Enheduana

Alhena Gadotti is Professor of History and Assistant Dean for the College of Liberal Arts at Towson University, Maryland, US. An expert in Sumerian literary texts and Old Babylonian school education, Professor Gadotti has also published on women’s history, emotions, and intertextuality. Her most recent book, Living and Dying in Mesopotamia (co-authored with Dr Alexandra Kleinerman), was released in 2023.

• Acknowledgments ix List of Abbreviations xi List of Figures xiii 1 Introduction 1 Evidence for Enheduana 2 The Sargonic Period: Documents, Architecture, Art 4 Book Purpose and Structure 9 Conventions 9 Notes 11 2 The Sargonic Period: History and Legacy 15 The Historical Context 15 The Memory of the Kings of Agade 27 Notes 30 3 Enheduana the Princess 36 Notes 43 4 Enheduana the Priestess 47 Introduction 47 The City of Ur 47 Mesopotamian Religion: Sumerian and Akkadian 52 The Origins of Enheduana’s Office 54 Enheduana’s Installation 55 The Office of High Priestess 55 Religious Duties 56 The Disk of Enheduana 59 Political Role(s) 63 Economic Roles 64 Daily Life: The ŋipar at Ur 66 Daily Life: Enheduana’s Experience 70 Notes 73 5 Enheduana the Poetess 82 Introduction 82 A (Very) Brief History of the Scholarship 83 On Mesopotamian Genre 85 Authorship in Cuneiform Literature 85 The Compositions Attributed to Enheduana: Context, Summary, Analysis 89 The Old Babylonian Sumerian Scribal Curriculum 94 The Case of Ninshatapada 96 Enheduana as Traditional Character 100 Notes 104 6 Conclusion 112 Notes 114 Index 115