Position in chronology
MSVO 1, 058
Translation · reference
ExperimentalSource: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P005125.
Translation · AI engine
read from photo[...] , [...] 1 , fish + 2 (units) 1 , NAM2(?) 1 , DU BARA3 3 , BAHAR2 (type c) 1 , BIR3 (type b) + MUSZ3 (type a, damaged) [...] , [...] 35 , UB AB BAR SAG SI4(?)
7 uncertain terms ↓
- NAM2? — Queried in the transliteration; in proto-cuneiform contexts the sign's function is unclear — possibly a title element, determinative, or professional category marker. The '?' reflects the original editor's uncertainty.
- DU BARA3 — DU can mean 'to go/walk' or function as a determinative; BARA3 may denote a throne-dais, a raised platform, or a title (as in 'ruler/lord' in later Sumerian). The compound's meaning in this administrative context is unresolved.
- BAHAR2~c — A sign variant (subtype c) associated with potters or pottery vessels in Uruk-period accounts; the specific commodity or profession intended here is uncertain.
- BIR3~b MUSZ3~a# — Both signs are damaged (# indicates partial preservation). MUSZ3 is associated with snakes or certain textile/craft items in proto-cuneiform; BIR3 is poorly understood. The compound's referent is unknown.
- UB AB~a BAR SAG SI4~f? — This compound sequence is difficult. UB may denote a corner or cavity; AB~a is polyphonous (sea, father, professional title); BAR can mean 'outside/other side' or 'to split'; SAG means 'head/chief'; SI4 is queried (subtype f). The whole may be a title compound, a place name, or a category label. The '?' on SI4~f reflects editorial uncertainty about sign variant.
- |KU6~a.1(N02)| — KU6 is the standard sign for 'fish'; the dot-notation indicates a compound with a small impressed numeral N02 (the small round impression = 2 or a fractional unit depending on counting system). The exact quantity or sub-classification is uncertain.
- 3(N14) 5(N01) — In the standard Uruk sexagesimal system, N14 = 10× N01, so 3(N14) + 5(N01) = 35. However, the counting system can vary by commodity, so '35' is the conventional interpretation rather than a certainty.
Reasoning ↓
The photograph shows two views of the object: the upper section displays the reverse or edge of the tablet — heavily eroded, largely unreadable from the image, with faint wedge-like impressions visible on the right-hand edge strip (consistent with the sign clusters noted in the transliteration). The lower section is the obverse (or a fragment thereof) and is considerably more legible: clearly visible are several round impressed numerals (N01-type circles) grouped in clusters on the left, at least two large star-like signs (consistent with proto-cuneiform signs such as AN or a multi-pointed star form) in the center, and a column of more complex incised signs on the right margin, which align broadly with the multi-sign entries (UB, AB, BAR, SAG, SI4) in the final line of the transliteration. A horizontal-striped sign at the lower center is visible, possibly BAHAR2 or a related sign. The museum accession number '1921 / 46' (or 1927-0046) is visible on the edge piece. The photo resolution is insufficient to confirm individual wedge details of the right-column signs, and the upper fragment is too eroded for sign-by-sign verification. The general layout — numerals on the left, commodity/title signs on the right in columnar format — matches the transliteration structure well. The large numeral in the final entry (3 N14 + 5 N01 = 35 in the standard sexagesimal system) cannot be directly confirmed from the photo. No transliteration-to-photo contradictions are outright, but many signs cannot be verified at this resolution.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · prompt 2026-05-12/v4-interpretation · May 14, 2026 · 2105 in / 1293 out tokens
Why it matters
Transliteration
[...] , [...] 1(N01) , |KU6~a.1(N02)| 1(N01) , NAM2? 1(N01) , DU BARA3 3(N01) , BAHAR2~c 1(N01) , BIR3~b MUSZ3~a# [...] , [...] 3(N14) 5(N01) , UB AB~a BAR SAG SI4~f?
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Uruk III (ca. 3200-3000 BC)) — MSVO 1, 058. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK (P005125) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P005125..
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.