Position in chronology
Unattributed Ur III 1030
Translation · reference
High confidence(1') To ..., ..., king of Urim, king of the four quarters, dedicated this (vessel) for his well-being. (5') Whoever erases his inscription and writes his own name there, may Utu, king of Zimbir, put an end to his lineage!
Source: Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Royal Inscriptions (ETCSRI), University of Vienna, edited by Gábor Zólyomi et al. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/etcsri/Q001899/
Why it matters
A votive vessel dedication from an Ur III king of Ur invokes Utu as enforcer against inscription-erasers — attesting the legal-religious mechanisms kings used to protect their monumental legacy.
Transliteration
Scholarly note
Sumerian royal inscription, published in the Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Royal Inscriptions (ETCSRI) by Gábor Zólyomi and collaborators. Translation reproduced from the ETCSRI edition. ORACC text Q001899.
Attribution
Image: BM 114698 + BM 090903 (was BM 012031) (British Museum, London, UK) — from Sippar-Yahrurum (mod. Tell Abu Habbah) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P226711). source
Translation excerpted from Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Royal Inscriptions (ETCSRI), University of Vienna, edited by Gábor Zólyomi et al. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/etcsri/Q001899/.
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