Position in chronology
Anonymous Uruk 1 (FAOS 05/2, AnUruk 01)
Written in modern English
After the goddess Ninimma spoke to Aya-diĝirĝu and filled him with awe, he and his mother Kumtuše dedicated a statue to the god Ninšubur. Aya-diĝirĝu is identified as the father of Aka and as temple administrator of the sun-god Utu.
A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.
Translation — scholar edition
ETCSRI(1) After Ninimma filled (Aya-diĝirĝu) with awe by addressing him, Aya-diĝirĝu, father of Aka, the temple administrator of Utu, and Kumtuše, mother of Aya-diĝirĝu, dedicated (this statue) to Ninšubur.
Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Royal Inscriptions — scholar edition (Vienna).
Scholarly note
Sumerian royal inscription, published in the Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Royal Inscriptions (ETCSRI) by Gábor Zólyomi and collaborators. Translation reproduced from the ETCSRI edition. ORACC text Q001383.
Attribution
Image: .
Translation excerpted from Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Royal Inscriptions (ETCSRI), University of Vienna, edited by Gábor Zólyomi et al. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/etcsri/Q001383/.
Related tablets
Related sources
The earliest historical document in human history.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.
The oldest surviving law code in human history. The principle that the state — not the wronged family — defines and enforces justice begins here.
Not the first law code, but the most complete and the most famous. Inscribed on a black diorite stele over two meters tall, displayed in a public place — law made visible, law made monumental.