The evidence is in the signs.
Compare short credited transliterations, original English reading cues and recorded textual uncertainty for individually identified cuneiform objects.
Side-by-side rather than a seamless translation. Seven edited Middle Assyrian tablet records supply short, clearly credited sign sequences and editorial reading cues. Two museum or chronicle records remain catalogue-only: they are not given invented cuneiform text, normalized Akkadian or a translation.
The snippets come from the ATMAP/TCMA project and are credited to the scholarly editor under the stated CC BY-SA 3.0 edition licence. English cues are newly written editorial summaries, not replacement scholarly translations. See the reading methods guide for damage, restoration, uncertain signs and the difference between transliteration and transcription.
Read the named line before the interpretation.
01 / Short edition excerptsKAJ 247: workers and a temple accountKAJ 247 / CDLI P282259
Evidence scope: Workers, temple setting and restored eponym marker
ATTRIBUTED ANCIENT-TEXT EXCERPTS Transliteration represents cuneiform signs in modern notation; it is not the original cuneiform image. The two English columns are editorial cues and interpretation, not a new translation or verbatim reproduction of the scholarly edition. Check the linked publication for the full line sequence and the specialist English rendering.
Workers, temple setting and restored eponym marker
Very short quoted excerpts by line, with original editorial glosses Edition line Transliteration excerpt English reading cue Interpretation and uncertainty Obverse 1queried 22 ⸢ERIN₂⸣-MEŠ u₂-ra-suThe editor reads twenty-two people in a questioned labour category; the damaged-sign marks must be retained. The person category is interpreted cautiously; this is not a census of the city.The raised corner marks show partial damage. The edition adds a question mark (?) to the worker interpretation. Obverse 5attested i+na E₂ DINGIRA reference to an institutional temple setting in the published passage. A temple location does not establish what each named person believed or did.Logographic notation is retained from the line; the English statement is an editorial contextual cue. Top edge 12restored [li-mu]The eponym marker is reconstructed in the modern edition. Square brackets mean the corresponding signs are supplied rather than intact.This explicitly illustrates restoration, not a surviving undamaged written word. Source: Jacob Jan de Ridder, ATMAP/TCMA edition of KAJ 247 (2020), CC BY-SA 3.0. Licence details. Read the complete original edition. Only short attributed samples are included; no full scholarly translation is mirrored.
The edition labels the document Receipt? and questions the worker designation. A restored eponym marker does not mean every sign physically survives.
Reading marks: [ ] = lost text supplied by editors; x = unidentified sign; # = damaged sign; ? = uncertain reading; raised corner marks = partly damaged signs. Learn the notation or view all objects together.
02 / Short edition excerptsMARV 10, 07: palace footwear and a hostageMARV 10, 07 / StAT 5, 07 / CDLI P282957
Evidence scope: Named recipient and uncertain campaign phrase
ATTRIBUTED ANCIENT-TEXT EXCERPTS Transliteration represents cuneiform signs in modern notation; it is not the original cuneiform image. The two English columns are editorial cues and interpretation, not a new translation or verbatim reproduction of the scholarly edition. Check the linked publication for the full line sequence and the specialist English rendering.
Named recipient and uncertain campaign phrase
Very short quoted excerpts by line, with original editorial glosses Edition line Transliteration excerpt English reading cue Interpretation and uncertainty Obverse 5damaged a-na ^{m}ni-ri-⸢ša⸣-al-diThe entry introduces a recipient named Niri-šaldi, according to the published edition. The next lines supply a legal-status designation; one receipt is not a complete biography.The upper corner brackets delimit damaged but readable parts of the personal name. Reverse 8queried ⸢i+na KASKAL^{!?}^{ni}⸣The edition queries the wording used to connect the issue with a journey or campaign. A proposed expedition context is not a verified travel route.Damage brackets and editor marks including ! and ? are deliberately preserved. Source: Jacob Jan de Ridder, ATMAP/TCMA edition of MARV 10, 07 (2020), CC BY-SA 3.0. Licence details. Read the complete original edition. Only short attributed samples are included; no full scholarly translation is mirrored.
The campaign reading contains explicit damage and editorial uncertainty; no definite journey is reconstructed.
Reading marks: [ ] = lost text supplied by editors; x = unidentified sign; # = damaged sign; ? = uncertain reading; raised corner marks = partly damaged signs. Learn the notation or view all objects together.
03 / Short edition excerptsKAJ 233: barley for a service horseKAJ 233 / KAV 207 / CDLI P282245
Evidence scope: Barley measure and dated eponym formula
ATTRIBUTED ANCIENT-TEXT EXCERPTS Transliteration represents cuneiform signs in modern notation; it is not the original cuneiform image. The two English columns are editorial cues and interpretation, not a new translation or verbatim reproduction of the scholarly edition. Check the linked publication for the full line sequence and the specialist English rendering.
Barley measure and dated eponym formula
Very short quoted excerpts by line, with original editorial glosses Edition line Transliteration excerpt English reading cue Interpretation and uncertainty Obverse 1attested 16 ANŠE 5 BAN₂ ŠEThis sequence records a barley measure using original numerals and capacity signs. The editor links the allocation to a service horse in the following lines; it is not a general cavalry ration rule.The sign sequence is a short extract, not a normalized Akkadian sentence. Reverse 7attested ^{iti}ku-zal-lu U₄ 13-KAM₂The dating formula includes the month Kuzallu and a thirteenth day. The following line gives an eponym, but a precise absolute BCE date is not independently established here.Calendar and eponym are not automatically equivalent to a modern calendar year. Source: Jacob Jan de Ridder, ATMAP/TCMA edition of KAJ 233 / KAV 207 (2020), CC BY-SA 3.0. Licence details. Read the complete original edition. Only short attributed samples are included; no full scholarly translation is mirrored.
Ancient units are not converted to litres or modern rations without a metrological study.
Reading marks: [ ] = lost text supplied by editors; x = unidentified sign; # = damaged sign; ? = uncertain reading; raised corner marks = partly damaged signs. Learn the notation or view all objects together.
04 / Short edition excerptsMARV 1, 12: ten days of guard rationsMARV 1, 12 / VS 19, 12 / CDLI P281896
Evidence scope: Barley allocation and ten-day duration
ATTRIBUTED ANCIENT-TEXT EXCERPTS Transliteration represents cuneiform signs in modern notation; it is not the original cuneiform image. The two English columns are editorial cues and interpretation, not a new translation or verbatim reproduction of the scholarly edition. Check the linked publication for the full line sequence and the specialist English rendering.
Barley allocation and ten-day duration
Very short quoted excerpts by line, with original editorial glosses Edition line Transliteration excerpt English reading cue Interpretation and uncertainty Obverse 1attested 18 ANŠE 3 BAN₂ ŠEThe opening records barley quantity in Assyrian scribal measures. The following lines classify the provisioned guard groups; the opening figure alone cannot establish individual diet.The group descriptions on the obverse and reverse must be consulted with the original edition. Reverse 14attested ša 10 U₄-MEŠ ta-dinThe source links the provisioned allotment to ten days. A ten-day record cannot be generalized into a year-round ration or proof of food actually eaten.The translated sense belongs to the editor's connected passage, not an independent philological collation. Source: Jacob Jan de Ridder, ATMAP/TCMA edition of MARV 1, 12 / VS 19, 12 (2020), CC BY-SA 3.0. Licence details. Read the complete original edition. Only short attributed samples are included; no full scholarly translation is mirrored.
Individual group totals and institutional distribution are documented in the linked edition, not transcribed in full here.
Reading marks: [ ] = lost text supplied by editors; x = unidentified sign; # = damaged sign; ? = uncertain reading; raised corner marks = partly damaged signs. Learn the notation or view all objects together.
05 / Short edition excerptsKAJ 144: lead and a house transactionKAJ 144 / CDLI P282157
Evidence scope: Lead measures and house transaction wording
ATTRIBUTED ANCIENT-TEXT EXCERPTS Transliteration represents cuneiform signs in modern notation; it is not the original cuneiform image. The two English columns are editorial cues and interpretation, not a new translation or verbatim reproduction of the scholarly edition. Check the linked publication for the full line sequence and the specialist English rendering.
Lead measures and house transaction wording
Very short quoted excerpts by line, with original editorial glosses Edition line Transliteration excerpt English reading cue Interpretation and uncertainty Obverse 2attested 5 GUN 30 MA.NA AN.NAThe text opens its legal-economic statement with a lead quantity in talents and minas. The associated house transaction appears over connected lines, so the amount alone is not a modern property valuation.Ancient measures are retained, and no exchange rate or modern currency value is asserted. Obverse 11damaged a-⸢na⸣ ŠAM₃ E₂-šuThe clause relates the sum to a house sale in the edition's reading. This does not establish the ultimate outcome or occupancy of the property.The partially damaged na sign is preserved with its original editorial marks. Source: Jacob Jan de Ridder, ATMAP/TCMA edition of KAJ 144 (2020), CC BY-SA 3.0. Licence details. Read the complete original edition. Only short attributed samples are included; no full scholarly translation is mirrored.
This tablet's subgenre is marked Receipt?; the line does not establish all terms of the house sale.
Reading marks: [ ] = lost text supplied by editors; x = unidentified sign; # = damaged sign; ? = uncertain reading; raised corner marks = partly damaged signs. Learn the notation or view all objects together.
06 / Short edition excerptsBilla 30: barley obligations at ShibanibaBilla 30 / CDLI P282711
Evidence scope: Provincial barley entry, questioned obligation and broken names
ATTRIBUTED ANCIENT-TEXT EXCERPTS Transliteration represents cuneiform signs in modern notation; it is not the original cuneiform image. The two English columns are editorial cues and interpretation, not a new translation or verbatim reproduction of the scholarly edition. Check the linked publication for the full line sequence and the specialist English rendering.
Provincial barley entry, questioned obligation and broken names
Very short quoted excerpts by line, with original editorial glosses Edition line Transliteration excerpt English reading cue Interpretation and uncertainty Obverse 1attested 2 ANŠE ŠE mu-la-u₂The editor records a barley amount and an additional payment phrase. Its economic nature is apparent, while the precise imposition on people remains qualified.The compact excerpt retains ancient measure signs rather than a modern unit conversion. Obverse 5queried em^{?}-du-niAn editorial question mark qualifies the word describing the imposition or obligation. The precise legal nature of the demand cannot be stated as certain.A queried sign or reading is evidence of uncertainty in the modern edition. Reverse 10restored [^{m}x]-⸢x-x-x⸣The line preserves lost or unreadable portions of a personal name. A missing name must not be reconstructed into an invented individual.Brackets and x indicate missing or unidentified signs. This example is not a readable full name. Source: Jacob Jan de Ridder, ATMAP/TCMA edition of Billa 30 (2020), CC BY-SA 3.0. Licence details. Read the complete original edition. Only short attributed samples are included; no full scholarly translation is mirrored.
The account is a receipt; an obligation verb is queried and the witnesses and some date signs are broken.
Reading marks: [ ] = lost text supplied by editors; x = unidentified sign; # = damaged sign; ? = uncertain reading; raised corner marks = partly damaged signs. Learn the notation or view all objects together.
07 / Short edition excerptsKAJ 118: forty sacks of palace strawKAJ 118 / CDLI P282131
Evidence scope: Palace straw and a broken reverse
ATTRIBUTED ANCIENT-TEXT EXCERPTS Transliteration represents cuneiform signs in modern notation; it is not the original cuneiform image. The two English columns are editorial cues and interpretation, not a new translation or verbatim reproduction of the scholarly edition. Check the linked publication for the full line sequence and the specialist English rendering.
Palace straw and a broken reverse
Very short quoted excerpts by line, with original editorial glosses Edition line Transliteration excerpt English reading cue Interpretation and uncertainty Obverse 1attested 40 a-za-i-lu ša IN.NUThe opening gives forty sacks associated with straw in the published edition. Other lines describe institutional custody; this alone is not evidence of a regional harvest.Commodity and count are a specific account, not a universal agrarian rate. Reverse 16restored [...] ti [...] SAGThe edition has gaps where groups of signs are missing. The reverse cannot be silently filled in with reconstructed names or actions.The ellipses denote lost signs; they are not the author's punctuation replacing a known reading. Source: Jacob Jan de Ridder, ATMAP/TCMA edition of KAJ 118 (2020), CC BY-SA 3.0. Licence details. Read the complete original edition. Only short attributed samples are included; no full scholarly translation is mirrored.
The initial quantity is readable; later reverse lines have major losses and cannot establish every participant.
Reading marks: [ ] = lost text supplied by editors; x = unidentified sign; # = damaged sign; ? = uncertain reading; raised corner marks = partly damaged signs. Learn the notation or view all objects together.
08 / No verified line editionThe Met 62.85.3: a sealed administrative tabletThe Met collection record 325514; no line edition verified for this study
Evidence scope: Object has two seal impressions; no individual sign or transliteration confirmed
ATTRIBUTED ANCIENT-TEXT EXCERPTS Transliteration represents cuneiform signs in modern notation; it is not the original cuneiform image. The two English columns are editorial cues and interpretation, not a new translation or verbatim reproduction of the scholarly edition. Check the linked publication for the full line sequence and the specialist English rendering.
Object has two seal impressions; no individual sign or transliteration confirmed
No verified line-by-line text available. The museum object page identifies the physical tablet, but no trustworthy line-by-line transcription or translation was verified for this release. No cuneiform text is reconstructed.
Open the institutional object catalogue
The museum object page identifies the physical tablet, but no trustworthy line-by-line transcription or translation was verified for this release. No cuneiform text is reconstructed.
Reading marks: [ ] = lost text supplied by editors; x = unidentified sign; # = damaged sign; ? = uncertain reading; raised corner marks = partly damaged signs. Learn the notation or view all objects together.
09 / No verified line editionBM 21901: the Chronicle of Nineveh's fallBabylonian Chronicle, Gadd 1923 edition cited in the BM catalogue
Evidence scope: Chronicle records the fall of Nineveh; no verbatim line collation supplied here
ATTRIBUTED ANCIENT-TEXT EXCERPTS Transliteration represents cuneiform signs in modern notation; it is not the original cuneiform image. The two English columns are editorial cues and interpretation, not a new translation or verbatim reproduction of the scholarly edition. Check the linked publication for the full line sequence and the specialist English rendering.
Chronicle records the fall of Nineveh; no verbatim line collation supplied here
No verified line-by-line text available. The tablet is a later copy of earlier historical events. The catalogue is useful provenance evidence; exact Akkadian lines and published translation variants require specialist edition collation before display.
Open the institutional object catalogue
The tablet is a later copy of earlier historical events. The catalogue is useful provenance evidence; exact Akkadian lines and published translation variants require specialist edition collation before display.
Reading marks: [ ] = lost text supplied by editors; x = unidentified sign; # = damaged sign; ? = uncertain reading; raised corner marks = partly damaged signs. Learn the notation or view all objects together.
What this release cannot yet certify.
Matching a digital edition and preserving its notation does not mean we independently examined clay signs, confirmed the original-language reading, assessed rival translations or acquired rights to reproduce an entire scholarly edition. All source-specific historical propositions remain pending qualified specialist review. See the evidence register, the editorial standards and the physical-object collection.