Lagash (lā`găsh) or Shirpurla (shĭrp

r`lə), ancient city of Sumer Sumer and Sumerian civilization . The term Sumer is used today to designate the southern part of ancient Mesopotamia. From the earliest date of which there is any record, S Mesopotamia was occupied by a people, known as Sumerians,
..... Click the link for more information. , S Mesopotamia, now located at Telloh, SE Iraq. Lagash was flourishing by c.2400 B.C., but traces of habitation go back at least to the 4th millennium B.C. After the fall of Akkad (2180 B.C.), when the rest of Mesopotamia was in a state of chaos, Lagash was able to maintain peace and prosperity under its ruler Gudea. Excavations begun on the site in 1877 revealed the beautiful sculptures of Gudea, which had been dedicated to the city's patron goddess, Ningirsu. Thousands of inscribed tablets were also found at the site.

Lagash

modern Telloh

Engraved silver vase of King Entemena, from Lagash, Early Dynastic Period; in the Louvre, Paris

(credit: Archives Photographiques)

Ancient capital in Sumer. It was located midway between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Babylonia, now in southeastern Iraq. Excavations have uncovered palace and temple ruins as well as cuneiform texts that provide information about Sumer in the 3rd millennium BC. Founded in the Ubaid period (c. 5200–c. 3500 BC), it came under the control of Sargon of Akkad. It later prospered under Gudea, a governor nominally subject to the Guti. It was occupied as late as the Parthian era (247 BC–AD 224).

Lagash

an ancient state in Sumer in what is now Iraq. It comprised a number of settlements, among them Girsu (the modern archaeological site of Tello); Lagash proper, or Urukuga (the modern site of al-Hibba); and Sirara, or Nina (the modern site of Surghul). Archaeological excavations were conducted from 1877 by the French archaeologists E. de Sarzec, G. Cros, H. de Génouillac, and A. Parrot.

The first settlements at the site of Lagash date from the end of the fifth millennium B.C. Lagash is mentioned in written documents from the 26th century B.C. to the time of the Seleucids (second century B.C.). It flourished during the rule of the dynasty founded by Ur-Nanshe (26th-24th centuries B.C.). Eannatum and Entemena, the heirs of Ur-Nanshe, subjugated most of Sumer. One of Eannatum’s victories (over the city of Umma) is described in the inscription and depicted in the reliefs of the famous Stela of the Vultures (25th century B.C.). Dating from the rule of Lugal-anda and the rule of Uruinimgina (incorrectly called Urukagina, 24th century B.C.) is the large temple archives of the goddess Bau, which provide important information on socioeconomic relations in Sumer.

In the 24th century B.C., Lagash was conquered by the Akkadian king Sargon. It experienced a new rebirth under the rule of Gudea (22nd century B.C.). In numerous inscriptions and cultic narratives inscribed on statues and clay cylinders Gudea describes the construction of temples and the numerous trade ties with other countries. Under Gudea, Lagash’s influence spread to a substantial part of Sumer. Gudea’s inscriptions and the portrait sculpture of his time are examples of the high artistic skill of the Sumerians. From the 21st century B.C., Lagash lost its importance.

REFERENCES

D’iakonov, I. M. Obshchestvennyi i gosudarstvennyi stroi drevnego Dvurech’ia. Shumera. Moscow, 1959.
Struve, V. V. Gosudarstvo Lagash. Moscow, 1961.
Parrot, A. Tello. Vingt campagnes de fouilles (1877–1933). Paris, 1948.
Falkenstein, A. “Die Inschriften Gudeas von Lagas.” In Analecta oriental, vol. 30. Rome, 1966.

Mentioned in	?		Encyclopedia browser	?		Full browser	?
No references found			Television-Receiver Tuner telewebber teleworking telewriter Telex Telfair County Telford Telford and Wrekin telford pavement Telford, Thomas Teliakovskii, Arkadii Teliakovskii, Arkadii Zakharovich Teliatevskii, Andrei Teliatevskii, Andrei Andreevich Teligent Teliia, Georgii Teliia, Georgii Petrovich Telingater, Solomon Telingater, Solomon Benediktovich telinite TeLink Teliospore Telipinus telium Tell Tell al-Hiba Tell Atlas Tell ed Duweir Tell el Amarna Tell El-Amarna Tell El-Amarna Tablets Tell Festival Tell Play Tell, William Tell-Tale Heart, The Tellabration Tellalov, Petr Tellalov, Petr Abramovich teller Teller County Teller, Edward Teller, Henry Moore Teller-Redlich rule Tellerette Téllez, Gabriel Tello, Don Telloh telltale telltale compass telltale float Tellurian			teliospore teliospore teliosporic teliosporic Telipinus TELIS Telithromycin telium telium Telivision Telivision Telivision TELJ Telkari Telkari Tell Tell Tell Tell Tell tell a falsehood Tell A Friend tell a lie tell a mile off tell a mile off tell a mile off tell a secret tell about tell again Tell al-Amarna Tell al-Hiba tell all tell all Tell All Your Friends Tell Amarna tell an untruth Tell and Wait tell apart tell apart tell apart Tell Atlas tell beads tell beads tell beads tell by Tell City Tell City-Perry County Public Library tell details Tell ed Duweir Tell el Amarna Tell el Amarna Tell el Fakhariya Tell el-Amarna Tell el-Amarna Tablets Tell el-Farama Tell el-Mukayyar Tell el-Mukayyar Tell el-Mukayyar Tell Fa'rah tell falsehoods about Tell Festival

Lagash (redirected from Tell al-Hiba)

Lagash

REFERENCES

Lagash
(redirected from Tell al-Hiba)