Entemena, also called Enmetena ( sux, , ), lived circa 2400 BC, was a son of

En-anna-tum I Enannatum I ( sux, , ), son of Akurgal, succeeded his brother E-anna-tum as '' Ensi'' (ruler, king) of Lagash. During his rule, Umma once more asserted independence under its ensi Ur-Lumma, who attacked Lagash unsuccessfully. After several ba ...

, and he reestablished

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 ...

as a power in

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 ...

. He defeated

Il, king of Umma ''Il'' ( sux, , ) was king (, ''Lugal'') of the Sumerian city-state of Umma, circa 2400 BCE. His father was Eandamu, and his grandfather was King Enakalle, who had been vanquished by Eannatum of Lagash. Il was successor to Ur-Lumma. According ...

, in a territorial conflict, through an alliance with

Lugal-kinishe-dudu Lugal-kinishe-dudu (, ''lugal-ki-ni-še₃-du₇-du₇'') also Lugal-kiginne-dudu (, ''lugal-ki-gin-ne2-du₇-du₇''), was a King and ( ensi) of Uruk and Ur who lived towards the end of the 25th century BCE. The Sumerian King List mentions ...

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, Muthanna Governorate, Al ...

, successor to

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 year ...

, who is in the king list. The

tutelary deity A tutelary () (also tutelar) is a deity or a spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concept of safety a ...

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 ...

was his personal deity. According to Jones (2012), his rule lasted 29 years.

Territory

Entemena of Lagash controlled the cities of southern Mesopotamia, from Badtibira to

Alliance treaty

Entemena Ensi Lagash-ki on the Treaty Cone of Entemena

The most remarkable document in which he is mentioned is a

clay nail Used by Sumerians and other Mesopotamian cultures beginning in the third millennium BC, clay nails, also referred to as dedication or foundation pegs, cones, or nails, were cone-shaped nails made of clay, inscribed with cuneiform, baked, and stuck ...

found in

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 ...

and commemorating the alliance which he concluded with

, the oldest mention of a peace treaty between two kings that we know:
Deena Ragavan, Cuneiform Texts and Fragments in the Harvard Art Museum / Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cuneiform Digital Library Journal, vol. 2010:1, ISSN 1540-8779 File:Foundation nail Entemena Louvre AO22934.jpg, Another example of the foundation nail dedicated by Entemena, king of Lagash, to god of Bad-Tibira, about the peace treaty between Lagash and Uruk. Louvre Museum. File:Cuneiforms for Entemena.jpg, Cuneiforms for "Entemena" on the Harvard cone

Territorial conflict with King Il of Umma

Entemena entered in a territorial conflict with

, as mentioned in the "war inscription" on his cone in the Louvre Museum: Il was defeated by Entemena, who had sought the aid of

, successor to

, who is in the king list.

War inscription by Entemena of Lagaš

Foundation cone of Entemena

A foundation cone of Entemena, in excellent condition relates the beginning of a war between the city-states of Lagaš and Umma during the Early Dynastic III period, one of the earliest border conflicts recorded. (RIME 1.09.05.01). This text was inscribed on a small clay cone c. 2400 BC (Louvre Museum, reference AO 3004). The first row of cuneiform characters reads:

Net cylinder of Entemena

The "Net cylinder" of Entemena is a cylinder of a peculiar design, with a net pattern on the bottom, which is the second known cylinder describing the border conflict between Lagash and Umma. The content is identical to the cone cylinder. It is located in the Yale Babylonian Collection. File:Entemena Net Cylinder Transcription.jpg, Full text of the War inscription by Entemena, in the Net Cylinder File:Mesilim Lugal Kish-ki on the Net Vase of Entemena.jpg, ''Mesilim Lugal Kish-ki'' (), " Mesilim, King of Kish", on the "Net Cylinder" of Entemena

Statue of Entemena

Entemena has one of the earliest statues of a known king from

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...

. It is made of

diorite Diorite ( ) is an intrusive igneous rock formed by the slow cooling underground of magma (molten rock) that has a moderate content of silica and a relatively low content of alkali metals. It is intermediate in composition between low-sil ...

, and is 76 centimeters tall. Entemena, although ruler of the city-state of Lagash, wears the typical dress of a devotee: a '' kaunakes'' fleeced skirt with a tassel in the back. He is clasping his hands at the chest, in a typical pose of perpetual attendance before the deity. The statue of Entemena reflects a style of which a few other examples are known from Mesopotamia, such as the statue of Ikun-Shamash from Mari, the statue of Enzi from Der, or the statue of Lugal-dalu, which still has its head intact. The statue of Entemena has a very long cuneiform inscription on the side (right arm) and on the back. It includes the names and titles of Entemena, and the mention "

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, Ba ...

(the supreme Sumerian god) loves Entemena". The statue was housed in the

National Museum of Iraq The Iraq Museum ( ar, المتحف العراقي) is the national museum of Iraq, located in Baghdad. It is sometimes informally called the National Museum of Iraq, a recent phenomenon influenced by other nations' naming of their national muse ...

. In May 2003 the statue was stolen during the

2003 invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including ...

. It was found in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and returned in 2010. File:Detail, statue of Entemena, ruler of Lagash, c. 2400 BCE, from Ur, Iraq, at the Iraq Museum.jpg, Detail showing the cuneiform inscription on the right upper arm of the statue of Entemena File:Detail, statue of Entemena, ruler of Lagash, c. 2400 BCE, from Ur, Iraq. Iraq Museum.jpg, Detail showing the cuneiform inscription on the back of the upper torso of the statue of Entemena File:Entemena ensi of Lagash on the statue of Entemena (right shoulder).jpg, "Entemena '' ensi'' of Lagash" () on the right shoulder of the statue of Entemena

Silver vase of Entemena

A tripod of silver dedicated by Entemena to his god is 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 ...

. A frieze of lions devouring ibexes and deer, incised with great artistic skill, runs round the neck, while the eagle crest of Lagash adorns the globular part. The vase is a proof of the high degree of excellence to which the goldsmith's art had already attained. A vase of calcite, also dedicated by Entemena, has been found at

Nippur Nippur ( Sumerian: ''Nibru'', often logographically recorded as , EN.LÍLKI, "Enlil City;"The Cambridge Ancient History: Prolegomena & Prehistory': Vol. 1, Part 1. Accessed 15 Dec 2010. Akkadian: ''Nibbur'') was an ancient Sumerian city. It was ...

. The inscription of the neck of the silver vase reads: File:Vase Entemena Louvre AO2674 (script) circa 2400 BCE.jpg,

Cuneiform Cuneiform is a logo- syllabic script that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Middle East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. It is named for the characteristic wedge- ...

dedication on the vase of Entemena. File:Entemena vase inscription.jpg, Entemena vase inscription. File:Entemena vase motif.jpg, Entemena vase motif, with the eagle of Lagash.

Foundation tablets

Several votive tablets in the name of Entemena are known. They usually records Entemena's name, title and filiation, and his accomplishment in establishing temples or devotional images. The tablets are often associated with a "foundation nail", called ''temen'' ("foundation") in Sumerian, which was inserted into the ground under the foundation of temples, together with the inscribed tablets and offerings such as jewelry or small statuettes of protective divinities. File:Tablet of Entemena.jpg, An inscription of Entemena 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 E ...

: "... Entemena, ensi of Lagash, son of Enannatum, ensi of Lagash, grandson of Ur-Nanshe, king of Lagash ...". File:Votive tablet of Entemena.jpg, Votive tablet of Entemena to

: "... Entemena, ensi of Lagash, son of Enannatum, ensi of Lagash, grandson of Ur-Nanshe, king of Lagash ...". File:Inscribed stone tablet of Entemena, 2400 BCE. From Lagash, Iraq. Pergamon Museum.jpg, Inscribed stone tablet of Entemena.

Pergamon Museum The Pergamon Museum (; ) is a listed building on the Museum Island in the historic centre of Berlin. It was built from 1910 to 1930 by order of German Emperor Wilhelm II according to plans by Alfred Messel and Ludwig Hoffmann in Stripped C ...

Perforated plate of Dudu

Louvre Relief Dudu AO2394 (central hole corrected)

Another artifact related to Entemena is a votive plaque beating the name of Dudu, priest of Lagash for

in Entemena's time. Dudu is known as priest of Lagash under Entemena from the last line of the inscription on the silver vase of Entemena. The plate was made out of

bitumen Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...

, a rather distinctive feature, as most such plaques were made of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywa ...

. The plaque depicts various scenes: a standing man in a kaunakes holding a walking stick, a resting cow, and the symbol of Lagash: an eagle holding two lions, although the lions are uncharacteristically biting back at the wings of the eagle. A symbolic wave pattern at the bottom of the plate is thought to symbolize the flow of water. It is inscribed with the following text: "For Ningirsu of the Eninnu, Dudu, priest of Ningirsu ... brought

his material His or HIS may refer to: Computing * Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company * Honeywell Information Systems * Hybrid intelligent system * Microsoft Host Integration Server Education * Hangzhou International School, i ...

and fashioned it as a mace stand." The exact function of the plaque is unknown: it has been interpreted as a mace-holder, a plaque to be nailed into the wall of a temple, or a door panel. File:Eagle of Lagash.jpg, The eagle, symbol of Lagash, at the time of Entemena. File:Dudu relief resting cow.jpg, The resting cow

Other artifacts

Door sockets in the name of Entemena, or the plaque of the priest Dudu, associated with Entemena in another inscription, are among the other famous artifacts related to Entemena. File:Detail, door-hinge, inscribed with the name of Entemena of Lagash, c. 2400 BCE, from Iraq. Pergamon Museum.jpg, Detail of a door-socket, inscribed with the name of Entemena. Vorderasiatisches Museum, Germany. File:Hinge bearing Entemena Louvre MNB1418.jpg, ''Tael'' (door socket) of Entemena, with cuneiform inscription. Louvre Museum File:Entemena Ensi Lagashki.jpg, ''Entemena Ensi Lagashki'', "Etemena, Ensi of Lagash" File:Sumerian goddess Nisaba, the name of Entemena is inscribed, c. 2430 BC, from Southern Mesopotamia, Iraq.jpg, Sumerian goddess Nisaba, the name of Entemena is inscribed, c. 2430 BC, from Iraq. Vorderasiatisches Museum, Germany File:An Inscribed stand's head mentioning the name of Entemena, ruler of Lagash, early dynastic period, c. 2400 BCE. Sulaymaniyah Museum.jpg, An Inscribed stand's head mentioning the name of Entemena, ruler of Lagash, c. 2400 BCE. Sulaymaniyah Museum, Iraq

References

{{Iraq Museum Kings of Lagash 25th-century BC Sumerian kings