Author Archives: nibirudb

Ereshkigal Quotes From Texts, Etc.

(Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!)

(gods in blue….semi-divine mixed-breeds in teal)

 

Ereckigala / Ereshkigal Quotes From Texts

Ereckigala / Ereshkigal = Nannar‘s eldest daughter

Queen of the Netherworld, spouse to Gugulanna (Nergal)

 

Ereshkigal As Erickigala:

“when An (Anu) had taken the heavens for himself, when Enlil had taken the earth for himself,

when the nether world had been given to Erec-kigala as a gift; …”

 

         “Neti, the chief doorman of the underworld, entered the house of his mistress Erec-ki-gala and said:

         ‘My mistress, there is a lone girl outside.

         It is Inanna, your sister, and she has arrived at the palace Ganzer’ …”

 

           “Erec-ki-gala slapped the side of her thigh.

           She bit her lip and took the words to heart.

           She said to Neti, her chief doorman:

           ‘Come Neti, my chief doorman of the underworld, don’t neglect the instructions I will give you.

            Let the seven gates of the underworld be bolted.

           Then let each door of the palace Ganzer be opened separately.

           As for her, after she has entered, and crouched down

         and had her clothes removed, they will be carried away’ …”

           

         “I (Nungal / Bau) am the daughter of An (Anu).

            Enlil too has provided me with an eminent fate, for I am his daughter-in-law (Enlil‘s 1/2 sister, & spouse to Enlil‘s son Ninurta).

           The gods have given the divine powers of heaven and earth into my hands.

           My (Nungal / Bau) own mother, Ereckigala, has allotted to me her divine powers.

           I have set up my august dais in the nether world, …”

 

            “To Ereckigala, the mother of Ninazu

            in her palace, the shepherd Ur-Namma offered a …… which he filled with oil,

            a cajan bowl of perfect make, a heavy garment, a long-fleeced garment,

          a queenly pala robe, …… the divine powers of the nether world …”

 

As Ereshkigal:

            “Ereshkigal reigns sovereign here, and those who worship her may never leave.

          Would you go back now, little Lord?’

          ‘ I won’t go back without Ereshkigal.

          I’ll fight up to my last breath, but alone I won’t return to the Middleworld.

          Not as a loser, not without her.’

          Deep inside though Enki’s heart was heavy with terror.

          For the first time he contemplated the immensity of Ereshkigal’s loss to him and the Realms Above. …”

 

          “In the Worlds Above, his first Breath and Awareness he had shared with Ereshkigal, his Beloved Twin.

For Ereshkigal he had built his magur boat, for Ereshkigal he had come this far.

For Ereshkigal now Enki laid down his shield, mail and spear in the hope to fulfill his promise

to rescue Ereshkigal to the Worlds Above. …”

 

         “’I already know who you are. And why you came too.

You made it very loud and clear that you want to bring your sister

Ereshkigal back to the Worlds Above’, continued the Voice. ‘

But how can you be so sure that she wants to return with you?

Time has gone by, she might have found the Depths are her home now, not the Heights Above.’ …”

 

           “’She who lies there, she who lies there, Ninazu‘s mother (Ereshkigal) who lies there —

           her pure shoulders are not covered with a garment, and no linen is spread over her pure breast.’ …”

 

         “’Do you understand now, Enki?

Why my place is here, why I cannot return with you?’ asked softly Ereshkigal.

I’ve become one of the Great Guardians now., and my choice to be so.

Father An for the Sky, Ki-Ninhursag of Many Names for the Earth,

Enlil for Air, you for the Sweet, Shape-Forming Waters and myself for the Underworld.’ …”

 

         “’Don’t regret your choice of having descended for me, Enki,’ continued Ereshkigal.

‘Indeed, I knew you would come, and expected you all along.

         Our bond was and will always be strong, so whenever you seek me out, you will find me,’ …”

 

         “’Ever since I (Ereshkigal) was a child and a daughter, I have not known the playing of other girls,

I have not known the romping of children.

That god whom you sent to me and who has impregnated me- let him sleep with me again!

Send that god to us, and let him spend the night with me as my lover!

I am unclean, and I am not pure enough to perform the judging of the great gods,

The great gods who dwell within Erkalla.

If you do not send that god to me

According to the rites of Erkalla and the great Earth I shall raise up the dead, and they will eat the living.

I shall make the dead outnumber the living!'”

 

          “Ereshkigal, saw Enlil‘s wrongdoing and heard the lament of the Maiden:

           the Lady of the Great Below heeded the Maiden’s words.

           She knew a door had been opened for Justice,

           Growth and Regeneration in the Underworld if only Enlil submitted to the Laws of the Land of No Return.

           In Nippur, Ki, Mother Earth, also known as Urash, Ninmah, and Ninhursag

           felt strongly that Enlil should suffer the hardest of all punishments for his conduct.

           Never before had the Anunnaki taken to trial one of their own.

         Shocked and circumspect, they gathered, and were forty-nine, not the usual fifty in number,

         because Enlil was counted out for the first time.

In the lower platform sat 46 judges, in the higher was An, who presided all judgments,

sided by Ki (Ninhursag) on his right and Enki on his left.

Father, Mother and Brother to Enlil they were, but also the Guardians of the Attributes of Civilization, Law and Order.

The fourth high seat was empty.

It belonged to Enlil, the defendant.

Red-eyed Ninlil, sided by the healer goddess Gula (Bau, Enlil‘s 1/2 sister), sat quiet and dignified on the right.

On the left and opposite to her was Enlil, whose discomfort was evident for all to see …”

 

“Ereshkigal´s face.

Not the lioness-headed goddess or the projection of one’s worst nightmares.

Instead, the radiant beauty of a dark-haired goddess looked at Ninlil.

The Lady of the Great Place was older, yet young and Ageless, a Woman in Her own right, tall and slim …”

 

“Ninlil found herself smiling back at Ereshkigal.

Hers and Enlil‘s baby would indeed have a most splendid fate.

A child whose Light would wax and wane in a never-ending cycle,

out of Darkness towards Light and back again from Brightness to Dark.

‘Great Lady, I lend you graces.’

Ereshkigal smiled at Ninlil, and then Great Goddess’ voice turned gentle and direct at once.

Ninlil suspected that this right balance of inquisitiveness, prodding and humor was Ereshkigal’s trademark: …”

 

Allat Quotes From Texts

Allat = Ereshkigal, Nannar & Ningal‘s daughter

           “Within, O goddess! Allat (Ereshkigal) thee receives!

           Tis thus to thee our Queen her welcome gives.”

 

           “Within the next gate he her earrings takes,

           And goddess Ishtar now with fury shakes, …

           And thus he strips the goddess at each gate,

           Of ornaments upon her breast and feet

           And arms; her bracelets, girdle from her waist,

           Her robe next took, and flung the Queen undrest

           Within a cell of that dark solitude.

           At last, before Queen Ishtar Allat stood,

           When she had long remained within the walls

           And Allat mocked her till Queen Ishtar falls

           Humiliated on the floor in woe;

           Then turning wildly, cursed her ancient foe.

           Queen Allat furious to her servant cries:

           ‘Go! Naintar (Namtar)! with disease strike blind her eyes!

           And strike her side! her breast and head and feet;

           With foul disease her strike, within the gate!’ …”

 

           “At last obedient doth Allat speak:

           ‘Go, Namtar (Ereshkigal’s son)! and the iron palace strike!

           O’er Asherim1 adorned let the dawn break!

           And seat the spirits on their thrones of gold!

           Let Ishtar Life’s bright waters then behold,

           And drink her fill, and bring her then to me;

           From her imprisonment, I send her free’ …”

 

Irkalla, The Under World Ziggurat

Irkalla = Ereshkigal’s residence

           “To the Land of No Return, the realm of Ereshkigal,

           Ishtar (Inanna), the daughter of the Moon (Nannar), set her mind.

           To the dark house, the abode of Irkalla (Ereshkigal’s palace residence in the Netherworld),

           To the house which none leave who have entered it, …”

Ereshkigal Quotes From Zecharia Sitchen Books

SEE SITCHIN’S EARTH CHRONICLES, ETC.:

 

(Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!)

(gods in blue)

 

Descent into the underworld:

One of the most famous myths about Ishtar describes her descent to the underworld. In this myth, Ishtar approaches the gates of the underworld and demands that the gatekeeper open them:

         “If thou openest not the gate to let me enter,

         I will break the door, I will wrench the lock,

         I will smash the door-posts,

         I will force the doors.

         I will bring up the dead to eat the living.

         And the dead will outnumber the living …”

 

The gatekeeper hurried to tell Ereshkigal, the Queen of the Underworld. Ereshkigal told the gatekeeper to let Ishtar enter, but “according to the ancient decree”.

The gatekeeper lets Ishtar into the underworld, opening one gate at a time. At each gate, Ishtar has to shed one article of clothing. When she finally passes the seventh gate, she is naked. In rage, Ishtar throws herself at Ereshkigal, but Ereshkigal orders her servant Namtar to imprison Ishtar and unleash sixty diseases against her.

After Ishtar descends to the underworld, all sexual activity ceases on earth. The god Papsukal reports the situation to Ea, the king of the gods. Ea creates an intersex creature called Asu-shu-namir and sends him-her to Ereshkigal, telling him-her to invoke “the name of the great gods” against her and to ask for the bag containing the waters of life. Ereshkigal is enraged when she hears Asu-shu-namir’s demand, but she has to give him-her the water of life. Asu-shu-namir sprinkles Ishtar with this water, reviving her. Then Ishtar passes back through the seven gates, getting one article of clothing back at each gate, and is fully clothed as she exits the last gate.

Here there is a break in the text of the myth. The text resumes with the following lines:

         “If she (Ishtar) will not grant thee her release,

         To Tammuz (Dumuzi), the lover of her youth,

         Pour out pure waters, pour out fine oil;

         With a festival garment deck him that he may play on the flute of lapis lazuli,

         That the votaries may cheer his liver. [his spirit]

         Belili (Geshtinanna) [sister of Tammuz (Dumuzi)]

         (Geshtinanna) had gathered the treasure,

         With precious stones filled her bosom.

         When Belili heard the lament of her brother, she dropped her treasure,

         She scattered the precious stones before her,

         ‘Oh, my only brother, do not let me perish!

         On the day when Tammuz plays for me on the flute of lapis lazuli,

         playing it for me with the porphyry ring.

         Together with him, play ye for me, ye weepers and lamenting women!

         That the dead may rise up and inhale the incense …”

Formerly, scholars believed that the myth of Ishtar’s descent took place after the death of Ishtar’s lover, Tammuz: they thought Ishtar had gone to the underworld to rescue Tammuz. However, the discovery of a corresponding myth about Inanna, the Sumerian counterpart of Ishtar, has thrown some light on the myth of Ishtar’s descent, including its somewhat enigmatic ending lines. According to the Inanna myth, Inanna can only return from the underworld if she sends someone back in her place. Demons go with her to make sure she sends someone back.

However, each time Inanna runs into someone, she finds him to be a friend and lets him go free. When she finally reaches her home, she finds her husband Dumuzi (Babylonian Tammuz) seated on his throne, not mourning her at all. In anger, Inanna has the demons take Dumuzi back to the underworld as her replacement.

Dumuzi’s sister Geshtinanna is grief-stricken and volunteers to spend half the year in the underworld, during which time Dumuzi can go free. The Ishtar myth presumably has a comparable ending, Belili being the Babylonian equivalent of Geshtinanna.

Ereshkigal Overview

(gods in blue)

        Cylinder seal and imprint, period of the Assyrian merchant settlements in Cappadocia, 19th-18th BCE. The naked goddess under her arcade, surrounded by guardians and mythological animals. Serpentine, H: 4, 1 cm AO 22420                                                                                               Ereshkigal  Inanna       Namtar

         . Ereshkigal = Mesopotamian

         . Persephone = Greek

         . Proserpine = Roman

 

         . in some texts Ereshkigal is daughter to Nannar and Ningal

                . in some texts she is daughter to Anu & Nammu

         . in some texts Ereshkigal is older sister to twins Utu and Inanna

                . in some texts she is as if Ninhursag, the twin & lover to Enki

 

         . espoused Nergal, Enki‘s & Inanna’s son in some texts

                . in some texts Nergal is Enlil‘s & Ninlil’s son

 

         . Queen of the Lower World / Under World / Netherworld / Irkalla / Hades / Hell

         . Irkalla / Erkalla = Akkadian for the Under World realm of Ereshkigal & Nergal

                       “I shall send you to Kurnugi,  To the home of Ereshkigal who dwells within Erkalla,…”

 

         . Ganzer Ereshkigal’s ziggurat residence in the Under World, a fully-functioning world below

         . Kur / Kurnugi = Sumerian for the Under World Palace of Ereshkigal & Nergal

 

Ereshkigal’s Sons:

         . (in some texts) son Ningishzidda with Enki

                . (in some texts) Ningishzidda is son to Ninazu & Ningirida / Ninsutu

 

         . Namtar with Enlil, gatekeeper of the Under World

         . Ninmada with Enlil

         . Ninazu, with Gugalana / Nergal,

                . in some texts Ninazu is son with Enlil

                       . Ninazu is spouse to Ningirida

 

Ereshkigal’s Daughters:

          . Nungal / Bau with King Anu in a few texts only

                 . Bau is daughter to King Anu & Nammu in all other texts

Inanna’s Semi-Divine Mixed-Breed Spouse-Kings, Lovers, Etc. Quotes From Texts

INANNA, THE GODDESS OF LOVE

SPOUSE & LOVER TO SCORES & SCORES OF MIXED-BREED KINGS OVER THOUSANDS & THOUSANDS OF YEARS

(Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!)

(gods in blue …mixed-breed demigods in teal…)

“To woo thee to thine Ishtar’s (Inanna’s) marriage bed …”

“This giant‘s form the gods have surely made …”

With Etana King of Kish, Ruled 1,200 Years & Ascended to Heaven:

        “No king did they establish, over the teeming peoples,

At that time no headdress had been assembled, nor crown,

Nor yet scepter had been set with lapis.

          No throne daises whatsoever had been constructed,

          Ishtar (Inanna) came down from heaven to seek a shepherd,

And sought for a king everywhere.

Innina (Inanna) came down from heaven to seek a shepherd,

And sought for a king everywhere.

Enlil examined the dais of Etana,

The man whom Ishtar steadfastly….

‘She has constantly sought….

‘Let kingship be established in the land,

          Let the heart of Kish be joyful’ …”

         

          “He was about to tell Her (Inanna) how sorry he was for not having been able

          to give Her an heir of his blood, …”

         

 “Inanna, Ishtar, Astarte, many are your names.

 But I know You as the Eternal Moment in Me, my Soul Counterpart,

          Lover and Beloved as One, …”

With Enmerkar King of Uruk, Ruled 2,800 + B.C.:

          “She made Enmerkar, her spouse, occupy the throne-dais with her …”

          “the ever-sparkling lady gives me my kingship …”

         

          (Enmerker speaking to Inanna):

          “may I, the radiant youth, may I be embraced there by you …”

         

          “He (Ensuhgiranna) may dwell with Inanna in the E-zagin of Aratta,

          but I dwell with her …… as her earthly companion (?).

          He may lie with her in sweet slumber on the adorned bed,

          but I lie on Inanna‘s splendid bed strewn with pure plants ….”

        

          “I accompany Inanna for a journey of 15 leagues.

          and yet Utu the sun-god cannot see my holy crown, when she enters my holy jipar.

          Enlil has given (?) me the true crown and scepter.

          Ninurta, the son of Enlil, held me on his lap as the frame holds the water-skin.

          Aruru (Ninhursag), the sister of Enlil,

          extended her right breast to me, extended her left breast to me.

          When I go up to the great shrine,

          the mistress (Inanna) screeches like an Anzud chick,

          and other times when I go there, even though she is not a duckling, she shrieks like one…”

         

           “It is Unug where Inanna dwells …”

         

          “Lugalbanda (son to Enmerker &Inanna), he of beloved seed, stretched his hand out (and said)

          ‘Like divine Shara am I, the beloved son of Inanna (& Enmerkar)‘ …”

With Ensuhgirana King of Aratta, Ruled 2,800 B.C.:

         “En-suhgir-ana,… saying…he may dwell with Inanna in the E-jar,

         but I dwell with Inanna in the E-zagin of Aratta;

         he may lie with her on the splendid bed,

         but I lie in sweet slumber with her on the adorned bed,

         he may see dreams with Inanna at night, but I converse with Inanna awake …”

        

         “En-suhgir-ana sent a man to Enmerkar:

         ‘You are the beloved lord of Inanna, you alone are exalted.

         Inanna has truly chosen you for her holy lap, you are her beloved’…

         and I am only second to you;

         From the moment of conception I was not your equal, you are the older brother.

         I cannot match you ever …”‘

With Gilgamesh King of Uruk, Ruled 2,700 + B.C.:

        “goddess Ishtar (Inanna), Queen of Love,

And Izdubar (Gilgamesh), with softest measure move;

Great Samas’ (Utu / Shamash) son, of him dear Zir-ri (unidentified?) sing!

         Of him whom goddess Ishtar warmly wooed, …

         The lovely queen beside him now doth lay,

And leads his soul along the blissful way

That comes to every heart that longs for love,

When purest joy doth bless us from above;

From her soft liquid eyes the love-light speaks,

And her warm hands she lays in his, and wakes

Beneath her touch a thrill of wild desire,

Until his blood now seems like molten fire.

Her eyes half closed begat a passion wild,

With her warm breast, her loves hath beguiled;

She nearer creeps with hot and balmy breath,

And trembling form aglow, and to him saith:

‘My lips are burning for a kiss, my love!’

A prize like this, a heart of stone would move,

And he his arms around her fondly placed

Till she reclined upon his breast, embraced,

          Their lips in one long thrilling rapture meet. …”

         

          “Of goddess Ishtar (Inanna) chant, and Izdubar,

          The Queen of Love wed to the King of War. …”

         

          “Have I embraced a god?”

          He horrified now cries; and she doth nod …”

         

          “And satisfied, turned where her lover laid;

And to his royal couch she crept again;

         Her bliss will have despite of gods and men ...”

        

         “Be you my (Inanna‘s) husband, and I will be your (Gilgamesh‘s) wife.

         I will have harnessed for you a chariot of lapis lazuli and gold,

         with wheels of gold and ‘horns’ of electrum(?).

         It will he harnessed with great storming mountain mules!

         Come into our house, with the fragrance of cedar.

         And when you come into our house the doorpost(?) and throne dais (?)’ will kiss your feet. …”

         

         “Gilgamesh did sit on his throne.

         Divine Eanna (Inanna) saw him and was overwhelmed with lust.

‘Be my lover. Love me as a husband does a wife.

Give me your seed, give me your semen.

         Plant your seed in my womb….

         Have sex with me and all this shall become yours.’ …”

“Gilgamesh to these words did reply:

‘What may I offer in return, Queen of Love?

You have everything.You want for all I state merely my cock?

Why not I give you the food and drinks of the gods?

I have nothing for she who has all.

What happens when your desire burns out?

What happens when you leave?

Shall I love the cold air left?

Shall I have after only your memory, a tar that won’t wash away?

Where are your lovers past and your husbands too?

Dumuzi the shepherd, slain for your gain,

forced to live underground While you play above.

And then their was that courtier who fluttered into your snare.

Do you hear his cries ever since?

My wing is broken; broken is my wing.

A mighty lion did you fuck, and when his seed was in your sack

You led him to a hunter’s pit seven times seven deep, and left him to rot.


You broke a wild horse and in his mouth placed harsh bit

By let him take you hindermost,

And then hobbled him

So he can drink the water of a stream his hoofs muddied all the while.


You took each sacrificed kid,ate the proffered cakes and drank from a goat-herder sweet

and in return into wolf did you him turn, which dogs did follow and bite.


With no further thought of that ex-lover you quickly turned to

Your father’s gardener Ishullanu whom you did tease when sweet figs and dates for you.

‘Ishullanu, come touch me here between my legs,

Put your fingers deep within my sacred sack,

I have no clothes on to halt your way.’

And to you did Ishullanu say,

‘Why, Eanna (Inanna), should I eat your rotten meal,

When a tasty healthy meal could be mine?’

Why should I sin

And be accursed to lie

Cold, hungry and afright in wild marsh land?’

Now some say that you, Eanna so kind, turned into a frog who does croak:

‘I know not, I know not at all’.

And some say that you turned his penis into a mole

Stuck in a tunnel in the ground which

He can pull not out nor push further in.


So Eanna, so sweet and kind,

           Which of these fates do you wish me find’? …”

        

         “From heaven down did Eanna come with roar and shout.

On high tower of Uruk did she stand and curse all below.

Woe be to all because of Gilgamesh.

For insult to Eanna by his telling all her myriad ways.

         For insult to Eanna by killing her punisher the Bull of Heaven. …”

  “Where are your bridegrooms that you keep forever

  Where is your ‘Little Shepherd’ bird that went up over you!

  See here now, I will recite the list of your lovers.

  Of the shoulder (?) … his hand,

  Tammuz (Dumuzi), the lover of your earliest youth,

 for him you have ordained lamentations year upon year!

 You loved the colorful ‘Little Shepherd’ bird and then hit him, breaking his wing,

 so now he stands in the forest crying ‘My Wing’!

 You loved the supremely mighty lion, yet you dug for him seven and again seven pits.

 You loved the stallion, famed in battle,

 yet you ordained for him the whip, the goad, and the lash,

 ordained for him to gallop for seven and seven hours,

 ordained for him drinking from muddled waters,’

 you ordained far his mother Silili to wail continually.

 You loved the Shepherd, the Master Herder,

 who continually presented you with bread baked in embers,

 and who daily slaughtered for you a kid.

 Yet you struck him, and turned him into a wolf,

 so his own shepherds now chase him and his own dogs snap at his shins.

 You loved Ishullanu, your father’s date gardener,

 who continually brought you baskets of dates, and brightened your table daily.

 You raised your eyes to him, and you went to him:

        ‘Oh my Ishullanu, let us taste of your strength,

        stretch out your hand to me, and touch our vulva.’

 Ishullanu said to you:

 ‘Me! What is it you want from me!

 Has my mother not baked, and have I not eaten that I should now eat food under contempt and curses

 and that alfalfa grass should be my only cover against the cold?’

 As you listened to these his words you struck him, turning him into a dwarf(?),

 and made him live in the middle of his (garden of) labors,

 where the mihhu do not go up, nor the bucket of dates (?) down.

 And now me! It is me you love, and you will ordain for me as for them! …”

      

        “When Ishtar heard this, in a fury she went up to the heavens,

        going to Anu, her father (great-grandfather), and crying,

        going to Anrum (Antu), her mother, and weeping:

 ‘Father, Gilgamesh has insulted me over and over,

        Gilgamesh has recounted despicable deeds about me, despicable deeds and curses!’

        Anu addressed Princess Ishtar, saying:

 ‘What is the matter?

        Was it not you who provoked King Gilgamesh?

 So Gilgamesh recounted despicable deeds about you, despicable deeds and curses!’

        Ishtar spoke to her father, Anu, saying:

 ‘Father, give me the Bull of Heaven‘, …”

With Shulgi King of Ur, Ruled 2,029-1,982 B.C.:

Inanna…invited Shulgi to Erech (Uruk), making him “a man chosen for the vulva of Inanna.”...

Shulgi‘s own words:

         “With valiant Utu, a friend as a brother,

         I drank strong drink in the temple founded by Anu.

         My minstrels sang for me the seven songs of love.

         Inanna, the queen, the vulva of heaven and earth,

         was by my side, banqueting in the temple…”

         “I am Culgi, who has been chosen by Inanna for his attractiveness. …”

           “I drank beer in the palace founded by An with my brother and companion, the hero Utu.

          My singers praised me with songs accompanied by seven tigi drums.

          My spouse, the maiden Inanna, the lady, the joy of heaven and earth, sat with me at the banquet.

          Truly I am not boasting! …”

         “You are cherished by Ninegala (Inanna)…”

         “May the loving heart, Inana, never abandon you …”

With Ur-Ninurta King of Isin, Ruled 1,923-1,896 B.C.:

         (King) “Ur-Ninurta, the youth whom you chose, in your honor an en priest.

Nintud (Ninhursag) has created attractiveness for him,

and has made him step forward to you for your admiration.

She has confirmed his lot as favorable, and has made him …… before you.

She has elevated as a prince the …… who is fitted for the emblem.

Your holy heart has driven you towards him as if to a pleasant sweet scent.

May he …… with you on your flowery bed which is full of delight.

May the attentive youth, the prince who is all for you…

him created from good seed …”

“Inana (Inanna), the great daughter of Suen (Nannar / Sin)

and Ur-Ninurta’s beloved spouse, gathered together ……

all the divine powers and placed them in his hand.

Together the two of them went forth joyfully

from Enlil‘s presence to take their seats in the palace,

the dwelling-place of sweet honey.

…… her king …… does not cease, as she speaks truly to him …”

         “Ur-Ninurta,…

         May Inana (Inanna), who is assuredly your beloved, provide you with long life …”

With Ishme-Dagon King of Isin, Ruled 1,953-1,934 B.C.:

         “Ninurta prays to Enlil:

‘Please, look with favor on Icme-Dagan,

the accomplished shepherd, who is at your service in the dining-hall;

on the king who has built you the chariot!

         Give him Inana your beloved eldest daughter as a spouse’…”

         “Enki has given me (Ishme–Dagon) wisdom, that Ninurta is all for me (?),

         that Nanna (Nannar / Sin) loves me greatly,

         that I am the son-in-law of Ningal (Nannar’s spouse),

         that Inana (Inanna / Ishtar) has made me attractive, …”

         “Inana, the lady of heaven and earth ……, chose me as her beloved spouse.

She put attractiveness in my (Ishme-Dagan) waist-belt (?),

looking at me with her life-giving look,

as she lifted her radiant forehead to me,

         to make me step onto the flowery bed …”

       

         “May my spouse, a ewe cherishing its lamb, be praised with sweet admiration! …”

         “Enlil and Ninlil gave her (King) Icme-Dagan,

the constant attendant, …… as her husband …….

The duty to build temples for the gods, to furnish their daily portions,

to purify their raised temples and to sanctify their daises,

to secure their daily liquor, syrup and choice beer in their dining hall —

         all this was bestowed on Inana and Icme-Dagan by Enlil and Ninlil …”

With Iddin-Dagon King of Isin, Ruled 1,975-1,954 B.C.:

         “The male prostitutes comb her hair…

         They décor the neck with colored bands…

         Their right side they adorn with woman’s clothing

         as they walk before the pure Inanna…

         Their left side they cover with mens clothing

         as they walk before the pure Inanna.

         With jump ropes and colored cords they compete before her…

         The young men, carrying hoops, sing before her…

         The maidens, Shugia priestesses, walk before Inanna…

         They set up a bed for my lady,

         They cleanse rushes with sweet smelling cedar oil;

         For Inanna, for the King, they arrange the bed…

         The king approaches her pure lap proudly;

         Proudly he approaches the lap of Inanna…

         He caresses her pure lap,

         She stretches out on the bed, the pure lap;

         She makes love with him on her pure bed.

         She says to Iddin-Dagon: “Surely, you are my beloved. …”

        

        “my lady bathes her holy thighs.

She bathes them for the thighs of the king; she bathes them for

(some mss. have instead: with head held high she goes to)

the thighs of (King) Iddin-Dagan.

Holy Inana rubs herself with soap;

she sprinkles oil and cedar essence on the ground.

The king goes to her holy thighs with head held high,

(some mss. add: she goes to the thighs of Iddin-Dagan,)

         he goes to the thighs of Inana with head held high …”

        

         “After the lady has made him rejoice with her holy thighs on the bed,

after holy Inana has made him rejoice with her holy thighs on the bed,

she relaxes (?) with him on her bed:

         ‘Iddin-Dagan, you are indeed my beloved!’…

         She embraces her beloved spouse, holy Inana embraces him. …”

With Lipit-Ishtar King of Isin, Ruled 1,870-1,860 B.C.:

        “my spouse holy Inanna made firm the foundation of my throne.

She will embrace me forever and eternally.

I will spend all day for the Mistress in the good

(1 ms.: lapis-lazuli (blue-hued gem stone)

bedchamber that fills the heart with joy!

I am Lipit-Ectar, the powerful heir;

I am the king that makes justice prominent.

May my name be called on in all the foreign lands!

I am Lipit-Ectar, Enlil‘s (giant mixed-breed) son.

         It is sweet to praise me.”

       

        “the spouse of the king…Inana, …… prince Lipit-Ectar on your holy lap …”

        

          “the spouse of the king, the woman, the goddess who is worth of the ladyship,

surpassing heaven and earth. I will pay her due homage.

         1 line unclear

…… great divine powers …….

         She cherished Lipit-Ectar, the son of Enlil …”

 

         “As the beloved husband of Inanna,

I lift my head high in the place Unug.

I am a proficient scribe of Nisaba (Enlil‘s mother-in-law).

I am a young man whose word Utu confirms.

I am the perfection of kingship.

         I am Lipit-Ectar, Enlil‘s son …”

With Enlil-bani King of Isin, Rule 1,798-1,775 B.C.:

        “Enlil-bani, you are the one who has authority.

Sweet mouth, lips good with words,

2 lines missing

         husband of holy Inana (Inanna), …”

       

        “In the E-ana (Anu‘s temple in Uruk), Inana has fixed a rejoicing heart

to be your lot and has you brought grandly into her holy bedchamber

         to spend the night there. …”

With Shu-Kale-Tuda / Cu-kale-tuda:

         “the mistress became so tired that when she arrived there she lay down by its roots.

I noticed her from beside my plot.

I had intercourse with her and kissed her there.

Then I went back to beside my plot.

When he had spoken thus to her, …… hit …….

…… added (?) …….

…… changed (?) him …….

She (?) determined his destiny ……,

holy Inanna spoke to Cu-kale-tuda:

         ‘So! You shall die!’…”

“Cu-kale-tuda was his name. ……, a son (?) of Igi-sigsig…

Cu-kale-tuda noticed her from beside his plot.

Inanna …… the loincloth (?) of the seven divine powers over her genitals.

…… the girdle of the seven divine powers over her genitals …….

…… with the shepherd Ama-ucumgal-ana (Dumuzi).……

…… over her holy genitals …….

Cu-kale-tuda undid the loincloth (?) of seven divine powers

and got her to lie down in her resting place.

He had intercourse with her and kissed her there.

After he had had intercourse with her and kissed her,

he went back to beside his plot …”

As a Prostitute:

           “As a prostitute you go down to the tavern and,

         like (?) a ghost who slips in through the window, you enter there.

         Inana, you are the lady of all the divine powers,

         and no deity can compete with you.

         Here is your dwelling, Ninegala; let me tell of your grandeur!

         When the servants let the flocks loose,

         and when cattle and sheep are returned to cow-pen and sheepfold,

         then, my lady, like the nameless poor, you wear only a single garment.

         The pearls of a prostitute are placed around your neck,

         and you are likely to snatch a man from the tavern.

         As you hasten to the embrace of your spouse Dumuzid,

        Inana, then the seven paranymphs share the bedchamber with you …”

       

        “When I sit by the gate of the tavern,

         I am a prostitute familiar with the penis;

         the friend of a man, the girlfriend of a woman …”

       

         “Inana, eldest daughter of Suen, lady of the evening, your praise is good! …”

An Elegy on the Death of Nannaya (Elegy 1): Translation

The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

(Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!)

(gods in blue …mixed-breed demigods in teal…)

1-2 A father sent a message to his son, to a far-off place;

at that time the son, having gone to a distant place, was far away.

3-8 The city-dwelling father was stricken with illness.

He, precious brilliance found in a distant mountain (?), was stricken with illness.

He, attractive in ……, a man who made words pleasing, was stricken with illness.

He who had a tall figure, and altogether was powerful, was stricken with illness.

He, wise in divine plans and an ornament of the assembly, was stricken with illness.

He who was a man of truth, god-fearing, was stricken with illness.

9-15 He, not eating, was stricken with illness and was languishing away (?).

Having closed his mouth, he ate no food and lay famished.

According to a tablet …….

The warrior, a wanderer (?), did not move a foot.

From (?) his sick …… he was consumed with wailing for his children.

Heart anguished, overcome by wailing, the scholar died a violent death in Nibru (Nippur).

16-19 This matter reached his son on the distant journey.

Like a son who does not depend closely on his father,

he had not returned the message which had been sent (?) to him.

Now the son shed tears, threw himself to the dust and performed a musical song for him.

20-32 Lu-dijira out of his inflamed heart wrote a lament:

2 - Nanaya being presented to the daughter of the king (giant goddess Nanaya, spouse to Nabu, & earthlings)

“O father who has died a violent death, O Nannaya (1 ms. has instead: my Nannaya),

who through the evil planned against him has been carried off to the nether world,

your wife’s husband is a thing of the past, forever she will be a widow —

wheels (?) about you like a whirlwind, …….

She used to treat you as a foster-child — now her reason is gone.

Stupor has fallen upon her as if she were about to give birth.

She turns the ……, moans (?) like a cow.

She …… a lament, and sheds tears.

She has covered up its …… and has taken (?) what is just (?).

1 line fragmentary

The one who gathers (?) ……. …… touches you, the heart …… is heavy (?).

33-39 “The one who (?) rises (?) …… at dawn (?) from among the ……

 (Ninurta, son & heir to Enlil the Earth Colony Commander)

who dwell in ……, the lukur priestess of Ninurta from the ……, has thrown …….

Like a mourning (?) god (?), she …….

Her shouts (?) …… evil.

In the midst of the cloister (?) she (?) …….

1 line fragmentary

…… has made (?) the widespread people …… grain and …….

40-46 “The confusion of battles …… the nin-dijir priestess of Nuska (Enlil‘s minister).

She tears apart (?) …… for you, …… for you her (?) …….

5 lines fragmentary

47-55 “Your sons who were treated (?) like king’s sons,

whatever they (?) eat ……, whatever they (?) drink …….

They (?) …… honey and ghee.

They load the table with (?) oil for you.

The tears which they shed for him are tears of compassion.

Their mourning (?) for him is that of loving and pure-hearted ones.

They are bent over like over-ripe grain.

The fledglings return ……, raise …….

56-62 “Over the brides of your sons who have said

“Where, where is he now?” your …… has fallen.

In their …… has been silenced (?) for you.

On the laps of the household …… for you.

Your …… sweet sounds …… sleep …… has been …… like …….

The …… lament for you …… does not (?) cease.

63-69 “O my father, may your heart be at rest.

O Nannaya, may your spirit be pleased.

The en and ensi …….

Those who have escaped the hand of death …….

The hand of death has been …… in their …….

Death is the favor of the gods, the place where fate is decreed …….

May your offspring …… your knee.

70-76 “Your daughters have …… for you in their …….

The elders of your city have set up (?) mourning (?) for you.

The young women of your city have …… for you.

The slave at the grindstone …… has shed (?) tears for you.

The house where he is placed (?) …….

He has …… silver, has acquired grain, has …… wide possessions.

May the eldest son …… for you your …… firm foundations.

77-84 “As for your murderer who …… like one who …… the heart, your ……

who plotted malice against you — true (?) execution belongs to the king,

2a-utu-shamash-twin-to-inanna  (Utu, son to Nannar & Ningal, symbolized as the Sun god)

the shepherd, your god; true (?) counsel belongs to Utu.

May that man be a man accursed, death ……. …… his bones.

May the names of his offspring …….

May their possessions …… like birds flying away.

85-87 “May the …… of the Land …….

May he bring you favorable …… words, may they make you content.

O Nannaya, may your spirit be pleased, may your heart be at rest.

3c - Shamash cutting mountains in Sippar (Utu cut launch & landing pads into the mountain tops)

88-98 “Utu, the great lord of the nether world,

after turning the dark places to light, will judge your case.

May Nanna (Nannar / Sin) decree your fate on the day of sleep.

Nergal, the Enlil of the underworld, …… before it,

may the …… utter your name, may he cause you to eat fresh food.

May you be …… of the underworld, and may she have pity on you.

May your household bring fresh water to the libation place.

May lord Ninjiczida (Ningishzidda) …… the house …….

May the mighty Gilgamec (Gilgamesh) …… health for you.

2ba-giant-god-nabu-in-nimrud  (Nabu, son to Marduk statue in museum)

May Nedu (Nabu) and Etana be your helpers.

May the god of the underworld utter prayers for you.

99-103 “May your god say “Enough!”, may he …… your fate.

May the god of your city …… compassion on you.

May he release you from wrath and sin.

May he erase the reckoning of the guilt of your house.

…… the evil planned against you …….

104-112 “May your descendants be happy, …….

May …….

May the protective gods and goddesses …… your …….

May the children you begot be written down for privilege (?).

May your daughters have divine favor.

May your wife stay well, may your kin multiply.

May prosperity and well-being (?) surround them day in day out.

May good beer never cease in your libation tube.

May the invocation (1 ms. has instead: incantation) of your house

be forever the invocation (1 ms. has instead: incantation) of your god.”

A Balbale to Inana (?) and Nanaya (Inana H)

ETCSL – The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

(Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!)

(gods in blue)

Version A

 (Anunnaki alien King Anu – Sky Father in his winged sky-disc)

1-6. Worthy of An (Anu), ……, …… unsurpassed in ladyship,

a throne …… a man in the house, a throne …… a woman in the shrine,

a gold ornament …… on the dress, a …… pin …… the niĝlam garment.

            (mixed-breed king brings ill daughter before goddess Nanaya)

7-15A. “Let me …… on your …… — Nanaya, its …… is good.

Let me (?) …… on your breast — Nanaya, its …… flour is sweet.

Let me put …… on your navel — Nanaya, …….

Come with me, my lady, come with me, come with me from the entrance to the shrine.

May …… for you. {(ms. c adds 1 line:) Come my beloved sister, let my heart rejoice.}”

16-20. “Your hand is womanly, your foot is womanly.

Your conversing with a man is womanly.

Your looking at a man is womanly. {(ms. c adds 4 lines:)

Your …… a hand towards a man is womanly.

Your …… a foot is womanly.

Your …… forearm makes my heart rejoice.

Your …… a foot brings me pleasure.}

As you rest against the wall, your patient heart pleases.

As you bend over, your hips are particularly pleasing.”

20A-29. ” {(mss. a and c add 2 lines:)

My resting against the wall is one lamb.

My bending over is one and a half giĝ.}

Do not dig a canal, let me be your canal.

Do not plow a field, let me be your field.

Farmer, do not search for a wet place, my precious sweet, let this be your wet place.

……, let this be your furrow. ……, let this be your desire!

Caring for ……, I come ……. I come …… with bread and wine.”

30-32. “You come to me with bread and wine.

Come, my beloved sister, let me …… this heart.

Nanaya, let me kiss you.”

            (Marduk, Inanna, Nabu, & Nanaya)

33. A balbale of {Nanaya} {(ms. a has instead:) Inana}.

Version B

Segment A

unknown no. of lines missing

1-9. “…… on your navel.

My sweet illustrious sister, …….

On your back …….

My illustrious sister, …… hand.

In your vagina …… the gardens.

2 - Nanaya being presented to the daughter of the king (Mesopotamian king brings his ailing daughter before Nanaya pleading for help)

Nanaya, …….

In your anus …… the fields.

My illustrious sister, …… the acres.

Come to me, my sister, …….”

unknown no. of lines missing

Segment B

1-7.

1 line fragmentary

“Come, my beloved sister, …….”

4 lines fragmentary

“Sister, …….

unknown no. of lines missing

Letter From Kug-Nanna To Ninshubur: translation

The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

(Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!)

(gods in blue …mixed-breed demigods in teal…)

SEGMENT A

1-13 Say to

1 line missing

to the counselor who constantly cares for ……, the god who distributes the divine powers,

who utters pleasing words, who …… a verdant branch by his head;

the linen-clad god of the abzu, the chief administrator,

who makes the oracular responses (?) favorable, whose words are pre-eminent;

the powerful one (?) at the bow (?) of the boat

“Stag of the Abzu”, the lord of wide and complete wisdom,

3e - Anu, Sky God (alien King Anu)

the minister who knows An’s (Anu’s) secrets, with whom no god can compare;

the lord of the protective goddesses; him whose great sweet eyes inspire confidence,

who provides the Anuna (Anunnaki) gods, the great gods, with food offerings;

the adviser who comes forth from the skies, who is worthy of holy Inana;

without whom no lord or king could receive the lofty scepter —

2 - Ninshubur (Ninshubur, minister to Inanna)

to Nincubur, the merciful god who listens to prayers and supplications, repeat:

this is what Kug-Nanna the incantation priest, the son of Lugal-ka-gena, your servant, says:

14-15 I am ……, I am an ailing old man, I am …… handcuffs.

1 line fragmentary

unknown no. of lines missing

SEGMENT B

1-4 1 line fragmentary

1 line unclear

…… foreign plague …… looked at me contemptuously and insulted me for my doing …….

In the street my friend would not talk to me; he bent his head down.

5-13 If it pleases you, my god, allow me to soothe your angry heart, so that your spirit will be assuaged.

May the mackim demon that perpetrates evil be ripped apart, so that he will flee my body.

May the asag demon be extirpated from my limbs, so that my dark days will become bright.

I cannot bear your heavy punishment any longer; declare that “It is over”!

May I, the humble servant, not be destroyed; declare that “It is over”!

Like milk …… your greatness ……, …… to my home.

1 line fragmentary

unknown no. of lines missing

A Hymn to Ninshubur (Ninshubur B): translation

The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

(Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!)

(gods in blue)

1-10 The servant (cubur) (Ninshubur), the wise suppliant, …… the servant, the wise suppliant,

the …… of Akkil, the wise suppliant has taken her seat in her city Akkil.

The servant has taken her seat in Akkil.

2 - NinshuburHathorix capital. Limestone, bas-relief from Paphos, Cyprus 80 x 44 x 24 cm AM 2755 (artifacts of alien goddesses Ninshubur & Ninhursag)

The servant ……, Nincubur, …… Nintud (Ninhursag), the servant.

….., Nincubur …… to An (Anu).

3-anu-father-of-the-gods-on-earth4b - Enlil & spouse Ninlil (Sky Father King Anu; son Enlil & his spouse Ninlil)

11-23 For father Enlil, lord of all the lands; for Ninlil (Enlil’s spouse),

lady of Ki-ur (Nippur residence of Ninlil), the majestic place;

2aa-enki-found-in-sins-temple-at-khorsabad 2ba-enkis-temple-ziggourat-in-eridu  (giant god Enki; ruins of his patron city Eridu)

for Enki, the bull of Eridug (Enki’s city);

for the good woman, …… Damgalnuna (Enki’s spouse Ninki);

4c - Ningal, King Ur-Nammu & Nannar - Sin,

   (Ningal, spouse to Nannar, king Ur-Nammu, broken Ninsun, Ur-Nammu, & Nannar in Ur)

for Acimbabbar (Nannar / Sin) in Urim (Ur, Nannar’s city); for Ningal in her holy chamber;

           3i-nannars-spouse-ningal-king-ur-nammu  (Ningal & Ur-Nammu in her holy courtyard in Ur)

…… the Great Mountain (Enlil’s ziggurat, Command Central), Enlil;

for ……, Ninurta, for …… Ninhursaja (Ninhursag, mother to Ninurta),

for youthful Utu (Shamash) in the shrine of E-babbar (Utu’s temple residence in Sippar) ……,

2b-nergal-god-of-the-underworld  (Nergal with alien weaponry, Lord of the Under World, spouse to Ereshkigal)

for …… Nergal, for Inana (Inanna) in Zabalam, Enlil …… the great gods …….

         24 Sa-gida.

         25-30 Servant, as you took your seat on the lofty dais,

Nincubur, as you took your seat, as you took your seat on the dais like father Enlil,

as you took your seat like Enlil and Ninlil, (you said:)

“I , like my mother, I, Kaka, will ride high in joy like my mother!

I, Nincubur I, Kaka, will ride high in joy like my mother.”

  3e-anus-temple-in-uruk2l-uruk-as-was (E-ana, Inanna’s residence in Uruk)

31-40 My faithful minister of the E-ana, my Nincubur of the E-ana, (you said:)

3b - Inanna shown with wings for flight (giant goddesses Ninshubur & Inanna)

“I, the august minister of the universe,

I, Nincubur of the universe, the faithful minister of the Anuna (Anunnaki) gods,

2c-inanna-cylinder-seal-with-ninshuber  (Inanna & Ninshubur in their city of Uruk)

Nincubur of the Anuna gods, the faithful minister (to Inanna),

the personal god of the Land (Uruk, city where E-ana temple is located),

Nincubur, the personal god of the Land, the faithful minister, the mother of the Land,

Nincubur, the mother of the Land, …… I will ride high in joy!”.

         41 …… of Nincubur.

A Shir-gida (?) of Ninshubur (Ninshubur A): translation

The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

(Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!)

(gods in blue)

SEGMENT A

 (alien King Anu the Sky Father & sons in his winged sky-disc)

1-5 Lady, good seed of the Land, minister of An (Anu)!

Minister of An, mother Nincubur (Ninshubur)!

From the interior of heaven, An bestowed upon you (?),

  (Enlil, & father King Anu in his winged sky-disc)

and Enlil destined as your (?) fate, that you should take a lapis-lazuli scepter

in your hand and proceed in front of An.

6-10 As if you were a fecund ewe caring for its lambs, a fecund goat caring for its kids,

or a fertile bearing mother caring for her children,

through your powers folds are erected and pens are fenced off.

In the folds erected through your powers and in the pens fenced off through your powers,

1 line fragmentary

unknown no. of lines missing

SEGMENT B

1-8 “I will soothe hearts, I will soothe spirits.

1f-gods-in-procession (King Anu’s royal descendants upon the Earth)

I will appease the Anuna (Anunnaki) gods …….

I, who am to serve — I, the tutelary deity, who am to serve ……,

1e - Inanna in dress - Liberty, atop Leo lion1e-ishtar-goddess-of-love (Inanna, Goddess of Love & War)

I will make the young lady, Inana (Inanna),

born in the shining mountains (on Earth Colony), rejoice.

I, the lady, ……, will make her rejoice.

I will soothe hearts, I will soothe spirits.

I will appease the Anuna gods …….”

This is how the lady celebrated in Akkil.

3d-inanna-perhaps-ninshubur  (eagle-winged Apkulla / pilots, Inanna, & her assistant Ninshubur)

9 A cir-gida (?) of Nincubur.

Royal Inscription of Gishakidu of Umma:

Earth’s Ancient HistoryA Website dedicated to Ancient Times

(Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!)

(gods in blue …mixed-breed demigods in teal…)

5g-inanna-enlil-anus-heir-earths-commander  (Inanna with alien technologies, & grandfather Enlil, King Anu’s royal son & heir to throne of planet Nibiru, appointed by King Anu to be his Earth Colony Commander, with many symbols of alien gods above them)

WHEN SHARA (Inanna’s son) SAID TO ENLIL,

AND STOOD AT HIS SERVICE,

GISHAKIDU, THE BELOVED OF SHARA –

HERO AND FIERCE ENCHANTER OF SUMER,

THE BOLD ONE WHO TURNS BACK THE LANDS,

THE CONQUEROR OF NIN-URRA,

6-anu-above-enlil-enki (eagle-headed & winged Apkulla / pilots, son Enki, Sky Father Anu in his sky-disc above the Tree of Life, & Earth Colony Commander son Enlil)

THE MOTHERLY COUNSELLOR OF ENKI,

2ba-ninurta-with-poppy-in-hand  (Ninurta, son & heir to Enlil, both born of the “double seed”)

THE BELOVED COMPANION OF ISHTARAN (Ninurta),

THE MIGHTY FARMER OF ENLIL,

 (king, spouse Inanna, & her mother Ningal; giant semi-divines chosen by Inanna to be her spouses, & then appointed to kingships, acting as the perfect go-betweens for alien gods & primitive “modern earthlings” in each of their cities, as earthlings became educated by them & workers for them)

THE KING CHOSEN BY INANNA;

HE DUG THE CANALS, HE SET UP THE STELES-

Commentary: The cone and the vase relate to the Umma-Lagash border conflict that lasted over the reign of many kings between ca. 2450 and 2300 BC, with many bloody battles. This conflict is the earliest well documented piece of history. All the written and artistic materials came from Lagash, such as the stele of the vultures in The Louvre. The cone and the vase for the first time tell the history from Umma’s point of view. The present MS also reveals the unknown king of the British Museum vase, and dates it to ca. 2385 BC.

In Sumerian on limestone, Umma, Sumer, ca. 2385 BC, 1/3 of a truncated cone, h. 11,9 cm, originally ca. 35 cm, diam. 5,3-7,3 cm, 2 columns, compartments with 30 lines in a transitional linear script between pictographic and cuneiform script.

Context: Continuation of the text (mainly listing the boundaries of Shara of Umma) on British Museum terracotta vase, former Erlenmeyer Collection (Christie’s 13.12.1988:60), and also related to The Louvre AO 19225, a gold beard from a statue which alludes to the existence of King Gishakidu.