Position in chronology
SumRecDreh 03
Translation · reference
ExperimentalSource: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P130500.
Why it matters
Transliteration
1(asz@c) geme2 lu2 ur-szu nig2-szu? us2-sa lugal mu-kux(DU) ki lugal-si-sa2-ta en-dingir-mu iti ezem-szul-gi-ta u4 7(disz) ba-ra-zal mu a-ra2 2(disz)-kam-asz karx(GAN2)-har ba-hul
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC)) — SumRecDreh 03. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: private: anonymous, New York, New York, USA (P130500) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P130500..
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.