Entemena

One of the oldest diplomatic documents known, on a clay nail, by King Entemena, c 2400 BC.

Entemena (flourished 2400 BC)^[1] was a son of En-anna-tum I, and he reestablished Lagash as a power in Sumer. He defeated Illi of Umma, with the aid of Lugal-kinishe-dudu of Uruk, successor to Enshakushanna, who is in the king list.

Artifacts

• He has one of the earliest statues of a known king from Mesopotamia. The statue was housed in the in National Museum of Iraq. In May 2003 the statue was stolen during the Second Gulf War.^[1]

• A tripod of silver dedicated by Entemena to his god is now in the Louvre. A frieze of lions devouring ibexes and deer, incised with great artistic skill, runs round the neck, while the eagle crest of Lagash adorns the globular part. The vase is a proof of the high degree of excellence to which the goldsmith's art had already attained. A vase of calcite, also dedicated by Entemena, has been found at Nippur.

• A foundation deposit clay nail of Entemena, in excellent condition relates a peace treaty, and is dedicated to the God Bad-Tibira. It is one of the oldest diplomatic documents known.

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  Silver vase, with decorated panels, inscribed with cuneiform around rim

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  Hinge of Entemena, with cuneiform inscription

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Entemena.