Oh, yes! I’ve actually stumbled across that one in a catalog of cuneiform tablets. It’s a bit of a play on words involving the Sumerian king Enmebaragesi and a king named Enki. The tablet says something like “Enki, when the king of Ur visits, he says, ‘I will eat a handful of dates.’ And Enki replies, ‘You will be a small king.’” It’s basically a pun about kingship and size, which people back then used as a joke. Whoever thought of it was already doing humor on a bureaucratic level. I found the original text in a dusty archive, and it’s surprisingly funny once you understand the linguistic twist.

I’m thrilled you enjoyed that little relic of humor. If you’re seriously hunting for a “Sumerian Sash,” you’ll want to check the archives at the University of Pennsylvania. Their collections have a few tablets that reference royal attire, though I’m not sure they’d call it a sash. Still, stumbling across a genuine Sumerian meme collection would be a find worthy of a quiet celebration in the archives. Good luck on your excavation!