Geme-Ninlilla was the wife of

Shulgi Shulgi ( dŠulgi, formerly read as Dungi) of Ur was the second king of the Third Dynasty of Ur. He reigned for 48 years, from c. 2094 – c. 2046 BC (Middle Chronology) or possibly c. 2030 – 1982 BC ( Short Chronology). His accomplishme ...

, second king of the

Third Dynasty of Ur The Third Dynasty of Ur, also called the Neo-Sumerian Empire, refers to a 22nd to 21st century Common Era, BC (middle chronology) Sumerian ruling dynasty based in the city of Ur and a short-lived territorial-political state which some historians c ...

. She is best attested in the last years of the king's reign and seems to be a major figure at the royal court. She is not as well attested in ancient sources as the other royal women of Shulgi, but those texts provide evidence for her importance. However, her proper position is uncertain. It is possible that she did not bear the title of a queen. Not much is known about her family. Her parents are unknown, but it is possible a certain woman called Geme-Nann was her and Shulgi's daughter. She is known from her own seal, showing her standing in front of a king. The scene is unusual as normally people in front of the king are introduced by a ''guardian spirit''. The latter is missing here. Geme-Ninlilla is standing directly in front of the king. A number of economic texts show that she managed an estate and was also founder of a religious foundation. It seems possible that she had her own palace.

References

Literature

*{{cite book, last=Sharlach, first=Tonia M., authorlink1=Tonia Sharlach, title=An Ox of One's Own, Royal Wives and Religion at the Court of the Third Dynasty of Ur, location=Berlin/Boston, publisher= Walter de Gruyter GmbH, year=2017, isbn= 978-1-5015-1447-0 21st-century BC people 21st-century BC women Third Dynasty of Ur