Urukagina, the last king of the first dynasty of Lagash, overthrows the corrupt government of his predecessor Lugalanda and inscribes his reforms on clay foundation cones intended for temple foundations. The text, preserved on two complete cones and one fragment, does not constitute a formal law code in the sense of Ur-Nammu or Hammurabi — there is no conditional "if offense, then penalty" formula — but rather a declaration of grievances against the previous regime (officials confiscating boats, cattle, and fish catches from subjects) followed by corrective measures: cancellation of debt slavery, limits on funerary and priestly fees, and explicit protection of widows and orphans against "the powerful". It is the oldest known written testimony of reforms intended to protect the most vulnerable against abuse of power, though its nature is more that of royal propaganda and a specific edict than a permanent body of law.