Gudea (, ; Sumerian: , Gu3-de2-a; died 2124 BC) was a Sumer ruler ( ensi) of the state of Lagash in Southern Mesopotamia, who ruled or c. 2144–2124 BC (MC). Though most likely not a native of Lagash, he married Ninalla, the daughter of its ruler Ur-Baba, which enabled him to enter the royal family. He was succeeded by his son, Ur-Ningirsu. Gudea ruled during a period when the Gutian dynasty Mari.
Inscriptions
Gudea chose the title of
énsi (town-king or governor), not the more exalted
lugal (Akkadian
šarrum). Gudea did not style himself "god of Lagash" as he was not deified during his own lifetime, this title must have been given to him posthumously as in accordance with Mesopotamian traditions for all rulers except Naram-Sin of Akkad and some of the Ur III kings.
The 20 years of his reign are all known by name; the main military exploit seems to have occurred in his Year 6, called the "Year when Anshan was smitten with weapons".[ Year-names for Gudea, Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative.]
Although Gudea claimed to have conquered Elam and Anshan, most of his inscriptions emphasize the building of irrigation channels and , and the creation of precious gifts to the gods.
Materials for his buildings and statues were brought from all parts of western Asia: Cedrus wood from the Amanus mountains, quarried stones from Lebanon, copper from northern Arabia, gold and precious stones from the desert between Canaan and Egypt, diorite from Magan (Oman), and timber from Dilmun (Bahrain).
Statues of Gudea
Religion
The inscription on a statue of Gudea as architect of the
E-ninnu, warns the reader of doom if the words are altered, but there is a startling difference between the warnings of Sargon or his line and the warnings of Gudea. The one is length; Gudea's curse lasts nearly a quarter of the inscription's considerable length, and another is creativity. The gods will not merely reduce the offender's progeny to ash and destroy his foundations, no, they will, "let him sit down in the dust instead of on the seat they set up for him". He will be "slaughtered like a
bull… seized like an
aurochs by his fierce horn".
Lagash under Gudea had extensive commercial communications with distant realms. According to his own records, Gudea brought cedars from the Amanus and Lebanon mountains in Syria, diorite from eastern Arabia, copper and gold from central and southern Arabia and from Sinai Peninsula, while his armies were engaged in battles in Elam on the east.
International relations
In an inscription, Gudea referred to the
who came to Sumer to sell gold dust,
carnelian etc...
In another inscription, he mentioned his victory over the territories of Magan,
Meluhha,
Elam and
Amurru kingdom.
In the Gudea cylinders, Gudea mentions that "I will spread in the world respect for my Temple, under my name the whole universe will gather in it, and Magan and Meluhha will come down from their mountains to attend" (cylinder A, IX).["J'étendrai sur le monde le respect de mon temple, sous mon nom l'univers depuis l'horizon s'y rassemblera, et même Magan et Meluhha, sortant de leurs montagnes, y descendront" (cylindre A, IX)" in ] In cylinder B, XIV, he mentions his procurement of "blocks of lapis lazuli and bright carnelian from Meluhha."
The first known reference to Goa in India possibly appears as Gubi in the records of Gudea.
Important artifacts
File:Girsu Gudea libation vase.jpg|The "Libation vase of Gudea" with the dragon Mušḫuššu, dedicated to Ningishzida (21st century BC). The caduceus (right) is interpreted as depicting god Ningishzida. Inscription; "To the god Ningiszida, his god, Gudea, Ensi (governor) of Lagash, for the prolongation of his life, has dedicated this."
Image:GUDEA GOV OF LAGASH - bust.JPG|Head of Gudea in polished diorite, reign of Gudea (Boston Museum of Fine Arts)
File:Girsu Lion Macehead.jpg|Lion macehead of Gudea, Girsu[D. O. Edzard, The Royal inscriptions of Mesopotamia, Early periods, vol. 3/1, Gudea and His Dynasty, Toronto, 1997, p. 117-118] Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin.
Foundation Nail of Gudea, about 2100 BC, Neo-Sumerian, Iraq, probably Lagash, copper alloy - Cleveland Museum of Art - DSC08176.JPG|Foundation nail of Gudea, Cleveland Museum of Art
File:Cylindres de Gudea - Musée du Louvre Antiquités orientales AO MNB 1511 ; MNB 1512.jpg|The Gudea cylinders
Sources
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F. Johansen, "Statues of Gudea, ancient and modern". Mesopotamia 6, 1978.
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A. Parrot, Tello, vingt campagnes des fouilles (1877-1933). (Paris 1948).
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N.K. Sandars, "Introduction" page 16, The Epic of Gilgamesh, Penguin, 1972.
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H. Steible, "Versuch einer Chronologie der Statuen des Gudea von Lagas". Mitteilungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft 126 (1994), 81–104.
External links
