King gudea of lagash translation
Gudea of lagash sculpture!
Gudea of Lagash. Enlarge.
His origins are obscure.
King gudea of lagash translation
It's believed he wasn't a native of the city of Lagash. He became a member of the ruling family of Lagash by marrying Ninalla, the daughter of the king, Ur-Bau.
It is perhaps significant that he never signed himself as dumu, "son of..." This suggests that his father was only a minor nobleman and not a ranking member of the high nobility.
Gudea reigned from 2140 - 2120 B.C., during a time of political instability for the Sumerians.
The Akkadian Empire, which had ruled Sumer for almost 200 years, had been overrun by
the Gutians, nomadic tribesman from the north. Although the Sumerians were no longer answerable to their Akkadian overlords, they were now in jeopardy from the Gutians, who
were starting to encroach on Sumerian territory.
One of Gudea's concerns was guarding
against the frequent border raids of the Guti