Kianag
Kianag ( Sumerian KI.A.NAG) is the name of the tombs in Sumerian times and means “place where the dead are allowed to drink”.
Mythological background
On the feast days, sacrifices were made to the dead in the form of libated liquids, mostly beer or water. In the city of Ur , for example, tubes were inserted vertically into the graves to hold the libations. Even during their lifetime, deified kings enjoyed a “double life”; on the one hand as a normal mortal and on the other hand as "God ascended to heaven". As a sign of the divine condition, statues were made, which were also given, among other things, the Kianag libations.
Third dynasty of Ur
The veneration of Ur was particularly pronounced during the third dynasty. The kings Ur-Nammu , Shulgi , Amar-Sin and Shu-Sin were offered offerings in the form of reeds, reed mats, leather containers and very often devices for the "libations". All royal predecessors were remembered, with Ur-Nammu being considered as the founder of the dynasty with particularly costly sacrifices. In the inscriptions, the term Kianag is often referred to as Königstrinken .
literature
- Gebhard J. Selz : Sumerer and Akkader , CH Beck, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-406-508-74X
Notes and evidence
- ↑ Gebhard Selz: Sumerer and Akkader , CH Beck, Munich 2005, pp. 85–86.