Position in chronology
MVN 10, 152
Translation — curated editorial
EditorialEditorial entry — translation cited from: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P115922.
Transliteration
lu2-lagasz-ke4 zi lugal a-sza3 a de2-a-ni a ba-da-lah-lah sukkal-mah-da nu-me-a a ba-ra-ab-ga2-ga2 u3 tukumx(|SZU.TUR|)-bi ba-da-lah-lah i3-gaz bi2-du11 lu2-lagasz dub-sar dumu ka5-a-mu sanga gesz-bar-e3
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC)) — MVN 10, 152. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: Bibliothèque de Versailles, Versailles, France (P115922) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P115922..
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.