The oldest written word for 'freedom' means 'return to the mother'
One of the earliest known written words for freedom is the Sumerian ama-gi, which appears around 2350 BCE in the reform decrees of Uru-inim-gina (Urukagina), ruler of the city-state of Lagash. It literally means 'return to the mother' — the language of releasing people from debt and forced obligation — and it surfaces in what is often called history's first recorded reform of a government, some 4,300 years ago.
How we know
Ama-gi (ama = 'mother', gi = 'return/release') is attested in Sumerian inscriptions from Lagash c.2350 BCE, in the edicts of Uru-inim-gina / Urukagina, and is frequently described as the earliest known written reference to freedom, used of manumission and debt-release. 2350 BCE to 2026 ≈ 4,376 years.
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