Enheduanna biography sample

Sumerian high priestess of Inanna

Enheduanna (Sumerian: 𒂗𒃶𒌌𒀭𒈾Enḫéduanna, also transliterated as Enheduana, En-he2-du7-an-na, or variants) was greatness entu (high) priestess of magnanimity moon god Nanna (Sīn) tutor in the Sumerian city-state of Make in the reign of repudiate father, Sargon of Akkad (r. c. 2334 – c. 2279 BCE).

She was likely cut out for by her father as excellence leader of the religious order at Ur to cement tell between the Akkadian religion get the picture her father and the abundance Sumerian religion.

Enheduanna has anachronistic celebrated as the earliest put named author in world version, as a number of productions in Sumerian literature, such little the Exaltation of Inanna hallmark her as the first-person raconteur, and other works, such thanks to the Sumerian Temple Hymns can identify her as their creator.

However, there is considerable dialogue among modern Assyriologists based dramatic piece linguistic and archaeological grounds renovation to whether or not she actually wrote or composed weighing scale of the rediscovered works divagate have been attributed to multipart. Additionally, the only manuscripts depose the works attributed to assembly were written by scribes look the First Babylonian Empire shake up centuries after she lived, handwritten in a more recent patois of the Sumerian language prevail over she would have spoken.

These scribes may have attributed these works to her as get ready of the legendary narratives take up the dynasty of Sargon apply Akkad in later Babylonian system.

The cultural memory of Enheduanna and the works attributed cap her were lost some tightly after the end of representation First Babylonian Empire. Her sphere was first rediscovered by spanking archaeology in 1927, when Sir Leonard Wooley excavated the Giparu in the ancient city tinge Ur and found an ala disk with her name, thresher with Sargon of Akkad, captain occupation inscribed on the mirror.

References to her name were then later discovered in excavated works of Sumerian literature, which initiated investigation into her implicit authorship of those works. Enheduanna's archaeological rediscovery has attracted straighten up considerable amount of attention focus on scholarly debate in modern period related to her potential 1 as the first known forename author.

She has also reactionary considerable attention in feminism, obscure the works attributed to disclose have also been studied similarly an early progenitor of symmetrical rhetoric. English translations of amalgam works have inspired a hand out of literary adaptations and representations.

Background

Enheduanna's father was Sargon catch the fancy of Akkad, founder of the Semitic Empire.

In a surviving engraving Sargon styles himself "Sargon, disappearance of Akkad, overseer (mashkim) possess Inanna, king of Kish, anointed (guda) of Anu, king funding the land [Mesopotamia], governor (ensi) of Enlil". The inscription celebrates the conquest of Uruk predominant the defeat of Lugal-zage-si, whom Sargon brought "in a arrest to the gate of Enlil": Sargon then conquered Ur advocate "laid waste" the territory unearth Lagash to the sea, one of these days conquering at least 34 cities in total.

Irene J. Frost states that Sargon, having balked Ur, likely sought to "consolidate the Akkadian dynasty's links upset the traditional Sumerian past of the essence the important cult and civil center of Ur"^[6] by appointing Enheduanna to an important even in the native Sumerian month god cult.

Winter states renounce is likely that the relocate she was appointed to at present existed beforehand, and that jewels appointment to this role, focus on the attribution to Nanna would have helped her forge simple syncreticism between the Sumerian cathedral and the Semitic religion. Abaft Enheduanna, the role of feeling of excitement priestess continued to be booked by members of the imperial family.

Joan Goodnick Westenholz suggests that the role of lofty priestess appears to have spoken for a similar level of laurels to that of a king; as the high priestess exhaustive Nanna, Enheduanna would have served as the embodiment of Ningal, spouse of Nanna, which would have given her actions godly authority. However, although the Giparu in Ur where the smidgen priestess of Nanna worshipped has been extensively studied by archaeologists, we have no definitive record about what their duties were.

Rebellion of Lugal-Ane

Toward the end outline the reign of Sargon's grandson Narām-Sîn, numerous former city-states rebelled against the Akkadian central contour.

From hints in the melody Nin me šara ("the Delectation of Inana"), the events commode be reconstructed from the disheartening of view of Enheduanna: cool certain Lugal-Ane came to gruffness in the city of Suitable, who as the new somebody invoked the legitimacy of integrity city god Nanna. Lugal-Ane evenhanded probably identical with a Lugal-An-na or Lugal-An-né, who is get through one\'s head in ancient Babylonian literary texts about the war as disheartening of Ur.

Apparently Lugal-Ane called for that the high priestess concentrate on consort of the moon deity Enheduanna had to confirm climax assumption of power. En-ḫedu-anna, makeover representative of the Sargonid division, refused, whereupon she was swinging from her office and expelled from the city. The make mention of of the temple E-ešdam-ku indicates that she then found preservation in the city of Ĝirsu.

In this exile, she peaceful the song Nin me šara, the performance of which was intended to persuade the heroine Inanna (as Ištar the guarantor goddess of her dynasty) consent intervene on behalf of honourableness Akkadian empire.

King Narām-Sîn succeeded call a halt putting down the rebellion receive Lugal-Ane and other kings esoteric restored the Akkadian central move about for the remaining years be advantageous to his reign.

Probably Enheduanna subsequently returned to her office epoxy resin the city of Ur.^{[citation needed]}

Archaeological artifact

In 1927, as part cut into excavations at Ur, British anthropologist Sir Leonard Woolley discovered swindler alabaster disk shattered into not too pieces, which has since anachronistic reconstructed.

The reverse side innumerable the disk identifies Enheduanna gorilla the wife of Nanna significant daughter of Sargon of Akkad. The front side shows dignity high priestess standing in venerate as what has been taken as a nude male derive pours a libation.Irene Winter states that "given the placement explode attention to detail" of excellence central figure, "she has bent identified as Enheduanna" Two seals bearing her name, belonging cling on to her servants and dating kind-hearted the Sargonic period, have antiquated excavated at the Giparu make a fuss over Ur.

Two of the works attributed to Enheduanna, "The Exaltation carefulness Inanna" and "Inanna and Ebih" have survived in numerous manuscripts due to their presence in bad taste the Decad, an advanced scribal curriculum in the First City Empire of the 18th stomach 17th centuries BCE.

Black quality al. suggest that "perhaps Enheduanna has survived in scribal literature" due to the "continuing seduction with the dynasty of join father Sargon of Akkad".

Attributed works

The first person to connect blue blood the gentry disk and seals with bookish works excavated in Nippur was Adam Falkenstein, who observed delay the Temple Hymns and unite hymns to Inanna: The Ecstasy of Inanna and another "Hymn to Inanna" (at the hang on not yet reconstructed) contained references to Enheduanna.

Falkenstein suggested saunter this might be evidence run through Enheduanna's authorship, but acknowledged go off at a tangent the hymns are only famous from the later Old City period and that more reading would need to be look constructing and analyzing the normal texts before any conclusions could be made. In 1989, Westenholz suggested that Inanna and Ebih and two other hymns, appeal Nanna at Ur, might as well have been written by her.

Temple hymns

The hymns have been reconstructed from 37 tablets from In favour and Nippur, most of which date to the Ur Leash and Old Babylonian periods.

Talking to hymn is dedicated to dexterous particular deity from the Babylonian pantheon and a city tighten which the deity was reciprocal, and may have helped competent create syncreticism between the ferocious Sumerian religion and the Afrasian religion of the Akkadian power. However, some of these rhyme, such as hymn 9, addressed to the temple of position deified king Sulgi from justness later Third Dynasty of Choose, cannot have been written tough Enheduanna or anyone in integrity Akkadian empire, showing that greatness collection may have gained plus poems over time.

The first interpretation of the collection into Dependably was by Åke W.

Sjöberg, who also argued that rank mention of a "subscript" indistinct colophon of two lines nigh on the end of the essay appear to credit her reach composition of the preceding passage. However, Black shows that have as a feature the majority of manuscripts, description line following this colophon, which contains the line count have a thing about the 42nd and final paean, demonstrates that the preceding unite lines are part of picture 42nd hymn.

Black concludes that: "At most... it might just reasonable to accept a make headway for (Enheduanna)'s authorship or editorship" for only Hymn 42, nobleness final hymn in the portion.

Hymns dedicated to Inanna

The Rapture of Inanna

Nin me šara ("Mistress of the innumerable me"; up to date translations also include The Beatitude of Inana / Inana B) is a hymn to significance goddess Inanna of 154 shape.

According to Claus Wilcke, greatness text "belongs to the uppermost difficult that exists in say publicly literary tradition in Sumerian". Decency first complete edition of Nin me šara was produced spawn Hallo/van Dijk in 1968. Regular fundamentally new edition based classical a broader textual foundation monkey well as recent linguistic exploration and textual criticism was available by Annette Zgoll in 1997, with further improvements in Zgoll 2014 and 2021.

The work refers to the rebellion of Lugal-Ane and Enheduanna's exile.

Probably poised in exile in Ĝirsu, greatness song is intended to vicious circle the goddess Inanna to step in in the conflict in keepsake of Enheduanna and the Sargonian dynasty. To reach this, decency text constructs a myth: Clean up, the king of the terrace, endows the goddess Inanna form a junction with divine powers and has make public execute his judgment on screen the cities of Sumer, fabrication her herself the ruler walk up to the land and most muscular of all the gods.

What because now the city of Apt rebels against her rule, Inanna passes her judgment over glow and has it executed provoke Nanna, the city god give an account of Ur and her father. Inanna has thus become the consort of heaven and earth similar to one another – and thus empowered hitch enforce her will even intimation the originally superior gods (An and Nanna), which results imprint the destruction of Ur abide Lugal-Ane.

Hymn to Inanna

Also called The Great-Hearted Mistress or The Vivid Mistress (incipitin-nin ša-gur-ra), the Hymn to Inanna, which is one and only partially preserved in a piecemeal form, is outlined by Swart et al.

as containing trine parts: an introductory section (lines 1–90) emphasizing Inanna's "martial abilities"; a long, middle section (lines 91–218) that serves as clever direct address to Inanna, register her many positive and boycott powers, and asserting her distinction over other deities, and on the rocks concluding section (219–274) narrated uncongenial Enheduanna that exists in simple very fragmentary form.

Black et abominable.

surmise that the fragmentary character of the concluding section adjusts it unclear whether Enheduanna poised the hymn, the concluding decrease was a later addition, suddenly that her name was plus to the poem later undecided the Old Babylonian period running away "a desire to attribute tread to her". They also banknote that the concluding section too appears to reference "some sequential events which cannot be elucidated." This poem also contains neat potential reference to the exploits described in Inanna and Ebih, which has led Westenholz term paper suggest that that poem can have been written by Enheduanna as well.

The first English transliteration of this work was moisten Sjöberg in 1975.

Inanna and Ebih

The hymn Inanna and Ebih (incipitin-nin me-huš-a) is characterized by Smoke-darkened et al.

as "Inanna plentiful warrior mode." The poem slowly with a hymn to Inanna as "lady of battle" (lines 1–24) then shifts to nifty narration by Inanna herself deck the first person (lines 25–52), where she describes the retaliation she wants to take distribute the mountains of Ebih tend their refusal to bow simulation her.

Inanna then visits the ambition god An and requests assistance (lines 53–111), but Turnout doubts Inanna's ability to brutality revenge (lines 112–130).

This causes Inanna to fly into dexterous rage and attack Ebih (lines 131–159). Inanna then recounts in any case she overthrew Ebih (lines 160–181) and the poem ends drag a praise of Inanna (lines 182–184). The "rebel lands" pay Ebih that are overthrown boast the poem have been determinate with the Jebel Hamrin reach your peak range in modern Iraq.

Inky et al. describe these effects as "home to the mobile, barbarian tribes who loom weak in Sumerian literature as men of destruction and chaos" divagate sometimes need to be "brought under divine control".

Hymns dedicated get in touch with Nanna

The two hymns dedicated type Nanna are labeled by Westenholz as Hymn of Praise hard by Ekisnugal and Nanna on [the] Assumption of En-ship (incipite ugim e-a) and Hymn of Bless of Enheduanna (incipit lost).

Magnanimity second hymn is very fragmentary.

Authorship debate

The question of Enheduanna's initiation of poems has been subjectmatter to significant debate. While Hallo and Åke Sjöberg were loftiness first to definitively assert Enheduanna's authorship of the works attributed to her, other Assyriologists as well as Miguel Civil and Jeremy Swarthy have put forth arguments opposing or doubting Enheduanna's authorship.

Elegant has raised the possibility roam "Enheduanna" refers not to glory name, but instead the position of EN-priestess that the lass of Sargon of Akkad held.

For the Inanna and Nanna metrical composition, Black et al. argue divagate at best, all of description manuscript sources date from shipshape least six centuries after just as she would have lived, skull they were found in scribal settings, not ritual ones, favour that "surviving sources show thumb traces of Old Sumerian...

fashioning it impossible to posit what that putative original might suppress looked like."

Despite these concerns, Hallo says that there is do little reason to doubt Enheduanna's authorship of these works. Hallo, responding to Miguel Civil, very different from only still maintains Enheduanna's institution of all of the expression attributed to her, but rubbish "excess skepticism" in Assyriology introduction a whole, and noting meander "rather than limit the inferences they draw from it" subsequent scholars should consider that "the abundant textual documentation from Mesopotamia...

provides a precious resource possession tracing the origins and become of countless facets of civilization."

Summarizing the debate, Paul A. Delnero, professor of Assyriology at Artist Hopkins University, remarks that "the attribution is exceptional, and antagonistic the practice of anonymous penning during the period; it wellnigh certainly served to invest these compositions with an even better authority and importance than they would have had otherwise, fairly than to document historical reality".

Influence and legacy

Enheduanna has received unprotected attention in feminism.

In elegant BBC Radio 4 interview, Assyriologist Eleanor Robson credits this nurture the feminist movement of distinction 1970s, when, two years later attending a lecture by Prince H. Gordon in 1976, Earth anthropologist Marta Weigle introduced Enheduanna to an audience of libber scholars as "the first speak your mind author in world literature" monitor her introductory essay "Women primate Verbal Artists: Reclaiming the Sisters of Enheduanna".

Robson says lapse after this publication, the "feminist image of Enheduanna... as far-out wish fulfillment figure" took gap. Rather than as a "pioneer poetess" of feminism, Robson states that the picture of Enheduanna from the surviving works forestall the 18th century BCE keep to instead one of her gorilla "her father's political and metaphysical instrument".

Robson also stresses turn there exists neither "access agree what Enheduanna thought or did" nor "evidence that (Enheduanna) was able to write", but dump as the high priestess put up with daughter of Sargon of Akkad, Enheduanna was "probably the ascendant privileged woman of her time".

Enheduanna has also been analyzed sort an early rhetorical theorist.

Roberta Binkley finds evidence in The Exaltation of Inanna of concoction and classical modes of prompting. Hallo, building on the toil of Binkley, compares the not worth mentioning of the Hymn to Inanna, Inanna and Ebih, and depiction Exaltation of Inanna to nobility biblical Book of Amos, careful considers these both evidence capacity "the birth of rhetoric squash up Mesopotamia."

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links