Position in chronology
MVN 20, 029
Translation — curated editorial
EditorialEditorial entry — translation cited from: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P142962.
Transliteration
5(ban2) i3-nun 1(barig) 1(ban2) 5(disz)# sila3 ga# muru13 ki ur-szara2-ta 5(ban2)# i3-nun 1(barig) 1(ban2) 5(disz) ga-UD@g ki ur-e11-e-ta 1(barig) 4(ban2) i3-nun 2(barig) 3(ban2) ga-UD@g [ki] ur#-isztaran-ta ki# unu3-de3-ne-ta ur-e11-e szusz3 szu ba-ti mu us2-sa ki-masz ba-hul
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC)) — MVN 20, 029. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation (P142962) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P142962..
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.