Position in chronology
RIME 3/1.01.06.04, ex. add458
Translation · reference
ExperimentalSource: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P391221.
Why it matters
Transliteration
nin-gir2-su ur-sag kal-ga# en-lil2-la2-[ra] ur-ba-ba6 ensi2# lagasz dumu tu-da nin-a2-gal-ka-ke4
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Lagash II (ca. 2200-2100 BC)) — RIME 3/1.01.06.04, ex. add458. 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 (P391221) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P391221..
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.