Editing Shulgi

{{Short description|21st century BC Sumerian King}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{infobox royalty
| name         = Shulgi<br>{{nobold|{{cuneiform|𒀭𒂄𒄀}}}}
| title        = {{unbulleted list
   | [[Ur|King of Ur]]
   | [[King of Sumer and Akkad]]
   | [[King of the Four Corners of the World]]
 }}
| reign        = {{Circa|2094 &nbsp;BC}}&nbsp;– 2046 &nbsp;BC
| predecessor  = [[Ur-Nammu]]
| successor    = [[Amar-Sin]]
| death_date   = c. 2046 BC
| issue        = [[Amar-Sin]], Liwir-Mitashu
| father       = [[Ur-Nammu]]
| mother       = Watartum
| dynasty      = [[3rd Dynasty of Ur]]
| succession   = King of the [[Neo-Sumerian Empire]]
| image        = [[File:Cylinder seal of Shulgi.jpg|320px]]<br>[[File:Shulgi seal (drawing).jpg|320px]]
| image_size   = 340px
| caption      = Cylinder seal of Shulgi. The inscription reads "To [[Nuska]], supreme minister of [[Enlil]], his king, for the life of Shulgi, strong hero, King of Ur, King of Sumer and Akkad, Ur-Nanibgal, governor of Nippur, son of Lugal-engardug, governor of Nippur, dedicated this."<ref>Full transcription: {{cite web |title=CDLI-Archival View |url=https://cdli.ucla.edu/search/archival_view.php?ObjectID=P226975 |website=cdli.ucla.edu}}</ref> Louvre Museum.
}}
{{multiple image|perrow=2|total_width=330|caption_align=left|footer_align=center
| align    = right
| direction =horizontal
| header=King Shulgi foundation tablet<br><small>({{Circa|2094}}–2046 BC)</small>
| image2   = Foundation tablet Reign of Shulgi From the Temple of Dimtabba in Ur (horizontal).jpg
| caption2 = 
<small><sup>[[dingir|d]]</sup>nimin-tab-ba.............. "For [[Nimintabba]]"[[File:BLANK ICON.png|20px]]</small><br><small>nin-a-ni..................... "his Lady,"</small><br><small>šul-gi.................... "Shulgi"</small><br><small>nitah kalag-ga...... "the mighty man"</small><br><small>lugal........................"King"</small><br><small>urim<sup>ki</sup>-ma............... "of Ur"[[File:BLANK ICON.png|20px]]</small><br><small>lugal ki-en-............... "King of [[Sumer]]"</small><br><small>gi ki-uri-ke<sub>4</sub>................. "and [[Akkad (city)|Akkad]],"</small><br><small>e<sub>2</sub>-a-ni.......................... "her Temple"[[File:BLANK ICON.png|20px]]</small><br><small>mu-na-du<sub>3</sub>................... "he built"</small>
| image1   = Foundation tablet Reign of Shulgi From the Temple of Dimtabba in Ur.jpg
| caption1 = 
<small>{{cuneiform|[[:wikt:𒀭|𒀭]] [[Nimintabba|𒐏𒋰𒁀]]}}<br>{{cuneiform|𒎏𒀀𒉌}}<br>{{cuneiform|𒂄𒄀}}<br>{{cuneiform|𒍑𒆗𒂵}}<br>{{cuneiform|[[:wikt:𒈗|𒈗]] [[Ur|𒋀𒀊𒆠]]𒈠}}<br>{{cuneiform|𒈗[[Sumer|𒆠𒂗]]}}<br>{{cuneiform|𒄀𒆠[[:wikt:𒌵|𒌵]]𒆤}}<br>{{cuneiform|[[:wikt:𒂍|𒂍]]𒀀𒉌}}<br>{{cuneiform|𒈬𒈾𒆕}}<ref>[https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/from-beneath-the-temple/]Richard L. Zettler, "From Beneath The Temple Inscribed Objects From Ur", Expedition Magazine, University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania, vol. 28, no. 3, 1986</ref></small>
| footer=
Foundation tablet of king Shulgi ({{Circa|2094}}–2047 BC), for the Temple of [[Nimintabba]] in [[Ur]]. ME 118560 [[British Museum]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Enderwitz |first1=Susanne |last2=Sauer |first2=Rebecca |title=Communication and Materiality: Written and Unwritten Communication in Pre-Modern Societies |date=2015 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG |isbn=978-3-11-041300-7 |page=28 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pKK1CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT28 |language=en}}</ref>
}}
'''Shulgi''' ({{cuneiform|𒀭𒂄𒄀}} <sup>'''[[Dingir|d]]'''</sup>'''šul-gi''',(died c. 2046 BC) formerly read as '''Dungi''') of [[Ur]] was the second king of the [[Third Dynasty of Ur]]. He reigned for 48&nbsp;years, from {{Circa|2094|2046 BC}} ([[Middle Chronology]]).<ref name="Klein1995" /> His accomplishments include the completion of construction of the [[Great Ziggurat of Ur]], begun by his father [[Ur-Nammu]]. On his inscriptions, he took the titles "King of Ur", "[[King of Sumer and Akkad]]", adding "[[King of the Four Corners|King of the four corners of the universe]]" in the second half of his reign.<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/download/31402452/1991-3-JCS43-5.pdf]Suter, Claudia E., "A Shulgi statuette from Tello", Journal of Cuneiform Studies 43.1, pp. 63-70, 1991</ref> He used the symbol for divinity ([[Dingir|{{cuneiform|𒀭}}]]) before his name, marking his [[apotheosis]], from at least the 21st year of his reign and was worshipped in the Ekhursag palace he built.<ref>Raphael Kutscher, "An Offering to the Statue of Šulgi", Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University, vol. 1, iss. 2, pp. 55-59, 1974</ref> Shulgi was the son of [[Ur-Nammu]] king of [[Ur]] and his queen consort Watartum.<ref name="Sharlach2007" />

==Life and reign==
Shulgi apparently led a major modernization of the [[Third Dynasty of Ur]]. He improved communications, reorganized the army, reformed the writing system and weight and measures, unified the tax system, and created a strong [[bureaucracy]].<ref>[https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/ois4.pdf]Piotr Michalowski, "The Mortal Kings of Ur: A Short Century of Divine Rule in Ancient Mesopotamia", in Religion and Power: Divine Kingship in the Ancient World and Beyond Nicole Brisch, ed., Oriental Institute Seminars 4 Chicago: The Oriental Institute, 2008. Second printing with minor corrections, pp. 33-45, 2012 {{ISBN|978-1-885923-55-4}}</ref> He also wrote a law code, now known as the [[Code of Ur-Nammu]] because it was originally thought to have been authored by Ur-Nammu.<ref name="Klein1995">[https://www.academia.edu/download/43856215/Shulgi_of_Ur_CANE.pdf]Klein, Jacob, "Shulgi of Ur: king of a Neo-Sumerian empire", Civilizations of the ancient Near East 2, pp. 843-857, 1995</ref> He also built or rebuilt numerous temples throughout the empire.<ref name="Frayne1997" />

Shulgi is best known for his extensive revision of the scribal school's curriculum. Although it is unclear how much he actually wrote, there are numerous praise poems written by and directed towards this ruler. He had proclaimed himself a god by his 21st regnal year (there are indications this occurred as early as S12), and was recognized as such by the whole of [[Sumer]] and [[Akkad (city)|Akkad]].<ref name="Klein1995" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Woolley |first=C. Leonard |title=The Sumerians |publisher=[[W. W. Norton]] |isbn=0-393-00292-6 |location=New York |pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.166848/page/n183/mode/2up 132] |author-link=Leonard Woolley}}</ref>

Some much later chronicles castigate Shulgi for his impiety: The [[Gutian rule in Mesopotamia#Weidner Chronicle|Weidner Chronicle]] (ABC 19), a literary composition written in the 1st millennium BC, states that "he did not perform his rites to the letter, he defiled his purification rituals".<ref name="Glassner" >Jean-Jacques Glassner, "Mesopotamian Chronicles", Society of Biblical Literature, Atlanta, 2004 {{ISBN|1-58983-090-3}}</ref> CM 48, written late in the 1st millennium BC, charges him with improper tampering with the rites, composing "untruthful stelae, insolent writings" on them.<ref name="Glassner" /> The ''[[Chronicle of Early Kings]]'' (ABC 20), written in the mid-2nd millennium BC, accuses him of "criminal tendencies, and the property of [[Esagila]] and [[Babylon]] he took away as booty."<ref name="Glassner" />

The manner of death is unknown, only that it occurred in his 48th regnal year, in or before the 11th month. In the 3rd month of his successor, libations to the dead were first recorded for Shulgi and two wives Geme-Ninlila and Shulgi-simti. All three appear to have died in the year 48. Several researchers have suggest Shulgi was assassinated, partly based on omen texts, including one based on an [[Chronology of the ancient Near East#Eclipses|eclipse]].<ref>Michalowski, Piotr, "The Death of Šulgi", Orientalia, vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 220–25, 1977</ref><ref>E. Sollberger, "Sur la chronologie des rois d'Ur et quelques problèmes connexes", AfO 17, pp. 10-48, 1954/56</ref><ref>Michalowski, Piotr, "Of Bears and Men: Thoughts on the End of Šulgi’s Reign and on the Ensuing Succession", Literature as Politics, Politics as Literature: Essays on the Ancient Near East in Honor of Peter Machinist, edited by David S. Vanderhooft and Abraham Winitzer, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 285-320, 2013</ref> He was succeeded by [[Amar-Sin]]. The name Amar-Sin was not recorded before his ascension and is a "[[Regnal name|throne name]]". His original name, and whether he was actually the son of Shugi, is unknown.<ref>Sharlach, Tonia, "Princely Employments in the Reign of Shulgi", Journal of Ancient Near Eastern History, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 1-68, 2022</ref>

===Name===
Early uncertainties about the reading of cuneiform led to the readings "Shulgi" and "Dungi" being common transliterations before the end of the 19th century. However, over the course of the 20th century, the scholarly consensus gravitated away from ''dun ''towards ''shul'' as the correct pronunciation of the {{cuneiform|𒂄}} sign. The spelling of Shulgi's name by scribes with the ''[[dingir|diĝir]]'' determinative reflects his [[deification]] during his reign, a status and spelling previously claimed by his [[Akkadian Empire]] predecessor [[Naram-Sin of Akkad|Naram-Sin]].<ref name="DTP132">{{cite book |last1=Potts |first1=D. T. |title=The Archaeology of Elam |date=1999 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521564960 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mc4cfzkRVj4C&pg=PA132}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="130px" perrow="4">
File:Portraits of Shulgi.jpg|Portraits of Shulgi from his [[Nuska]] seal. [[Louvre Museum]]
File:Portrait of Shulgi as a builder, on a foundation nail.jpg|Portrait of Shulgi as a builder, on a foundation nail. [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]
</gallery>

===Marriages===
Shulgi was a contemporary of the ''[[Shakkanakku]]'' rulers of [[Mari, Syria|Mari]], particularly [[Apil-kin]] and [[Iddi-ilum]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Abusch |first1=I. Tzvi |last2=Noyes |first2=Carol |title=Proceedings of the XLV Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale: historiography in the cuneiform world |date=2001 |publisher=CDL Press |isbn=978-1-883053-67-3 |page=60 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4ZntAAAAMAAJ |language=en}}</ref> An inscription mentions that [[Taram-Uram]], the daughter of Apil-kin, became the "daughter-in-law" of [[Ur-Nammu]], and therefore the Queen of king Shulgi.<ref name="Sharlach2017a">Sharlach, T. M., "The Shulgi-simti Archive: Historical Sources", An Ox of One's Own: Royal Wives and Religion at the Court of the Third Dynasty of Ur, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, pp. 189-210, 2017 {{ISBN|978-1-5015-0522-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Eppihimer |first1=Melissa |title=Exemplars of Kingship: Art, Tradition, and the Legacy of the Akkadians |date=2019 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-090303-9 |page=121 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iCeeDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA121 |language=en}}</ref> In the inscription, she called herself "daughter-in-law of [[Ur-Nammu]]", and "daughter of Apil-kin, ''[[Lugal]]'' ("King") of Mari", suggesting for Apil-kin a position as a supreme ruler, and pointing to a marital alliance between Mari and [[Ur]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lipiński |first1=Edward |title=Immigration and Emigration Within the Ancient Near East |date=1995 |publisher=Peeters Publishers |page=187 |isbn=9789068317275 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=thIxCmwfNoMC&pg=PA187}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Civil |first1=Michel |title=Un nouveau synchronisme Mari-III e dynastie d'Ur |journal=Revue d'Assyriologie et d'archéologie orientale |date=1962 |volume=56 |issue=4 |page=213 |jstor=23295098 |issn=0373-6032}}</ref>

[[Nin-kalla]], Amat-Sin, and [[Ea-niša]] were queens of Shulgi. This had influence and performed official functions which continued even after the death of Shulgi.<ref>Sharlach, T. M., "The Lives of Shulgi’s Wives: Ea-niša, Geme-Ninlilla and More", An Ox of One's Own: Royal Wives and Religion at the Court of the Third Dynasty of Ur, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, pp. 139-174, 2017 {{ISBN|978-1-5015-0522-5}}</ref><ref>Michalowski, Piotr, "Royal Women of the Ur III Period, Part II: Geme-Ninlila", Journal of Cuneiform Studies 31.3, pp. 171-176, 1979</ref> Another queen, [[Shulgi-simti]], who is known from a high number of texts presenting evidence for her economic power, had similar status. The archive shows she selected various large animals to use in rituals for deities including [[Belet-Šuḫnir and Belet-Terraban]], [[Annunitum]], [[Ulmašītum]], Nanna, Ninlil and Enlil.<ref>Sharlach, T. M., "Sacrifice: An Overview of the Cultic Events to which the Shulgi-simti Foundation Contributed", An Ox of One's Own: Royal Wives and Religion at the Court of the Third Dynasty of Ur, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, pp. 239-260, 2017</ref> From thirty-second to forty-seventh year of Shulgi's reign she was in charge of the acceptance of ritual animals. On their death "libation places" for her and Shulgi were established.<ref name="Sharlach2007" >Sharlach, Tonia M., "Shulgi-simti and the Representation of Women in Historical Sources", Ancient Near Eastern Art in Context. Studies in Honor of Irene J. Winter by Her Students. Leiden & Boston, Brill, pp. 363-368, 2007</ref><ref>[https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/orient1960/12/0/12_0_1/_pdf]Gomi, Tohru, "Shulgi-simti and her Libation Place (ki-a-nag)", Orient 12, pp. 1-14, 1976</ref> Another important woman was [[Geme-Ninlilla]] who appears in texts at the end of the king's reign. Other, less well known royal women are [[Šuqurtum]], [[Simat-Ea]] and Geme-Su'ena.<ref>Michalowski, Piotr, "Royal Women of the Ur III Period Part I: The Wife of Šulgi", Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 169–72, 1976</ref>

Shulgi, with many wives and concubines, is known to have had at least sixteen sons including Etel-pū-Dagān, Amar-<sup>'''[[Dingir|d]]'''</sup>Da-mu, Lu-<sup>'''[[Dingir|d]]'''</sup>Nanna, Lugal-a-zi-da, Ur-<sup>'''[[Dingir|d]]''',</sup>Suen, and possibly [[Amar-Sin]] (his throne name) as well as one daughter, Peš-tur-tur.<ref>Notizia, Palmiro, "Prince Etel-pū-Dagān, Son of Šulgi", From the 21st Century B.C. to the 21st Century A.D.: Proceedings of the International Conference on Neo-Sumerian Studies Held in Madrid, 22–24 July 2010, edited by Steven J. Garfinkle and Manuel Molina, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 207-220, 2013</ref><ref>Changyu Liu, "Prosopography of individuals delivering animals to Puzriš-Dagan in Ur III Mesopotamia", Akkadica 142/2,  pp. 113-142, 2021</ref><ref>[https://cdli.ucla.edu/pubs/cdlp/cdlp0024_20220401.pdf]Changyu Liu, "Prosopographical Statistics Appendix of the article 'Prosopography of individuals delivering
animals to Puzriš-Dagan in Ur III Mesopotamia'", Cuneiform Digital Library Preprints, 24.0, 1 April 2022</ref> The name of another daughter, Šāt-Kukuti, is known from a cuneiform tablet.<ref>Ali, Basil Bashar, and Khalid Salim Ismael, "Šāt-kukuti The Daughter of King Šulgi in a New Text from the Iraqi Museum", Athar Alrafedain 8.2, pp. 266-280, 2023</ref> A daughter, Taram-Šulgi was married to the ruler of [[Pashime|Pašime]], Šudda-bani.<ref name="Sharlach2017a" />

===Royal hymns===
[[File:Self-praise of Shulgi (Shulgi D).jpg|thumb|320px|Text of the "[[Self-praise of Shulgi (Shulgi D)]]".]]
Shulgi also boasted about his ability to maintain high speeds while running long distances. He claimed in his 7th regnal year to have run from [[Nippur]] to [[Ur]], a distance of not less than 100&nbsp;miles.<ref name="Hamblin">[[William J. Hamblin|Hamblin, William J.]]  ''Warfare in the Ancient Near East to 1600 BC''.  New York: Routledge, 2006.</ref> Kramer refers to Shulgi as "The first long distance running champion."<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/download/57398378/Kramer_1956_History_Begins_at_Sumer.pdf]Kramer, Samuel Noah, "Shulgi of Ur: The First Long-Distance Champion", in History begins at Sumer: Thirty-nine firsts in recorded history, University of Pennsylvania press, pp. 284-289, 1981</ref>

Shulgi wrote 26 royal hymns to glorify himself and his actions. In one Shulgi claimed that he spoke [[Elamite language|Elamite]] as well as he spoke [[Sumerian language|Sumerian]].<ref>Klein, Jacob, "The Royal Hymns of Shulgi King of Ur: man's quest for immortal fame", Transactions of the American Philosophical Society 71.7, pp. 1-48, 1981</ref><ref>Kramer, Samuel Noah, "Shulgi of Ur: A royal hymn and a divine blessing", The Jewish Quarterly Review 57, pp. 369-380, 1967</ref> In another he refers to himself as "the king of the four-quarters, the pastor of the [[Sumer|black-headed people]]".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Liverani |first1=Mario |title=The Ancient Near East: History, Society and Economy |date=2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-75084-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0d1JAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA167 |language=en}}</ref>

===Armed conflicts===
While [[Der (Sumer)|Der]] had been one of the cities whose temple affairs Shulgi had directed in the first part of his reign, in his 20th year he claimed that the gods had decided that it now be destroyed, apparently as some punishment. The inscriptions state that he "put its field accounts in order" with the pick-axe. His 18th year-name was ''Year Liwir-mitashu, the king's daughter, was elevated to the ladyship in [[Marhashi]]'', referring to a country near Anshan and her dynastic marriage to its king, Libanukshabash.<ref>[https://cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/articles/cdlj/2017-1]Chen, Yanli, and Yuhong Wu, "The Names of the Leaders and Diplomats of Marḫaši and Related Men in the  Ur III Dynasty", Cuneiform Digital Library Journal 2017 (1), 2017</ref> Following this, Shulgi engaged in a period of expansionism at the expense of highlanders such as the [[Lullubi]], and destroyed [[Simurrum]] (another [[mountain tribe]]) and [[Lullubi|Lulubum]] nine times between the 26th and 45th years of his reign.<ref name="Samuel Noah Kramer">{{Cite book |title=The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character |author=Samuel Noah Kramer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iY9xp4pLp88C&q=the+sumerians+Samuel+Noah+Kramer |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |isbn=978-0-226-45238-8|date=2010-09-17 }}</ref> He is also known to have destroyed [[Karaḫar]], Harši, Šašrum, and Urbilum.<ref>[https://cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/articles/cdlj/2009-5]Lafont, Bertrand, "The Army of the Kings of Ur: The Textual Evidence", Cuneiform Digital Library Journal 2009 (5), 2009</ref>
In his 30th year, his daughter was married to the governor of [[Anshan (Persia)|Anshan]]; in his 34th year, he was already levying a punitive campaign against the place. He also destroyed Kimaš and Ḫurti (cities to the east of [[Ur]], somewhere near [[Elam]]) in the 45th year of his reign.<ref>Ghobadizadeh, Hamzeh and Sallaberger, Walther, "Šulgi in the Kuhdasht Plain: Bricks from a Battle Monument at the Crossroads of Western Pish-e Kuh and the Localisation of Kimaš and Ḫurti", Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archäologie, vol. 113, no. 1, pp. 3-33, 2023</ref><ref>Sebahi, Zahraa Abdel-Sada, and Jassim Abid Al-Ammer Jassim, "City ki-maški King Šulgi military campaigns on him the light of the published and unpublished cuneiform texts of the modern Sumerian period (2112-2004 BC)", ISIN Journal 4. pp. 121-146, 2022</ref> An inscribed brick recorded:
{{blockquote|text="Sulgi, god of his land the mighty, king of Ur, king of the four  quarters, when he destroyed the land of Kimas and Hurtum, set out a moat and heaped  up  a pile of corpses."<ref name="Frayne1997" />
}} As with many Mesopotamian rulers he dealt with nomadic incursion in his 37th year, he was obliged to build a large wall in an attempt to keep out the Tidnumite nomads.<ref name="Frayne1997" />

===Susa===
{{multiple image
| perrow            = 2
| total_width       = 330
| caption_align     = left
| footer_align      = center
| align             = right
| direction         = horizontal
| header            = King Shulgi carnelian bead<br><small>({{Circa|2094}}–2047 BCE)</small>
| image2            = Shulgi carnelian bead (transcription).jpg
| caption2          = <small><sup>[[dingir|d]]</sup>nin-lil<sub>2</sub>.......................... "For [[Ninlil]]"[[File:BLANK ICON.png|20px]]</small><br><small>nin-a-ni....................... "his Lady,"</small><br><small><sup>[[dingir|d]]</sup>šul-gi.................... "Shulgi"</small><br><small>nitah kalag-ga........ "the mighty man"</small><br><small>lugal urim<sup>ki</sup>-ma..... "King of Ur"</small><br><small>lugal ki-en-................. "King of [[Sumer]]" </small><br><small>gi ki-uri-ke<sub>4</sub>..................... "and [[Akkad (city)|Akkad]],"</small><br><small>nam-ti-la-ni-še<sub>3</sub>........... "for his life"[[File:BLANK ICON.png|20px]]</small><br><small>a mu-na-ru................... "dedicated (this)"</small>
| image1            = Shulgi carnelian bead (vertical).jpg
| caption1          = <small>{{cuneiform|[[:wikt:𒀭|𒀭]]𒊩𒌆𒆤}}<br>{{cuneiform|𒎏𒀀𒉌}}<br>{{cuneiform|𒀭𒂄𒄀}}<br>{{cuneiform|𒍑𒆗𒂵}}<br>{{cuneiform|[[:wikt:𒈗|𒈗]][[Ur|𒋀𒀊𒆠]]𒈠}}<br>{{cuneiform|𒈗[[Sumer|𒆠𒂗]]<br>𒄀[[:wikt:𒌵|𒆠𒌵]]𒆤}}<br>{{cuneiform|𒉆𒋾𒆷𒉌𒂠}}<br>{{cuneiform|𒀀𒈬𒈾𒊒}}</small>
| footer            = [[Etched carnelian beads|Carnelian bead]], elongated (7 cm), [[Indus Valley civilisation|Harappan]] style, provenance unknown. Bearing a cuneiform commemorative inscription of Shulgi, dedicating the bead to the goddess Ninlil. British Museum, BM 129493<ref>"DINGIR.NIN.LILA / NIN-A-NI / DINGIR.SHUL.GI / NITA-KALAG.GA / LUGAL URI/ .KI-MA / LUGAL.KI.EN / GI KI-URI3.KI / NAM.TI.LA NI.SHE3/ A MU.NA.RU." Inscription Translation:  "To Ninlil, his lady, Shulgi, mighty man, King of Ur, King of Sumer and Akkad, has dedicated (this stone) for the sake of his life." {{cite web |title=cylinder seal / bead |url=https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1512490&page=1&partId=1&searchText=1945%2C1013.37 |website=British Museum}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=CDLI-Archival View |url=https://cdli.ucla.edu/search/archival_view.php?ObjectID=P227445 |website=cdli.ucla.edu}}</ref> This carnelian bead was probably imported from the Indus valley.<ref>{{cite book |title=Art of the First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus |date=2003 |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |isbn=978-1-58839-043-1 |page=243 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8l9X_3rHFdEC&pg=PA243 |language=en}}</ref>
}}

Shulgi is known to have made dedications at [[Susa]], as foundation nails with his name, dedicated to god [[Inshushinak]] have been found there. One of the votive foundation nails reads: ''"The god 'Lord of Susa,' his king, Shulgi, the mighty male, king of Ur, king of Sumer and Akkad, the..., his beloved temple, built."''.<ref>{{cite web |title=CDLI-Found Texts Louvre Museum Sb 2881 |url=https://cdli.ucla.edu/search/search_results.php?SearchMode=Text&ObjectID=P226991 |website=cdli.ucla.edu}}</ref><ref name="DTP132"/> An [[etched carnelian bead]], now located in the Louvre Museum (Sb 6627) and inscribed with a dedication by Shulgi was also found in Susa, the inscription reading: ''"[[Ningal]], his mother, Shulgi, god of his land, King of Ur, King of the four world quarters, for his life dedicated (this)"''.<ref name="DTP132"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Shulgi perle (color image) |url=https://art.rmngp.fr/fr/library/artworks/perle-au-nom-du-roi-shulgi-vouee-a-la-deesse-ningal_cornaline_perle-objet |website=Louvre Museum}}</ref>

The Ur III dynasty had held control over Susa since the demise of [[Puzur-Inshushinak]], and they built numerous buildings and temples there. This control was continued by Shulgi as shown by his numerous dedications in the city-state.<ref name="DTP746">{{cite book |last1=Potts |first1=Daniel T. |title=A Companion to the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East |date=2012 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-4051-8988-0 |page=746 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7lK6l7oF_ccC&pg=PA746 |language=en}}</ref> He also engaged in marital alliances, by marrying his daughters to rulers of eastern territories, such as [[Anšan]], [[Marhashi]] and [[Bashime]].<ref name="DTP746"/>

<gallery widths="150px" heights="150px" perrow="4">
File:Votive tablet of Shulgi, excavated in Susa, SB 2880.jpg|Votive tablet of Shulgi, excavated in Susa: "For the goddess [[Ninhursag]] of [[Susa]], his Lady, Shulgi, the great man, King of Ur, King of Sumer and Akkad, built her temple ". [[Louvre Museum]], Sb 2884.<ref>{{cite web|title=Site officiel du musée du Louvre|url=http://cartelfr.louvre.fr/cartelfr/visite?srv=car_not&idNotice=17107|website=cartelfr.louvre.fr}}</ref>
File:Foundation nail-Sb 2879-P5280608-gradient.jpg|Foundation nail dedicated by Shulgi to the [[Elam]]ite god [[Inshushinak]], found in [[Susa]]. [[Louvre Museum]]
File:Carnelian bead with dedicatory inscription by Shulgi-Sb 6627 (transcription).jpg|Carnelian bead with dedicatory inscription by Shulgi, found in [[Susa]]. Louvre Museum, Sb 6627
</gallery>

==Year names==
[[File:Terracotta tablet listing the year formulae of king Shulgi. Ur III period. From Iraq. Ancient Orient Museum, Istanbul.jpg|thumb|One of the terracotta tablets listing the Year names of Shulgi, from year 6 (𒈬𒄊𒂗𒆤𒆠[𒋫...]: "The year the road from [[Nippur]] [was straightened]") to year 21a in this view, the other year names being inscribed on the back. A fragment is missing in this tablet (at the top), corresponding to the first five-year names and the last seven-year names of Shulgi.<ref name="Ist Ni 00394">{{cite web |title=Šulgi Year Names (Ist Ni 00394)|url=https://cdli.ucla.edu/search/archival_view.php?ObjectID=P265995 |website=cdli.ox.ac.uk}}</ref> This is an [[First Babylonian dynasty|Old Babylonian]] copy (ca. 1900-1600 BC) of an [[Akkadian Empire|Akkadian]] original.<ref name="Ist Ni 00394"/> [[Museum of the Ancient Orient]], Istanbul.]]
There are extensive remains for the year names of Shulgi, which have been largely reconstructed from year 1 to year 48 though some are fragmentary. There are no contemporary lists of year names, only partial texts from the Old Babylonian period so the order is not completely certain and a few years attribution is uncertain between Ur-Nammu and Shulgi. There are also multiple year names for some years which is not unprecedented.<ref name="Frayne1997" >Frayne, Douglas, "Šulgi", Ur III Period (2112-2004 BC), Toronto: University of Toronto Press, pp. 91-234, 1997</ref> For example year 20 is "Year: “Ninḫursaga of Nutur was brought into her temple”" and "Year: “The sons of Ur were conscripted as lancers”".<ref name="Sigrist2010" /> Some of the most important are:

{{Blockquote|
1. Year : Šulgi is king<br>
2. Year: The foundations of the temple of Ningubalag were laid<br>
6. Year: The king straightened out the Nippur road<br>
7. Year: The king made a round trip between Ur and Nippur (in one day)<br>
10. Year: The royal [[Ekur|mountain-house]] (the palace) was built<br>
18. Year: Liwirmittašu, the daughter of the king, was elevated to the queenship of [[Marhashi]]<br>
21c. Year: [[Der (Sumer)|Der]] was destroyed<br>
24. Year: Karahar was destroyed<br>
25. Year: [[Simurrum]] was destroyed<br>
27. Year after: "Šulgi the strong man, the king of the four corners of the universe, destroyed Simurrum for the second time"<br>
27b. Year: "Harszi was destroyed"<br>
30. Year: The governor of [[Anšan]] took the king's daughter into marriage<br>
31. Year: Karhar was destroyed for the second time<br>
32. Year: Simurrum was destroyed for the third time<br>
34. Year: Anshan was destroyed<br>
37. Year: The wall of the land was built<br>
42. Year: The king destroyed [[Tell Shemshara#Šašrum|Šašrum]]<br>
44. Year: Simurrum and [[Lullubum]] were destroyed for the ninth time<br>
45. Year: Šulgi, the strong man, the king of Ur, the king of the four-quarters, smashed the heads of Urbilum, Simurrum, Lullubum and Karhar in a single campaign<br>
46. Year: Šulgi, the strong man, the king of Ur, the king of the four-quarters, destroyed Kimaš, Hurti and their territories in a single day
|Main year names of Shulgi<ref name="Sigrist2010" >Sigrist, M., "Les noms d’anée du règne du roi Šulgi", in Why Should Someone Who Knows Something Conceal It? Cuneiform Studies in Honor of David I. Owen on His 70th Birthday, ed. A. Kleinerman and J. M. Sasson. Bethesda: CDL, pp. 219–38, 2010</ref><ref>[https://cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/articles/cdlj/2013-1]Richard Firth, "Notes on Year Names of the Early Ur III Period: Šulgi 20-30", Cuneiform Digital Library Journal 2013 (1), 2013</ref><ref>Goetze, Albrecht, "The Chronology of Šulgi Again", Iraq, vol. 22, pp. 151–56, 1960</ref>
}}

Year name 39 of Shulgi was "The year Šulgi, king of Ur, king of the four quarters, built é-Puzriš-Dagan, a residence {palace? temple?} of Šulgi".<ref name="Sharlach2016">[https://www.academia.edu/download/64051107/28-Scharlach-RAI-60_Warsaw.pdf]Sharlach, Tonia, "Šulgi, Mighty Man, King of Ur", Fortune and Misfortune in the Ancient Near East, pp. 211-20, 2016</ref>

==Artifacts and inscriptions==
<gallery widths="150px" heights="150px" perrow="4">
File:Lugal Urimkima Lugal Kiengi Kiuri, King of Ur, King of Sumer and Akkad, on a seal of Shulgi (transcription).jpg|''Lugal Urimkima/ Lugal Kiengi Kiuri'' {{cuneiform|𒈗𒋀𒀊𒆠𒈠𒈗𒆠𒂗𒄀𒆠𒌵}}, "King of [[Ur]], [[King of Sumer and Akkad]], on a votive tablet of Shulgi. The final ''ke<sub>4</sub>'' {{cuneiform|𒆤}} is the composite of -k ([[genitive case]]) and -e (ergative case).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Edzard|first1=Dietz Otto|title=Sumerian Grammar|date=2003|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-474-0340-1|page=36|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HOx5DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA36|language=en}}</ref>
File:Ancient_ziggurat_at_Ali_Air_Base_Iraq_2005.jpg|Shulgi completed the great [[Ziggurat of Ur]]
File:Earrings from Shulgi.JPG|Earrings inscribed in the name of Shulgi.<ref>{{cite web|title=CDLI-Archival View|url=https://cdli.ucla.edu/search/archival_view.php?ObjectID=P481718|website=cdli.ucla.edu}}</ref>
File:Seal of Shulgi, with Gilgamesh fighting a winged monster.jpg|Seal of Shulgi, with [[Gilgamesh]] fighting a winged monster: "To Shulgi, son of the king, Ur-dumuzi the scribe, his servant".<ref name="The seal cylinders of western Asia">{{cite book|last1=Ward|first1=William Hayes|title=The seal cylinders of western Asia|date=1910|publisher=Washington : Carnegie Inst.|page=[https://archive.org/details/sealcylindersofw00warduoft/page/27 27]|url=https://archive.org/details/sealcylindersofw00warduoft}}</ref>
File:Seal of Shulgi, with worshipper and seated deity.jpg|Seal of Shulgi, with worshipper and seated deity: "Shulgi, the mighty hero, King of Ur, king of the four regions, Ur-(Pasag?) the scribe, thy servant".<ref name="The seal cylinders of western Asia"/>
File:Mace head inscribed with the name of Shulgi, from Ur, Iraq. British Museum.jpg|Mace head in the name of Shulgi (inscription upside down). British Museum.
File:Official weight of 2 mina, reign of Shulgi, from Ur, Iraq. British Museum.jpg|Duck-shaped official weight of 2 mina, reign of Shulgi, from Ur, Iraq. British Museum.
File:Meluhha village tablet - BM17751.jpg|A tablet from the period of Shulgi, mentioning the "[[Meluhha]]" village in Sumer. British Museum, BM 17751.<ref name="SP">Simo Parpola, Asko Parpola and Robert H. Brunswig, Jr [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274936748_The_Meluhha_Village_Evidence_of_Acculturation_of_Harappan_Traders_in_Late_Third_Millennium_Mesopotamia "The Meluḫḫa Village: Evidence of Acculturation of Harappan Traders in Late Third Millennium Mesopotamia?"] in Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient Vol. 20, No. 2, 1977, p. 136-137</ref> "Meluhha" (<small>{{cuneiform|𒈨𒈛𒄩𒆠}}</small>) actually appears on the beginning of the other side (column II, 1) in the sentence "The granary of the village of Meluhha".<ref>{{cite web|title=Collections Online British Museum|url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1894-1015-11|website=britishmuseum.org}}</ref><ref name="SP"/>
File:Weight AO22187 mp3h9146.jpg|Weight of {{frac||1|2}} mina (actual weight 248 gr.) dedicated by King Shulgi and bearing the emblem of the crescent moon: it was used in the temple of the Moon-God at Ur. Diorite, beginning of the 21st century BC (Ur III). Louvre Museum, Department of Oriental Antiquities, Richelieu, first floor, room 2, case 6
File:Tablet of Shulgi.JPG|Tablet of Shulgi, glorifies the king and his victories on the Lullubi people and mentions the modern-city of Erbil and the modern-district of Sulaymaniyah, Sulaymaniyah Museum, Iraq
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Correspondence of the Kings of Ur]]
*[[History of Sumer]]
*[[List of Mesopotamian dynasties]]
*[[Sumerian king list]]
*[[Self-praise of Shulgi (Shulgi D)|Self-praise of Shulgi]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Aubaid, Nwr Saadwn, and Muhannad Ashwr Shnawah, "Some of the historical formulas with the military significant from the king shulgi", ISIN Journal 5, pp. 311-318, 2023
*Carroué, F., "Šulgi et la Temple Bagara", ZA 90, pp. 161–93, 2000
*de Maaijer, R., "Šulgi’s Jubilee: Where’s the Party?", in On the Third Dynasty of Ur: Studies in Honor of Marcel Sigrist, ed. P. Michalowski. JCS Suppl. 1. Boston: ASOR, pp. 45–52, 2008
*Falkenstein, A., "Ein Lied Auf Šulgi", Iraq, vol. 22, pp. 139–50, 1960
*Fish, Thomas, "The cult of the King Dungi during the third dynasty of Ur", Bulletin of the John Rylands Library 11.2, pp. 322-328, 1927
*Kramer, S. N., "Inanna and Šulgi: A Sumerian Fertility Song", Iraq, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 18–23, 1969
*Kraus, Fritz R., "Zur Chronologie der Könige Ur-Nammu und Šulgi von Ur", OrNS 20, pp. 385-398, 1951
*Limet, Henri, "Au début du règne de Šulgi", Revue d’Assyriologie et d’archéologie Orientale, vol. 65, no. 1, pp. 15–21, 1971
*Michalowski, P., "Death of Šulgi", OrNS 46, pp. 220–25, 1977
*Sharlach, Tonia M., "Local and Imported Religion at Ur Late in the Reign of Shulgi", Ur in the Twenty-First Century CE: Proceedings of the 62nd Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale at Philadelphia, July 11–15 2016, pp. 429-440, 2021
*Sollberger, Edmond, "Šulgi, an 41?", Revue d’Assyriologie et d’archéologie Orientale, vol. 44, no. 1/2, pp. 89–90, 1950
*Vacín, Luděk, "Tradition and Innovation in Šulgi’s Concept of Divine Kingship", Tradition and Innovation in the Ancient Near East: Proceedings of the 57th Rencontre Assyriologique International at Rome, 4-8 July 2011, edited by Alfonso Archi, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 179-192, 2015
*Van De Mieroop, Marc, "Gold Offerings of Šulgi", Orientalia, vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 131–51, 1986
*[https://cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/articles/cdlj/2004-2]Widell, Magnus, "The Calendar of Neo-Sumerian Ur and Its Political Significance", Cuneiform Digital Library Journal 2004 (2), 2004
*Winters, Ryan, "The Royal Herdsmen of Ur: Compensation and Centralization in the Reign of Shulgi", Journal of Cuneiform Studies. JCS, vol. 72, pp. 47–64, 2020
*[https://www.academia.edu/download/31928957/Archaeology_and_the_Problem_of_Textual_Evidence.pdf]Zettler, Richard L., "Archaeology and the problem of textual evidence for the Third Dynasty of Ur", Bulletin of the Canadian Society for Mesopotamian Studies 38, pp. 49-62, 2003

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.zenithonline.de/wirtschaft/hintergruende/?article=360&cHash=170b581bc6 Shulgi's axe sold illegally in Germany] from the German Middle East magazine zenith
*[http://sumerianshakespeare.com/789301.html The face of Shulgi. A realistic statue shows us how Shulgi may have looked in real life.]
{{s-start}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-bef
| before = [[Ur-Nammu]]
| rows = 2
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = King of Ur, Sumer and Akkad
| years = c. 2094 BC- c. 2046 BC
}}
{{s-aft
| after = [[Amar-Sin]]
| rows = 2
}}
|-
{{s-end}}{{Kings of Ur|state=collapsed}}{{Rulers of Sumer}}

[[Category:Sumerian kings]]
[[Category:21st-century BC Sumerian kings]]
[[Category:20th-century BC Sumerian kings]]
[[Category:Deified male monarchs]]
[[Category:Third Dynasty of Ur]]
[[Category:21st-century BC deaths]]