MS 2900/18

~3100 BCE·Uruk Period·P006226

Translation · reference

Experimental

Source: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P006226.

Translation · AI engine

read from photo

Low confidence

[...] , [...] 1(N14) 4(N01) , [...] 1(N14) 4(N01) , UDUNITA (type of oven/hearth unit?) [...] , NUN~b (quality/institutional marker?) [...] , [...] [...] 2(N34) 5(N14) 5(N01) , [...]

4 uncertain terms ↓

UDUNITA~a — Proto-cuneiform sign probably denoting a type of oven, kiln, or hearth installation; its precise referent in the accounting context is debated. May indicate a commodity type processed by heat, or an institutional unit associated with such a facility.
NUN~b — Proto-cuneiform sign; in later Sumerian means 'prince' or relates to Eridu, but in Uruk-period administrative texts likely functions as a quality or provenance marker for the commodity being tallied. Context here is too fragmentary to determine which meaning applies.
N14, N01, N34 — Proto-cuneiform numerical signs whose absolute values depend on the commodity and metrological system in use. N14 conventionally = 10× N01 in the sexagesimal system, but ratios differ for grain, area, capacity, etc. N34 is a higher-order sign. Without knowing the commodity, exact quantities cannot be confidently stated.
2(N34) 5(N14) 5(N01) — If sexagesimal: 2×600 + 5×10 + 5×1 = 1,255 units. But the metrological system is uncertain, so the total may represent a very different absolute quantity.

Reasoning ↓

The photograph shows a small, heavily worn clay tablet photographed from multiple angles (obverse, reverse, edges, and top), marked with the collection number MS 2900/18 written in modern ink on its edge. The obverse (central image, upper group) shows two horizontal registers separated by a ruled line. In the upper register I can discern two groups of impressed circular signs — consistent with the large round N14 numerals — and what appears to be a taller, more complex incised sign on the right, plausibly corresponding to UDUNITA~a. Below the ruling, I can make out several vertical wedge strokes consistent with N01 numerals (four or five strokes visible). The reverse (lower large image) shows a cluster of rounded impressed signs — possibly the large numerical total 2(N34) 5(N14) 5(N01) — though surface erosion makes individual sign boundaries difficult to confirm. The top fragment (uppermost image) and the two edge views show very little readable content due to damage and angle. Overall, the visual reading broadly aligns with the provided transliteration: repeated N14+N01 groupings on the obverse and a larger numerical cluster on the reverse are consistent with what I see, though I cannot verify the NUN~b sign or confirm the precise N01 counts from this resolution. No transliteration-photo discrepancies are flagged beyond what erosion makes unverifiable.

Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · prompt 2026-05-12/v4-interpretation · May 14, 2026 · 1964 in / 973 out tokens

Why it matters

Transliteration

[...] , [...]
1(N14)# 4(N01)# , [...]
1(N14)# 4(N01)# , UDUNITA~a#
[...] , NUN~b
[...] , [...]
[...] 2(N34)# 5(N14)# 5(N01)# , [...]

Scholarly note

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Uruk III (ca. 3200-3000 BC)) — MS 2900/18. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).

Attribution

Image: Schøyen Collection, Oslo, Norway (P006226) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P006226..

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