Eannatum ( sux, ) was a

Sumer Sumer () is the earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. It is one of the cradles of c ...

ian '' Ensi'' (ruler or king) of

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) w ...

circa 2500–2400 BCE. He established one of the first verifiable empires in history: he subdued

Elam Elam (; Linear Elamite: ''hatamti''; Cuneiform Elamite: ; Sumerian: ; Akkadian: ; he, עֵילָם ''ʿēlām''; peo, 𐎢𐎺𐎩 ''hūja'') was an ancient civilization centered in the far west and southwest of modern-day Iran, stretc ...

and destroyed the city of

Susa Susa ( ; Middle elx, 𒀸𒋗𒊺𒂗, translit=Šušen; Middle and Neo- elx, 𒋢𒋢𒌦, translit=Šušun; Neo-Elamite and Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼𒀭, translit=Šušán; Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼, translit=Šušá; fa, شوش ...

as well as several other Iranian cities, and extended his domain to

and

Akkad Akkad may refer to: *Akkad (city), the capital of the Akkadian Empire *Akkadian Empire, the first ancient empire of Mesopotamia *Akkad SC, Iraqi football club People with the name *Abbas el-Akkad, Egyptian writer *Abdulrahman Akkad, Syrian LGBT act ...

. One inscription found on a boulder states that Eannatum was his Sumerian name, while his "Tidnu" (

Amorite The Amorites (; sux, 𒈥𒌅, MAR.TU; Akkadian: 𒀀𒈬𒊒𒌝 or 𒋾𒀉𒉡𒌝/𒊎 ; he, אֱמוֹרִי, 'Ĕmōrī; grc, Ἀμορραῖοι) were an ancient Northwest Semitic-speaking people from the Levant who also occupied lar ...

) name was ''

Lumma Lumma was a Mesopotamian god who could be portrayed as a warrior or as a farmer. He was also It has been proposed that he was originally understood as the deified form of historical king Eannatum of Lagash, but theory remains a matter of dispute a ...

''.

Conquest of Sumer

Eannatum, grandson of

Ur-Nanshe Ur-Nanshe ( sux, , ) also Ur-Nina, was the first king of the First Dynasty of Lagash (approx. 2500 BCE) in the Sumerian Early Dynastic Period III. He is known through inscriptions to have commissioned many buildings projects, including canals and ...

and son of

Akurgal Akurgal ( sux, , "Descendant of the Great Mountain" in Sumerian) was the second king ( Ensi) of the first dynasty of Lagash. His relatively short reign took place in the first part of the 25th century BCE (circa 2464-2455 BCE), during the period ...

, was a king of Lagash who conquered all of Sumer, including Ur,

Nippur Nippur (Sumerian language, Sumerian: ''Nibru'', often logogram, logographically recorded as , EN.LÍLKI, "Enlil City;"The Cambridge Ancient History: Prolegomena & Prehistory': Vol. 1, Part 1. Accessed 15 Dec 2010. Akkadian language, Akkadian: '' ...

Akshak Akshak ( Sumerian: , akšak) was a city of ancient Sumer, situated on the northern boundary of Akkad, sometimes identified with Babylonian Upi (Greek Opis). History Akshak first appears in records of ca. 2500 BC. In the Sumerian text ''Dumuzid' ...

(controlled by Zuzu),

Larsa Larsa ( Sumerian logogram: UD.UNUGKI, read ''Larsamki''), also referred to as Larancha/Laranchon (Gk. Λαραγχων) by Berossos and connected with the biblical Ellasar, was an important city-state of ancient Sumer, the center of the cul ...

, and

Uruk Uruk, also known as Warka or Warkah, was an ancient city of Sumer (and later of Babylonia) situated east of the present bed of the Euphrates River on the dried-up ancient channel of the Euphrates east of modern Samawah, Al-Muthannā, Iraq.Harm ...

(controlled by

Enshakushanna Enshakushanna ( sux, , ), or Enshagsagana, En-shag-kush-ana, Enukduanna, En-Shakansha-Ana, En-šakušuana was a king of Uruk around the mid-3rd millennium BC who is named on the ''Sumerian King List'', which states his reign to have been 60 years ...

, who is on the

King List A regnal list or king list is, at its simplest, a list of successive monarchs. Some regnal lists may give the relationship between successive monarchs (e.g., son, brother), the length of reign of each monarch or annotations on important reigns. T ...

). He entered into conflict with

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 J ...

, waging a war over the fertile plain of

Gu-Edin Gu-Edin (also transcribed "Gu'edena" or "Guedena") was a fertile plain in Sumer, in modern-day Iraq. It lay between Umma and Lagash, and claims made on it by each side were a cause of the Umma-Lagash war. Argument over the territory continued for ...

. He personally commanded an army to subjugate the city-state, and vanquished

Ush Uqturpan County, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency or Uchturpan County ( transliterated from ; ), also Wushi County (), is a county in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region under the administration of Aksu Prefecture and shar ...

, the ruler of Umma, finally making a boundary treaty with

Enakalle Enakalle ( sux, , ), or Enakalli, was the king of Umma circa 2500–2400 BC, a Sumerian city-state, during the Early Dynastic III period (2600–2350 BC). His reign lasted at least 8 years. Enakalle in the cone of Entemena His predecessor Ush, ...

, successor of Ush, as described in the

Stele of the Vultures The Stele of the Vultures is a monument from the Early Dynastic IIIb period (2600–2350 BC) in Mesopotamia celebrating a victory of the city-state of Lagash over its neighbour Umma. It shows various battle and religious scenes and is named after ...

and in the Cone of Entemena: Eannatum made

a tributary, where every person had to pay a certain amount of grain into the treasury of the goddess Nina and the god Ingurisa.

Conquest outside Sumer

Eannatum expanded his influence beyond the boundaries of Sumer. He conquered parts of

, including the city Az off the coast of the modern

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

, allegedly smote Shubur, and, having repulsed

, he claimed the title of "King of

Kish Kish may refer to: Geography * Gishi, Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan, a village also called Kish * Kiş, Shaki, Azerbaijan, a village and municipality also spelled Kish * Kish Island, an Iranian island and a city in the Persian Gulf * Kish, Iran, ...

" (which regained its independence after his death) and demanded tribute as far as Mari: Eannatum recorded his victories on a stone inscription: However, revolts often arose in parts of his empire. During Eannatum’s reign, many temples and palaces were built, especially in Lagash. The city of Nina, probably a precursor of

Niniveh Nineveh (; akk, ; Biblical Hebrew: '; ar, نَيْنَوَىٰ '; syr, ܢܝܼܢܘܹܐ, Nīnwē) was an ancient Assyrian city of Upper Mesopotamia, located in the modern-day city of Mosul in northern Iraq. It is located on the eastern ban ...

, was rebuilt, with many canals and reservoirs being excavated.

Stele of the Vultures

The so-called

, now in the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, is a fragmented limestone

stele A stele ( ),Anglicized plural steles ( ); Greek plural stelai ( ), from Greek , ''stēlē''. The Greek plural is written , ''stēlai'', but this is only rarely encountered in English. or occasionally stela (plural ''stelas'' or ''stelæ''), whe ...

found in

Telloh 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 sign ...

, (ancient Girsu)

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

, in 1881. The stele is reconstructed as having been high and wide and was set up ca. 2500–2400 BCE. It was erected as a monument of the victory of Eannatum of Lagash over

Ush, king of Umma Ush ( Uš, possibly read Ninta) was King or '' ensi'' of Umma, a city-state in Sumer, circa 2450 BCE. Ush is mentioned in various inscriptions, such as the Cone of Entemana as having violated the frontier with Lagash, a frontier which had been s ...

, leading to a boundary treaty with his successor

. On it various incidents in the war are represented. In one register, the king (his name appears inscribed around his head) stands in front of his phalanx of heavily armoured soldiers, with a curved weapon in his right hand, formed of three bars of metal bound together by rings. In another register a figure, the king, his name again inscribed around his head, rides on his chariot in the thick of the battle, while his kilted followers, with helmets on their heads and lances in their hands, march behind him. On the other side of the stele is an image of

Ninurta , image= Cropped Image of Carving Showing the Mesopotamian God Ninurta.png , caption= Assyrian stone relief from the temple of Ninurta at Kalhu, showing the god with his thunderbolts pursuing Anzû, who has stolen the Tablet of Destinies from En ...

, a god of war, holding the captive Ummaites in a large net. This implies that Eannatum attributed his victory to Ninurta, and thus that he was in the god's protection (though some accounts say that he attributed his victory to

Enlil Enlil, , "Lord f theWind" later known as Elil, is an ancient Mesopotamian god associated with wind, air, earth, and storms. He is first attested as the chief deity of the Sumerian pantheon, but he was later worshipped by the Akkadians, Bab ...

, the patron deity of Lagash). The victory of Eannatum is mentioned in a fragmentary inscription on the stele, suggesting that after the loss of 3,600 soldiers on the field,

, was killed in a rebellion in his capital city of

: “ ��(Eanatum) defeated him. Its ( = Umma’s) 3600 corpses reached the base of heaven ..raised (their) hands against him and killed him in Umma.”. File:Stele of the vultures (war).jpg, Eannatum leading his troops in battle. Top: Eannatum leading a phalanx on foot. Bottom: Eannatum leading troops in a war charriot. Fragment of the

File:Stèle des Vautours - musée du Louvre, AO 16109 - Q1088425.jpg,

. File:Stele_of_Vultures_detail_01_reverse.jpg, Upper register of the "mythological" side File:Stele of Vultures detail 01b.jpg, Detail of the "battle" fragment

Other inscriptions

File:Inscribed brick of Eannatum.jpg, Inscribed brick of Eannatum, recording the sinking of a well in the forecourt of the Temple of Ningirsu in Lagash. File:Name of Enneatum on an inscription.jpg, Name of Enneatum on his Ningirsu inscription (top right corner). File:Eannatum inscription (British Museum).jpg, Eannatum inscription (British Museum) File:2015-12 Galet A de fondation d'Eanatum AO 2677 (2).jpg, A foundation stone of Eannatum, dedicated to

Ningirsu , image= Cropped Image of Carving Showing the Mesopotamian God Ninurta.png , caption= Assyrian stone relief from the temple of Ninurta at Kalhu, showing the god with his thunderbolts pursuing Anzû, who has stolen the Tablet of Destinies from En ...

, tutelary god of Lagash. It enumerates the victories of Eannatum from

. Louvre Museum. File:Foundation stone of Eannatum.jpg, Foundation stone of Eannatum (transcription) File:Eannatum Ensi Lagashki.jpg, Inscription ''Eannatum Ensi Lagashki'' "Eannatum, Ensi of

" File:Brick of Eannatum-AO 351-IMG 9167-gradient.jpg, Eannatum describes his victories over the countries of

Urua Urua, Uruaz or Avva was an ancient city of Elam (modern Iran), in the vicinity of Susa and located on the Uqnu river. Urua was one of the lands conquered by King Eannatum of Lagash in Sumer, circa 2500 BCE: References

{{coord missing, Ir ...

and Ur, and well as the construction of a brick well in front of the temple of

. File:Eannatum King of Lagash presiding at funeral rites on the battlefield.jpg, Eannatum King of Lagash presiding at funeral rites on the battlefield (20th century reconstitution) File:Clay tablet mentioning the name of Eannatum, prince of Lagash. From Iraq, c. 2470 BCE. Iraq Museum.jpg, Clay tablet mentioning the name of Eannatum, prince of Lagash. From Iraq, c. 2470 BCE. Iraq Museum File:Fragment of a vessel mentioning the name of Eannatum, prince of Lagash, from Iraq, c. 2470 BCE. Iraq Museum.jpg, Fragment of a vessel mentioning the name of Eannatum, prince of Lagash, from Iraq, c. 2470 BCE. Iraq Museum File:Stone pebble mentioning the name of Eannatum, prince of Lagash, from Iraq, c. 2470 BCE, Iraq Museum.jpg, Stone pebble mentioning the name of Eannatum, prince of Lagash, from Iraq, c. 2470 BCE, Iraq Museum File:Stone plaque or tablet mentioning the name of Eannatum, prince of Lagash, from Iraq, c. 2470 BCE. Iraq Museum.jpg, Stone plaque or tablet mentioning the name of Eannatum, prince of Lagash, from Iraq, c. 2470 BCE. Iraq Museum File:Detail. Cuneiform inscription on a limestone object from Girsu, Iraq, mentioning the name of Eannatum (Eannadou), ruler of Lagash, 2500-2400 BCE. Ancient Orient Museum, Istanbul.jpg, Detail. Cuneiform inscription on a limestone object from Girsu, Iraq, mentioning the name of Eannatum, Ancient Orient Museum, Istanbul

References

External links

Eannatum, the Great. A brief history of Eannatum, the Alexander of his day.

{{Rulers of Sumer Kings of Lagash 25th-century BC Sumerian kings