool (or its value) was shipped off to Elam. The transaction was recorded under the authority of Baranamtara, wife of Lugalanda, governor of Lagash, and marked as entry (or year) one.
A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.
Translation — our engine
Our engine270 gur (barley), saggal-measure — it is the purchase price of wool. Ur-emush, chief merchant of the ensi (governor), to Enudana, merchant of the Emunus (Women's Household), gave (it). To Elam it was carried off. (Under) Baranamtara, wife of Lugalanda, ensi of Lagash. 1.
Our translation engine — Sonnet 5. Reads the photo, translates the cuneiform, and writes a plain-language interpretation. See methodology for limits.
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Transliteration
4(gesz2@c) 3(u@c) sze gur saggal nig2-sa10 siki-kam ur-e2-musz3 gal dam-gar3 ensi2-ka-ke4 en-u4-da-na dam-gar3 e2-munus-ra e-na-szum2 elam-sze3 ba-de6 bara2-nam-tar-ra dam lugal-an-da ensi2 lagasz-ka 1(|ASZxDISZ@t|)
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (ED IIIb (ca. 2500-2340 BC)) — Nik 1, 085. 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: State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation (P221854) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from engine:claude-sonnet-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved).
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