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The Death of Ur-Nammu

The Death of Ur-Nammu is a Sumerian lament over the passing of the king Ur-Nammu (r. 2047-2030 BCE), founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur, who was killed in battle fighting the Gutians in 2030 BCE. The poem is frequently cited for its depiction of a great banquet in the underworld, usually described as dark and silent.

Even so, the image of the realm of the afterlife is still far from pleasant as, "the food of the underworld is bitter, the water of the underworld is brackish" (lines 83-84; Black, 59) and the soul is aware of what has been lost and the grief of those left behind on earth but can do nothing to change its fate or comfort the mourners. The soul is completely self-aware and completely powerless once it has descended to the realm of Ereshkigal, Queen of the Dead, and this understanding of the afterlife contributed, in part, to the belief in ghosts in ancient Mesopotamia: some souls, in trying to assert their autonomy, would escape and return to the world of the living.

The poem, also known as The Death of Ur-Namma and The Death of Ur-Nammu and His Descent to the Underworld, dates from the reign of Ur-Nammu's son and successor, Shulgi of Ur (2029-1982 BCE), and may have been performed as part of the funerary rites. Scholar Samuel Noah Kramer notes that many of the details of the funeral in lines 31-42 no doubt reflect actual practices, and a performance of a lament for a fallen king would not have been out of place.

An especially interesting aspect of the piece is the depiction of the gods and Ur-Nammu's charge that he was betrayed by them. He trusted the most powerful of the gods, Anu (An) and Enlil to protect him but, instead, they let him die on the battlefield. His personal protector, the goddess Inanna, seems to have been purposefully sent away on an errand to distract her, and when she returns, she is outraged. There is no reason given for the gods' decision to withdraw their protection from the king who has always faithfully served them, leaving the question of why good people suffer and die unanswered.

Summary

Lines 1-75 describe Ur-Nammu's death and funeral including the gods' reaction in lines 8-14 where Enki, the god of wisdom shuts the door of Eridug (Eridu) and Utu, the sun god refuses to light the day. The city of Ur is given as Urim where the king's body is brought from the battlefield. Lines 76-197 describe his soul's descent to the underworld, the gifts he brings to the gods associated with the afterlife, like the hero Gilgamesh and Nergal, consort of Ereshkigal, and the great banquet held in his honor.

Lines 155-197 give Ur-Nammu's lament for his life and this transitions to Inanna's rage at finding he has passed to the underworld and the gods' reaction in lines 198-233. The poem concludes with praise to the god Ningiszida, a vegetation and underworld deity who was the son of Ninazu, the god of transition to the afterlife and transformation. The last lines, which are fragmentary, are thought to be appealing to Ningiszida to comfort the soul of Ur-Nammu amidst his tears and lamentation.