Position in chronology
MMFM 2005, 33, 10
Translation · reference
ExperimentalSource: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P113026.
Why it matters
Transliteration
3(ban2) i3-szah2 usz-mu [n] ur-gigir [n] ur-a-szar2 ugula# lu2?-ur2-a-ni kiszib3!# ensi2-ka inim i3-kal-la-ta ki# szara2#-kam#-ta# kiszib3 lu2-du10#-ga iti ezem-szul#-gi# mu us2-sa bad3 mar-tu ba-du3
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC)) — MMFM 2005, 33, 10. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Šulgi y38 — Year after: The Amorite wall was built based on canonical year-name formula in the transliteration.
Attribution
Image: Medelhavsmuseet, Stockholm, Sweden (P113026) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P113026..
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.