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Fictional Sumerian Autobiographies. Prof. Scott B. Noegel Chair, Dept. of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization University of Washington "Fictional Sumerian Autobiographies." First Published in: Journal of the Association of Graduates in Near Eastern Studies 4 (1993), 46-53. .8 -. 46 JAGfJfS 4- 11..- C\41.~), +!o-S.s. Scott B. No<:gd '-:r1CTIONAL SUMERIAN AUTOBIOGRAPHIES Scott B. Noegd* Abstract For many years scholars have noted the presence this possible exception Sumerian lacks fictional of a fictional autobiography genre in Akkadian autobiography (1991:41). literatUre. Longman's important monograph on the subject (1991). though a thorough and ingenious , If indeed the Lugalannemundu text was composed in collation of research on the subject, neverthc:less the Old Babylonian period, it would, by Longman's dismisses the possibility of Sumerian analogues. own definicion, be a fictional autobiography (1991:41). The following article posits that this dismissal is This possible exception provokes the question whether unfounded and finds four Sumerian texts to be fic- Sumerian did, in fact, possess fictional autobiography. tional autobiographies. The existence of these four At the very least, the Lugalannemundu text sug~ests that a analogues suggestS that a comprehensive search for thorough search for the genre in Sumerian literatUre is this genre in Sumerian and a fresh examination of in order. Though the stUdy bc:low is not based on a com- Sumerian historiography are in order. prehensive examination of all Sumerian literature, it does find four textS worthy of further investigation: the Lugalannemundu inscription, Ur-Baba's first statue in- Longman has argued convincingly for the validity scription, the third brick (pedestal) inscription of pffictional Akkadian autobiography as a genre Amar-Suen, and Eannatum's so-called Stde of Vul- (1991 :41). According to Longman, the genre, which is cures.2 Together they cover the spectrum of historical fharacterized by fifteen texts, possesses four features: it. periods from Early Dynastic (ED) III to the Old Baby- IS fictional; written in Akkadian; written in prose; and lonian period, i.e., the pe1'ieds in which these texts :t is autobiographical, i.e., written in the first person.l occur overlap with the one in which the fictional " "'Longman further classifies these fifteen texts into four Akkadian autobiographies occur. sub-genres based on their various textual endings, that is, Before analyzing the various .textS in question, it is either blessings/curses, donations, instructions, or important to comment on the mutual influence between prophecies. Semitic and Sumerian literatUres. Longman rightly ::-,ThQugh there is no doubt that Longman's work con- remarks that the "closer the two objectS of composition tribUtes greacly to our understanding of ancient Semitic are to one another temporally. the more likc:ly it is that historiography one cannot bue wonder whether Long- they influenced each other" (1991;31). While this is un- man overstates his case when he asserts: doubtedly true, it must be remembered that the Semites were present in Sumer from very early times, and that Even more striking, the genre of fictional autobi- they enjoyed a symbiotic rc:lationship with the Sumeri- ography is absent from Sumerian with one excep- ans. & Owen notes, the exchange was quite significant: tion-Lugalannemundu, a fictional Sumerian au- "In fact, I see a mutUal influence betWeen Sumerian and tObiography with a donation eq.ding. How~er, this Akkadian which has colored both languages with recip- composition is known only from an Old Babylo- rocal borrowing both on the lexical as well as on the nian tablet and may not predate that time period in morphological levc:ls" (1991). composition-that the composition is written in Though the rc:lationship was symbiotic, the major- Sumerian may mean nothing more than that the icy of the influence came primarily from the Sumerian Old Babylonian composer, wishing to deceive his side. In fact, the impact of Sumerian cultUre on the lit- audience into the bdief that Lugalannemundu erature of the Old Babylonian period was such that a composed the text in the third millennium, used direct influence cannot be ruled OUt. Longman simi- Sumerian to convey that impression. Apart from larly remarks: "Besides borrowing their cuneiform script, Akkadian literatUre continued many of the gen- res employed by the Sumerians-myth, epic, law, proverb, hymn, and disputation" (1991 :200-20 1). M,A. in Near Easrern Studies from Cornell University, Ph,D, smdent in Near Eastern Studies at CorneJl University. I would l,ike to thank Prof. David 1. Owen both for his com- 2The Stde of Vuhures has been dischronologi7.ed deliber- mentS and for teaching a stimulating seminar on the Sume- ately because the fragmentaty nature of the text has left us in rian language. from which an earlier version of this article oricinalcd. - want of a consistent translation and interpretation. Thus, -/ arriving at any conclusion must, in the very leasr. remain I A trail which is shared by numerous West Semitic inscrip- speculative. Nevertheless, as will be demonstr:lted below, (inns. See Pocbe:! (1932:3-7), there is sufficient reason to include it in this study. ~ '~ jAGNES Vol. 4, No.2, Fall 1993 47 Therefore, despite the scarcity of posited Sumerian suggestion places the: te:xt squarely in the Hammurabi exemplars,3 it is more plausible to view Akkadian fic~ dynasty, roughlI one thousand years after the life:of Lu- "-../ tional autobiography as representative of one point in a galannemundu, it is probable: that it was copie:d from continuous development of the genre, than to see it as a an earlier ve:rsion, In any event, its late date meets at le:ast wholly new invention in the Old Babylonian period. one: of the: criteria of a fictional autobiography.9 In addition, and again, according to Longman's cri- THE INSCRIPTION OF teria, the composition is written almost e:ntirely in the LUGALANNEMUNDU4 first person; i.e., it is autobiographical. Examples of the first pe:rson sryle are as follows: Ex~mplars 1:3-5 I, Lugalanne:mundu, the hero, the guardian of . There are only tWo texts known from this ruler, Nippur. the King of Adab, the King of the: Four both of which were transcribed by Poebel (1909; 1914). Quarters... There exists only one copy of the Lugalannemundu text, and to my knowledge only one transliteration and trans- 1:6 (1have) fixed the tribute of the lands, the people of lation of it (Giiterbock 1934:40-47). all the lands I have made:to repose:in a meadow, Plot Summary 1:9-11 I have built the te:mple: of the: great gods, and have reestablished the land, I have been bestowed domin- Following a section which praises the goddess ion ove:r all... Nintu, the text begins with the words of Lugalan- nemundu. He boasts his piety by reminding the reader II:19,24 My land responds... of his construction of the temple of Nintu in Adab, and also his founding of the offerings and rites performe:d II:26-29 Where the: ancient building had once been, the: at thi~ temple. Lugalanne:mundu continues his sc:lf- great gods commande:d me with their holy mouth. laudatory tone: in a description of a revolt which he [to renew it]. The: ancie:nt temple of Adab, its blue- \ quickly suppresse:d.We: are:told that he: batded some print e:te:rnal in time:, 1 1/3 filled-Burs 1 designed t ,. thirtee:n princes who came: from places such as Elam, its blue-print... Subarcu, Mubarsi, and Guti.5 He then follows this with 111:30-32 The great vizier from the Ce:dar mountains, \, / , a self-declaration proclaiming himsc:\f king of Adab Ie:ading into a description of the seven gates of his city, from Elarn, MarhiSi. Guti. Subartu, Amurru, Suti. which are:each give:nexalte:d narnes.6 The: text concludes and from the: "~ountain of E-anna," eve:ry single by mentioning a charitable donation to the Lady of one (of them)..,[brought] me a fatte:ned ox (and) Adab. ,C', sev[e:n (?) fattened she:ep (?)]. Lugalann~undu as Fictional Sum~rian Autobiography IY:13 [1]sat on a golden throne... Giiterbock (1934:46-47) bc:\ieves that the: te:xt was Dat~ and Function of th~ Toct writte:n during the reigns of Abi-Buh (1711-1684) or Ammi-~aduqa (1646-1626),7 but Jacobsen seems less The: text is concerned with the military superiority certain (1939:102,n.183). Although Giite:rbock's of Lugalannemundu and with his piety in reinstituting the offerings and rites associated with the temple at Adab. That Lugalannemundu's victory and building 3 The scarcity of our material should not surprise us. For all achievements are promised by the gods themsc:\ves the hundreds of'extanr Akkadian texts, Longman is able to (II:27) represents an attempt to portray him and his ex- provide only fifteen examples of fictional autobiography. ploits as divinely justified. 4 For the sake of consistency and comparison the study below adopts the format of Longman's book. 5 The homeland of some of the sovereigns is unknown due 8 The date of this ruler depends to a large extent on the to gaps in the text. Sumerian King List. Kramer (1948: 162.n.14) appears to be 6 'Unfortunately, this section of the text is badly damaged. one of the only supporters of a Early Dynastic date for Lu- _The names of the gates which are legible are in order: "the galannemundu. Despite the harsh criticism of Curchin Majestic Gate" (11:31), "the Great Gate" (11:33), "the Gate of (1977:95.n.l), I see no compelling reason not to take the king Appointed Destiny" (11:37), "the Gate of the Steady Wall list at face value.
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