Position in chronology
Syracuse 373
Translation — curated editorial
EditorialEditorial entry — translation cited from: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P130924.
Transliteration
[x] 3(ban2) sze lugal lu2#-du10-ga gudu4 2(barig) ur-tesz2-te? 4(asz) 3(barig) 3(ban2) gur du [x] 2(asz) 1(barig) la2 6(disz) nigar-ki-du10 szunigin 6(asz) la2 6(disz) sze gur sze-ba tug2 us2 x-x-da-gi giri3 a-du-mu iti dal mu us2-sa amar-suen lugal
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC)) — Syracuse 373. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Amar-Suen y2 — Year after: Amar-Suen became king based on canonical year-name formula in the transliteration.
Attribution
Image: Syracuse University Library, Syracuse, New York, USA (P130924) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P130924..
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.