HistoryPhilosophicalBiblical Eraautre

Instructions of Shuruppak — The Oldest Written Wisdom

הוראות שורופאק

Author: Tradition sumérienne attribuée à Shuruppak, père de Ziusudra (c. 2600 av. J.-C.)

Date: c. 2600 av. J.-C.

Preservation: University of Pennsylvania Museum, Musée d'Istanbul

deposited on April 16, 2026 · History register · custodian, not owner

❧ Description

The Instructions of Shuruppak are humanity's oldest known wisdom text — advice from a father to his son, attributed to the father of the Sumerian flood hero Ziusudra. These moral maxims are the direct ancestor of biblical wisdom literature, with striking parallels to Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.

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Instructions of Shuruppak — The Oldest Written Wisdom

❧ Description

In history

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