Low confidenceAkkadian cuneiform, likely Neo-Babylonian or Late Babylonian period, based on sign forms and tablet shape· Approximately 625–400 BCE (Neo-Babylonian to early Achaemenid period)
Transliteration
Line 1: [x x] MU.AN.NA [x x]
Line 2: [x] ša ina IGI [x x]
Line 3: [x x]-šú GAL [x x]
Line 4: [x] KÙ.BABBAR [x x]
Line 5: [x x] a-na [x x]
Line 6: [x] IGI.MEŠ [x x]
Line 7: [x x]-ti-šú [x x]
Line 8: [x x] ŠE.GIŠ.Ì [x x]
Line 9: [x x] GÍN [x x]
Line 10: [x x]-ma [x x]
Line 11: [x x] ITI [x x]
Line 12: [x x] MU [x x]
Line 13: [x x]-šú [x x]
Line 14: [x x] NA₄ [x x]
Line 15: [x x x] (remainder broken)
English Translation
Line 1: [...] year [...]
Line 2: [...] which is before/in the presence of [...]
Line 3: [...] his/its great [...]
Line 4: [...] silver [...]
Line 5: [...] to/for [...]
Line 6: [...] witnesses [...]
Line 7: [...] his [...]
Line 8: [...] sesame oil [...]
Line 9: [...] shekel(s) [...]
Line 10: [...] and/then [...]
Line 11: [...] month [...]
Line 12: [...] year [...]
Line 13: [...] his [...]
Line 14: [...] stone/seal [...]
Line 15: [...] (remainder broken and illegible)
Historical Context
This fragment appears to be a legal or administrative document, likely a contract or receipt involving commodities such as silver and sesame oil — goods commonly recorded in Neo-Babylonian commercial and temple economy texts (circa 625–539 BCE) or possibly extending into the Achaemenid period (539–330 BCE). The mention of witnesses (IGI.MEŠ), monetary units (shekels of silver), and a date formula (month and year) is highly characteristic of Babylonian private law documents such as loans, sales, or lease agreements. Such tablets were typically sealed with cylinder seals and stored in private archives or temple record houses (É.DUB.BA).
Note: The image resolution and lighting angle make precise sign-by-sign reading extremely difficult. The tablet is a fragment with significant breakage on the right side, bottom, and portions of the left edge, meaning a substantial portion of the original text is lost. The signs visible are partially obscured by surface wear and the angle of photography. The transliteration provided represents only tentative readings of the most recognizable sign clusters; many lines cannot be confidently read. A high-resolution photograph taken under raking light, or ideally direct physical examination by a specialist, would be required for a reliable full transliteration. No fabricated specific names or numbers have been included — bracketed [x] marks indicate illegible or missing signs.
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