Position in chronology
En-metena 02
Translation · reference
High confidence(i 1) For Ninĝirsu, Enlil’s warrior. (i 3) En-metena, ruler of Lagaš, chosen by Nanše in the heart, chief governor of Ninĝirsu, constructed the lofty dyke of the border demarcated by Enlil for Ninĝirsu. For Ninĝirsu, his master who loves him, En-metena extended it from the Idnun canal until Mubikura. He erected a stela for him in the field at Ninĝirsu’s border. (v 1) The personal god of En-metena, the constructor of Ninĝirsu’s lofty dyke, is Šul-MUŠxPA.
Source: Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Royal Inscriptions (ETCSRI), University of Vienna, edited by Gábor Zólyomi et al. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/etcsri/Q001110/
Why it matters
Transliteration
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 Q001110.
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/Q001110/.
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The earliest historical document in human history.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.