Who Is 'Ea-Nasir' And Why Are People Complaining About His Copper? The Viral 'Complaint Tablet' Meme Explained

Recently, memes complaining about a shifty copper salesman named Ea-nasir have been going viral across social media. This isn't the first time that the very real complaint tablet to Ea-nasir has become the subject of memes, and the story behind the jokes is as fascinating as it is funny. Here's a little history lesson.

What Is The 'Complaint Tablet to Ea-nasir?'

The complaint tablet to Ea-nasir was discovered by explorer Sir Leonard Woolley in 1953 while on an expedition to the Sumerian city of Ur. The tablet, found in the ruins of what's thought to be Ea-nasir's home, is inscribed with a complaint from a man named Nanni about the poor quality of his copper. Along with it were several other tablets making similar complaints, painting Ea-nasir as anything but a competent copper salesman.

The tablets date back to around 1750 BC and are currently on display at the British Museum. In 2015, an image of the complaint tablet went viral on /r/pics, spreading across social media from there alongside jokes about Nanni and Ea-nasir, turning a historical complaint into a full-blown meme.

How Is The 'Complaint Tablet to Ea-nasir' Used In Memes?

In 2017, memes referencing Ea-nasir, Nanni and the complaint tablet became increasingly popular. A Facebook meme page called "Complaint Tablet to Ea-Nasir Memes for Teens Who Are Not of Good Quality" was created, and Tumblr users and Redditors started making jokes about the story. It also received a lot of mentions in tandem with Soomer memes, a series of Wojak memes that reference Ancient Sumerian literature.

Recently, memes about the story became popular again on Twitter as users started making jokes about poor-quality copper. Xkcd even made a comic referencing the meme that's gone viral on the platform. There's just something about an ancient, uncovered complaint tablet that many people can relate to, making it a constantly returned-to source for memes.

For the full details on the Complaint Tablet to Ea-nasir, be sure to check out our entry on the meme here for even more information.