- Hammurabi
Hammurabi (Akkadian from Amorite "ˤAmmurāpi", "the kinsman is a healer," from "ˤAmmu", "paternal kinsman," and "Rāpi", "healer"; c. 1810 BCE - 1750 BCE), was the sixth king of Babylon. He became the first king of the Babylonian Empire, extending Babylon's control over Mesopotamia by winning a series of wars against neighboring kingdoms. Hammurabi is known for the set of laws called Hammurabi's Code, …
- Ur-Nammu
Ur-Nammu (or Ur-Namma, Ur-Engur, ca. 2112-2095 BC) founded the Sumerian 3rd dynasty of Ur, in southern Mesopotamia, following several centuries of Akkadian and Gutian rule. He was succeeded by his son Shulgi, after an eighteen year reign. His death on the battle-field against the Gutians (after he had been abandoned by his army) was commemorated in a long Sumerian poetic composition.
- Samuel Noah Kramer
Samuel Noah Kramer was one of the world's leading Assyriologists and a world renowned expert in Sumerian history and Sumerian language.
- Naram-Sin
Naram-Sin (2255 BC - 2219 BC short chronology) was the third successor and grandson of Sargon of Akkad; under Naram-Sin the Akkadian Empire reached its zenith. He was the first Mesopotamian king to claim divinity for himself, and the first to be called "King of the Four Quarters". He traded with Meluhha (possibly corresponding to the Indus Valley civilization), and controlled a large portion of land along the Persian Gulf.
- Sargon Of Akkad
Sargon of Akkad, also known as Sargon the Great, was an Akkadian king famous for his conquest of the Sumerian city-states in the 24th and 23rd centuries BC. The founder of the Dynasty of Akkad, Sargon reigned for 56 years, c. 2334 BC–2279 BC (short chronology). He became a prominent member of the royal court of Kish, ultimately overthrowing its king before embarking on the conquest of Mesopotamia.
- Enmerkar
Enmerkar, according to the Sumerian king list, was the builder of Uruk, and was said to have reigned for "420 years" (or 900 as some copies). It adds that he brought the official kingship with him from the city of Eana, after his father Mesh-ki-ag-gasher, son of Utu, had "entered the sea and disappeared." Enmerkar is also known from a few other Sumerian legends, most notably "Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta", …
- Igigi
Igigi was a king of the Akkadian Empire who ruled from 2257 to (unknown) BCE. He fought for power in Akkad after the death of Shar-kali-sharri. Igigi was also a term used to refer to the lesser gods (as opposed to the great gods, or Anunnaki). In Sumerian it means "Those who watch and see".
- Leonard Woolley
Charles Leonard Woolley (17 April, 1880-20 February, 1960) was a British archaeologist best known for his excavations at Ur in Mesopotamia. He is considered to have been one of the first "modern" archaeologists, and was knighted in 1935 for his services to archaeology. The son of a clergyman, Woolley was born in London and educated at St John's School, Leatherhead and New College, Oxford. In 1905, he became assistant keeper of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
- Eannatum
Eannatum was a Sumerian king of Lagash who established one of the first verifiable empires in history.
- Ibbi-Sin
Ibbi-Sin, son of Shu-Sin, was king of Sumer and Akkad and last king of the Ur III dynasty, and reigned circa 2028 BC-2004 BC. During his reign, the Sumerian empire was attacked repeatedly by Amorites. As faith in Ibbi-Sin's leadership failed, Elam declared its independence and began to raid as well. Ibbi-Sin ordered fortifications built at the important cities of Ur and Nippur, but these efforts were not enough to stop the raids or keep the empire unified.
- Enheduanna
Enheduanna (c. 2285-2250 BCE; En-hedu-Ana, EN.HÉ.DU.AN.NA "lord ornament of An (the sky)") was a Sumerian/Akkadian high priestess of the moon god Nanna (Sin) in Ur, who came to honor Inanna above all the other gods of the Sumerian pantheon. A single tablet records her as the "daughter of Sargon of Akkad" a relationship that has been taken both literally and ritually.
- Entemena
Entemena, son of En-anna-tum I, 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. 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.
- Thorkild Jacobsen
Thorkild Jacobsen (Danish pronunciation: [yahkobsen]) was a renowned historian specializing in Assyriology and Sumerian literature. Jacobsen received an M.A. from the University of Copenhagen and then came to the United States to study at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, where he received his PhD. He became a Field Assyriologist for the Iraq Expedition of the Oriental Institute (1929-1937) and in 1946 became Director of the Oriental Institute.
- Shu-Sin
Shu-sin was king of Sumer and Akkad, and was the penultimate king of the Ur III dynasty. He succeeded his brother Amar-Sin, and reigned circa 2036 BC-2028 BC. Following an open revolt of his Amorites subjects, he directed the construction of a fortified wall between the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers, intending it to hold off any further Amorite attacks. He was succeeded by his son Ibbi-Sin.
- Puabi
Pu-Abi (Akkadian "Lit." "Word of my Father") was an important personage in the Sumerian city of Ur who lived about 2600-2500 BCE, during the First Dynasty of Ur. While she is normally labeled as a "Queen", that title is somewhat in dispute. Puabi, known in Sumerian as "Shubad", was identified by several cylinder seals in her tomb. These seals indicate that she was a "Nin" a Sumerian word which can denote a Queen or a Priestess.
- Amar-Sin
Amar-Sin (2046-2037 BCE High chronology) was the third ruler of the Ur III Dynasty, son of Shulgi (2094-2047 BCE). His reign is notable for his attempt at regenerating the ancient sites of Sumer. He apparently worked on the unfinished ziggurat at Eridu. (It has been suggested that this ziggurat was the origin of the story of the Tower of Babel.) Eridu was abandoned during his reign. Salinity problems had made agricultural pursuits in this region unprofitable.
- Muazzez İlmiye Çığ
Muazzez İlmiye Çığ is a Turkish archaeologist and Sumerologist who specializes in the study of the Sumerian people. In 2005, she published a book arguing that the headscarf did not originate in the Muslim world but was worn by five thousand years ago by Sumerian priestesses who initiated young men into sex. As a result, she and her publisher were charged with "inciting hatred based on religious differences". Çığ's case went to trial on November 1, 2006.
- Lugal-Zage-Si
Lugal-Zage-Si of Umma (reigned ca. 2359 BC-2335 BC short chronology) was the last Sumerian king before the conquest of Sumer by Sargon of Akkad and the rise of the Akkadian Empire, and was considered as the only king of the third dynasty of Uruk. He was arguably the first king to unite Sumer as a single kingdom. Lugal-Zage-Si pursued an expansive policy. He began his career as King of Umma, from where he conquered several of the Sumerian city-states including Uruk, …
- Kubaba
Kubaba (in the Weidner "Chronicle"), or Kug-Baba, or elsewhere as Kubau, is the name of the only queen in the Sumerian king list. "The house of Kubaba" is mentioned "in the reign of Puzur-Nirah, king of Akšak" (line 38) in the Weidner "Chronicle", a propagandistic letter attempting to predate the shrine of Marduk to an early period: "Kubaba gave bread to the fisherman and gave water, she made him offer the fish to Esagila" (line 43).
- Samsu-Iluna
Samsu-Iluna (Samsuiluna), was the King of Babylon, who reigned from 1749 BC to 1712 BC. He was son of Hammurabi. During the reign of Samsu-Iluna the Babylonian Empire lost many provinces. He fought against Rim-Sin II of Larsa. Most of the fighting took place on the Elam and Sumer border before Rim-Sin II was captured and executed. He also during the war partially destroyed the city of Ur and Uruk. Iluma-Ilu, pretending to be a descendant of Damiq-Ilishu, …
- Utu-Hegal
Utu-hegal was one of the first King of Sumer after centuries of Akkadian and Gutian rule. There are several theories concerning further details of his life. The most common is that he was a governor of Uruk who revolted against the Guti during the 22nd century BC. After defeating the Guti with the aid of other cities, Utu-hegal established himself as the King of Sumer. He was, however, unable to maintain power, and seven years later Ur-Nammu, …
- Lugal-Anne-Mundu
Lugal-Anne-Mundu was the most important king of the city-state Adab in Sumer. According to Sumerian transcriptions, he conquered all of Mesopotamia, from the Persian Gulf to the Zagros Mountains and Elam. His empire, perhaps the first in recorded history, collapsed upon his death. He reigned about 90 years (2490 - 2400 B.C.).
- Mesilim
Mesilim (c. 2500 BC) was "ensi" (king) of the Sumerian city-state Kish. He is one of the first persons in history whose name is recorded in archaeological documents. His significance to Sumerian history is that he acted as mediator in a conflict between Lagash and Umma (already rivals) related to property rights regarding a canal used for irrigation. After asking the opinion of the god Satarana, …
- Elulu
Elulu or Ilulu according to the Sumerian king list was a king of the Akkadian Empire. The dates of his reign are unknown, possibly ending approximately 2254 BCE. He fought for power in Akkad after the death of Shar-kali-sharri. The king list also mentions a Sumerian king Elulu in the first dynasty of Ur who it says reigned for 25 years; this would have been about two centuries earlier than the above Akkadian king.
- Etana
Etana was an ancient, legendary Sumerian king of the city of Kish and was, according to the Sumerian king list, one of the kings who reigned after the deluge. He is listed as the successor of "Arwium, the son of Mashda", as king of Kish. It also calls Etana "the shepherd, who ascended to heaven and consolidated all the foreign countries", and states that he ruled 1560 years (some copies read 635) before being succeeded by Balih, said to have ruled 400 years.
- Enshakushanna
Enshakushanna (or En-Shakansha-Ana, Enukduanna) was a king of Uruk sometime in the later 3rd millennium BC who is named on the Sumerian king list, which states his reign to have been 60 years. He conquered Hamazi, Akkad, Kish, and Nippur, claiming hegemony over all of Sumer. He is the first ruler known to have taken the Sumerian title "en ki-en-gi ki-uri", or "lord of Sumer and Akkad".
- Nanum
Nanum or Nanium was a king of the Akkadian Empire who ascended the throne in 2257 B.C.. After the death of the previous ruler of Akkad, Shar-kali-sharri, he jockeyed for power with three other rival kings: Igigi, Imi, and Elulu. The four kings ruled as a tetrad for an estimated three years, creating a great deal of confusion over which of them held legitimate power. His reign, and those of his rivals, ended when Dudu seized control of Akkad.
- Gungunum
Gungunum (king of Larsa) was an Amorite and the fifth ruler of the Larsa dynasty. He ruled from 1932 BC to 1906 BC. As ruler he conquered Ur, establishing the empire as the rival of Isin.
- Ernest de Sarzec
Ernest Choquin de Sarzec (1832-1901) was a French archaeologist, to whom is attributed the discovery of the civilization of ancient Sumer. He was in the French diplomatic service; on being transferred to Basra in 1872 as a vice-consul, he became interested in the excavations at Ur, started by the British diplomat J. E. Taylor. In 1877, he began a dig at Tello (the ancient Girsu, as it transpired, rather than Lagash as once supposed).
- Edgar James Banks
Edgar James Banks (1866 - May 5 1945) was an antiquities enthusiast and entrepreneurial roving archaeologist in the closing days of the Ottoman Empire, who has been held up as an original for the fictional composite figure of Indiana Jones. Starting from his position as American consul in Baghdad in 1898, Banks bought hundreds of cuneiform tablets on the market in the closing days of the Ottoman Empire and re-sold them in small batches to museums, libraries, universities, …
- David Drake
David Drake (born September 24, 1945) is a successful author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now one of the premier authors of the military science fiction subgenre. Drake graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Iowa, majoring in history (with honors) and Latin. His studies at Duke University School of Law were interrupted for two years by the U.S. Army, …
- Wilhelm König
"Wilhelm König" was a German archaeologist. In 1938 he made the first thorough examination of a curious clay jar in the National Museum of Iraq (which he was the director of), now known as the Baghdad Battery. In 1940, having returned to Berlin due to illness, he published a paper speculating that they may have been galvanic cells, perhaps used for electroplating gold onto silver objects. In the museum König also discovered copper utensils from ancient Sumer, …
- Armand Schwerner
Armand Schwerner (1927-1999) was an avant-garde Jewish-American poet. His most famous work, "Tablets", is a series of poems which claim to be reconstructions of (fictional) ancient Sumero-Akkadian inscriptions, complete with lacunae and "untranslatable" words. He was born in Antwerp, Belgium, and his family moved to the United States as a nine-year-old.
- Marcel Gimond
Marcel Gimond was a French sculptor born in the Ardeche region of France. Gimond first studied at the "Beaux-Arts" Academy in Lyon and was the student in turn of both Aristide Maillol and Rodin .Gimond was an influential Professor at the Paris "Beaux -Arts" until 1960. He was uniquely invited to exhibit his modelled busts at both the salon and with the surrealists. Garlanded with the "Grand Prix National des Arts" in 1957, Gimond, …
- Denny Sargent
Denny Sargent, also known as Frater Aion and Hermeticusnath, is an American artist, writer, teacher and practicing eclectic ritualist. He is one of the founding members of the Horus-Maat Lodge and a Tantrika of the Nath lineage. He was one of the founding editors of "Mandragore", a journal of magick and eclectic ritualism published in New York City during the 1970s, and in the early 1980s he helped found, …
- Güner Sümer
- Hakan Sümer
- Nevzat Sumer
- Sinan Sümer
- Zerrin Sumer