One of the oldest pieces of literature known to mankind is called the Instructions of Shuruppak, which contains some of the world’s oldest advice. This was found on the Abu Salabikh Tablet which was excavated in Central Babylonia (which is now southern Iraq). This Sumerian text has been dated to roughly the mid-third millennium BCE (2500 BCE).

Ancient advice via “wisdom literature”

The oldest recorded advice is written in the voice of a Sumerian king named Šuruppak to his son, Ziusudra. Some of it is similar to the biblical 10 Commandments, while other gems include how not to engage with prostitutes (in other words, a warning to lead a virtuous life) or act while drinking beer.

It begins:

“My son, I would instruct you,
Take my instructions,
Ziusudra, I would utter a word to you,
Give heed to it,
Do not neglect my instruction,
Do not transgress the word I uttered,
The father’s instructions, the precious,
Carry out diligently.”

The oldest fatherly advice

This ancient advice is only available to us in fragmentary form and (obviously) through translation. Still, it’s fascinating to see how much of it still applies, such as:

You should not locate a field on a road…
You should not place your house next to a public square: there is always a crowd there.
You should not loiter about where there is a quarrel; you should not let the quarrel make you a witness.
You should not steal anything…A thief is a lion, but after he has been caught, he will be a slave. My son, you should not commit robbery…
You should not speak improperly; later it will lay a trap for you.
You should not curse strongly: it rebounds on you.
My son, you should not use violence (?); ……. You should not commit rape on someone’s daughter; the courtyard will learn of it.
You should not boast in beer halls like a deceitful man.

It contains much more advice than this, which you can find here.

 WTF fun facts

Source: “The Instructions of Shuruppak, Some of the Earliest Sumerian Literature” — HistoryofInformation.com

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