Prisoner in a cage, probably king Lugalzagesi ofUruk due to his oversize figure, being hit on the head with a mace bySargon of Akkad.[3] Akkadian Empire victory stele c. 2300 BC.Louvre Museum.
Lugal-Zage-Si (LUGAL.ZAG.GE.SI𒈗𒍠𒄀𒋛; frequently spelledLugalzaggesi, sometimesLugalzagesi or "Lugal-Zaggisi") ofUmma (diedc. 2334 BC) was the lastSumerian king before the conquest of Sumer bySargon of Akkad and the rise of theAkkadian Empire, and was considered as the only king of the third dynasty ofUruk, according to theSumerian King List. Initially, as king ofUmma, he led the final victory of Umma in the generation-long conflict with the city-stateLagash for the fertile plain ofGu-Edin. Following up on this success, he then united Sumer briefly as a single kingdom.[5]
"Lugal-zagesi-si, King ofUruk, King of the Land, priest of Ana, prophet ofNidaba; the son of Ukush,patesi of Umma, the prophet ofNidaba; he who was favourably regarded by Ana, the king of the lands; the great patesi ofEnlil; endowed with understanding byEnki; whose name was spoken by Babbar (the Sun-god), the chief minister ofEnzu (the Moon-god), the representative of Babbar, the patron ofNinni, the son ofNidaba, who was nourished with holy milk byNinkharsag, the servant of the god Mes, who is the priest of Uruk, the pupil of Ninabukkhadu, the mistress of Uruk, the Great Minister of the gods".
Approximate territory ofSumer under its last king Lugal-Zage-Si, in orange, before the rise of theAkkadian Empire. Circa 2350 BC.Battle between the Sumerians (left) and the Semites, armed with bows and arrows. 20th century reconstitution.
Lugal-Zage-Si pursued an expansionist foreign policy. He began his career asénsi of Umma, from where he conquered several of the Sumerian city-states. In the seventh year of his reign,Uruk fell under the leadership of Lugal-Zage-Si,énsi ofUmma, who ultimately annexed most of the territory ofLagash under kingUrukagina, and established the first reliably documented kingdom to encompass all of Sumer. The destruction of Lagash was described in a lament (possibly the earliest recorded example of what would become a prolific Sumerian literary genre), which stressed that:
"The man of Umma ... committed a sin againstNingirsu. ... Offence there was none in Urukagina,king of Girsu, but as forLugal-Zage-Si,governor of Umma, may his goddessNisaba make him carry his sin upon his neck" (alternatively – "may she carry his sin upon her neck").
Lugal-Zage-Si claimed in his inscription thatEnlil gave to him "all the lands between the upper and the lower seas", that is, between theMediterranean Sea and thePersian Gulf:[14]
"When Enlil, the king of all the lands, gave the kingship of the Land to Lugalzagesi, he justifyed "eyes" of the Land; he made all the lands throw themselves at his feet; from the rising of the sun to the setting of the sun, he made them prostrate before him."
Although his incursion to the Mediterranean was, in the eyes of some modern scholars, not much more than "a successful raiding party", the inscription "marks the first time that a Sumerian prince claimed to have reached what was, for them, the western edge of the world".[14] (Historical accounts from much later tablets asserted thatLugal-Anne-Mundu ofAdab, a slightly earlier king, had also conquered as far as the Mediterranean and the Taurus mountains, but contemporary records for the entire period before Sargon are still far too sketchy to permit scholars to reconstruct actual events with great confidence.)
Lugal-Zage-Si himself was in turn defeated and his kingdom was annexed bySargon of Akkad. According to later Babylonian versions of Sargon's inscriptions, Sargon of Akkad captured Lugal-Zage-Si after destroying the walls of Uruk, and led him in a neck-stock to Enlil's temple inNippur:
"Sargon, king ofAkkad, overseer ofInanna, king ofKish, anointed of Anu, king of the land, governor ofEnlil: he defeated the city ofUruk and tore down its walls, in the battle of Uruk he won, tookLugalzagesi king of Uruk in the course of the battle, and led him in a collar to the gate ofEnlil".
— Inscription of Sargon (Old Babylonian copy fromNippur).[16]
TheNippur vase contains an extensive dedicatory inscription by Lugalzagesi, which has been reconstructed from the fragments of the vase:[17][2]
Nippur vase inscription of Lugalzagesi[18][17][19]
Nippur vase of Lugalzagesi, reconstructed text, and some of the fragments.[17]
"ForEnlil, king of all the lands - Lugalzagesi, king ofUruk, king of the nation, incantation-priest ofAn, lumaḫ-priest ofNisaba, son ofU-U, ruler ofUmma and lumaḫ-priest ofNisaba, looked upon truly byAn the king of all the lands, chief ruler of Enlil, given wisdom byEnki, nominated byUtu, chief minister ofSuen, military governor of Utu, one who provides forInanna, son born of Nisaba, fed rich milk byNinhursaga, a man ofMes-sanga-Unuga, servant raised byNingirim the queen of Uruk, chief steward of the gods -
When Enlil, king of all the lands, had given to Lugalzagesi the kingship of the nation, and had let the eyes of the nation be directed toward him, and had placed all the lands at his feet, and had made lands from east to west subject to him, then, from the sea, the lower one, along theTigris and theEuphrates to the sea the upper one, he put their roads in proper order for him. From east to west Enlil let him have no rival. All the lands in riverine meadows rested (contentedly) under him, and the nation was happily making merry under him. All those on thrones in Sumer and the rulers of foreign lands, they determine(?) for him the divine power of princeship unto the land of Uruk. In those days, Uruk spent its days under him in rejoicing.Ur, like a bull, did lift up its head skyward under him.Larsa, the beloved city ofUtu, happily made merry under him.Umma, the beloved city ofŠara, lifted up its great horns under him. The land ofZabala, like an ewe stripped of a lamb, did cry out under him. Ki'ana lifted up its neck skyward under him.
Lugalzagesi, king of Uruk and king of the nation, solicitously(?) serves very large food offerings to Enlil his master in Nippur, and he pours out sweet water for him. If Enlil, king of all the lands, should say to An, his beloved father, a prayer on my behalf, may he add to my life (additional) life! May the land in riverine meadows rest (contentedly) under me, may the people like sweet-smelling grasses spread out widely under me, may the breast of heaven function properly under me, and may the nation behold a pleasant place under me. May the favorable destiny, which they (An and Enlil) have determined, never alter for me! May I be forever a proud shepherd! He dedicated it (this vessel) to Enlil, his beloved master, for his life".[18][17][19]
Lamentation about the fall of Lagash to Lugalzagesi,Urukagina period, circa 2350 BCE Tello, ancient Girsu.[20][21]
"Lugalzagesi, Governor ofUmma" (𒈗𒍠𒄀𒋛 𒑐𒋼𒋛 𒄑𒆵𒆠,Lugalzagesi ensi Ummaki) in the "Lamentation about the ruin of Lagash".[22]
Prisoners escorted by a soldier, on a victory stele of Sargon of Akkad, circa 2300 BCE.[23] The hairstyle of the prisoners (curly hair on top and short hair on the sides) is characteristic of Sumerians, as also seen on theStandard of Ur.[24]Louvre Museum.
^Nigro, Lorenzo (1998). "The Two Steles of Sargon: Iconology and Visual Propaganda at the Beginning of Royal Akkadian Relief".Iraq.60. British Institute for the Study of Iraq:85–102.doi:10.2307/4200454.JSTOR4200454.
^THUREAU-DANGIN, F. (1904). "La Ruine de Shirpourla (Lagash): Sous le Règne d'Ouroukagina".Revue d'Assyriologie et d'archéologie orientale.6 (1):26–32.ISSN0373-6032.JSTOR23275695.
^Nigro, Lorenzo (1998). "The Two Steles of Sargon: Iconology and Visual Propaganda at the Beginning of Royal Akkadian Relief".Iraq.60. British Institute for the Study of Iraq:85–102.doi:10.2307/4200454.JSTOR4200454.
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![Lamentation about the fall of Lagash to Lugalzagesi, Urukagina period, circa 2350 BCE Tello, ancient Girsu.[20][21]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aLamentation_about_the_ruin_of_Lagash%2c_Uru-Ka-gina_period%2c_circa_2350_BCE_Tello%2c_ancient_Girsu.jpg)
!["Lugalzagesi, Governor of Umma" (𒈗𒍠𒄀𒋛 𒑐𒋼𒋛 𒄑𒆵𒆠, Lugalzagesi ensi Ummaki) in the "Lamentation about the ruin of Lagash".[22]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aLugalzagesi_ensi_Ummaki_(with_transcription).jpg)
![Prisoners escorted by a soldier, on a victory stele of Sargon of Akkad, circa 2300 BCE.[23] The hairstyle of the prisoners (curly hair on top and short hair on the sides) is characteristic of Sumerians, as also seen on the Standard of Ur.[24] Louvre Museum.](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aPrisoners_on_the_victory_stele_of_an_Akkadian_king_circa_2300_BCE_Louvre_Museum_Sb_3.jpg)
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