Lugal-Zagesi
Lugal-Zagesi or Lugalzagesi (more precisely lugal-zag-ge 4 -si ) was from about 2375-2347 BC. Chr. Sumerian king of Umma . Originally of Akkadian descent, he was - like his father Bubu - an ecstatic priest of Nisaba in Umma until he usurped the throne. Genealogically he was not related to his predecessors and has several rulers: "I am King of Uruk and Sumer - purification priest of An in Uruk - Alt Ensi of Enlil in Nippur - Grand Vizier of Suen of Ur - governor of Utu in Larsa ."
Lugal-zagesi first destroyed Lagaš and its temples. This city has been involved in armed territorial disputes over Gu-Edena for generations . After the devastation, Urukagina from Lagaš spoke a curse against Lugal-zagesi: "This crime, which Lugal-zagesi, the En-Si of Umma, committed, may his goddess Nisaba wear on her neck." Then he conquered Uruk, Adab and Eridu , which Lugal-zagesi used as the first Sumerian king for a special victory slogan and called the entire region that was subordinate to him: “From the Lower Sea along the Euphrates and Tigris to the Upper Sea , En-Lil let all countries go straight to Lugal-zagesi The inscriptions in this context represent the oldest written evidence of the transport of the cedar wood from the Amanus Mountains . There is evidence that the Sumerian kingdom did not extend to the Mediterranean at this time. Lugal-zagesi also used the vassal and trading states for the formulation. Only under Sargon of Akkad were these states also to fall directly into the Sumerian-Akkadian Empire for a short time.
For the first time, Lugal-Zagesi has used the self-designation “Shepherd of the People”. In his inscription he proclaimed his will to lead the country as a “shepherd” ( Sipa ): The countries should enjoy security, the population should be “numerous as the herb”. This self-designation occurs afterwards with many kings, especially with Hammurabi , and has even found its way into the Old Testament . Around 2347 BC BC Sargon of Akkad invaded Sumer with army power, defeated Lugal-zagesi and the "fifty Ensis " allied with him in "34 battles ". Lugal-zagesi, the king of Uruk, was captured and displayed with his neck in a neck fork in front of the temple of Enlil in Nippur and then executed. This also fulfilled the Urukagina's curse formula.
literature
- Jean Bottéro : The First Semitic Empire . In: Elena Cassin , Jean Bottéro , Jean Vercoutter (eds.): The ancient oriental empires I. From the Paleolithic to the middle of the 2nd millennium (= Fischer Weltgeschichte . Volume 2). Fischer Taschenbuch, Frankfurt am Main 1965, pp. 92–128.
- Dietz-Otto Edzard : History of Mesopotamia. From the Sumerians to Alexander the Great. CHBeck, Munich 2004.
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Lugal-Zagesi |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Sumerian ruler |
DATE OF BIRTH | 24th century BC Chr. |
DATE OF DEATH | 24th century BC Chr. |