MDP 06, 364

~3000 BCE·Uruk Period·P008146

Translation · reference

Experimental

Source: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P008146.

Translation · AI engine

read from photo

Low confidence

Line 1: [Signs M288~a, M388, M124, M057~a4, M240~e, M295~c, M281~e] — 1 unit Line 2: [Sign M288~a] — 4 large units [...] 3 units Line 3: [Signs M025, M256~c, M057~a, M288~a] — 5 large units, 3 units Line 4: [...] x [Sign M288] — [2 high-order units?] 1 [highest-order unit?] [...] Line 5: [...] [Signs M223, M224, M218, M288] — 2 large units, 4 units Line 6: [Sign M288~a] — 2 high-order units [...]

5 uncertain terms ↓

M288~a, M288 — Recurrent sign, possibly a commodity qualifier or classifier; exact semantic value unestablished in proto-cuneiform studies. The '~a' variant indicates a sub-type distinguished in the CDLI sign list.
N14, N34, N45, N01 — Numerical signs in the Uruk-period sexagesimal or other metrological system. N01 = 1 unit; N14 conventionally = 10 N01 in sexagesimal contexts but varies by commodity; N34 and N45 are higher-order signs whose exact values depend on the counting system, which cannot be recovered from this fragment alone.
M218, M223, M224 — Signs appearing in line 5; M218 may function as a subtotal or section-marker by analogy with parallel tablets, but this is inferred, not confirmed.
M025, M256~c, M057~a, M057~a4, M240~e, M295~c, M281~e, M388, M124 — Proto-cuneiform pictographic signs whose readings (Sumerian or otherwise) and meanings are not securely established. The M-series designation is the CDLI/ATF classification for proto-cuneiform signs not yet fully decoded.
2(N34)#? — The '#?' in the transliteration signals that even the sign identification is uncertain here; the reading is the scholar's best guess from damaged impressions.

Reasoning ↓

Visually, the photograph shows a badly damaged clay tablet now in multiple joining and non-joining fragments (museum number Sb 15188, Louvre). The obverse (upper central piece) preserves several rows of incised proto-cuneiform signs and impressed numerical notations; the characteristic round N01 and larger circular N14/N34 impressions are visible to the eye, consistent with the transliteration's numerical entries. The sign groups in the upper rows show complex incised pictographs — clusters of wedges and diagonal strokes — that align broadly with the scholar's transliteration of multiple M-series signs per line, though individual sign identification at this resolution is very difficult. The lower fragment (also shown) appears largely blank or very lightly inscribed on what is probably the reverse, consistent with a simple account tablet where the reverse carries little or no text. The red ink numeral '364' and black-ink 'Sb 15188' are modern museum labels. The state of preservation is poor: surface erosion, breakage across multiple lines, and areas of bituminous or fire-blackening obscure many signs. The transliteration itself carries multiple '#' (uncertain) and '[...]' (broken) markers, reflecting genuine damage. Because the proto-cuneiform sign values (M-series) are not yet fully decoded and the commodity system cannot be determined from this fragment alone, a full semantic translation is not possible; what survives is a framework of administrative entries with numerical tallies. No standard English translation tradition exists for this text; the rendering above is a structural paraphrase only.

Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · prompt 2026-05-12/v4-interpretation · May 15, 2026 · 2300 in / 1172 out tokens

Why it matters

Transliteration

M288~a M388 M124 M057~a4 M240~e M295~c M281~e , 1(N01)
M288~a , 4(N14) [...] 3(N01)#
M025 M256~c M057~a M288~a# , 5(N14) 3(N01)#
[...] x M288 , 2(N34)#? 1(N45) [...]
[...] M223# M224# M218# M288# , 2(N14)# 4(N01)#
M288~a , 2(N34) [...]

Scholarly note

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Proto-Elamite (ca. 3100-2900 BC)) — MDP 06, 364. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).

Attribution

Image: Louvre Museum, Paris, France (P008146) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P008146..

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