Enanatuma, priestess and builder. Royal inscriptions as agency. - Archive ouverte HAL
Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2022

Enanatuma, priestess and builder. Royal inscriptions as agency.

Résumé

Enanatuma was an en-priestess of the god Nanna in the city of Ur. She was installed as such during her father, Išme-Dagan of Isin’s reign (~1953-1935 BC). She retained her title until her death during Sūmû-El of Larsa’s 8th year of reign (~1886 BC). The sources documenting Enanatuma are rather plenty. Four different year names are related to her designation through omens and later her elevation to office as en-priestess of Nanna. Her seal and her name appear in a few administrative documents and an archive from Ur’s ĝepar records funerary libations regularly offered to her after her passing. A heavily restored statue of her and the imprint of her son’s cylinder seal are also available. Finally, four different royal inscriptions with numerous copies each were found in Ur. These inscriptions are incised or imprinted on bricks and foundation cones belonging to four different buildings. She rebuilt the ĝepar, her residence, entirely and for the first time using burnt bricks. She also dedicated two storehouses to the gods Dagan and Utu for the life of Gungunum, the king from the rival dynasty of Larsa who conquered Ur during Enanatuma’s priesthood. These have generally been interpreted as proof that the new ruling dynasty took over the throne peacefully. However, a more detailed reading of these two inscriptions reveals that through specific wording and the use of theology, Enanatuma conveyed a political message through these dedications. Mainly that her own dynasty and gods are superior to those of Larsa. These documents reveal a part of the power that these women held. An en-priestess could not be replaced. Despite the absence of her family’s power in the city of Ur, she had the resources to commission the construction of buildings while slighting the ruling dynasty in front of men and gods. These texts are an example of how royal inscriptions could be a form of political agency for the elite women of ancient Sumer.
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Dates et versions

hal-03870628 , version 1 (24-11-2022)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-03870628 , version 1

Citer

Sonia Mzali. Enanatuma, priestess and builder. Royal inscriptions as agency.. The Fifth Workshop on Gender, Methodology and the Ancient Near East (GeMANE 5), Jun 2022, Helsinki, Finland. ⟨hal-03870628⟩
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