Sumerian Coefficients at the Dog Keepers and eTCL Slot Calculator Demo Example , numerical analysis

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Introduction

gold Here is some eTCL starter code for calculating the rations of Sumerian dog kennels. Recent translations have identified amounts of grain and meat furnished at a canal (military) compound. This report will use less strict definitions and not consider confidence levels, since the main interest is developing a simple and quick slot calculator. These translations include the first known instances of canine veterinary care and some kind of medicine and diet for dogs. There is considerable economic interest in the translations. Most of the testcases involve replicas or models, using assumptions and rules of thumb.

Software Planning

In planning any software, it is advisable to gather a number of testcases to check the results of the program. The results of the testcases are estimated using the hand calculator and then checked in the eTCL slot calculator. Pseudocode and equations are developed from the hand calculations and theory. Small console programs are written to check or proof the alternate subroutines or procedures, rather than keeping the unblessed code and comment lines in the main slot calculator. Finally the improved or alternate subroutines are loaded into the slot calculator. The eTCL slot calculator is effectively a shell program to input entries, host calculation routines, and display results. Additional significant figures are used to check the eTCL calculator, not to infer the accuracy of inputs and product reports.

Estimation standard

Here are some model numbers and terms for developing the software. Estimates of food and medicine for the kennel were prepared from ancient texts against body weight for comparison with modern veterinary practice. The wage of the kennelman <Sumerian= sipa ur-gi7-ra> was 2 barley liters. Since a silver piece was equivalent to 300 liters of grain, the monthly wage of a kennelman would be equivalent to 2/10 silver piece <<30*2>/300>. In this case, barley refers to the cracked and cooked barley in one liter bowls, possibly similar to modern mush, oatmeal, or groats. The mastiff <military guard?> dog received 2 liters barley per day. The Sumerian root word for dog was generally "ur" or beast, ref Latin "ursus" as bear. Various post adjectives were used to modify the root term. A male dog was "ur-gi-nita" and a female dog was "ur-gi-munus". The root word "mu" is used for mother in many languages. A barking dog was ur-gu <Sumerian= dog-shouting>. A watch dog was apparently ur-gi7-gal-gal <Sumerian= dog-great-great>. Puppy in Akkadian was "uranu", for beast and modern derived planet Uranus. Male and female dogs were noted. Canine texts of occasional animal carcasses, donkeys, cooked fish, medicine <?>, and unspecified fodder <scraps?> were available. Some palace dogs were feed rations of wheat or more costly rations.

The canine medicine was apparently fed as a liquid measure in jars, but due to known toxicity to canines in modern times, there is reluctance of modern vets to identify the product further.

Testcases

For the push buttons in the eTCL slot calculator, the recommended procedure is push testcase to fill entry frame, change first three entries etc, push solve, and then push report. Report allows copy and paste from console. For testcases in a computer session, the eTCL calculator increments a new testcase number internally, eg. TC(1), TC(2) , TC(3) , TC(N). The testcase number is internal to the calculator and will not be printed until the report button is pushed for the current result numbers. The current result numbers will be cleared on the next solve button. The calculator display has a caution flag subroutine for negative numbers, unrecognizable text characters, and operation outside expected operation range. On a degrading scale, the calculator will post warning flags to the console report, issue degraded accuracy notices, and may reset some negative and offscale numbers to positive defaults. Errors pass through the warning flag routine once on the same testcase and multiple error calls on the same fault are possible. Aside from the TCL calculator display, when one presses the report button on the calculator, one will have console show access to the functions (subroutines).


Pseudocode and Equations

     #pseudocode can be developed from rules of thumb.
     #pseudocode: some problems can be solved by proportions (rule of three), to some order of magnitude
     #pseudocode: enter quantity1,  quantity2, quantity3 and expected output (quantity4) for testcases.
     #pseudocode: enter time in years, number of remaining items
     #pseudocode: output fraction of (remaining items) over (items at time zero)
     #pseudocode: ouput remaining items as fraction or percent
     #pseudocode: output fraction of (quantity4 ) over ( quantity1 at time zero)
     #pseudocode: output fraction of (quantity2) * (quantity3 ) over (quantity1 at time zero)
     #pseudocode: outputs should be in compatible units.
     #pseudocode: rules of thumb can be 3 to 15 percent off, partly since g..in g..out.
     #pseudocode: need test cases > small,medium, giant
     #pseudocode: need testcases within range of expected operation.
     #pseudocode: are there any cases too small or large to be solved?

Canine medicine from 1500BCE???

#) The first known example of veterinarian medicine has been found in Sumerian clay tablets from 1500 BCE. Apparently, the scribal supply accounts on clay tablets mention delivery of a liquid medicine, possible either fresh grape_juice, grape_wine, or grape_wine_vinegar to a dog kennel at a military depot. This was the Ur III era, but the region was later known as modern Iraq. It is known in modern times that fresh grapes and other fruit are toxic to dogs, but the question remains what use would either grape_juice , grape_wine , or grape_wine vinegar (ancient sour wine) be for dogs? The local vets here do not know. Wine vinegar or ancient sour wine may contain trace amounts of boron, potassium, tannic acid, acetic acid, or citric acid (vitamin C). Is it possible that sterilized wine vinegar or ancient sour wine may contain acetic acid bacteria or other bacteria useful in the canine gut metabolism? The application may be internal or external, even a shampoo or wound antiseptic, as the ancient Sumerians did not have the much later invention of soap (100 CE).

#) The bare Sumerian gylphs or pictograms are unusual and difficult to interpret. From later or different cuneiform eras in history and by extension and speculation from previous cuneiform connotations in other eras, the cuneiform glyph “ges” or “gestin” means grape vine, grape, or by possible extension, wine or vinegar. The dictionary entry is ĝeštin wr. ĝeštin; ĝešĝeštin; mu-tin; mu-ti-in "vine; wine" Akk. Karānu . From the CDLI Equivalency list and other cuneiform eras, a typical ceramic jar (dug) or standard unit of liquid produce was a 5 liter jar of either some liquid, sour milk, vinegar, or beer. The meaning and context of the Sumerian combined phrase “XXX gestin gur” in the dog kennel accounts is not understood completely here. In much later times in the Mideast ref (Babylon,650BCE) and the Bible (1000 BCE to 100 CE), it is known that grape_wine was used externally on wounds, used as a sedative, or used a base for herbal medicines. In fact, these kennel records may one of the earlier documented accounts of grape wine or sour wine, predating parts and references in the Bible by 1000 years.

#) The dogs involved were probably what moderns would call mastiffs or shepherd dogs. The mastiffs were probably fed substantially on cracked barley mush, but the many other records show dead sheep and oxen fed to these guard dogs in a military depot and the "palaces". If the dogs were fed a diet or substantial portion of cracked barley mush, were there trace minerals the dogs would need to survive? There has been a similar problem in modern zoos, where the animals are not given the prey entrails found in the wild. One concedes that these mastiffs were "fighting dogs" and wine might have needed to dress their wounds, sanatize , or clean their coats. The Sumerian linguists are stumped on this problem. I have written this dog medicine (starter) article up as a Tool Control Language (TCL) computer program on the TCL wiki for computer languages. One can see the Mauder, Tsouparopoulou, and Owens papers, but there are some other loose unpublished notes on the Sumerian dog kennels, to include the clay tablets themselves.

#) (Mar2018 Feedback from a Chief Science Officer in California, reserved anonymity) It is quite right that the acetic/citric acids in vinegar are thought to be antiseptic to kill off “bad” bacteria that could disrupt the microbiome and gut-brain-axis. Our ancestors did not know anything about bacteria or antiseptic acids, though the ancestors just knew that vinegar helped people and pets to feel better in gut/body/mind if they were feeling bloated/achy/sad. End Feedback.

#) tentative Testcase development. As the closest analogy is the Anatolian Shepherd dog, the males in full growth average 30 inches tall and average 40 to 70 kilograms in body mass, but can weight as much as 90 kilograms. The analysis starts with the assumption that the medicine was mixed into the 2 liter ration of cracked barley mush for each dog. The standard jar would have 5 liters of medicine over pack of possible 20 dogs per kennelman or dog keeper. A trial dose would be 5 liters over 20 dogs or <expr 5/20>, 250 milliliters per dog (quarter liter). Dosage over body weight would be <expr 250/90> or 2.7 milliliters per kilogram per day of body weight. For comparison with modern canine therapy, potassium therapy fluids have rule of thumb as 2–6 mL/kg/hr or 48 to 144 milliliters per kilogram per day of body weight. Modern red wine vinegar contains potassium about 600 milligrams per cup. Of course, one would have to calculate the amount of potassium that wine_vinegar would possibly supply versus the modern load of potassium (KCL) that the modern veterinarian fluids supply. Modern canine and feline foods are required to contain at least 0.6 percent potassium on a dry matter basis, for healthy growth and even protection from electolytic nerve conditions, hyperkalemia, and heart failure. The modern dry mineral requirement for an adult dog is 1 gram potassium per day.

#)The various barley feed stocks can be expressed as fractions of the original barley grain weight per volume from modern metric standards. One modern figure for kernel barley was 641 kg per 1000 liters. Depending on flour particle size, ground barley ranges from 400 kgs for cracked or groats barley to fine barley flour at 481 kgs per 1000 liters. In most of the ancient cuneiform texts, it is difficult to determine absolutely that the original starting ingredient is kernel barley, coarse barley flour, or some cracked barley. From the ranges of modern barley flour, the error in barley flour density could be as high {(481/400-1)}, decimal 0.20249, or 20 percent. Using the modern standard of 0.6% potassium content in canine dry food, the ration of 2 liters barley would have the formula, molecular potassium = liter* ( mass/liter) * 0.6 percent. Dual calculations for the density ranges would be <expr 2*(481/1000)*1000*0.6*0.01> = 5.8 grams of potassium and <expr 2*(481/1000)*1000*0.6*0.01> = 4.8 grams of potassium. The more likely figure is rounded 5 grams of potassium, meaning one would have to supplement or raise the natural content of potassium to the level of the 5 grams of molecular potassium per ration.

#) This analysis is not to be construed as advocating vinegar, potassium supplements, or electrolyte tablets for modern and healthy dogs, but a conceptual analysis of ancient cuneiform texts as a prelude to a computer program. In modern times, about 80 percent of the dry dog food (meal) in the USA is supplemented with potassium, usually in the form of potassium chloride or potassium glauconate. Given the excellence and continued research in commercial pet foods, the pet owner may be assured that commercial pet foods have the complete potassium available for a healthy dog. In fact, the Army canines which have comparable work, exertion, and duties to the Sumerian dogs have been tested with potassium_sodium enhancements (rations). It was found that the electrolyte needs of working canines were so varied in their daily routine that probably human designed tablets would not effectively address the electrolyte needs (from blood serum measurements). It was better to let the canines judge their own needs by eating more or less of their normal ration. It has been pointed and believed that both mankind and the canines evolved as cursorial hunters and if our original ancestral diets differed, the food energy and mineral requirements of the human and canine muscle system and the heart vitality are similar to some extent. In a hot climate like ancient Sumeria or modern Iraq, both humans and canines must contain and replace expended potassium and sodium electrolyte reserves or die within hours of high exertion.


Testcases Section

Testcase 1

table 1printed in tcl wiki format
quantity value comment, if any
testcase number:1
site number :1.0
julian date start day :42.0

Testcase 2


Testcase 3


References:

  • Sumerian Beer Ingredients and eTCL Slot Calculator Demo Example , numerical analysis
  • Sumerian Pottery Vessel & Clay Mass and eTCL Slot Calculator Demo Example , numerical analysis
  • Sumerian Beveled Bowl Volume and eTCL Slot Calculator Demo Example
  • Ref analysis of Sumerian jars and cracked barley density on TCL wiki.
  • Of Dogs and KennelMen, David I. Owen, Cornell University
  • Tsouparopoulou, Christina, 2008,
  • The Material Face of Bureaucracy: Writing,
  • Sealing and Archiving Tablets for the Ur III State at
  • Drehem. Tsouparopoulou, Christina, 2008,
  • The “K-9 Corps” of the Third Dynasty of Ur:
  • The Dog Handlers at Drehem and the Army.
  • ZA 102, 1-16, Tsouparopoulou, Christina,2012
  • Mander, Pietro, 1994, An Archive of Kennelmen
  • and Other Workers in Ur III Lagash. IUOA 54, suppl. 80. Naples: Istituto
  • universitario orientale
  • 2013 AAHA/AAFP Fluid Therapy Guidelines for Dogs and Cats
  • ref dogs need potassium in therapy fluids.

image test.

Appendix Code

appendix TCL programs and scripts

        # pretty print from autoindent and ased editor
        # Sumerian Dog Kennel & Accounting calculator
        # written on Windows XP on eTCL
        # working under TCL version 8.5.6 and eTCL 1.0.1
        # gold on TCL WIKI, 15mar2016
        package require Tk
        namespace path {::tcl::mathop ::tcl::mathfunc}
        frame .frame -relief flat -bg aquamarine4
        pack .frame -side top -fill y -anchor center
        set names {{} {men (kennelmen=si-pa):} }
        lappend names {mastiff dogs  (ur-):}
        lappend names {female mastiff (ur-): }
        lappend names {puppies ():}
        lappend names {accounting period days (typical 30 days) :}
        lappend names {workdays or ration days on books : }
        lappend names {grain rations (liters) : }
        lappend names {value in silver :}
        foreach i {1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8} {
            label .frame.label$i -text [lindex $names $i] -anchor e
            entry .frame.entry$i -width 35 -textvariable side$i
            grid .frame.label$i .frame.entry$i -sticky ew -pady 2 -padx 1 }
       proc about {} {
            set msg "Calculator for Sumerian Dog Kennel
            & Accounting from TCL WIKI,
            written on eTCL "
            tk_messageBox -title "About" -message $msg }       
       proc calculate {     } {
            global answer2
            global side1 side2 side3 side4 side5
            global side6 side7 side8 
            global testcase_number
            incr testcase_number 
            set side1 [* $side1 1. ]
            set side2 [* $side2 1. ]
            set side3 [* $side3 1. ]
            set side4 [* $side4 1. ]
            set side5 [* $side5 1. ]
            set total1 [* $side1 $side5 1. ] 
            set total1 [+ $total1 [* $side2 $side5 1.] ]
            set total1 [+ $total1 [* $side3 $side5 .3] ]
            set total1 [+ $total1 [* $side4 $side5 .5] ]
            set side6 $total1  
            set side7 [* $side6 2. ]
            set side8 [* $side7  [/ 1. 300.]  ]  }
        proc fillup {aa bb cc dd ee ff gg hh} {
            .frame.entry1 insert 0 "$aa"
            .frame.entry2 insert 0 "$bb"
            .frame.entry3 insert 0 "$cc"
            .frame.entry4 insert 0 "$dd"
            .frame.entry5 insert 0 "$ee"
            .frame.entry6 insert 0 "$ff" 
            .frame.entry7 insert 0 "$gg"
            .frame.entry8 insert 0 "$hh" 
             }
        proc clearx {} {
            foreach i {1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 } {
                .frame.entry$i delete 0 end } }
        proc reportx {} {
            global side1 side2 side3 side4 side5
            global side6 side7 side8 
            global testcase_number
            console show;
            puts "%|table $testcase_number|printed in| tcl wiki format|% "
            puts "&| quantity| value| comment, if any|& "
            puts "&| testcase number:| | $testcase_number|&"
            puts "&| $side1 :|men (si-pa)| $side1 |&"
            puts "&| $side2 :|mastiffs (ur-1)| $side2|& "
            puts "&| $side3 :|female mastiffs (ur-2)|$side3|& "
            puts "&| $side4 :| puppies (ur-3) |$side4 |&"
            puts "&| $side5  :| days time period|$side5 |&"
            puts "&| $side6  :| work/ration days on books|$side6 |&"
            puts "&| $side7  :| rations (liters) |$side7 |&"
            puts "&| $side8  :| silver pieces|$side8 |&"
         }
        frame .buttons -bg aquamarine4
        ::ttk::button .calculator -text "Solve" -command { calculate   }
        ::ttk::button .test2 -text "Testcase1" -command {clearx;fillup 3.5 0.0 0.0 0.0  30. 105.0 210.0 0.7}
        ::ttk::button .test3 -text "Testcase2" -command {clearx;fillup 0.0 10.0 0.0 0.0  30. 300. 600. 2. }
        ::ttk::button .test4 -text "Testcase3" -command {clearx;fillup 0.00 0.0 5.0 0.0  30.0 45.0 90.00 0.3 }
        ::ttk::button .clearallx -text clear -command {clearx }
        ::ttk::button .about -text about -command about
        ::ttk::button .cons -text report -command { reportx }
        ::ttk::button .exit -text exit -command {exit}
        pack .calculator  -in .buttons -side top -padx 10 -pady 5
        pack  .clearallx .cons .about .exit .test4 .test3 .test2   -side bottom -in .buttons
        grid .frame .buttons -sticky ns -pady {0 10}
        . configure -background aquamarine4 -highlightcolor brown -relief raised -border 30
        wm title . "Sumerian Dog Kennel & Accounting  Calculator "
 

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