The Pre-Babylonian Period
begins about 3100 B.C. and continued to the rise of the city of
Babylon,
about 2050 B.C. This period was a time of succesive city kingdoms.
When first traceable in written records, Lagash in the south and
Kish in
the north were the rival cities. Lagash was ruled by a king,
Enkhegal. A little later Meselim, King of Kish,
conquered all of southern Babylonia, including Lagash. After Meselim
died, Ur-Nina founded a new dynasty at Lagash and became
independant. Ur-Nina's grandson, Eannatum, raised the
power of Lagash to its greatest height, conquering all the cities of
Babylonia, even Kish. The Elamites were always invading the fertile
plains of Babylonia, so Ennatum ascended the eastern mountains and
subjugated Elam. George A. Barton, Archaeology and the Bible, 7th
Edition, p. 62-63 Lagash and Umma were two Sumerian cities
located 18 miles apart. These documents were found on clay cylinders
and date from about 2500 BC At the time of the events recorded here,
Entemena is king of Lagash. His uncle, Eannatum, had been king
earlier and was responsible for the treaty with Lagash mentioned in
these documents. The names of the rulers of Lagash are confusing:
Eannatum was king of Lagash at the time the original treaty with Umma
was negotiated. Enannatum was Eannatum's brother and succeeded him on
the throne. Entemena, Enannatum's son and Eannatum's nephew, was king
of Lagash at the time of the dispute described in the
documents. By the immutable word of Enlil, king of the
lands, father of the gods, Ningirsu and Shara set a boundary to their
lands. Mesilim, King of Kish, at the command of his deity Kadi, set
up a stele [a boundary marker] in the plantation of that
field. Ush, ruler of Umma, formed a plan to seize it.
That stele he broke in pieces, into the plain of Lagash he advanced.
Ningirsu, the hero of Enlil, by his just command, made war upon Umma.
At the command of Enlil, his great net ensnared them. He erected
their burial mound on the plain in that place. Eannatum, ruler of Lagash, brother of the
father of Entemena [who put up this inscription] ... for
Enakalli, ruler of Umma, set the border to the land. He carried
a canal from the great river to Guedin . He opened the field of
Ningirsu on its border for 210 spans to the power of Umma. He ordered
the royal field not to be seized. At the canal he inscribed a stele.
He returned the stele of Mesilim to its place. He did not encroach on
the plain of Mesilim. At the boundary-line of Ningirsu, as a
protecting structure, he built the sanctuary of Enlil, the sanctuary
of Ninkhursag .... By harvesting, the men of Umma had eaten one
storehouse-full of the grain of Nina [goddess of Oracles], the grain
of Ningirsu; he caused them to bear a penalty. They brought 144,000
gur,, a
great storehouse full, [as repayment]. The taking of this grain was
not to be repeated in the future. Urlumma, ruler of Umma drained the boundary
canal of Ningirsu, the boundary canal of Nina; those steles he threw
into the fire, he broke [them] in pieces; he destroyed the
sanctuaries, the dwellings of the gods, the protecting shrines, the
buildings that had been made. He was as puffed up as the mountains;
he crossed over the boundary canal of Ningirsu. Enannatum, ruler of
Lagash, went into battle in the field of Ugigga, the irrigated field
of Ningirsu. Entemena, the beloved son of Enannatum, completely
overthrew him. Urlumma fled. In the midst of Umma he killed him. He
left behind 60 soldiers of his force [dead] on the bank of the canal
"Meadow- recognized-as-holy-from-the-great-dagger." He left these
men-their bones on the plain. He heaped up mounds for them in 5
places. Then Ili Priest of Ininni of Esh in Girsu, he established as
a vassal ruler over Umma. Ili, took the ruler of Umma into his hand. He
drained the boundary canal of Ningirsu, a great protecting structure
of Ningirsu, unto the bank of the Tigris above from the banks of
Girsu. He took the grain of Lagash, a storehouse of 3600
gur .
Entemena, ruler of Lagash declared hostilities on Ili, whom for a
vassal he had set up. Ili, ruler of Umma, wickedly flooded the dyked
and irrigated field; he commanded that the boundary canal of
Ningirsu; the boundary canal of Nina be ruined.... Enlil and
Ninkhursag did not permit [this to happen]. Entemena, ruler of
Lagash, whose name was spoken by Ningirsu, restored their canal to
its place according to the righteous word of Enlil, according to the
righteous word of Nina, their canal which he had constructed from the
river Tigris to the great river, the protecting structure, its
foundation he had made of stone ....
Based on: George A. Barton, "Inscription of
Entemena #7" in: The Royal Inscriptions
of Sumer and Akkad (New Haven, CT;
Yale Univ., 1929) pp. 61, 63 and 65. Copyright 1998 by David W.
Koeller. dkoeller@northpark.edu. For educational purposes only