Lugalannatum (, ''lu-gal-an-na-tum'') was a ruler ("
patesi") of the city-state of
Umma
Umma ( sux, ; in modern Dhi Qar Province in Iraq, formerly also called Gishban) was an ancient city in Sumer. There is some scholarly debate about the Sumerian and Akkadian names for this site. Traditionally, Umma was identified with Tell ...
, circa 2130 BCE.
Lugalannatum is known from a deposit tablet, now in the
Louvre Museum
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
, in which he mentions the rule of
Si'um, king of the
Gutians.
The tablet was first published in 1911, and first revealed the existence of a
Gutian dynasty of Sumer
The Gutian dynasty, also Kuti or Kutians (Sumerian: , gu-ti-umKI) was a dynasty, originating among the Gutian people, that came to power in Mesopotamia ''c.'' 2199—2119 BC (middle), or possibly ''c.'' 2135—2055 BC ( short), after displacing th ...
.
The tablet is written in the
Akkadian language
Akkadian (, Akkadian: )John Huehnergard & Christopher Woods, "Akkadian and Eblaite", ''The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the World's Ancient Languages''. Ed. Roger D. Woodard (2004, Cambridge) Pages 218-280 is an extinct East Semitic language th ...
following the influence of the former
Akkadian Empire
The Akkadian Empire () was the first ancient empire of Mesopotamia after the long-lived civilization of Sumer. It was centered in the city of Akkad () and its surrounding region. The empire united Akkadian and Sumerian speakers under one rul ...
, and uses
Sumerian
cuneiform
Cuneiform is a logo- syllabic script that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Middle East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. It is named for the characteristic wedg ...
characters for their phonetical value.
It reads:
The name of the Temple, previously thought to be "Ê PA Temple", is now understood as being "Scepter Temple", and read ''E.GIDRU''.
The text shows the allegiance of Lugalannatum, as simple Governor of Umma, towards the Gutian king of Sumer.
["From a text recently found at Jokha we also know that ]Lugal
Lugal (Sumerian: ) is the Sumerian term for "king, ruler". Literally, the term means "big man." In Sumerian, ''lu'' "𒇽" is "man" and ''gal'' "𒃲" is "great," or "big."
It was one of several Sumerian titles that a ruler of a city-state could ...
-annatum, patesi of Umma, Lugalannatum patesi of Umma, owed allegiance to Sium, King of Guti"
There is also an inscription by Lugalannatum, dedicated to the life of Urgigir.
References
{{Rulers of Sumer
Kings of Umma
22nd-century BC Sumerian kings