ENTEMENA
![](400px-Statue_of_Entemena,_Iraq_Museum.jpg)
Statue
of Entemena, Iraq Museum. The statue has a long inscription on the
back dedicated to Enlil
![](lagesh.jpg)
Entemena
was king of Lagash, circa 2400 BC
Entemena,
also called Enmetena (Sumerian: EN-TE-ME-NA), flourished 2400 BC,
was a son of Yuwanashwa / En-anna-tum I, and he re-established Lagash
as a power in Sumer. He defeated Il, king of Umma, in a territorial
conflict, through an alliance with Lugal-kinishe-dudu of Uruk, successor
to Enshakushanna, who is in the king list. The tutelary deity Shul-utula
was his personal deity. According to Jones (2012), his rule lasted
29 years.
Territory
:
Entemena of Lagash controlled the cities of southern Mesopotamia,
from Badtibira to Uruk:
"At
that time, Entemena built and reconstructed the E-mush, his beloved
temple, in Badtibira, for the god Lugalemush, (and) he set free
the citizens of Uruk, Larsa, and Badtibira."
-
Inscriptions of Entemena.
Alliance treaty :
![](164px-Cone_of_Entemena_mentioning_the_alliance_with_Lugal-kinishe-dudu.jpg)
![](396px-Entemena_Ensi_Lagash-ki_on_the_Treaty_Cone_of_Entemena.jpg)
"Entemena
Ensi Lagash-ki" on the Treaty Cone of Entemena, king of Lagash,
to god of Bad-Tibira, about the peace treaty between Lagash and
Uruk. This text is the oldest known diplomatic document. Dated circa
2400 BC. British Museum.
The most remarkable document in which he is mentioned is a clay
nail found in Girsu and commemorating the alliance which he concluded
with Lugal-kinishe-dudu of Uruk, the oldest mention of a peace treaty
between two kings that we know :
1st line :
Dinanna-ra / Dlugal-e2-muš3-ra / en-mete-na / ensi2 / lagaški-ke4
/ e2-muš3 e2 ki-ag2-ga2-ne-ne / mu-ne-du3 / KIBgunû mu-na-du11
/ en-mete-na / lu2 e2-muš3 du3-a
2nd line :
D-ra-ni / dšul-utul12-am6 / u4-ba en-mete-na / ensi2 / lagaški
/ lugal-ki-ne2-eš2-du7-du7 / ensi2 / unuki-bi / nam-šeš
e-ak
1st
line :
"For Inanna / and Lugal-emuš / Enmetena / ruler / of Lagaš,
/ the E-muš, their beloved temple, / built / and ordered (these)
clay nails for them. / Enmetena, / who built the E-muš,"
2nd line :
"his personal god / is Šul-utul. / At that time, Enmetena,
/ ruler / of Lagaš, / and Lugal-kineš-dudu, / ruler /
of Uruk, / established brotherhood."
- Alliance treaty between Entemana and Lugal-kinishe-dudu.
![](640px-Foundation_nail_Entemena_Louvre_AO22934.jpg)
Another
example of the foundation nail dedicated by Entemena, king of Lagash,
to god of Bad-Tibira, about the peace treaty between Lagash and
Uruk. Louvre Museum
![](Cuneiforms_for_Entemena.jpg)
Cuneiforms
for "Entemena" on the Harvard cone
Territorial
conflict with King Il of Umma :
![](640px-Entemena_ensi_Lagash-ki.jpg)
"Entemena,
Governor of Lagash"
Entemena
ensi Lagash-ki
Entemena
entered in a territorial conflict with Il, king of Umma, as mentioned
in the "war inscription" on his cone in the Louvre Museum
:
"He
(Il, Governor of Umma) diverted water from the boundary-channel
of Ningirsu and the boundary-channel of Nanshe (...). When because
of those channels, Enmetena, the governor of Lagash, sent envoys
to Il, Il, the governor of Umma, who steals fields (and) speaks
evil, declared: ‘The boundary-channel of Ningirsu (and) the
boundary-channel of Nanshe are mine! I will shift the boundary-levee
from Antasura to Edimgalabzu!’ But Enlil (and) Ninhursang
did not give it to him."
Il
was defeated by Entemena, who had sought the aid of Lugal-kinishe-dudu
of Uruk, successor to Enshakushanna, who is in the king list.
War
inscription by Entemena of Lagaš :
Foundation cone of Entemena :
A foundation cone of Entemena, in excellent condition relates the
beginning of a war between the city-states of Lagaš and Umma
during the Early Dynastic III period, one of the earliest border
conflicts recorded. (RIME 1.09.05.01). This text was inscribed on
a small clay cone c. 2400 BC (Louvre Museum, reference AO 3004).
The first row of cuneiform characters reads :
Cone
of Entemena
![](342px-Sumerian_Cuneiform_Stone_Cone._Cone_of_Enmetena,_king_of_Lagash.jpg)
Cone
of Enmetena, king of Lagash, Room 236 Reference AO 3004, Louvre
Museum (upside down)
![](640px-Cone_of_Entemena.jpg)
Transcription
of the cone of Entemena
I.1 - 7 :
den-lil2 lugal kur-kur-ra ab-ba dig~ir-dig~ir-re2-ne-ke4 inim gi-na-ni-ta
dnin-g~ir2-su dšara2-bi ki e-ne-sur
"Enlil, king of all the lands, father of all the gods, by his
firm command, fixed the border between Ningirsu and Šara."
8 - 12 :
me-silim lugal kiški-ke4 inim dištaran-na-ta eš2
gana2 be2-ra ki-ba na bi2-ru2
"Mesilim, king of Kiš, at the command of Ištaran,
measured the field and set up a stele there."
13 - 17 :
uš ensi2 ummaki-ke4 nam inim-ma diri-diri-še3 e-ak
"Ush, ruler of Umma, acted unspeakably."
18 - 21 :
na-ru2-a-bi i3-pad edin lagaški-še3 i3-g~en
"He ripped out that stele and marched toward the plain of Lagaš."
22 - 27 :
dnin-g~ir2-su ur-sag den-lil2-la2-ke4 inim si-sa2-ni-ta ummaki-da
dam-?a-ra e-da-ak
"Ningirsu, warrior of Enlil, at his just command, made war
with Umma."
28 - 31 :
inim den-lil2-la2-ta sa šu4 gal bi2-šu4 SA?AR.DU6.TAKA4-bi
eden-na ki ba-ni-us2-us2
"At Enlil's command, he threw his great battle net over it
and heaped up burial mounds for it on the plain."
32 - 38 :
e2-an-na-tum2 ensi2 lagaški pa-bil3-ga en-mete-na ensi2 lagaški-ka-ke4
"Eannatum, ruler of Lagash, uncle of Entemena, ruler of Lagaš"
39 - 42 :
en-a2-kal-le ensi2 ummaki-da ki e-da-sur
"fixed the border with Enakalle, ruler of Umma"
Net cylinder of Entemena :
![](640px-Net_cylinder_of_Entemena.jpg)
"Net
cylinder" of Entemena, the second known cylinder describing
the border conflict between Lagash and Umma. The textual content
is identical to the cone cylinder
The "Net cylinder" of Entemena is a cylinder of a peculiar
design, with a net pattern on the bottom, which is the second known
cylinder describing the border conflict between Lagash and Umma.
The content is identical to the cone cylinder. It is located in
the Yale Babylonian Collection.
![](640px-Entemena_Net_Cylinder_Transcription.jpg)
Full
text of the War inscription by Entemena, in the Net Cylinder
![](Mesilim_Lugal_Kish-ki_on_the_Net_Vase_of_Entemena.jpg)
Mesilim
Lugal Kish-ki, "Mesilim, King of Kish", on the "Net
Cylinder" of Entemena
Statue
of Entemena :
![](400px-Statue_of_Entemena,_Iraq_Museum.jpg)
The
statue of Entemena back in the National Museum of Iraq, following
its rescue
Entemena has one of the earliest statues of a known king from Mesopotamia.
It is made of diorite, and is 76 centimeters tall. Entemena, although
ruler of the city-state of Lagash, wears the typical dress of a
devotee: a kaunakes fleeced skirt with a tassel in the back. He
is clasping his hands at the chest, in a typical pose of perpetual
attendance before the deity.
The
statue of Entemena reflects a style of which a few other examples
are known from Mesopotamia, such as the statue of Ikun-Shamash from
Mari, the statue of Enzi from Der, or the statue of Lugal-dalu,
which still has its head intact.
The
statue of Entemena has a very long cuneiform inscription on the
side (right arm) and on the back. It includes the names and titles
of Entemena, and the mention "Enlil (the supreme Sumerian god)
loves Entemena".
The
statue was housed in the National Museum of Iraq. In May 2003 the
statue was stolen during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It was found
in New York and returned in 2010.
![](638px-Detail,_statue_of_Entemena,_ruler_of_Lagash,_c._2400_BCE,_from_Ur,_Iraq,_at_the_Iraq_Museum.jpg)
Detail
showing the cuneiform inscription on the right upper arm of the
statue of Entemena
![](640px-Detail,_statue_of_Entemena,_ruler_of_Lagash,_c._2400_BCE,_from_Ur,_Iraq._Iraq_Museum.jpg)
Detail
showing the cuneiform inscription on the back of the upper torso
of the statue of Entemena
![](640px-Entemena_ensi_of_Lagash_on_the_statue_of_Entemena_(right_shoulder).jpg)
"Entemena
ensi of Lagash" on the right shoulder of the statue of Entemena
Silver
vase of Entemena :
![](398px-Vase_Entemena_Louvre_AO2674.jpg)
Silver
vase, with decorated panels, inscribed with cuneiform around rim.
Louvre Museum
A tripod of silver dedicated by Entemena to his god is now in the
Louvre. A frieze of lions devouring ibexes and deer, incised with
great artistic skill, runs round the neck, while the eagle crest
of Lagash adorns the globular part. The vase is a proof of the high
degree of excellence to which the goldsmith's art had already attained.
A vase of calcite, also dedicated by Entemena, has been found at
Nippur. The inscription of the neck of the silver vase reads:
"For
Ningirsu, the foremost warrior of Enlil. Entemena, the ensi of Lagash,
whom Nanshe had chosen in her heart, the great ensi of Ningirsu,
the son of Enannatum, the ensi of Lagash, made for Ningirsu, the
king who loved him, a vase of pure silver and stone (?), out of
which Ningirsu drinks, and brought it to the Ningirsu of the Eninnu,
for his life. At that time, Dudu was the sanga of Ningirsu."
![](640px-Vase_Entemena_Louvre_AO2674_(script)_circa_2400_BCE.jpg)
Cuneiform
dedication on the vase of Entemena
![](640px-Entemena_vase_inscription.jpg)
Entemena
vase inscription
![](640px-Entemena_vase_motif.jpg)
Entemena
vase motif, with the eagle of Lagash
Foundation
tablets :
![](640px-20131205_Istanbul_045.jpg)
A
votive tablet of Entemena, made of alabaster, with its foundation
nail. Museum of the Ancient Orient, Istanbul
Several votive tablets in the name of Entemena are known. They usually
records Entemena's name, title and filiation, and his accomplishment
in establishing temples or devotional images. The tablets are often
associated with a "foundation nail", called temen ("foundation")
in Sumerian, which was inserted into the ground under the foundation
of temples, together with the inscribed tablets and offerings such
as jewelry or small statuettes of protective divinities.
![](640px-Tablet_of_Entemena.jpg)
An
inscription of Entemena to Ningirsu: "... Entemena, ensi of
Lagash, son of Enannatum, ensi of Lagash, grandson of Ur-Nanshe,
king of Lagash ..."
![](360px-Votive_tablet_of_Entemena.jpg)
Votive
tablet of Entemena to Ningirsu: "... Entemena, ensi of Lagash,
son of Enannatum, ensi of Lagash, grandson of Ur-Nanshe, king of
Lagash ..."
![](640px-Inscribed_stone_tablet_of_Entemena,_2400_BCE._From_Lagash,_Iraq._Pergamon_Museum.jpg)
Inscribed
stone tablet of Entemena. Pergamon Museum
Perforated
plate of Dudu :
![](578px-Louvre_Relief_Dudu_AO2394_(central_hole_corrected).jpg)
Votive
plaque of Dudu, Priest of Ningirsu, during the reign of Entemena,
Patesi of Shirpurla. Louvre Museum
Another artifact related to Entemena is a votive plaque beating
the name of Dudu, priest of Lagash for Ningirsu in Entemena's time.
Dudu is known as priest of Lagash under Entemena from the last line
of the inscription on the silver vase of Entemena. The plate was
made out of bitumen, a rather distinctive feature, as most such
plaques were made of limestone or gypsum. The plaque depicts various
scenes: a standing man in a kaunakes holding a walking stick, a
resting cow, and the symbol of Lagash: an eagle holding two lions,
although the lions are uncharacteristically biting back at the wings
of the eagle. A symbolic wave pattern at the bottom of the plate
is thought to symbolize the flow of water.
It
is inscribed with the following text: "For Ningirsu of the
Eninnu, Dudu, priest of Ningirsu ... brought [this material] and
fashioned it as a mace stand." The exact function of the plaque
is unknown: it has been interpreted as a mace-holder, a plaque to
be nailed into the wall of a temple, or a door panel.
![](640px-Eagle_of_Lagash.jpg)
The
eagle, symbol of Lagash, at the time of Entemena
![](619px-Dudu_relief_resting_cow.jpg)
The
resting cow
Other
artifacts :
Door sockets in the name of Entemena, or the plaque of the priest
Dudu, associated with Entemena in another inscription, are among
the other famous artifacts related to Entemena.
![](640px-Detail,_door-hinge,_inscribed_with_the_name_of_Entemena_of_Lagash,_c._2400_BCE,_from_Iraq._Pergamon_Museum.jpg)
Detail
of a door-socket, inscribed with the name of Entemena. Vorderasiatisches
Museum, Germany
![](623px-Hinge_bearing_Entemena_Louvre_MNB1418.jpg)
Tael
(door socket) of Entemena, with cuneiform inscription. Louvre Museum
![](640px-Entemena_Ensi_Lagashki.jpg)
Entemena
Ensi Lagashki, "Etemena, Ensi of Lagash"
![](602px-Sumerian_goddess_Nisaba,_the_name_of_Entemena_is_inscribed,_c._2430_BC,_from_Southern_Mesopotamia,_Iraq.jpg)
Sumerian
goddess Nisaba, the name of Entemena is inscribed, c. 2430 BC, from
Iraq. Vorderasiatisches Museum, Germany
![](640px-An_Inscribed_stand%27s_head_mentioning_the_name_of_Entemena,_ruler_of_Lagash,_early_dynastic_period,_c._2400_BCE._Sulaymaniyah_Museum.jpg)
An
Inscribed stand's head mentioning the name of Entemena, ruler of
Lagash, c. 2400 BCE. Sulaymaniyah Museum, Iraq
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Entemena