TCBI 2/1, 41

~2400 BCE·Early Dynastic·P382049

About this tablet

A small Early Dynastic ration list, probably from Zabalam in southern Iraq, recording measured allotments of coarse barley flour (dabin) to six named individuals — among them Maš-tur, Nin-šeš-da and Nin-mu-dib. The amounts run from about 100 to 180 liters each, the kind of bulk grain issue that supported a household or work gang for a stretch of time. The closing line gives a count of thirteen and a date in the seventh month. It is ordinary institutional bookkeeping: the flour that kept dependents of a temple or estate fed, written down so the storehouse could be balanced.

Plain-language summary by the engine — meant as a doorway into the literal translation below.

Written in modern English

Flour issued from the store: 3 barig of coarse barley flour to Maš-tur; 3 barig to Nin-šeš-da; 2 barig 4 ban of it to Ama-ki, and the same to Za3-mu; 1 barig 4 ban to Mi-na-ni; 2 barig 2 ban to Nin-mu-dib. The account closes with a count of thirteen and the date — the seventh month of the year. The back of the tablet was left blank.

A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.

Translation — our engine

Our engine

Medium confidence

3 barig of dabin-flour — Maš-tur. 3 barig — Nin-šeš-da. 2 barig 4 ban2 — Ama-ki. 2 barig 4 ban2 — Za3-mu. 1 barig 4 ban2 — Mi-na-ni. 2 barig 2 ban2 — Nin-mu-dib. 13 (persons/units); year: month 7. (Reverse: uninscribed.)

Our translation engine — Opus 5. Reads the photo, translates the cuneiform, and writes a plain-language interpretation. See methodology for limits.

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Transliteration

3(barig@c) dabin
masz-tur
3(barig@c) nin-szesz-da
2(barig@c) 4(ban2@c) ama-ki
2(barig@c) 4(ban2@c) za3-mu
1(barig@c) 4(ban2@c) mi-na-ni
2(barig@c) 2(ban2@c) nin-mu-dib
1(u) 3(disz@t) mu iti 7(disz@t)

Scholarly note

Catalogue entry from CDLI (ED IIIb (ca. 2500-2340 BC) ?) — TCBI 2/1, 41. 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: Banca d'Italia, Rome, Italy (P382049) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from engine:claude-opus-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved).

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