Position in chronology
MVN 03, 058
Translation — curated editorial
EditorialEditorial entry — translation cited from: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P215711.
Transliteration
2(asz@c) udu-nita ur2-ni 1(asz@c) ur-gu 1(asz@c) ur2-ni 3(asz@c) udu ba-usz2 1(asz@c) e2-szu? udu zi-ga-a 3(asz@c) u8 1(u) 3(asz@c) udu-nita 1(u) 4(asz@c) ud5 1(u) 1(asz@c) masz2 sza3-du10 7(asz@c) sila4 sza3-du10 la2-u5 lugal-an-dul3-kam
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Old Akkadian (ca. 2340-2200 BC)) — MVN 03, 058. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: Free Library of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA (P215711) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P215711..
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.