Dedicatory
inscriptions by rulers of the Neo-Sumerian
period commemorating the construction
of a building were written on clay in the form of
thick cones, also called
“nails” because of their flat heads. Multiples were produced with
identical inscriptions and were
embedded into the walls of the new buildings
they memorialize.
This
foundation cone is in honor of Gudea, the
Governor of Lagash.
In his inscriptions, Gudea related the
many pious building projects he
carried out and dedicated to the divinities of the
city.
The building of the Eninnu, from which
this cone comes, seems to have
been the greatest project of his reign. Two
hymns, each written on a large clay nail, recount
different stages of its
construction:
“For
the god Ningirsu, the mighty warrior of Enlil, for
his King Gudea, governor of
Lagash, a resplendent marvel the Eninnu
Temple-Brilliant Lion-Headed Eagle, he
built and restored (to its former
condition).”
Although time has ravaged the ruins of the
earliest human civilizations centered in
Mesopotamia, we are still able to
appreciate the range and beauty of their
achievements through the artifacts that
survive.
This foundation cone
continues to extol the wisdom and prosperity of
Gudea thousands of years later.
