Sumerian·Book

Position in chronology

Amar-Suena 18

~2050 BCE·Ur III · Neo-Sumerian·Q001796

Written in modern English

The text names a king — his titles include steadfast supporter of Enlil's temple, powerful king, king of Ur, and king of the four quarters. Whatever came before and after is lost; only this fragment of his royal titulary survives.

A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.

Translation — scholar edition

ETCSRI
High confidence
(1') ... the steadfast supporter of Enlilś temple, the powerful king, king of Urim, king of the four quarterṣ ...

Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Royal Inscriptions — scholar edition (Vienna).

Why it matters

Preserves a royal titulary of Amar-Suena — 'king of Urim, king of the four quarters' — attesting the ideological claim to universal sovereignty that defined Ur III kingship at its height.

Scholarly note

Sumerian royal inscription, published in the Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Royal Inscriptions (ETCSRI) by Gábor Zólyomi and collaborators. Translation reproduced from the ETCSRI edition. ORACC text Q001796.

Attribution

Image: BM 090043 (British Museum, London, UK) — from Eridu (mod. Abu Shahrain) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts, P226671). source
Translation excerpted from Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Royal Inscriptions (ETCSRI), University of Vienna, edited by Gábor Zólyomi et al. https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/etcsri/Q001796/.

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