Position in chronology
Aleppo 505
Translation · reference
ExperimentalSource: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P100837.
Why it matters
Transliteration
[...] [...] ki lugal-szu-nir ma-an-zi-zi u3 ur-suen-ta gu-du-du szu ba-ti iti ezem-[...] [mu] szu-suen# [ma]-da [za-ab-sza]-li[ ba-hul]
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC)) — Aleppo 505. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: National Museum of Syria, Aleppo, Syria (P100837) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P100837..
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.