Everybody Gets a Star

Since the dawn of civilization, mankind has desired to air grievances against those we felt have wronged us: This is not hyperbole, but fact. An almost 4,000-year-old cuneiform tablet from the ancient city of Ur gives us Nanni, who writes to copper dealer Ea-nāṣir, accusing him of failing to follow through on a deal, sending him low-grade copper, and treating him poorly. According to one translation, Nanni asks, “What do you take me for?” and demands the ability to select his own copper on his own schedule “because you have treated me with contempt.”