Ereshkigal (also known as Irkalla and Allatu) is the Mesopotamian Queen of the Dead who rules the underworld. Her name translates as 'Queen of the Great Below' or 'Lady of the Great Place.' She was responsible for both keeping the dead within her realm and preventing the living from entering and learning the truth of the afterlife.
More about: Ereshkigal8 days left
Server Costs Fundraiser 2024
Help our mission to provide free history education to the world! Please donate and contribute to covering our server costs in 2024. With your support, millions of people learn about history entirely for free every month.
$12659 / $18000
Definition
Timeline
-
2334 BCE - 2218 BCEEreshkigal referenced in fragments from the period of the Mesopotamian empire of Akkad.
-
c. 2029 BCE - 1982 BCEEreshkigal mentioned in the poem The Death of Ur-Nammu from the reign of Shulgi of Ur, Sumeria.
-
c. 2000 BCE - 1600 BCEEreshkigal grows in popularity during the Old Babylonian Period.
-
1792 BCE - 1750 BCEEreshkigal's place in the Mesopotamian Pantheon solidifies during the reign of King Hammurabi of Babylon.