Position in chronology
CST 204
Translation — curated editorial
EditorialEditorial entry — translation cited from: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P107716.
Transliteration
1(disz) masz2 ga babbar2 sza3 wa-da-al-tum 1(disz) masz2 gi sza3 ki-sa2-a 1(disz) udu a-lum niga saga us2 1(disz) masz2-gal niga saga szimaszgi 3(disz) udu ge6 szimaszgi 2(disz) udu 1(disz) masz2#? [...] 1(disz) [...] 1(disz) [...] 3(disz) [...] ba-usz2 u4 [x-kam] ki a-hu-ni#-[ta] ur-nigar szu ba-ti iti szu-esz-sza mu ha-ar-szi ki-masz u3 hu-<ur5>-ti ba-hul
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC)) — CST 204. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: John Rylands Library, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK (P107716) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P107716..
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.