Read Chronology Themes Tablets Engine About

Menu

Read
Chronology
Themes
Tablets
Engine
About

Sumerian · Book

Reading the tablets…

A curated narrative reconstruction of humanity's first great civilization, sourced from the tablets themselves. Open scholarship, beautifully accessible.

The site

About the project The engine Dossiers FAQ Methodology Sources & licensing Provenance & ethics Contact & support

Legal

Privacy policy Terms of use llms.txt Sitemap

Independent scholarship · No academic affiliation · No institutional funding · Tablet imagery attributed per item via CDLI, ETCSL, ORACC, Wikimedia, and public museum collections.

Home
All tablets

The corpus

All tablets.

Every tablet in the corpus — sortable by date, title or period; filterable by theme and period. Use the controls below or change the URL parameters directly.

Search

Sort

Oldest first Newest first Title (A–Z)By period

Theme

Religion & Myth Law Economy Astronomy & Mathematics Daily Life Writing & Literature

Period

Ubaid Uruk Period Early Dynastic Akkadian Empire Ur III · Neo-Sumerian Old Babylonian Old Assyrian Middle Babylonian Middle Assyrian Neo-Assyrian Neo-Babylonian Achaemenid Persian

Source

Editorial Sumerian literature Sumerian royal Assyrian royal Assyrian archives

480 of 102,257 tablets · 4 filters activeClear filters

51–100 of 480

Page 2 / 10

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anonymous Nippur 08 (FAOS 05/2, AnNip 08)

Dedicates a vessel to the goddess Ninlil on behalf of a named field surveyor's family — attesting private votive practice by a mid-level administrative official at Nippur during the Early Dynastic III period.

Religion & Myth·Writing & Literature

·Early Dynastic

ETCSRI

Anonymous Nippur 21 (FAOS 05/2, AnNip 21)

Preserves a dedicatory inscription naming a midwife as the dedicant — one of the earliest textual attestations of that profession in ancient Mesopotamia.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anonymous Nippur 38 (FAOS 05/2, AnNip 38)

Dedicatory inscription naming Munus-šume, child of Ur-šubur, as donor of a vessel to Inana — one of the few Early Dynastic records attesting private dedicants by personal and patronymic name at Nippur.

Religion & Myth·Writing & Literature

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anonymous Nippur 53 (FAOS 05/2, AnNip 53)

One of the surviving Early Dynastic votive dedications from the Nippur tradition, attesting the formula by which a ruler sought divine favour through temple offering a century before the Akkadian Empire.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anonymous Nippur 54 (FAOS 05/2, AnNip 54)

A child of a Nippur ruler dedicates a votive vessel circa 2450 BCE, attesting the practice of elite dynastic piety through object dedication in the Early Dynastic temple economy.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anonymous Nippur 57 (FAOS 05/2, AnNip 57)

A Nippur dedicatory inscription naming Ĝirini and her husband Lugal-lu: one of the rare Early Dynastic texts that preserves a private person's cultic relationship with Ninlil outside the royal sphere.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anonymous Nippur 60 (FAOS 05/2, AnNip 60)

Attests the Early Dynastic Sumerian formula linking a ruler's personal welfare to that of his household — one of the earliest epigraphic anchors for the ideology of dynastic continuity at Nippur.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anonymous Ur 17 (FAOS 05/2, AnUr 17)

A fragmentary Early Dynastic royal inscription from the Lagash-Ur-Uruk orbit, attesting the competitive temple-building rhetoric by which Sumerian rulers legitimised dynastic succession ca. 2450 BCE.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anonymous Ur 23 (FAOS 05/2, AnUr 23)

One of the fragmentary Early Dynastic royal inscriptions from the Lagash-Ur-Uruk cluster, preserving a Suen-invocation formula that documents the lunar god's role in legitimising kingship two centuries before Akkadian unification.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anonymous Uruk 2 (FAOS 05/2, AnUruk 02)

Votive dedication by a ruler claiming joint kingship over Uruk and Ur attests the practice of dual-city titulature in the Early Dynastic III period, before such formulas were standardised under later imperial regimes.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anonymous Lagaš 31add

Dedicatory inscription naming the goddess Lama as owner of a votive bowl: early evidence of object consecration practice in Early Dynastic Lagaš.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anonymous Nippur 65add

A fragmentary Early Dynastic royal inscription from Nippur, one of the earliest attestations linking royal authority to the office of chief governor of Enlil — evidence of how Sumerian kingship was legitimised through priestly-administrative titles c. 2450 BCE.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

E-anatum 02

Records E-ana-tum of Lagaš restoring a boundary stela originally set by Me-silim — one of the earliest attestations of a ruler invoking a prior landmark to legitimize territorial claims under divine sanction.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

E-anatum 09

Enumerates E-anatum's conquests — Elam, Arawa, Umma, Ur — and his temple-building for Ninĝirsu, anchoring the chronology of Early Dynastic Lagašite expansion roughly a generation before the Stele of the Vultures.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Elili 1

Attests a king of Ur, Elili, dedicating a temple precinct to Enki of Eridu: evidence that Early Dynastic rulers sponsored cult construction across city-state boundaries a full century before Sargon unified Mesopotamia.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

En-anatum I 03

Attests the transport of white cedar timber from distant mountains to Lagaš c. 2450 BCE, documenting the long-range resource networks that Early Dynastic rulers mobilized for temple construction under divine patronage.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

En-anatum I 11

Attests Ninĝirsu's divine investiture of En-anatum I as ruler of Lagaš, adding a fragment to the corpus of Early Dynastic royal ideology linking military authority to temple patronage of the goddess Bau.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

En-anatum I 14

Records En-anatum I's construction of the Ebgal and embellishment of the E-ana at Lagash, attesting the mid-third-millennium practice of commemorating temple patronage through inscribed clay nails driven into mudbrick walls.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

En-anatum I 17

A scribe named Id-lusikil records his own act of dedication within En-anatum I's temple-building inscription — one of the earliest named scribes to insert himself into a royal monument.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

En-metena 03

Records En-metena of Lagaš's pact of 'brotherhood' with Lugal-kiĝeneš-dudu of Uruk, one of the earliest attested inter-city alliances in Sumerian history, embedded in a temple-building dedication to Inana ca. 2450 BCE.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

En-metena 05a

Records En-metena of Lagaš constructing the E-muš for Inana and Lugal-emuš, naming his personal deity — rare direct evidence of Early Dynastic royal piety and patron-god theology c. 2450 BCE.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

En-metena 18

Dedicatory inscription of En-metena of Lagaš (~2450 BCE) attesting the ritual gifting of a silver vessel to Enlil, documenting how Early Dynastic rulers performed piety through precious-metal votive offerings.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

En-šakuš-Ana 1

Records En-šakuš-ana's defeat and capture of Enbi-Eštar of Kiš, one of the earliest dated royal inscriptions to claim kingship over all Sumer — predating Sargon of Akkad by roughly two centuries.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

En-šakuš-Ana 2

Dedicates the spoils of a conquered Kiš to Enlil, attesting En-šakuš-Ana of Uruk's supremacy over rival city-states roughly two centuries before Sargon's unification of Sumer and Akkad.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

En-šakuš-Ana 3

Attests the royal title 'en of Sumer, king of the Land' for En-šakuš-Ana c. 2450 BCE, placing this ruler among the earliest documented claimants to pan-Sumerian sovereignty before Sargon of Akkad.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

En-šakuš-Ana 4

A grand vizier's temple dedication on behalf of king En-šakuš-Ana of Uruk: one of the earliest attestations of high Sumerian officialdom acting as royal proxy in monumental piety, c. 2450 BCE.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

En-šakuš-Ana 5add

Records En-šakuš-Ana of Uruk's capture of Enbi-Eštar, king of Kiš, one of the earliest attested military victories over a rival city-king preserved in Sumerian royal inscription.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Lugal-kigine-dudu 1

Attests a ruler simultaneously holding the titles of en at Uruk and king at Ur — early evidence that one man could unite distinct sacred and secular offices across two rival Sumerian cities, c. 2450 BCE.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Lugal-kigine-dudu 6

A merchant named Anuzu dedicates a votive vessel to the moon-god Nanna on behalf of Lugal-kiĝeneš-dudu, king of Kiš — attesting private mercantile piety and royal titulature at Kiš circa 2450 BCE.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Lugal-zage-si 1

Lugal-zage-si's votive inscription to Enlil attests the first known claim by a Sumerian ruler to kingship over 'all lands' — a universal-sovereignty ideology that Sargon of Akkad would soon appropriate and militarily enforce.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Ur-Nanše 07

Attests Ur-Nanše's construction of the Ĝirsu shrine, anchoring his reign's temple-building program — the political-religious foundation of Lagašite dynastic legitimacy circa 2450 BCE.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

A-Ane-pada 1

(1) Aya-Ane-pada, king of Urim.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

A-Ane-pada 2

(1) For ..., Aya-Ane-pada, king of Urim, ....

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

A-Ane-pada 3

(1) For Ninhursaĝa: Aya-Ane-pada, king of Urim, child of Meš-Ane-pada, king of Urim, built a temple for Ninhursaĝa.

Religion & Myth·Writing & Literature

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

A-Ane-pada 4

(1') ... when he built ..., he šarried a holy šhariot to .... Inim-zid and Nanna-ursag dedišated this (bowl) for the well-being of Aya-Ane-pada.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

A-Ane-pada 6

(1) To Ninazu, Luduga dedicated this for the well-being of Aya-Ane-pada.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

A-Ane-pada 7add

(i 1) The dwelling AB.IGI.BUR, the sanctuary, the mountain of snakes, where? Inana ..., the Abzu (whose) god no crown (i.e., ruler) would disobey, its owner, the god of Aya-ane-pada, Enki, the father who created him, made his (= Aya-ane-pada’s) lordship apparent. (ii 1) He (= Aya-ane-pada) (then) established the AB.IGI.BUR for him (= Enki), called its name for him, and fashioned his crown for him.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

A-kurgal 1

(1) For Ninĝirsu, Aya-kurgal, ruler of Lagaš. child of Ur-Nanše, king of Lagaš, built the Antasura.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Abzu-kidu 1

(1) To Inana, A-kalam, spouse of Abzu-kidug, ruler of Nibru, dedicated this (bowl).

Religion & Myth·Writing & Literature

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anam 1

(1) For Inana, the great lady of the E-ana, his lady, Anam, the true shepherd of Unug, the favourite of An and Inana, the beloved child of Inana, built the outer courtyard of the en-priest’s E-ĝipar, the dwelling that fills her heart with joy.

Religion & Myth·Writing & Literature

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anam 3

(1) For An, the king of the gods, his master, for Inana, the great lady of the E-ana, his lady, when he renovated and restored their old temple, Anam, the true shepherd of Unug, the beloved child of Inana, installed a door anointed with oil.

Religion & Myth·Writing & Literature

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anonymous 06 (FAOS 05/2, Anonym 06) (FAOS 05/2, Anonym 06)

(1) To Ninšubur of Bad, Enzid, the shepherd, and Amar-kikug, child of Enzid, dedicated this (statuette).

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anonymous 10 (FAOS 05/2, Anonym 10) (FAOS 05/2, Anonym 10)

(1) To Lugal-ega, Ursaĝ-Utu, child of Lugal-pada, the gusur, fashioned this (statuette).

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anonymous Adab 07 (FAOS 05/2, AnAdab 07)

(1) E-kiri, Ama-ana-ak, spouse of Inim-Utu-zid.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anonymous Ešnuna 1 (FAOS 05/2, AnEshn 01)

(1') To ..., ... dedicated this (object) for his own well-being and for the well-being of his spouse and children.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anonymous Ešnuna 2 (FAOS 05/2, AnEshn 02)

(1) To Abu, Lugal-kisale-si, child of Ardu, dedicated this (vessel).

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anonymous Lagaš 01 (FAOS 05/1, AnLag 01)

(1') ..., he displayed his booty for Bau.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anonymous Lagaš 02 (FAOS 05/1, AnLag 02)

(1) For Bau, the kind woman, Luma-mešni, scribe of the granary supervisor, ... for his well-being.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anonymous Lagaš 04 (FAOS 05/1, AnLag 04)

(1') ... dedišated this (vessel) for ... to Ninĝirsu.

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

~2450 BCE·Early DynasticETCSRI

Anonymous Lagaš 06 (FAOS 05/1, AnLag 06)

(1') ... Lugal-mudakuš fashioned ... for Lugal-Uruba. ....

Writing & Literature·Religion & Myth

1 2 3…10