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Fragment of "Ur-Namma" stele, ca. 2097–2080 B.C.; Ur III, reign of Ur-Namma. Mesopotamia, Ur. Pink-buff limestone; H. 105 cm (39 5/8 in.); W. 71.8 cm (28 1/4 in.); Thickness 11 cm (4 3/8 in.). University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia CBS 16676.14.
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Paul Collins
Here we see just one fragment from a major stele that was over ten feet high. It was probably dedicated by the king Ur-Namma. He represents himself as the rightful heir to the whole of Southern Mesopotamia by proclaiming himself "King of Sumer and Akkad."
In this carving, the large, seated figure is a god. He holds a short staff with a coil made of looped ropes. They were perhaps used as a measuring line to lay out a temple he is building. Below, a bald servant helps the bearded king carry building tools, including a basket for mixing clay. The king did not, of course, do manual labor. What we're likely seeing here is a ceremony—known from texts—in which the king makes the first brick for an important building. Indeed, Ur-Namma was a great builder. Restoring the huge temples of his cities was, after all, a way to assert his political legitimacy. And to make his ascendancy even clearer, he added colossal tiered towers, known as ziggurats. Ziggurats developed out of the tradition of building temples on high platforms. Professor Piotr Michalowski:
Piotr Michalowski
He founded a dynasty which we call the Third Dynasty of Ur. But he only reigned for eighteen years. The saddest thing that we know about him is that he probably died on the field of battle and there is a long poem of approximately 250 lines that describes his death on the battlefield.
He utters a lament which includes these lines: "My drums and harps have been set to mourning. Instruments have been set aside in the musicians' house. Instead of the throne that never ceased to give me pleasure, they sat me down in the dirt around a city well."
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