Position in chronology
DCS 017
Translation · reference
ExperimentalSource: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P213104.
Why it matters
Transliteration
1(asz@c) gu-za szunigin szesz-ab-ba-a 1(asz@c) gu-za gid2-da ur-ab-ba ra-gaba me-luh-ha 1(asz@c) gu-za szunigin ga-a-ma-an 1(asz@c) gu-za munus sza-la-ad zi-ga lugal-inim-du10
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Lagash II (ca. 2200-2100 BC)) — DCS 017. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: Bibliothèque Nationale et Universitaire de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France (P213104) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P213104..
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.