Universalistic Ambitions, Deification and Claims of divine Origin of Mesopotamian Rulers: the Lagaš II Dynasty
Abstract
No doubt, the concept of universalistic claims and assertions for divine origin by the Mesopotamian rulers can be traced back to Early Dynastic Lagaš (25th–24th centuries BC). After Early Dynastic Lagaš was conquered by Sargon of Akkad, the new possibility for universalistic claims and assertions for divine origin for the rulers of Lagaš opened again after fall of the Empire
of Akkad (c. 2154 BC), when the city-state of Lagaš became independent.
Rulers of II Dynasty of Lagaš (Ur-Bau, Gudea) re-introduced the idea of the divine origin of a ruler and this idea of divine origin of a ruler culminated during the reign of Gudea (22nd century BC), who was the most significant and powerful ruler of II Dynasty Lagaš. Gudea claimed not only divine origin for himself, he also proclaimed that he was the sun-god Utu of his people who rose
over his own city and he re-introduced universalistic expressions and epithets for his gods, which were used in Lagaš first in the times of Early Dynastic period by E-anatum and some of his successors.
It seems that Gudea was the first ruler in the Sumero-Akkadian world who introduced the idea of solar kingship, promoted the new concept that a king is a “sun-god”, a phenomenon which was later used by several kings of Ur III Dynasty (2112–2004 BC) like Šulgi and Amar-Su’ena, and then later by several Assyrian and Babylonian kings of II-I millennia.
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