Position in chronology
MVN 10, 015
Translation · reference
ExperimentalSource: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P227624.
Why it matters
Transliteration
[...]-sze3# [...]-sze3# [...]-szum2# [...]-gin7 [...]-x-sze3 [...] [...] x [...] ki ni2-te-na# x x szara2 lugal-ga2#? ur2 ku3-ga-ni mu-na-ni-gar inanna# nin ge6-par4-ra-ke4 u4#-bi# he2-ni-ib-su3-de3 [x] lamma sa6-ga [...] x [...]
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Lagash II (ca. 2200-2100 BC)) — MVN 10, 015. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: Louvre Museum, Paris, France (P227624) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P227624..
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.