Position in chronology
TCL 02, 5565
Translation · reference
ExperimentalSource: CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P131654.
Why it matters
Transliteration
2(disz) gesz usan3 sa la2-a an-na-tal lu2 ur-kisz u4 ur-kisz-ta i3-im-gen-na-a in-ba giri3 lugal-inim-gi-na sukkal ARAD2-nanna sukkal-mah maszkim ki di-ku5-mi-szar-ta ba-zi sza3 puzur4-isz-da-gan iti ezem-me-ki-gal2 mu gu-za en-lil2-la2 ba-dim2 2(disz)
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Ur III (ca. 2100-2000 BC)) — TCL 02, 5565. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format). [year-name] Dated to Ur-Nammu y14 — The throne of Enlil was fashioned based on canonical year-name formula in the transliteration.
Attribution
Image: Louvre Museum, Paris, France (P131654) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. source
Translation excerpted from CDLI raw catalogue, no published translation. P-number P131654..
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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The earliest historical document in human history.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.