Meskalamdug helmet, British Museumelectrotype copy, original is in the Iraq Museum, Baghdad. The holes around the border suggest that another piece was normally affixed, as for example in the full mask attributed toSargon of Akkad. The hairbun attached at the back of the head is visible in other rulers as well, such as Sargon orEannatum in theStele of the Vultures.
Meskalamdug (𒈩𒌦𒄭,Meskalamdùg[mes-KALAM-du10][1] "hero of the good land";fl.c. 2550 BC)[2] was an earlySumerian ruler of theFirst Dynasty of Ur in the 26th century BCE. He does not appear in theSumerian King List, but is known from a royal cylinder seal found in theRoyal Cemetery at Ur, a royal bead inscription found inMari, both mentioning him as King, and possibly his tomb, grave PG 755 at the Royal Cemetery at Ur.
It has been suggested thatPuabi may have been his second queen.[3]
The existence of a "King Meskalamdug" is known for certain, from a seal discovered at theRoyal Cemetery of Ur (cylinder sealU 11751, discovered in the tomb of a queen, PG 1054),[4] which bears the titleMeskalamdug Lugal (𒈩𒌦𒄭 𒈗) "King Meskalamdug".[5][6][7] The same name of "Meskalamdug" has been found inscribed on the grave goods of tomb PG 755 at the Royal Cemetery of Ur, but without the title "King", which has raised doubts about the identification of King Meskalamdug with the young man found in that rather small grave.[5]
The seal is made of shell, with a core inlapis-lazuli. It shows two crossed lions attacking bulls, withEnkidu and a naked man in profile participating to the fight.[8] It is now in theBritish Museum (BM 122536).[9]
Seal of King Meskalamdug, with inscriptionMeskalamdug Lugal (𒈩𒌦𒄭 𒈗) "King Meskalamdug".[10]
InscriptionMeskalamdug Lugal (𒈩𒌦𒄭 𒈗) "King Meskalamdug", on the seal (upper left corner)
"To god Lugalkalam ("the Lord of the Land", identified withDagan orEnlil),Mesannepada, king ofUr, son of Meskalamdug, king ofKish, has consecrated this bead""
It is unclear how this bead came to be in Mari, which was quite far from Ur (about 700 kilometers to the northwest), but this points to some kind of relation between Ur and Mari at that time.[17] The bead was discovered in a jar containing other objects from Ur or Kish, probably used as a dedication to a local temple.[18] The God "Lugal-kalam" (𒀭𒈗𒌦, "Lord of the Land") to whom the dedication is made, is otherwise known in a dedication by a local ruler Šaba (Šalim) of Mari, also as Lugal-kalam, or in the dedication ofIshtup-Ilum where he is named "Lugal-mātim" (𒀭𒈗𒈤𒁴, "Lord of the Land"), and is considered identical with the local deityDagan, orEnlil.[19]
The tomb of Meskalamdug,PG 755, discovered by English archaeologistSir Leonard Woolley in theRoyal Cemetery of Ur in 1924, contained numerous gold artifacts including a golden helmet with an inscription of the king's name.[23] By observing the contents of this royal grave, it is made clear that this ancient civilization was quite wealthy. His wife's name was queenNinbanda. Meskalamdug was also mentioned on a seal in another tomb with the titlelugal (king), however because his own tomb lacked attendants, Woolley assumed that he was not royal. The controversy remains though, because he is named on abead inscription discovered inMari by French archaeologistAndré Parrot ten years later, as the father of kingMesannepada of Ur, who appears in the king list and in many other inscriptions.[23]
Since tomb PG 755 lacks the monumental scale and splendor of other royal tombs at the Royal Cemetery of Ur, it has been suggested that it was not the tomb of king Meskalamdug himself, but rather a young prince of the same name, for example a son of king Meskalamdug and queen Nibanda.[5][24][25] Julian Reade has suggested that tomb PG 755 was the tomb of a "Prince Meskalamdug", and that the actual tomb of the King Meskalamdug, known from seal U 11751, was tomb PG 789.[5] Alternatively, it may be more likely that the Meskalamdug of the inscriptions in tomb PG 755, and the Meskalamdug of the royal seal are simply the same person, who took the royal titlelugal at a late stage of his life.[26]
Grave of Meskalamdug (PG 755, "A")
Grave of Meskalamdug (PG 755, marked "B" on the left), next to royal tomb ofUr-Pabilsag (PG 779, marked "A" in the center) and tomb of Ur-Pabilsag's queen on the right (PG 777, "C")
Tomb PG 789 appears in "E", just behind Tomb PG 755
According to Julian Reade, tomb PG 755 was the tomb of a "Prince Meskalamdug", but the actual tomb of King Meskalamdug, known from seal U 11751, is more likely to be royal tomb PG 789.[5] This tomb has been called "the King's grave", where the remains of numerous royal attendants and many beautiful objects were recovered, and is located right next to the tomb of QueenPuabi, thought to be the second wife of King Meskalamdug.[5][27]
Funeral disposition in the great death pit, PG 789. The King's tomb would be the dome in the back (reconstitution).
Plan of tomb PG 789.
Bull head in a lyre.
Bull-headed lyre recovered from the royal cemetery of Ur Iraq 2550-2450 BCE
Nacre plate on lyre, with anthropomorphic animals, PG 789.
Plate from PG 789.
Spear blades, PG 789.
Copper Alloy Helmet & Crushed Head of Royal Guard, PG 789.
Weapons from tomb PG 789
Silver model of a boat, tomb PG 789, 2600-2500 BCE
^Hall, H. R. (Harry Reginald); Woolley, Leonard; Legrain, Leon (1934).Ur excavations. Trustees of the Two Museums by the aid of a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. p. Plates 163, 191.
^Hall, H. R. (Harry Reginald); Woolley, Leonard; Legrain, Leon (1900).Ur excavations. Trustees of the Two Museums by the aid of a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. pp. 97–98.
^Hall, H. R. (Harry Reginald); Woolley, Leonard; Legrain, Leon (1900).Ur excavations. Trustees of the Two Museums by the aid of a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. p. 340, item 55.
^Hall, H. R. (Harry Reginald); Woolley, Leonard; Legrain, Leon (1900).Ur excavations. Trustees of the Two Museums by the aid of a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. p. 316.
^Hall, H. R. (Harry Reginald); Woolley, Leonard; Legrain, Leon (1934).Ur excavations. Trustees of the Two Museums by the aid of a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. p. Plate 163.
^ab"Behind the deceased's head was agold helmet. He held in his hands a gold bowl inscribed with the name Meskalamdug. In the coffin, for example, were gold and silver lamps, a second gold bowl inscribed with the name Meskalamdug, and electrum ax heads. On the northeast side opposite the upper part of the body was a substantial collection of jewelry" inHansen, Donald P.; Pittman, Holly (1998).Treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology. pp. 24–25.ISBN9780924171543.
^"Woolley assumed that there were two people called Meskalamdug, but it is more likely that we are dealing with one individual, whose grave furniture reflected his importance in temple hierarchy, and who at a later stage of his life assumed the titlelugal as inscribed on the seal found in PG1054." inUr. Iraqi Cultural Centre. 1981. p. 37.
^Hall, H. R. (Harry Reginald); Woolley, Leonard; Legrain, Leon (1900).Ur excavations. Trustees of the Two Museums by the aid of a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. p. 63.
![Seal of King Meskalamdug, with inscription Meskalamdug Lugal (𒈩𒌦𒄭 𒈗) "King Meskalamdug".[10]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aSeal_of_King_Meskalamdug.jpg)
![Transcription of the Mari bead.[20]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMesannepada_bead_from_Mari.jpg)
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