Position in chronology
RIME 3/1.01.07.016, ex. 39
Translation · reference
ExperimentalSource: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P232464.
Why it matters
Transliteration
ig-alim dumu ki-ag2 nin-gir2-su-ka lugal-a-ni gu3-de2-a ensi2 lagasz-ke4 e2 me-husz-gal-an-ki-ka-ni mu-na-du3
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Lagash II (ca. 2200-2100 BC)) — RIME 3/1.01.07.016, ex. 39. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: New York Public Library, New York, New York, USA (P232464) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P232464..
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Related sources
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.