Gudea ( Sumerian : 𒅗𒌤𒀀 , Gu 3 -de 2 -a ) was a Sumerian ruler ( ensi ) of the state of Lagash in Southern Mesopotamia , who ruled c. 2080 –2060 BC ( short chronology ) or 2144–2124 BC ( middle chronology ). He probably did not come from the city, but had married Ninalla, daughter of the ruler Ur-Baba (2164–2144 BC) of Lagash, thus gaining entrance to the royal house of Lagash. He was succeeded by his son Ur-Ningirsu . Gudea ruled at a time when the center of Sumer was still ruled by the Gutian dynasty , and when the Akkadian king Ishtup-Ilum ruled to the north in Mari . Under Gudea, Lagash had a golden age, and seemed to enjoy a high level of independence from the Gutians , a language isolate speaking people who had arrived from regions to the northeast of Mesopotamia.
19-473: Gudea chose the title of énsi (town-king or governor), not the more exalted lugal ( Akkadian šarrum ). Gudea did not style himself "god of Lagash" as he was not deified during his own lifetime, this title must have been given to him posthumously as in accordance with Mesopotamian traditions for all rulers except Naram-Sin of Akkad and some of the Ur III kings. The 20 years of his reign are all known by name;
38-420: A dynasty which endured and where he assumed semi-mythical status as their ancestor figure. Esarhaddon described himself as "a lasting offspring ( liplippi dārû ) of Belu-bani the son of Adasi, precious scion of Baltil ( pir'i BAL.TIL sûquru )." Baltil, the “city of wisdom,” was the name of the ancient precincts of the god Ašshu in the innermost part of the city of Assur . He was succeeded by Libaya , which
57-480: A syllabogram šàr , acrophonically based on the Akkadian for "king", šarrum . Unicode also includes the cuneiform characters U+12218 𒈘 CUNEIFORM SIGN LUGAL OVER LUGAL , and U+12219 𒈙 CUNEIFORM SIGN LUGAL OPPOSING LUGAL . There are different theories regarding the meaning of the title lugal in 3rd-millennium Sumer. Some scholars believe that a ruler of an individual city-state
76-481: Is the Sumerian term for "king, ruler". Literally, the term means "big man." In Sumerian, lú " 𒇽 " is "man" and gal " 𒃲 " is "great", or "big." It was one of several Sumerian titles that a ruler of a city-state could bear (alongside en and ensi , the exact difference being a subject of debate). The sign eventually became the predominant logograph for " King " in general. In the Sumerian language , lugal
95-480: Is used extensively in the Amarna letters , for addressing kings or pharaohs, and elsewhere in speaking about various kings. One common address, in the introduction of many letters, from the vassals writing to the pharaoh was to use: Šàr-ri , ( šarri "my king": šar the construct state of šarrum + the first person suffix -i ); they used Lugal + ri = Šàr-ri , with LUGAL written Sumerographically while ri being
114-497: Is used to mean an owner (e.g. of a boat or a field) or a head (of a unit such as a family). As a cuneiform logograph ( Sumerogram ) LUGAL ( Unicode : 𒈗 , rendered in Neo Assyrian ). The cuneiform sign LUGAL 𒈗 (Borger nr. 151, Unicode U+12217) serves as a determinative in cuneiform texts ( Sumerian , Akkadian and Hittite ), indicating that the following word is the name of a king. In Akkadian orthography, it may also be
133-500: The Amanus mountains, quarried stones from Lebanon , copper from northern Arabia , gold and precious stones from the desert between Canaan and Egypt , diorite from Magan (Oman), and timber from Dilmun (Bahrain). The inscription on a statue of Gudea as architect of the House of Ningirsu , warns the reader of doom if the words are altered, but there is a startling difference between
152-518: The Gudea cylinders , Gudea mentions that "I will spread in the world respect for my Temple, under my name the whole universe will gather in it, and Magan and Meluhha will come down from their mountains to attend" (cylinder A, IX). In cylinder B, XIV, he mentions his procurement of "blocks of lapis lazuli and bright carnelian from Meluhha." The first known reference to Goa in India possibly appears as Gubi in
171-506: The (likewise elected) en , who dealt with internal issues. Among the earliest rulers whose inscriptions describe them as lugals are Enmebaragesi and Mesilim at Kish , and Meskalamdug , Mesannepada and several of their successors at Ur . At least from the Third Dynasty of Ur onwards, only lugal was used to designate a contemporary sovereign in Sumerian. The term Lugal
190-514: The Akkadian phonetic supplement. Bel-bani Bel-bani or Bēl-bāni , inscribed EN -ba-ni , “the Lord is the creator,” was the king of Assyria from c. 1700 to 1691 BC and was the first ruler of what was later to be called the dynasty of the Adasides. His reign marks the inauguration of a new historical phase following the turmoil of the competing claims of the seven usurpers who preceded him. He
209-626: The Amanus and Lebanon mountains in Syria , diorite from eastern Arabia, copper and gold from central and southern Arabia and from Sinai , while his armies were engaged in battles in Elam on the east. In an inscription, Gudea referred to the Meluhhans who came to Sumer to sell gold dust, carnelian etc... In another inscription, he mentioned his victory over the territories of Magan , Meluhha , Elam and Amurru . In
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#1732872742455228-708: The Elder Siamun Psusennes II Twenty-third Dynasty of Egypt Harsiese A Takelot II Pedubast I Shoshenq VI Osorkon III Takelot III Rudamun Menkheperre Ini Twenty-fourth Dynasty of Egypt Tefnakht Bakenranef ( Sargonid dynasty ) Tiglath-Pileser Shalmaneser Marduk-apla-iddina II Sargon Sennacherib Marduk-zakir-shumi II Marduk-apla-iddina II Bel-ibni Ashur-nadin-shumi Nergal-ushezib Mushezib-Marduk Esarhaddon Ashurbanipal Ashur-etil-ilani Sinsharishkun Sin-shumu-lishir Ashur-uballit II Lugal Lugal ( Sumerian : 𒈗 )
247-400: The city's patron deity, Ningirsu , as their lugal ("master"). All of the above is connected to the possibly priestly or sacral character of the titles ensi and especially en (the latter term continuing to designate priests in subsequent times). Other scholars consider ensi , en and lugal to have been merely three local designations for the sovereign, accepted respectively in
266-470: The city-states of Lagash , Uruk and Ur (as well as most of the rest of Sumer), although the various terms may have expressed different aspects of the Mesopotamian concept of kingship. A lugal at that time is assumed to have been "normally a young man of outstanding qualities from a rich landowning family." Thorkild Jacobsen theorized that he was originally an (elected) war leader, as opposed to
285-426: The main military exploit seems to have occurred in his Year 6, called the "Year when Anshan was smitten with weapons". Although Gudea claimed to have conquered Elam and Anshan, most of his inscriptions emphasize the building of irrigation channels and temples , and the creation of precious gifts to the gods. Materials for his buildings and statues were brought from all parts of western Asia : cedar wood from
304-1530: The records of Gudea. At the time, Sumerians had established trade contacts with India . ( Shamshi-Adad dynasty 1808–1736 BCE) (Amorites) Shamshi-Adad I Ishme-Dagan I Mut-Ashkur Rimush Asinum Ashur-dugul Ashur-apla-idi Nasir-Sin Sin-namir Ipqi-Ishtar Adad-salulu Adasi (Non-dynastic usurpers 1735–1701 BCE) Puzur-Sin Ashur-dugul Ashur-apla-idi Nasir-Sin Sin-namir Ipqi-Ishtar Adad-salulu Adasi ( Adaside dynasty 1700–722 BCE) Bel-bani Libaya Sharma-Adad I Iptar-Sin Bazaya Lullaya Shu-Ninua Sharma-Adad II Erishum III Shamshi-Adad II Ishme-Dagan II Shamshi-Adad III Ashur-nirari I Puzur-Ashur III Enlil-nasir I Nur-ili Ashur-shaduni Ashur-rabi I Ashur-nadin-ahhe I Enlil-Nasir II Ashur-nirari II Ashur-bel-nisheshu Ashur-rim-nisheshu Ashur-nadin-ahhe II Second Intermediate Period Sixteenth Dynasty Abydos Dynasty Seventeenth Dynasty (1500–1100 BCE) Kidinuid dynasty Igehalkid dynasty Untash-Napirisha Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt Smendes Amenemnisu Psusennes I Amenemope Osorkon
323-590: The warnings of Sargon or his line and the warnings of Gudea. The one is length; Gudea's curse lasts nearly a quarter of the inscription's considerable length, and another is creativity. The gods will not merely reduce the offender's progeny to ash and destroy his foundations, no, they will, "let him sit down in the dust instead of on the seat they set up for him". He will be "slaughtered like a bull … seized like an aurochs by his fierce horn". Lagash under Gudea had extensive commercial communications with distant realms. According to his own records, Gudea brought cedars from
342-513: Was the 48th king to appear on the Assyrian King List and reigned for ten years. He was the son of Adasi , the last of the seven monarchs who were “sons of nobody,” i.e. unrelated to previous kings, and who had competed for the throne over a period of six years. He was to be revered by later monarchs, notably Esarhaddon (681–669 BC) but also his second and third sons Shamash-shum-ukin and Ashurbanipal , for restoring stability and founding
361-441: Was usually called ensi , and a ruler who headed a confederacy or larger dominion composed of several cities, perhaps even the whole of Sumer, was a lugal . The functions of such a lugal would include certain ceremonial and cultic activities, arbitration in border disputes, military defence against external enemies, and once the lugal has died, the eldest son must take over. The ensis of Lagash would sometimes refer to
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