Position in chronology
RIME 3/1.01.07.add102, ex. 01
Translation · reference
ExperimentalSource: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P251600.
Why it matters
Transliteration
nin-kar2 dingir szuba3 an-na lugal-a-ni gu3-de2-a ensi2 lagasz-ke4 e2 nigin6?-ka-ni mu-na-du3
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Lagash II (ca. 2200-2100 BC)) — RIME 3/1.01.07.add102, ex. 01. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: Schøyen Collection, Oslo, Norway (P251600) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P251600..
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.