The Possible First Known Author

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In the 23rd century B.C.E.(Before Common Era) a daughter was born to Sargon of Akkad, or Sargon the Great, the king of the Akkadian Empire. (He was the king who brought Summaria and Akkadian people under one rule.) Her name was Enheduanna and she was born in what was Mesopotamia, part of modern-day Iraq. Enheduanna went on to be the high priestess of the moon god Nanna in the city of Ur. At some point, she was ousted from her position by a Sumerian king. In her poem "The Exaltation of Inanna" she wrote about her exile. It describes her pleas to the goddess Inanna and the coup that transpired. She writes of a very personal experience, how she was treated and, at one point it reads like a sexual violation. Enheduanna later reclaimed her position of the high priestess. She goes on to reflect on the writing process and even compares the process to being like giving birth. What makes her work unique is that she wrote in the first person. She also claimed authorship and noted: "The compiler of this tablet is Enheduanna." Her works are the earliest known example of first-person writing. Enheduanna may be the first known writer to claim authorship of her work. Read the full piece at the link below: