Position in chronology
TCNU 524
Translation · reference
ExperimentalSource: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P135370.
Why it matters
Transliteration
2(asz) zi3 munu4 saga gur en-um-i3-li2 ra2-gaba 1(barig) i3-gesz szu-ma-mi-tum i3-du8 [x] i3-gesz [nin]-dingir# inanna zabala#[] [...] x x kiszib3# sukkal-mah mu szu-suen lugal
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC)) — TCNU 524. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Šu-Suen y1 — Šu-Suen became king based on canonical year-name formula in the transliteration.
Attribution
Image: Museo di Antichità di Torino, Turin, Italy (P135370) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P135370..
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.