Kushim Appeared In Ancient Accounting

The first person in recorded history whose name we may know is Kushim, not a king, poet, or warrior, but a Mesopotamian record keeper. A 5,000-year-old clay tablet records a barley transaction with the words, "29,086 measures of barley, 37 months. Kushim." This has been interpreted as Kushim signing the receipt, making him something like an ancient accountant. However, scholars remain uncertain whether Kushim was a personal name, an official title, or an institution.

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