Position in chronology
TCBI 1, 258
Translation · reference
ExperimentalSource: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P382510.
Why it matters
Transliteration
1(asz@c) gurdub2 ku6 tur-tur# sa-at-be-el3 1(asz@c)# gurdub2 ku6 tur-tur i3#-li2-isz-ta2-kal2 [1(asz@c)] gurdub2# ku6 tur-tur [...]-ta2#-lik lu2 igi [...]-x [...] [n kusz esir-e2]-ba# [...]-x [...] kusz# esir-e#-ba ur-ME dub-sar 1(asz@c) sza3-gid2 da-tum sukkal [u4] 3(u) la2 3(disz) al-zal
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Old Akkadian (ca. 2340-2200 BC)) — TCBI 1, 258. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: Banca d'Italia, Rome, Italy (P382510) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P382510..
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.