Complaint tablet to Ea-nāṣir
Oldest known written complaint (c. 1750 BC)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The complaint tablet to Ea-nāṣir (UET V 81)[1] is a clay tablet that was sent to the ancient city-state Ur, written c. 1750 BC. The tablet, which measures 11.6 centimetres (4+9⁄16 in) high and 5.0 centimetres (1+15⁄16 in) wide, documents a transaction in which Ea-nāṣir, a trader, allegedly sold sub-standard copper to a customer named Nanni. Nanni, dissatisfied with the quality, wrote a cuneiform complaint addressing the poor service and mistreatment of his servant.
| Complaint tablet to Ea-nāṣir | |
|---|---|
Tablet on display in the British Museum in 2023, showing the reverse side upside down | |
| Material | Clay |
| Height | 11.6 cm (4.6 in) |
| Width | 5 cm (2.0 in) |
| Created | c. 1750 BC |
| Present location | Zayed National Museum, Abu Dhabi, on loan from the British Museum, London |
Discovered by Sir Leonard Woolley in Ur, it is usually kept in the British Museum. Written in Akkadian cuneiform, this tablet is recognized as the "Oldest Customer Complaint" by Guinness World Records. The tablet's content and Ea-nāṣir in particular gained popularity as an internet meme, due to its relatable subject matter in expressing dissatisfaction with goods.[2][3][4]
In 2025 the tablet was sent on loan to the Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi and is expected to be there until 2027.
Description
The tablet is 11.6 centimetres (4+9⁄16 in) high, 5.0 cm (1+15⁄16 in) wide, 2.6 cm (1 in) thick, and slightly damaged.[5]
Content
The tablet details that Ea-nāṣir travelled to Dilmun to buy copper and returned to sell it in Mesopotamia. On one particular occasion, he had agreed to sell copper ingots to Nanni. Nanni sent his servant with the money to complete the transaction.[7] The copper was considered by Nanni to be sub-standard[8] and was not accepted.
In response, Nanni produced the cuneiform letter for delivery to Ea-nāṣir. Inscribed on it is a complaint to Ea-nāṣir about a copper delivery of the incorrect grade and issues with another delivery;[5] Nanni also complained that his servant (who handled the transaction) had been treated rudely. He stated that, at the time of writing, he had not accepted the copper, but had paid for it.
Ea-nāṣir was part of a group of traders called alik Tilmun, or "Dilmun traders". He is known from other texts to have been active in the 11th and 19th regnal years of the Larsa ruler Rim-Sîn I.[9]
Acquisition
The tablet was discovered and acquired by Sir Leonard Woolley, leading a joint expedition of the University of Pennsylvania and the British Museum from 1922 to 1934 in the Sumerian city of Ur.[5][10]
Translations
Adolf Leo Oppenheim translated several of the tablet's lines in a 1954 article for Journal of the American Oriental Society.[11] An English language translation of the tablet was made by W. F. Leemans in 1960;[12] Leemans's translation incorporated these lines which Oppenheim had translated as well as some input from Fritz Rudolf Kraus on the meaning of a few lines.[13] Oppenheim published a full translation of the tablet himself in 1967,[8] unaware of any other translations of this tablet.[14] A translation inspired by that of Marc Van De Mieroop sent in a personal communication to Steven J. Garfinkle was published in 2010;[15] a book review by Walter Farber noted that this translation "is not always true to details".[16] I. M. Diakonoff published a translation into Russian in 1990.[17]
Other tablets
Legacy
From February 2015 the complaint tablet has become an Internet meme due to its seemingly anachronistic nature and relatable subject matter.[2][18][20][21] Its use as a meme likely started on Reddit then Tumblr before coming to wider attention.[21]
The tablet has been recognized by the Guinness World Records as the "oldest written customer complaint".[22] In 2009, the tablet was stabilised with Paraloid B-72.[23]
