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Nanshe
Nanshe ( sux, ) was a Mesopotamian goddess in various contexts associated with the sea, marshlands, the animals inhabiting these biomes, namely bird and fish, as well as divination, dream interpretation, justice, social welfare, and certain administrative tasks. She was regarded as a daughter of Enki and sister of Ningirsu, while her husband was Nindara, who is otherwise little known. Other deities who belonged to her circle included her daughter Nin-MAR.KI, as well as Hendursaga, Dumuzi-abzu and Shul-utula. In Ur she was incorporated into the circle of Ningal, while in incantations she appears alongside Ningirima or Nammu. The oldest attestations of the worship of Nanshe come from the Uruk period. Her cult center was Tell Zurghul, known in antiquity as Nina. Another place associated with her, Sirara, was likely a sacred distrinct in this city. She was also worshiped elsewhere in the state of Lagash. Sanctuaries dedicated to her existed in its eponymous capital, as well as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lagash
Lagash (cuneiform: LAGAŠKI; Sumerian: ''Lagaš''), was an ancient city state located northwest of the junction of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers and east of Uruk, about east of the modern town of Ash Shatrah, Iraq. Lagash (modern Al-Hiba) was one of the oldest cities of the Ancient Near East. The ancient site of Nina ( Tell Zurghul) is around away and marks the southern limit of the state. Nearby Girsu (modern Telloh), about northwest of Lagash, was the religious center of the Lagash state. Lagash's main temple was the E-ninnu, dedicated to the god Ningirsu. Lagash seems to have incorporated the ancient cities of Girsu, Nina, Uruazagga and Erim. History From inscriptions found at Girsu such as the Gudea cylinders, it appears that Lagash was an important Sumerian city in the late 3rd millennium BC. It was at that time ruled by independent kings, Ur-Nanshe (24th century BC) and his successors, who were engaged in contests with the Elamites to the east and the kings of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nindara
Nindara (, Nindar in sources predating the reign of Gudea) was a Mesopotamian god worshiped in the state of Lagash. He was the husband of Nanshe, and it is assumed that his relevance in Mesopotamian religion depended on this connection. His character remains opaque due to his small role in known texts. Character Nindara's character is not well defined in known sources, and his importance in Mesopotamian religion has been characterized as modest. He was regarded as the husband of Nanshe, and it is presumed that he was actively worshiped in the state of Lagash largely because of this association. Due to fulfilling this role, he belonged to the circle of the deities associated with her, which in addition to him included the goddess Nin-MAR.KI, regarded as her daughter, and the servant god Hendursaga. Gebhard Selz proposes that he was regarded as the older brother of the last of these deities. It is possible that all three of the deities forming Nanshe's circle had chapels in her ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mesopotamian Goddess
Deities in ancient Mesopotamia were almost exclusively anthropomorphic. They were thought to possess extraordinary powers and were often envisioned as being of tremendous physical size. The deities typically wore ''melam'', an ambiguous substance which "covered them in terrifying splendor" and which could also be worn by heroes, kings, giants, and even demons. The effect that seeing a deity's ''melam'' has on a human is described as ''ni'', a word for the " physical creeping of the flesh". Both the Sumerian and Akkadian languages contain many words to express the sensation of ''ni'', including the word ''puluhtu'', meaning "fear". Deities were almost always depicted wearing horned caps, consisting of up to seven superimposed pairs of ox-horns. They were also sometimes depicted wearing clothes with elaborate decorative gold and silver ornaments sewn into them. The ancient Mesopotamians believed that their deities lived in Heaven, but that a god's statue was a physical embodiment ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dumuzi-abzu
Dumuzi-abzu ( sux, 𒀭𒌉𒍣𒍪𒀊, lit=good child of the Abzu), sometimes spelled Dumuziabzu, was a Mesopotamian goddess worshiped in the state of Lagash. She was the tutelary deity of Kinunir. In modern scholarship it is assumed that in most contexts Dumuzi-abzu should not be confused with Dumuzi, the husband of Inanna, even though her name could be shortened to Dumuzi. It is nonetheless possible that after she ceased to be worshiped, the name Dumuzi-abzu was misunderstood as belonging to him. Character Dumuzi-abzu was the tutelary goddess of Kinunir, a city located near Lagash. It was also known under the name Kinirša. It is not universally agreed that Kinnir was yet another form of the same name, but Manfred Krebernik nonetheless argues that its city goddess, Nin-Kinnir, "lady of Kinnir," was a name of Dumuzi-abzu. A reference to her role as a city goddess is known from ''Lamentation over the Destruction of Ur'', according to which during a tumultuous period "Dumuziab ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tell Zurghul
Tell Zurghul, also spelled Tell Surghul, is an archaeological site in Dhi Qar Governorate (Iraq). It lies on an ancient canal leading from Lagash of which is lies 10 km to the south-east. Its ancient name was the cuneiform read as Niĝin (or Nina or Ninua). The city god was Nanshe (Nanše), who had temples there (E-sirara) and at nearby Girsu. She was the daughter of Enki and sister of Ningirsu and Nisaba. Niĝin, along with the cities of Girsu and Lagash, was part of the State of Lagash in the later part of the 3rd Millennium BC. Archaeology According to the current excavators Tell Zurghul covers 70 hectares with two mounds, one 15 meters high (Mound A - site site of ancient Nigin) and the other (Mound B), about 150 meters to the south, to 5 meters. There is an extensive Lower Town The western edge of the site has a 200 x 150m feature (Area C) yet unidentified. On January 31, 1885, the site, then called Surghul, was visited by William Hayes Ward. During the winter of 1913-1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shul-utula
Shul-utul ( sux, , ) or Shul-utula was the personal god the rulers of the Mesopotamian Ur-Nanshe dynasty of Lagash. His name means "youngling shepherd" in Sumerian. Despite his role as the personal deity of kings, Shul-utul was not regarded as a deity associated with ruling, and it possible his role was instead connected to personal luck. It is also possible that, similar to Ninshubur, he was envisioned as capable of mediating with higher ranked gods on behalf of humans under his protection. One document states that he helped kings with building temples in Girsu. He is mentioned in inscriptions in association with rulers such as Entemena and Eannatum. Shut-utul is mostly attested in association with temples of other deities. Seven foundation figurines from the Ibgal temple, which dedicated to Inanna, are assumed to be depictions of Shul-utul. He was also worshiped in Emah (Sumerian: "exalted house"), a shrine of Nanshe located in Girsu. The only certain attestation of Shul-utul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hendursaga
Hendursaga (, Dḫendur-saŋ), also spelled Hendursanga or EndursagaMichael Jordan, ''Encyclopedia of Gods''p. 75 Facts on File, 1993 (, Dḫendur-saŋ-ŋa2) was a Mesopotamian god. He was regarded as a divine night watchman. He was commonly associated with the goddess Nanshe. In a number of god lists, he was equated with the similar Akkadian god Ishum. Character The etymology of the name Hendursaga is uncertain, though it is possible it was related to his functions and can be translated from Sumerian as "torch (or staff) bearer who goes in front." The word ''ḫendur'' is otherwise unattested, but it is assumed that it is related to Akkadian ''ḫuṭāru'', a type of staff. Hendursaga was a divine watchman. He has been characterized as a "protective god with friendly face." Attested epithets attributed only to him include "chief herald," "watchman of the street," and "lamp of the people," applied only to him, as well as "chief herald," "high constable," "herald of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nammu
Nammu ( dENGUR = dLAGAB×ḪAL; also read Namma) was a Mesopotamian goddess regarded as a creator deity in the local theology of Eridu. It is assumed that she was associated with water. She is also well attested in connection with incantations and apotropaic magic. She was regarded as the mother of Enki, and in a single inscription she appears as the wife of Anu, but it is assumed that she usually was not believed to have a spouse. While Nammu is already attested in sources from the Early Dynastic period, such as the '' zame'' hymns and an inscription of Lugal-kisalsi, she was not commonly worshiped. A temple dedicated to her existed in Ur in the Old Babylonian period, she is also attested in texts from Nippur and Babylon. Theophoric names invoking her were rare, with that of king Ur-Nammu until recently being believed to be the only example. In the Old Babylonian myth ''Enki and Ninmah'', Nammu is one of the deities involved in the creation of mankind alongside the eponymous p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Damgalnuna
Damgalnuna, also known as Damkina, was a Mesopotamian goddess regarded as the wife of the god Enki. Her character is poorly defined in known sources, though it is known that like her husband she was associated with ritual purification and that she was believed to intercede with him on behalf of supplicants. Among the deities regarded as their children were Nanshe and Asalluhi. While the myth ''Enki and Ninhursag'' treats her as interchangeable with the goddess metioned in its title, they were usually separate from each other. The cities of Eridu and Malgium were regarded as Damgalnuna's cult center. She was also worshiped in other settlements, such as Nippur, Sippar and Kalhu, and possibly as early as in the third millennium BCE was incorporated into the Hurrian pantheon. She appears in a number of myths, including the Enūma Eliš, though only a single composition, ''Damkina's Bond'', is focused on her. Name, character and iconography The theonym Damgalnuna can be translated as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Umma
Umma ( sux, ; in modern Dhi Qar Province in Iraq, formerly also called Gishban) was an ancient city in Sumer. There is some scholarly debate about the Sumerian and Akkadian names for this site. Traditionally, Umma was identified with Tell Jokha. More recently it has been suggested that it was located at Umm al-Aqarib, less than to its northwest or was even the name of both cities. One or both were the leading city of the Early Dynastic kingdom of Gišša, with the most recent excavators putting forth that Umm al-Aqarib was prominent in EDIII but Jokha rose to preeminence later. History In the early Sumerian text ''Inanna's descent to the netherworld'', Inanna dissuades demons from the netherworld from taking Shara, patron of Umma, who was living in squalor. They eventually take Dumuzid king of Uruk instead, who lived in palatial opulence. Best known for its long frontier conflict with Lagash, as reported circa 2400 BC by Entemena, the city reached its zenith c. 2350 BC ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Girsu
Girsu ( Sumerian ; cuneiform ) was a city of ancient Sumer, situated some northwest of Lagash, at the site of modern Tell Telloh, Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq. History Girsu was possibly inhabited in the Ubaid period (5300-4800 BC), but significant levels of activity began in the Early Dynastic period (2900-2335 BC). At the time of Gudea, during the Second Dynasty of Lagash, Girsu became the capital of the Lagash kingdom and continued to be its religious center after political power had shifted to city of Lagash. During the Ur III period, Girsu was a major administrative center for the empire. After the fall of Ur, Girsu declined in importance, but remained inhabited until approximately 200 BC. A 4th century BCE bilingual Greek/Aramaic inscription was found there. Archaeology The site consist of two main mounds, one rising 50 feet above the plain and the other 56 feet. A number of small mounds dot the site. Telloh was the first Sumerian site to be extensively excav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ningal
Ningal ( Sumerian: "Great Queen"), also known as Nikkal in Akkadian, was a Mesopotamian goddess of Sumerian origin regarded as the wife of the moon god, Nanna/Sin. She was particularly closely associated with his main cult centers, Ur and Harran, but they were also worshiped together in other cities of Mesopotamia. She was particularly venerated by the Third Dynasty of Ur and later by kings of Larsa. Character and iconography While Ningal was a major deity in the Mesopotamian pantheon and worship of her is attested from all periods of Mesopotamian history, her character was largely “passive and supportive” according to researchers. She was the tutelary goddess of Ur alongside her husband, and was referred to as its "lady" or "mother" on occasion. Based on some of Ningal's epithets it has been proposed that she was in part an astral deity, much like her husband. A type of bird, ''u''5-''bi''2, was possibly associated with Ningal, though the evidence is inconclusive. Propos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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