Position in chronology
RIME 3/1.01.07.042, ex. add16
Translation · reference
ExperimentalSource: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P481011.
Why it matters
Transliteration
nin-gir2-su ur#-sag kal-ga en-lil2-la2 lugal#-a-ni gu3#-de2-a ensi2# lagasz#-ke4 e2#-ninnu anzu2-babbar2-ra-ni mu#-na-du3
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Lagash II (ca. 2200-2100 BC)) — RIME 3/1.01.07.042, ex. add16. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: private: Pounder, Colin, Derbyshire, UK (P481011) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P481011..
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.