Position in chronology
NATN 830
Translation — curated editorial
EditorialEditorial entry — translation cited from: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P121527.
Transliteration
2(asz) esir2 E2-A gur 1(asz) 1(barig)? 1(ban2) esir2 hur-sag-ga2 gur kiszib3 nisaba-an-dul3 3(ban2) esir2 E2-A kiszib3 lugal-he2-gal2 1(u) 2(asz) esir2 hur-sag-ga2 gur# 4(barig) esir2 E2-A 1(u) 4(disz) szu-dim2 2(u) u3 kiszib3 ur-mes
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC)) — NATN 830. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA (P121527) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P121527..
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.