Position in chronology
Aleppo 319
Translation · reference
ExperimentalSource: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P100651.
Why it matters
Transliteration
1(barig) sze ur5-ra szesz-kal-la aga3-us2 ki szara2-kam szabra ki-su7-ra nin10-nu-du3-ta iti ezem-szul-gi mu us2-sa szu-suen lugal-e bad3 mar-tu mu-du3
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC)) — Aleppo 319. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Šu-Suen y2 — Year after: Šu-Suen became king based on canonical year-name formula in the transliteration.
Attribution
Image: National Museum of Syria, Aleppo, Syria (P100651) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P100651..
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.