Prisoner in a cage, probably king Lugalzagesi of
Uruk due to his oversize figure, being hit on the head with a mace by
Sargon of Akkad.[3] Akkadian Empire victory stele circa 2300 BCE.
Louvre Museum.
Lugal-Zage-Si (LUGAL.ZAG.GE.SI๐๐ ๐๐; frequently spelled Lugalzaggesi, sometimes Lugalzagesi or "Lugal-Zaggisi") of
Umma (reigned
c. 2358 โ 2334 BCE
middle chronology) was the last
Sumerian king before the conquest of Sumer by
Sargon of Akkad and the rise of the
Akkadian Empire, and was considered as the only king of the third dynasty of
Uruk, according to the
Sumerian King List. Initially, as king of
Umma, he led the final victory of Umma in the generation-long conflict with the city-state
Lagash for the fertile plain of
Gu-Edin. Following up on this success, he then united Sumer briefly as a single kingdom.[5]
"Lugal-zagesi-si, King of
Uruk, King of the Land, priest of Ana, prophet of
Nidaba; the son of Ukush,
patesi of Umma, the prophet of
Nidaba; he who was favourably regarded by Ana, the king of the lands; the great patesi of
Enlil; endowed with understanding by
Enki; whose name was spoken by Babbar (the Sun-god), the chief minister of
Enzu (the Moon-god), the representative of Babbar, the patron of
Ninni, the son of
Nidaba, who was nourished with holy milk by
Ninkharsag, the servant of the god Mes, who is the priest of Uruk, the pupil of Ninabukkhadu, the mistress of Uruk, the Great Minister of the gods".
Approximate territory of
Sumer under its last king Lugal-Zage-Si, in orange, before the rise of the
Akkadian Empire. Circa 2350 BCEBattle between the Sumerians (left) and the Semites, armed with bows and arrows. 20th century reconstitution.
Lugal-Zage-Si pursued an expansionist foreign policy. He began his career as รฉnsi of Umma, from where he conquered several of the Sumerian city-states. In the seventh year of his reign,
Uruk fell under the leadership of Lugal-Zage-Si, รฉnsi of
Umma, who ultimately annexed most of the territory of
Lagash under king
Urukagina, and established the first reliably documented kingdom to encompass all of Sumer. The destruction of Lagash was described in a lament (possibly the earliest recorded example of what would become a prolific Sumerian literary genre), which stressed that:
"The man of Umma ... committed a sin against
Ningirsu. ... Offence there was none in Urukagina,
king of Girsu, but as for
Lugal-Zage-Si,
governor of Umma, may his goddess
Nisaba make him carry his sin upon his neck" (alternatively โ "may she carry his sin upon her neck").
โ Lament about the fall of Lagash, by
Urukagina[12]
Later, Lugal-Zage-Si invaded
Kish, where he overthrew
Ur-Zababa,
Ur,
Nippur, and
Larsa; as well as
Uruk, where he established his new capital. He ruled for 25 (or 34) years according to the Sumerian King List.[13]
Lugal-Zage-Si claimed in his inscription that
Enlil gave to him "all the lands between the upper and the lower seas", that is, between the
Mediterranean Sea and the
Persian Gulf:[14]
"When Enlil, the king of all the lands, gave the kingship of the Land to Lugalzagesi, he justifyed "eyes" of the Land; he made all the lands throw themselves at his feet; from the rising of the sun to the setting of the sun, he made them prostrate before him."
Although his incursion to the Mediterranean was, in the eyes of some modern scholars, not much more than "a successful raiding party", the inscription "marks the first time that a Sumerian prince claimed to have reached what was, for them, the western edge of the world".[14] (Historical accounts from much later tablets asserted that
Lugal-Anne-Mundu of
Adab, a slightly earlier king, had also conquered as far as the Mediterranean and the Taurus mountains, but contemporary records for the entire period before Sargon are still far too sketchy to permit scholars to reconstruct actual events with great confidence.)
Lugal-Zage-Si himself was in turn defeated and his kingdom was annexed by
Sargon of Akkad. According to later Babylonian versions of Sargon's inscriptions, Sargon of Akkad captured Lugal-Zage-Si after destroying the walls of Uruk, and led him in a neck-stock to Enlil's temple in
Nippur:
"Sargon, king of
Akkad, overseer of
Inanna, king of
Kish, anointed of Anu, king of the land, governor of
Enlil: he defeated the city of
Uruk and tore down its walls, in the battle of Uruk he won, took
Lugalzagesi king of Uruk in the course of the battle, and led him in a collar to the gate of
Enlil".
โ Inscription of Sargon (Old Babylonian copy from
Nippur).[16]
Nippur vase of Lugalzagesi
The
Nippur vase contains an extensive dedicatory inscription by Lugalzagesi, which has been reconstructed from the fragments of the vase:[17][2]
Nippur vase inscription of Lugalzagesi[18][17][19]
Nippur vase of Lugalzagesi, reconstructed text, and some of the fragments.[17]
"For
Enlil, king of all the lands - Lugalzagesi, king of
Uruk, king of the nation, incantation-priest of
An, lumaแธซ-priest of
Nisaba, son of
U-U, ruler of
Umma and lumaแธซ-priest of
Nisaba, looked upon truly by
An the king of all the lands, chief ruler of Enlil, given wisdom by
Enki, nominated by
Utu, chief minister of
Suen, military governor of Utu, one who provides for
Inanna, son born of Nisaba, fed rich milk by
Ninhursaga, a man of
Mes-sanga-Unuga, servant raised by
Ningirim the queen of Uruk, chief steward of the gods -
When Enlil, king of all the lands, had given to Lugalzagesi the kingship of the nation, and had let the eyes of the nation be directed toward him, and had placed all the lands at his feet, and had made lands from east to west subject to him, then, from the sea, the lower one, along the
Tigris and the
Euphrates to the sea the upper one, he put their roads in proper order for him. From east to west Enlil let him have no rival. All the lands in riverine meadows rested (contentedly) under him, and the nation was happily making merry under him. All those on thrones in Sumer and the rulers of foreign lands, they determine(?) for him the divine power of princeship unto the land of Uruk. In those days, Uruk spent its days under him in rejoicing.
Ur, like a bull, did lift up its head skyward under him.
Larsa, the beloved city of
Utu, happily made merry under him.
Umma, the beloved city of
ล ara, lifted up its great horns under him. The land of
Zabala, like an ewe stripped of a lamb, did cry out under him. Ki'ana lifted up its neck skyward under him.
Lugalzagesi, king of Uruk and king of the nation, solicitously(?) serves very large food offerings to Enlil his master in Nippur, and he pours out sweet water for him. If Enlil, king of all the lands, should say to An, his beloved father, a prayer on my behalf, may he add to my life (additional) life! May the land in riverine meadows rest (contentedly) under me, may the people like sweet-smelling grasses spread out widely under me, may the breast of heaven function properly under me, and may the nation behold a pleasant place under me. May the favorable destiny, which they (An and Enlil) have determined, never alter for me! May I be forever a proud shepherd! He dedicated it (this vessel) to Enlil, his beloved master, for his life".[18][17][19]
Other inscriptions and sculptures
Lamentation about the fall of Lagash to Lugalzagesi,
Urukagina period, circa 2350 BCE Tello, ancient Girsu.[20][21]
"Lugalzagesi, Governor of
Umma" (๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ , Lugalzagesi ensi Ummaki) in the "Lamentation about the ruin of Lagash".[22]
Prisoners escorted by a soldier, on a victory stele of Sargon of Akkad, circa 2300 BCE.[23] The hairstyle of the prisoners (curly hair on top and short hair on the sides) is characteristic of Sumerians, as also seen on the
Standard of Ur.[24]Louvre Museum.
^Nigro, Lorenzo (1998). "The Two Steles of Sargon: Iconology and Visual Propaganda at the Beginning of Royal Akkadian Relief". Iraq. 60. British Institute for the Study of Iraq: 85โ102.
doi:
10.2307/4200454.
JSTOR4200454.
^THUREAU-DANGIN, F. (1904). "La Ruine de Shirpourla (Lagash): Sous le Rรจgne d'Ouroukagina". Revue d'Assyriologie et d'archรฉologie orientale. 6 (1): 26โ32.
ISSN0373-6032.
JSTOR23275695.
^Nigro, Lorenzo (1998). "The Two Steles of Sargon: Iconology and Visual Propaganda at the Beginning of Royal Akkadian Relief". Iraq. 60. British Institute for the Study of Iraq: 85โ102.
doi:
10.2307/4200454.
JSTOR4200454.
Prisoner in a cage, probably king Lugalzagesi of
Uruk due to his oversize figure, being hit on the head with a mace by
Sargon of Akkad.[3] Akkadian Empire victory stele circa 2300 BCE.
Louvre Museum.
Lugal-Zage-Si (LUGAL.ZAG.GE.SI๐๐ ๐๐; frequently spelled Lugalzaggesi, sometimes Lugalzagesi or "Lugal-Zaggisi") of
Umma (reigned
c. 2358 โ 2334 BCE
middle chronology) was the last
Sumerian king before the conquest of Sumer by
Sargon of Akkad and the rise of the
Akkadian Empire, and was considered as the only king of the third dynasty of
Uruk, according to the
Sumerian King List. Initially, as king of
Umma, he led the final victory of Umma in the generation-long conflict with the city-state
Lagash for the fertile plain of
Gu-Edin. Following up on this success, he then united Sumer briefly as a single kingdom.[5]
"Lugal-zagesi-si, King of
Uruk, King of the Land, priest of Ana, prophet of
Nidaba; the son of Ukush,
patesi of Umma, the prophet of
Nidaba; he who was favourably regarded by Ana, the king of the lands; the great patesi of
Enlil; endowed with understanding by
Enki; whose name was spoken by Babbar (the Sun-god), the chief minister of
Enzu (the Moon-god), the representative of Babbar, the patron of
Ninni, the son of
Nidaba, who was nourished with holy milk by
Ninkharsag, the servant of the god Mes, who is the priest of Uruk, the pupil of Ninabukkhadu, the mistress of Uruk, the Great Minister of the gods".
Approximate territory of
Sumer under its last king Lugal-Zage-Si, in orange, before the rise of the
Akkadian Empire. Circa 2350 BCEBattle between the Sumerians (left) and the Semites, armed with bows and arrows. 20th century reconstitution.
Lugal-Zage-Si pursued an expansionist foreign policy. He began his career as รฉnsi of Umma, from where he conquered several of the Sumerian city-states. In the seventh year of his reign,
Uruk fell under the leadership of Lugal-Zage-Si, รฉnsi of
Umma, who ultimately annexed most of the territory of
Lagash under king
Urukagina, and established the first reliably documented kingdom to encompass all of Sumer. The destruction of Lagash was described in a lament (possibly the earliest recorded example of what would become a prolific Sumerian literary genre), which stressed that:
"The man of Umma ... committed a sin against
Ningirsu. ... Offence there was none in Urukagina,
king of Girsu, but as for
Lugal-Zage-Si,
governor of Umma, may his goddess
Nisaba make him carry his sin upon his neck" (alternatively โ "may she carry his sin upon her neck").
โ Lament about the fall of Lagash, by
Urukagina[12]
Later, Lugal-Zage-Si invaded
Kish, where he overthrew
Ur-Zababa,
Ur,
Nippur, and
Larsa; as well as
Uruk, where he established his new capital. He ruled for 25 (or 34) years according to the Sumerian King List.[13]
Lugal-Zage-Si claimed in his inscription that
Enlil gave to him "all the lands between the upper and the lower seas", that is, between the
Mediterranean Sea and the
Persian Gulf:[14]
"When Enlil, the king of all the lands, gave the kingship of the Land to Lugalzagesi, he justifyed "eyes" of the Land; he made all the lands throw themselves at his feet; from the rising of the sun to the setting of the sun, he made them prostrate before him."
Although his incursion to the Mediterranean was, in the eyes of some modern scholars, not much more than "a successful raiding party", the inscription "marks the first time that a Sumerian prince claimed to have reached what was, for them, the western edge of the world".[14] (Historical accounts from much later tablets asserted that
Lugal-Anne-Mundu of
Adab, a slightly earlier king, had also conquered as far as the Mediterranean and the Taurus mountains, but contemporary records for the entire period before Sargon are still far too sketchy to permit scholars to reconstruct actual events with great confidence.)
Lugal-Zage-Si himself was in turn defeated and his kingdom was annexed by
Sargon of Akkad. According to later Babylonian versions of Sargon's inscriptions, Sargon of Akkad captured Lugal-Zage-Si after destroying the walls of Uruk, and led him in a neck-stock to Enlil's temple in
Nippur:
"Sargon, king of
Akkad, overseer of
Inanna, king of
Kish, anointed of Anu, king of the land, governor of
Enlil: he defeated the city of
Uruk and tore down its walls, in the battle of Uruk he won, took
Lugalzagesi king of Uruk in the course of the battle, and led him in a collar to the gate of
Enlil".
โ Inscription of Sargon (Old Babylonian copy from
Nippur).[16]
Nippur vase of Lugalzagesi
The
Nippur vase contains an extensive dedicatory inscription by Lugalzagesi, which has been reconstructed from the fragments of the vase:[17][2]
Nippur vase inscription of Lugalzagesi[18][17][19]
Nippur vase of Lugalzagesi, reconstructed text, and some of the fragments.[17]
"For
Enlil, king of all the lands - Lugalzagesi, king of
Uruk, king of the nation, incantation-priest of
An, lumaแธซ-priest of
Nisaba, son of
U-U, ruler of
Umma and lumaแธซ-priest of
Nisaba, looked upon truly by
An the king of all the lands, chief ruler of Enlil, given wisdom by
Enki, nominated by
Utu, chief minister of
Suen, military governor of Utu, one who provides for
Inanna, son born of Nisaba, fed rich milk by
Ninhursaga, a man of
Mes-sanga-Unuga, servant raised by
Ningirim the queen of Uruk, chief steward of the gods -
When Enlil, king of all the lands, had given to Lugalzagesi the kingship of the nation, and had let the eyes of the nation be directed toward him, and had placed all the lands at his feet, and had made lands from east to west subject to him, then, from the sea, the lower one, along the
Tigris and the
Euphrates to the sea the upper one, he put their roads in proper order for him. From east to west Enlil let him have no rival. All the lands in riverine meadows rested (contentedly) under him, and the nation was happily making merry under him. All those on thrones in Sumer and the rulers of foreign lands, they determine(?) for him the divine power of princeship unto the land of Uruk. In those days, Uruk spent its days under him in rejoicing.
Ur, like a bull, did lift up its head skyward under him.
Larsa, the beloved city of
Utu, happily made merry under him.
Umma, the beloved city of
ล ara, lifted up its great horns under him. The land of
Zabala, like an ewe stripped of a lamb, did cry out under him. Ki'ana lifted up its neck skyward under him.
Lugalzagesi, king of Uruk and king of the nation, solicitously(?) serves very large food offerings to Enlil his master in Nippur, and he pours out sweet water for him. If Enlil, king of all the lands, should say to An, his beloved father, a prayer on my behalf, may he add to my life (additional) life! May the land in riverine meadows rest (contentedly) under me, may the people like sweet-smelling grasses spread out widely under me, may the breast of heaven function properly under me, and may the nation behold a pleasant place under me. May the favorable destiny, which they (An and Enlil) have determined, never alter for me! May I be forever a proud shepherd! He dedicated it (this vessel) to Enlil, his beloved master, for his life".[18][17][19]
Other inscriptions and sculptures
Lamentation about the fall of Lagash to Lugalzagesi,
Urukagina period, circa 2350 BCE Tello, ancient Girsu.[20][21]
"Lugalzagesi, Governor of
Umma" (๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ , Lugalzagesi ensi Ummaki) in the "Lamentation about the ruin of Lagash".[22]
Prisoners escorted by a soldier, on a victory stele of Sargon of Akkad, circa 2300 BCE.[23] The hairstyle of the prisoners (curly hair on top and short hair on the sides) is characteristic of Sumerians, as also seen on the
Standard of Ur.[24]Louvre Museum.
^Nigro, Lorenzo (1998). "The Two Steles of Sargon: Iconology and Visual Propaganda at the Beginning of Royal Akkadian Relief". Iraq. 60. British Institute for the Study of Iraq: 85โ102.
doi:
10.2307/4200454.
JSTOR4200454.
^THUREAU-DANGIN, F. (1904). "La Ruine de Shirpourla (Lagash): Sous le Rรจgne d'Ouroukagina". Revue d'Assyriologie et d'archรฉologie orientale. 6 (1): 26โ32.
ISSN0373-6032.
JSTOR23275695.
^Nigro, Lorenzo (1998). "The Two Steles of Sargon: Iconology and Visual Propaganda at the Beginning of Royal Akkadian Relief". Iraq. 60. British Institute for the Study of Iraq: 85โ102.
doi:
10.2307/4200454.
JSTOR4200454.