Position in chronology
Ur-Nanše 06a
Translation — scholar edition
ETCSRI(Caption 1, i 1) Ur-Nanše, child of Gunidu, ruler of Lagaš, built the Ebgal. (Caption 3, 1) Men-barag-abzu, spouse of Ur-Nanše, ruler of Lagaš. (Caption 4, 1) Nin-usura, child of Ur-Nanše, ruler of Lagaš. (Main text, i 1) Ur-Nanše, child of Gunidu, ruler of Lagaš, built the Ebgal. (Main text, ii 1') ... established šontrol of the Dilmun-boats (šoming) from the foreign šountries. (Main text, iii 9) He captured .... (Main text, iv 3) He dug .... (Main text, v 4) He fashioned (the statue of) Kindazid.
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 Q003641.
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/Q003641/.
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The earliest historical document in human history.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.