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Work #1880

Self-Praise Hymns of Shulgi

Shulgi of Ur (attributed; court scribes)
c. 2094–2047 BCE · Sumerian
Royal hymns (Shulgi A, B, C, D, E, and others) · Sumerian royal literary tradition

I am a king, the weapon of the gods — the first celebration of royal excellence in athletics, learning, and the scribal arts

Attribute Fingerprint

Rows where works disagree are highlighted in gold. The full ontology grid is shown.

Attribute Self-Praise Hymns of Shulgi
Time · Extent Infinite
Time · Ontological Status Substantival
Time · Grain Continuous
Time · Freedom Non-Deterministic
Time · Traversability Cyclical
Time · Dimensionality One
Time · Direction Uni-directional
Space · Extent Finite
Space · Ontological Status Substantival
Space · Curvature not engaged
Space · Dimensionality Three
Space · Locality Local
Matter · Extent Finite
Matter · Ontological Status Substantival
Matter · Conservation not engaged
Matter · Dimensionality Three
Matter · Locality Local
Observer · Time Instance Single
Observer · Space Instance Single
Observer · Knowledge Extent Immediate
Observer · Knowledge Retainment Partial
Observer · Physicality Embodied
Observer · Agency Active
Observer · Number Singular
Observer · Metaphysical Agency Providential
Observer · Moral Authority Custom
Observer · Theological Method
Energy · Extent not engaged
Energy · Ontological Status not engaged
Energy · Conservation not engaged
Energy · Dispersibility not engaged
Information · Ontological Status Substantival
Information · Cosmic Conservation Conserved
Information · Personal Conservation Conserved
Information · Granularity not engaged

Dimension-by-Dimension Evidence

What each work's passages reveal about its stance on each of the six dimensions.

Time

Self-Praise Hymns of Shulgi

The gods and cosmic order are temporally infinite; Shulgi's reign is a bounded epoch within a cyclical liturgical calendar.

Space

Self-Praise Hymns of Shulgi

Finite, politically organised: the four quarters, the cities of Ur and Nippur, the scribal schools.

Matter

Self-Praise Hymns of Shulgi

Not theorised; the material world — tablets, weights, temples — is the medium of governance and culture.

Observer

Self-Praise Hymns of Shulgi

Shulgi is the singular, embodied royal observer who claims immediate knowledge of all arts and skills.

Energy

Self-Praise Hymns of Shulgi

Not addressed; physical vitality is celebrated but not theorised.

Information

Self-Praise Hymns of Shulgi

The scribal schools are the earliest institutions of systematic information conservation.

Internal Tensions

Where each work's argument pulls against itself.

Self-Praise Hymns of Shulgi

Human excellence versus divine status: the hymns celebrate mortal achievement but Shulgi was deified. Court propaganda versus genuine literary expression: the hymns were composed by scribes, raising questions of authorial authenticity.