Enheduanna was the daughter of Sargon of Akkad.
Her existence was rediscovered in 1927, with the excavation of the temple complex of Giparu the ancient city of Ur, birthplace of Abraham (son of Terah). Discovered was an alabaster disk with her name, in association with that of her father's.
Sargon of Akkad, also known as Sargon the Great, was the first ruler of the Akkadian Empire. In a surviving inscription Sargon styles himself "Sargon, king of Akkad, overseer (mashkim) of Inanna, king of Kish*, anointed (guda) of Anu, king of the land [Mesopotamia], governor (ensi) of Enlil."
The Sumerian King List makes him the cup-bearer to King Ur-Zababa of Kish, who is listed on the Sumerian King List as the second king of the 4th Dynasty of Kish.
King Ur-Zababa's grandmother was Kubaba, the Mesopotamian queen who according to the Sumerian King List ruled over Kish for a hundred years before the rise of the dynasty of Akshak.
Ur of the Chaldeans, is mentioned in the Bible as the birthplace of Abraham, the patriarch of the Israelites and the Ishmaelites.
King Amar-Sin may have been king at the time of Abraham. He is otherwise known to have campaigned against Elamite rulers such as Arwilukpi of Marhashi*, and the Ur Empire under his reign extended as far as the northern provinces of Lullubi and Hamazi, with their own governors. He also ruled over Assur through the Akkadian governor Zariqum, as confirmed by his monumental inscription.
In the Bible, Genesis 10:22, Assur (Ashur) is the son of Shem, one of the three sons of Noah. Shem remaining sons were Elam (from whom came the Elamites), Arphaxad, Lud and Aram.
Enheduanna composed 42 temple hymns and three stand-alone poems that, like the Epic of Gilgamesh, are consider an important part of Mesopotamia's literary legacy.
The literary history of Gilgamesh begins with five Sumerian poems about Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, some of which may date back to the Third Dynasty of Ur (c. 2100 BC).
She played an essential role helping bind together the northern Mesopotamian region of Akkad, where Sargon first rose to power, before he went on to capture the Sumerian city-states in the south.
*With the collapse of Sumerian civilisation in c.2004, record-keeping becomes fragmentary for a period of approximately two centuries. Elam fills the power vacuum in the east but records from that state are fragmentary at the best of times. By the time Mesopotamia has restored a level of cohesiveness, Marhashi has either ceased to exist as an entity, or is known by a different name.
"After the kingship descended from heaven, the kingship was in Eridug."
Cush was the father of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah—which is the great city. -Gen.10.8-12
In the year that the supreme commander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it— at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz. He said to him, “Take off the sackcloth from your body and the sandals from your feet.” And he did so, going around stripped and barefoot. Then the Lord said, “Just as my servant Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years, as a sign and portent against Egypt and Cush, so the king of Assyria will lead away stripped and barefoot the Egyptian captives and Cushite exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared—to Egypt’s shame. Those who trusted in Cush and boasted in Egypt will be dismayed and put to shame. In that day the people who live on this coast will say, ‘See what has happened to those we relied on, those we fled to for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?’” -Isaiah 20:1-6
In the Bible (1 Samuel 9:1-2), Kish was the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bekorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. His son, Saul, became the first king of the Kingdom of Israel (r. 1050-1011 BC).
---
Like this post? Stop by and read “Puabi: Queen of the Chaldeans at Ur, Mesopotamia.” Queen Puabi ruled the Mesopotamian city-state of Ur around 2500 B.C. She died around 4,500 years ago, during the First Dynasty of Ur. Inscriptions on the cylinder seal found in her tomb do not mention her husband, suggesting that she ruled in her own right.
I'd love to have you as a customer, head to the online store and shop for handcrafted beaded jewelry by beYOUteous.
Leave a comment