Lot Essay
Item two: Ningirsu was the chief of the state of Lagash and, as such, had several temples dedicated to him.
REIGN OF ISHME-DAGA, KING OF ISIN, 1954-1935 B.C.
Details
A Sumerian inscribed clay foundation cone
Reign of Ishme-Daga, King of Isin, 1954-1935 B.C.
With 18 lines of cuneiform text in 2 columns reading: "Ishme-Dagan, mighty man, king of Isin, king of the four world regions: when he cancelled the taxes of Nippur, the city beloved of Enlil, and excused its men from military service, he built the city wall of Isin. The name of that wall is: Ishme-Dagan is a great ... beside Enlil"; and another Sumerian clay cone inscribed in 12 lines for Gudea, the governor of Lagash, reading: "For Ningirsu, the mighty warrior of Enlil, his lord, Gudea, governor of Lagash, the builder of the Eninnu (temple) of Ningirsu, built for him (the temple) Epa, the temple with seven zones", circa 2100 B.C.
6¼ in. (15.9 cm.) and 5 5/8 in. (14.2 cm.) long respectively (2)
Reign of Ishme-Daga, King of Isin, 1954-1935 B.C.
With 18 lines of cuneiform text in 2 columns reading: "Ishme-Dagan, mighty man, king of Isin, king of the four world regions: when he cancelled the taxes of Nippur, the city beloved of Enlil, and excused its men from military service, he built the city wall of Isin. The name of that wall is: Ishme-Dagan is a great ... beside Enlil"; and another Sumerian clay cone inscribed in 12 lines for Gudea, the governor of Lagash, reading: "For Ningirsu, the mighty warrior of Enlil, his lord, Gudea, governor of Lagash, the builder of the Eninnu (temple) of Ningirsu, built for him (the temple) Epa, the temple with seven zones", circa 2100 B.C.
6¼ in. (15.9 cm.) and 5 5/8 in. (14.2 cm.) long respectively (2)