Position in chronology
TRU 194
Translation · reference
ExperimentalSource: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P134958.
Why it matters
Transliteration
5(disz) udu niga sa2-du11 lugal bala ensi2 babila ki puzur4-en-lil2-ta ur-ku3-nun-na iti a2-ki-ti mu i-bi2-suen lugal szu-suen lugal kal-ga lugal uri5-ma lugal an-ub-da limmu2-ba ur-ku3-nun-na dub-sar dumu lu2-nin-gir2-su kuruszda ARAD2-zu
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC)) — TRU 194. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Ibbi-Suen y1 — Ibbi-Suen became king based on canonical year-name formula in the transliteration.
Attribution
Image: Institut Catholique, Paris, France (P134958) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P134958..
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.