Position in chronology
AAICAB 1/1, pl. 022, 1911-175
Translation — curated editorial
EditorialEditorial entry — translation cited from: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P142688.
Transliteration
lugal-gigir-re iti sig4-i3-szub-ga2-ra-ta 1(u) 3(disz) u4-am3 ba-ra-zal umma-a mu-kux(DU) unu-sze3 ma2-da?-sze3 ib2-szi-u3 ugula lu2-nin-ur4-ra mu us2-sa ki-masz u3 hu-ur5-ti [...] dub-sar dumu lugal-[...]
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC)) — AAICAB 1/1, pl. 022, 1911-175. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK (P142688) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P142688..
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.