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Gudea

A reference page linking a name, group, or concept to the materials that discuss it.

Ruler of Lagash in the late third millennium BCE, whose inscriptions document temple construction and the name Anunna.

Statue of Gudea, Met 59.2, ca. 2090 BCE. The human ruler of Lagash, not a deity or an image of the Anunna collective
Statue of Gudea, Met 59.2, ca. 2090 BCE. The human ruler of Lagash, not a deity or an image of the Anunna collectiveThe Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 · Public domainLicense · Object record

Text

Ruler and inscriptions

Gudea is a historical human ruler, not a deity or name for AnunnaAnunna / AnunnakiCollective designation for gods in Mesopotamian texts, with variable scope and membership; earliest known attestations belong to the late third millennium BCE.Glossary · Click to read the explanation. His cylinders describe Ningirsu’s temple; A 353–364 names Anuna of Lagash. The illustration shows Met statue 59.2, dated by the museum ca. 2090 BCE, an approximate object date rather than a precise date for all inscriptions. [1]

References and notes

  1. The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, University of Oxford. The building of Ningirsu’s temple (Gudea cylinders), ETCSL 2.1.7. Translation, Cylinder A lines 353–364: Anuna of the land of Lagash; also 551–561. Direct witness to the name in temple construction. Return to the text ↑

Research history

Substantive changes are retained here. Minor copy edits remain in the internal operational log.

  1. Edition 2 · 11 October 2026 · editor:aladmin

    Substantive record update

    Read this revision in its original language (Arabic)

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IL Archive, «Gudea», Edition 2, https://ilarchive.com/en/entities/gudea