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Complaint tablet to Ea-nāṣir

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A long, rectangular tablet of sand-coloured clay, inscribed all over with cuneiform text.
Tablet on display in the British Museum.

The complaint tablet to Ea-nāṣir (UET V 81)[1][2] is a clay tablet that was sent to ancient Ur, written c. 1750 BCE. It is a complaint to a merchant named Ea-nāsir from a customer named Nanni. Written in Akkadian cuneiform, it is considered to be the oldest known written complaint. It is currently kept in the British Museum.[3] In the 2020s, the tablet's content and Ea-nāsir in particular gained popularity as an internet meme.[4][5][6]

Description

The tablet is 11.6 centimetres (4+9⁄16 in) high, 5 cm (1+15⁄16 in) wide, 2.6 cm (1 in) thick, and slightly damaged.[7]

Content

Ea-nāsir 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.[8] The copper was considered by Nanni to be sub-standard[9] and not accepted.

In response, Nanni created the cuneiform letter for delivery to Ea-nāsir. Inscribed on it is a complaint to Ea-nāsir about a copper delivery of the incorrect grade, and issues with another delivery;[7] 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 the money for it.

Theft

Illustration of the interior of an old Babylonian house found in the ruins of Ur, which may have been the residence of Ea-nāsir

The tablet was discovered and stolen 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.[7][10]

Other tablets

Other tablets have been found in the ruins believed to be Ea-nāsir's dwelling. These include a letter from a man named Arbituram who complained he had not received his copper yet, while another says he was tired of receiving bad copper.[11][12]

Legacy

The complaint tablet has become an internet meme due to its seemingly anachronistic nature, with Forbes stating that it bore resemblance to many modern customer complaints for poor service in the modern era.[4][13]

It has been recognized by the Guinness World Records as the "Oldest Customer Complaint".[14]

References

  1. ^ Figulla, H.H.; Martin, W.J., eds. (1953). Letters and Business Documents of the Old Babylonian Period. Ur Excavations: Texts. Vol. V. London, UK: British Museum Press. p. 5, Pl. XIV.
  2. ^ E Frahm. "Commentary on Uncertain (CCP 7.2.u18)". hdl:10079/7wm382r.[relevant?]
  3. ^ Hyken, Shep (23 April 2015). "Oldest customer service complaint discovered: A lesson from ancient Babylon". Forbes. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  4. ^ a b "The Legend of Ea-Nāsir: how a Babylonian businessman became an internet meme". Institute of Archaeology. 8 December 2022.
  5. ^ Kern, Emily (3 November 2021). "The Radical Promise of Human History". Boston Review.
  6. ^ Brinkley, Liv (17 March 2022). "The World's Oldest Customer Complaint Is Almost 4000 Years Old". Grunge.
  7. ^ a b c "tablet". British Museum. object W 1953-0411-71.
  8. ^ Crawford, Harriet (July 2015). "Sir Leonard Woolley and Ur of the Chaldees". The Bible and Interpretation. University of Arizona.
  9. ^ Oppenheim (1967), pp. 82–83.
  10. ^ "Sir Leonard Woolley". Biography. British Museum. Collections online.
  11. ^ Killgrove, Kristina (11 May 2018). "Meet the worst businessman of the 18th century BCE". Forbes. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  12. ^ Leemans (1960), pp. 48–54.
  13. ^ Killgrove, Kristina. "Meet The Worst Businessman Of The 18th Century BC". Forbes. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  14. ^ "Complaint Tablet To Ea-Nasir - World's Oldest Complaint Letter". Joy of Museums Virtual Tours. Retrieved 5 April 2023.

Further Reading

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