Position in chronology
AfO 04, 23
About this tablet
A small legal record from Puzriš-Dagan (modern Drehem) in southern Iraq, written under the Ur III kings around 2040 BCE. A man named Duga-zida had charge of a plough-ox belonging to Abba-gina, and the animal was lost; in front of three witnesses, one of them a merchant, he swore a royal oath that he would produce the ox within seven days, counting from the month of ki-siki-Ninazu. The tablet is dated by the year in which the high priestess of Inanna at Uruk was selected by divination, and it closes with the name of Duga-zida and his father — the responsible party identifying himself. It is a snapshot of ordinary Sumerian liability law: a lost work animal, a fixed deadline, an oath sworn by the king's name, and named witnesses to make it stick.
Plain-language summary by the engine — meant as a doorway into the literal translation below.
Written in modern English
One plough-ox belonging to Abba-gina has gone missing. Duga-zida gave Abba-gina his word: within seven days, counting from the month of ki-siki-Ninazu, he would deliver the ox back. He said so publicly and swore to it by the king's name. Witnesses: Šara-aš-a-mu-tum; Ḫaḫaša the merchant; Lu-Šulgi. Dated to the year the high priestess of Inanna of Uruk was chosen by omen. Signed: Duga-zida, son of Ur-[...]-ma.
A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.
Translation — our engine
Our engine1 plough-ox, an ox (that was) the property of Abba-gina — it was lost. Duga-zida to Abba-gina (said): "From the month ki-siki-Ninazu, by the time seven days have elapsed, I will bring your ox to you." Thus he said to him, and he swore it by the name of the king. Before Šara-aš-a-mu-tum; before Ḫaḫaša, the merchant; before Lu-Šulgi. Year: the en-priestess of Inanna of Uruk was chosen by (goat) omen. (seal / caption) Duga-zida, son of Ur-[...]-ma.
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
1(disz) gu4-gesz gu4 nig2-gur11 ab-ba-gi-na u2-gu ba-an-de2 du11-ga-zi-da-ke4 ab-ba-gi-na-ra iti ki-siki nin-a-zu-ta u4 7(disz) ba-ra-zal-sze3 gu4-zu ga-mu-ra-ab-de6 in-na-du11 mu lugal-bi i3-pa3 igi szara2-asz-a!(MIN)-mu-tum2-sze3 igi ha-ha-sza dam-gar3-sze3 igi lu2-szul-gi-ra-sze3 mu en inanna unu masz2-e i3-pa3 du11-ga-zi-da dumu ur-x-ma
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC)) — AfO 04, 23. 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: MW 112 (Museum Forum der Völker (Völkerkundemuseum der Franziskaner), Werl, Germany) — from Puzriš-Dagan (mod. Drehem) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.earth/artifacts, P100278). source
Translation excerpted from engine:claude-opus-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved).
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