Infamous End Of Lugalzagesi – Ambitious King Who United Sumer

A. Sutherland  – AncientPages.com – Lugalzagesi, who reigned c. 2341 BC – 2316 BC and lived in the mid-fourteenth century BC, was a Sumerian king who came to power as the ‘ensi‘ of the city of Umma, the city that reached its zenith c. 2275 BC, according to his inscriptions.

According to a royal inscription, his father, Bubu, was the previous ‘ensi’ of Umma.

In the Sumerian King List, he is mentioned as the king of the Third Dynasty of Uruk with a reign of 25 years; however, chronology regarding his reign is somewhat uncertain.

He was also the high priest of Nisaba, the Sumerian goddess of writing, learning, harvest, and the patroness of scribes;  she was worshiped in sanctuaries and shrines at Umma. Lugalzagesi, who united all Sumer city-states and conquered many foreign countries, called himself “King of all nations.”

His reign lasted 25-34 years, depending on which version of the Sumerian king list is correct.

No doubt, it was a great achievement to unite the Sumerian city-states, and it was not an easy task. Each of these city-states had a tradition of independence and were frequently at war with each other.

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