Building inscription of Ur-Nammu (2112-2095 B.C.)
Inscription on a brick of a building from the Sumerian “renaissance”, when the Sumerians briefly regained control of the region from the Akkadians. Copies of a very similar inscription, with transcription and translation, are provided on the websites
The inscription is written in two columns. Column 1 contains lines 1 – 5; column 2 contains lines 6 – 10.
| 1 | A | œ |
| DIŊIR | INANNA |
| | Inanna |
| god | Inanna |
| To Inanna, |
| 2 | z |
N |
A |
Ø |
| NIN | É | AN | na |
| nin | é | an | -a(k) |
| mistress | house | heaven | -GEN |
| the house-mistress of heaven, |
| 3 |
z |
B |
M |
| NIN | a | ni |
| nin | -ani |
| mistress | POSS.3.SG.HUM |
| his mistress, |
| 4 | B | A | K |
| UR | DIŊIR | NAMMU |
| ur- | | nammu |
|
Ur |
god |
Nammu |
|
Ur-Nammu, |
| 5 | e | x | , | | | |
|
NITA |
kal |
ga |
|
nita |
kalg |
-a |
|
man |
have.power |
-REL |
|
the mighty man, |
| 6 |
 |
va |
j |
¾ |
|
LUGAL |
URI5 |
ki |
ma |
|
lugal |
uri |
|
-ma1 |
|
king |
Ur |
place |
-and |
|
the king of Ur, |
| 7 |
|
j |
Ó |
¡ |
j |
:
|
N |
|
LUGAL | ki | en | gi | ki | uri | ke4 |
| lugal | kengi | kiuri | -ke |
| king | Sumer | Akkad | -GEN:ERG |
| the king of Sumer and Akkad, |
| 8 | N
|
B | M |
| É | a | ni |
| é | -ani |
| house | -POSS.3.SG.HUM |
| her house |
| 9 | T | Ø | r |
|
mu | na | DÙ |
|
mu- | na- | dù |
|
OBJ.3 | IND.OBJ.3 | built |
|
built (and) |
| 10 |
j |
V |
T |
Ø |
q |
|
KI | bé | mu | na | GI4 |
|
ki | -bi-e | mu- | na- | gi |
|
place | POSS.3.SG.INAN-ALL | OBJ.3.SG- | IND.OBJ.3.SG- | restituted |
|
and restituted in its place. |
1 or urim -a ‘Ur-LOC’.