upepo
Elder Lister
Dating between 2000–1595 BC, this small cuneiform clay tablet from the ancient Sumerian city of Nippur (modern-day southern Iraq) records the details of a child’s birth. Inscribed in the world’s earliest known writing system, it identifies the newborn’s gender and the names of the parents an administrative practice that reflects the sophistication of Sumerian society.
What makes this artifact especially remarkable is the stamped impression of the child’s own foot pressed into the wet clay before it dried. This delicate footprint stands as both an official marker and a deeply human touch, bridging the gap between bureaucratic record-keeping and the intimate reality of a family welcoming new life.
Such tablets reveal how advanced the Sumerians were in administration, law, and daily record-keeping. More than a relic of paperwork, this piece of clay is both document and keepsake preserving not only the identity of a child born 4,000 years ago but also the timeless human impulse to commemorate life’s most important moments.