Position in chronology
MDP 17, 267
About this tablet
This is a proto-cuneiform administrative tablet from Susa (in modern southwestern Iran), dating to the Uruk period, roughly 3300–3100 BCE — among the very earliest writing ever produced anywhere in the world. It records quantities of commodities, identified by pictographic signs (M367 and M006), counted in the numerical notation system used before true writing was fully developed. Such tablets were the bookkeeping instruments of a temple or palace storehouse, tracking deliveries or allocations of goods. The writing here is so early that the signs are not yet a true script: they are tallies and pictograms, the direct ancestors of later Sumerian cuneiform.
Plain-language summary by the engine — meant as a doorway into the literal translation below.
Translation · reference
Low confidenceColumn 1 | Column 2 M367, 6(N01) [...] M006, 4(N01) M367~a1 [broken], [...] M006@g~1, 1(N14) 4(N01) [...] [...], [...] 3(N01) [...], [...] 4(N14) [...], [...] 1(N01)
Source: engine:claude-sonnet-4-6 (2026-05-12/v4-interpretation)
Translation · AI engine
read from photoColumn 1 | Column 2 M367, 6(N01) [...] M006, 4(N01) M367~a1 [broken], [...] M006@g~1, 1(N14) 4(N01) [...] [...], [...] 3(N01) [...], [...] 4(N14) [...], [...] 1(N01)
4 uncertain terms ↓
- M367 / M367~a1 — Proto-cuneiform commodity sign; its precise referent (a type of grain, vessel, or other good) is debated for Susa period tablets. The tilde-a1 variant may indicate a modified form of the base sign.
- M006 / M006@g~1 — Another proto-cuneiform commodity or institution sign; '@g' denotes a rotated or otherwise graphically modified form. Exact referent uncertain without fuller context.
- 1(N14) — N14 is a large round impression representing a higher-order unit. In the sexagesimal system it equals 10× N01, but in other metrological systems (e.g., capacity measures) the ratio differs. Without knowing the commodity, the absolute quantity cannot be determined.
- 6(N01), 4(N01), 3(N01), 1(N01) — Basic unit counts; the hash marks (#) in the transliteration indicate the reading is uncertain due to damage — these numbers may be slightly different.
Reasoning ↓
Visually examining the photograph: the main inscribed face (upper-centre panel) shows a small clay tablet in poor but partially readable condition. On the left side of the obverse I can make out two roughly circular impressions consistent with round-stylus N01 numerals, and above them what appears to be a cross-shaped or forked sign plausibly matching M367 or a related early pictogram. To the right of centre there are additional wedge-like marks that could correspond to the M006 commodity sign and further N01 impressions. The surface is eroded and has a diagonal crack/chip running across the lower-right of the obverse, which accounts for the lacunae flagged in the transliteration. The reverse/lower face (bottom panel) shows only faint indentations and a circular impression — consistent with the sparse surviving entries at the bottom of the transliteration. The side and top pieces visible in the image appear to be the edges and reverse, not additional inscribed surfaces. The museum number 'Sb 22429' and collection number '267' written in modern ink/paint are clearly visible on the edges/reverse. Overall the photo confirms the presence of circular numerical impressions and at least one commodity sign, broadly consistent with the scholarly transliteration, but resolution and damage prevent sign-by-sign verification. Many entries cannot be confirmed from the photo.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · prompt 2026-05-12/v4-interpretation · May 15, 2026 · 1530 in / 910 out tokens
Why it matters
Transliteration
M367 , 6(N01)# [...] M006 , 4(N01) M367~a1# , [...] M006@g~1 , 1(N14) 4(N01)# [...] [...] , [...] 3(N01)# [...] , [...] 4(N14)# [...] , [...] 1(N01)#
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Proto-Elamite (ca. 3100-2900 BC)) — MDP 17, 267. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: Louvre Museum, Paris, France (P008465) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from engine:claude-sonnet-4-6 (2026-05-12/v4-interpretation).
Related tablets
Related sources
One of the earliest specimens of human writing. Not literature, not law — accounting. The need to keep track of grain in a temple bureaucracy is what pushed marks-on-clay into a system that could one day carry epics.
Marks the boundary between proto-writing and writing. We can see signs being used systematically — but not yet phonetically. The leap to recording speech itself comes a few centuries later.
The earliest historical document in human history. Before this, we have lists, accounts, and dedications. Here, for the first time, a ruler tells us what happened — with names, places, and consequences.