Position in chronology
TMH NF 1-2, 085
Translation — curated editorial
EditorialEditorial entry — translation cited from: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P134397.
Transliteration
2(asz) sze gur ur5-sze3 masz2 gur 1(barig) 4(ban2)-ta ki ur-suen-ta nig2-du7 szu ba-ti kislah ag2-da mu lugal-bi in-pa3 iti sze-sag11-ku5 u4 3(disz) ba-zal mu us2-sa bad3 mar-tu ba-du3 nig2-du7 dumu ur-KA?
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC)) — TMH NF 1-2, 085. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Šulgi y38 — Year after: The Amorite wall was built based on canonical year-name formula in the transliteration.
Attribution
Image: Hilprecht Collection, University of Jena, Germany (P134397) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P134397..
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.