MSVO 1, 032

~3100 BCE·Uruk Period·P005099

Translation · reference

Experimental

Source: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P005099.

Translation · AI engine

read from photo

Low confidence

1(N20) 4(N05) 1(N42~a) — Singer(s)/Musician(s), barley, [...]; 3(N14) 3(N01) 1(N39~a) — House/Storehouse, barley, [grain-unit]; 4(N05) — disbursed (?), [field/allocation], delivered; — Singer(s)/Musician(s), water/ration; [3(N14)] — [...]; 2(N20) 4(N05) — barley, outside/remainder [...]; 2(N20) 1(N05) — barley; — [...] disbursed (?); [5(N14)] 5(N01) 1(N39~a) — Singer(s)/Musician(s), water/ration; 7(N14) 5(N01) — barley, disbursed (?), delivered; — [head/person/total].

10 uncertain terms ↓

NAR — Read in later Sumerian as 'musician/singer'; the proto-cuneiform sign is conventionally assigned this value by analogy, but the phonetic reading cannot be confirmed for the Uruk period.
SZE~a — Conventionally read as 'barley' based on sign-list comparisons and commodity context; the tilde-a variant distinguishes it from related grain signs.
BA — Interpreted as a disbursement/allotment marker by extrapolation from later Sumerian usage; its precise semantic function in proto-cuneiform is unconfirmed.
AL — Function in proto-cuneiform administrative texts is debated; possibly a verb-like process marker or an institutional label.
DU — Later Sumerian: 'to go/bring/deliver'; in proto-cuneiform contexts interpreted as a delivery or transfer notation, but this is an extrapolation.
E2~b — Later Sumerian é = 'house/storehouse/temple'; the ~b variant indicates a specific graphemic form distinguished in the CDLI sign list.
N42~a / N39~a — These are capacity measure signs in the grain-accounting system; their precise equivalence in volume units is disputed and may vary by site and period.
SAG — Later Sumerian: 'head/person'; in administrative contexts often a total or summary notation. Whether it carries this meaning here is uncertain.
A# — Could represent water, ration-liquid, or function as a determinative; the # indicates the reading is uncertain in the transliteration itself.
BU~a — Sign identity and reading uncertain in proto-cuneiform context; the # on adjacent signs in the transliteration signals editorial doubt.

Reasoning ↓

Visual examination of the photograph shows an ovoid, lenticular clay tablet in two views (obverse and reverse), bearing the accession number 1927-56 inscribed in modern ink on the right edge — consistent with the Ashmolean catalogue entry. The surface is heavily weathered, with dark mineral staining and significant cracking across both faces. On the obverse (upper image), several registers of incised signs are visible separated by horizontal rulings; large circular impressions (N14/N20 type) and smaller round and wedge impressions (N01/N05 type) are discernible in the upper registers, broadly consistent with the numerical signs listed in the transliteration. The sign clusters in the middle registers are too eroded and the photo resolution too limited to confirm individual proto-cuneiform logograms such as NAR, SZE~a, E2~b, or BA with confidence. The reverse (lower image) shows a cluster of small circular impressions arranged in a roughly 3×3 or 4×3 matrix — consistent with the numerical entries in the lower half of the transliteration — and faint incised strokes that may correspond to the logographic signs. Photo resolution and surface damage prevent verification of most individual logograms; the numerical impressions on both faces are the only elements that can be partially confirmed visually. The transliteration follows the standard CDLI/MSVO protocol for proto-cuneiform; all logogram readings are conventional assignments based on later Sumerian parallels rather than phonetic decipherment.

Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · prompt 2026-05-12/v4-interpretation · May 14, 2026 · 1922 in / 1349 out tokens

Why it matters

Transliteration

1(N20) 4(N05) 1(N42~a) , NAR# SZE~a# [...]
3(N14) 3(N01) 1(N39~a) , E2~b SZE~a BU~a
4(N05) , BA AL DU
, NAR# A#
[3(N14)] , [...]
2(N20) 4(N05) , SZE~a# BAR [...]
2(N20) 1(N05) , SZE~a
, [...] AL BA#
[5(N14)] 5(N01)# 1(N39~a) , NAR A#
7(N14) 5(N01) , SZE~a BA# AL DU#
, SAG#

Scholarly note

Catalogue entry from CDLI (Uruk III (ca. 3200-3000 BC)) — MSVO 1, 032. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).

Attribution

Image: Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK (P005099) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P005099..

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