Shulgi: Did you mean...?

The Death of Gilgamesh is a Sumerian poem relating the death and afterlife of the famous hero-king of Uruk, who had become a legendary figure. The piece is dated to before the Ur III Period (2047-1750 BCE), and although its theme informs...

Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld is a Sumerian poem pre-dating The Epic of Gilgamesh and featuring its central characters. It is sometimes included in modern-day translations as Book 12 but is usually omitted as it does not fit the...

Ghosts in ancient Mesopotamia were understood as a reality of life just as they were in other civilizations of antiquity. Although the cultures of the various Mesopotamian civilizations differed between c. 5000 BCE-651 CE, the belief in ghosts...

The Death of Ur-Nammu is a Sumerian lament over the passing of the king Ur-Nammu (r. 2047-2030 BCE), founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur, who was killed in battle fighting the Gutians in 2030 BCE. The poem is frequently cited for its depiction...

The Hymn to Nungal (c. 2000-1600 BCE) is a Sumerian poem praising Nungal, the goddess of prisons and rehabilitation (also associated with the underworld), as well as the prison house she presided over. The piece, also known as Nungal A, was...

The Home of the Fish is a Sumerian poetic monologue, most likely from the Ur III Period (2047-1750 BCE), in which the speaker tries to coax various fish into a newly built home. The meaning of the poem depends on whether the speaker is sincere...

This map illustrates the rise of the Sumerian city-state of Ur following the collapse of the Akkadian Empire (reign: circa 2334 - 2154 BCE). In the aftermath of political fragmentation and regional instability, Ur emerged as a leading center...

The ruins of the Great Ziggurat of Ur, built by the Sumerian king Ur-Nammu and his son Shulgi of Ur, c. 21st century BCE. Photo taken in 2005 CE near Ali Air Base in Iraq.

This is a diorite mina weight in the shape of a sugar loaf. The inscriptions state that this was a copy of a weight made for Nebuchadnezzar, following the standard of Shulgi, "The Old Sumerian King" (reigned 2094-2047 BCE). It was the property...

The cuneiform inscriptions stamped on this mud-brick mention the name of Amar-sin, king of Ur. Amar-sin was the 3rd king of Ur III Dynasty, and son of Shulgi. From Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. Neo-Sumerian period, Ur III, end of the 3rd...