Aga of Kish

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Aga
𒀝𒂵
Ak gal-ukkin.jpg
The name "Akka" appears in the Stele of Ushumgal, as the Great Assembly official.[1]
Reignc. 2600 – c. 2580 BC
PredecessorEnmebaragesi (father)
SuccessorGilgamesh (Uruk Dynasty)
DynastyFirst dynasty of Kish

Aga (Cuneiform: 𒀝𒂵) (c. 2600 – c. 2580 BC) was the last king of the First Dynasty of Kish[2][3] , he ruled over Umma and Zabala.

According to ancient sumerian records, he is referenced as the son of Enmebaragesi, a king who has been verified through archaeological inscription. He is listed in the Sumerian King List[4] as the 23rd king of Kish.


Name[edit]

Aga is a relatively rarely attested personal name in Early Dynastic times, making his identification in royal texts possible.

The name Aga has been found written as 𒀝𒂵 (ag-ga or ak-ga), 𒀝𒃷 (ag-ga3 or ak-ga3) and 𒀝 (ag or ak) [5]. His name appears in the Stele of Ushumgal, as a gal-ukkin ("Great Assembly") official (𒀝𒃲𒌺, Ak gal-ukkin).[1][6] It has been suggested this could refer to Aga himself.[1] The term 𒃲𒌺𒈾, gal-ukkin-na, generally means "Chairman of the Assembly".[7]

Reign[edit]

Aga is mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh as having besieged Uruk. He appears also in the earlier Sumerian text of Gilgames and Akka, where he is referred to as Akka, and fought against Gilgamesh, but he was defeated.[8][9] The Gilgamesh epic, the Sumerian King List, and the Tummal Inscription[10] all call him the son of En-me-barage-si, a king who has been verified through archaeological inscription:

"Enmebaragesi,
The king in this very city (that is Nippur),
built the House of Enlil,
Agga the son of Enmebaragesi,
made the Tummal pre-eminent.
Then the Tummal fell into ruins for the first time.
Meš-Ane-pada built the Bur-šušua in Enlil's temple.
Meš-ki-aĝ-nuna, son of Meš-Ane-pada,
made the Tummal flourish and brought Ninlil into the Tummal."

— Old Babylonian tablet Tummal Inscription (1900-1600 BCE)[11][12]


See also[edit]


References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Frayne, Douglas. The Struggle for Hegemony in "Early Dynastic II" Sumer. pp. 65–66.
  2. ^ Thorkild Jacobsen, The Sumerian King List (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1939), pp. 84f
  3. ^ "The Sumerian king list: composite text". etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk: Line 87.
  4. ^ Thorkild Jacobsen
  5. ^ "Sumerian Dictionary "Aga" (RN) entry". Upenn.edu.
  6. ^ "CDLI-Found Texts". cdli.ucla.edu.
  7. ^ Fleming, Daniel E. (2000). Time at Emar: The Cultic Calendar and the Rituals from the Diviner's Archive. Eisenbrauns. p. 209, note 34. ISBN 978-1-57506-044-6.
  8. ^ Katz, Dina (1993). Gilgamesh and Akka. BRILL. p. 14. ISBN 978-90-72371-67-6.
  9. ^ George, Andrew (1999). The epic of Gilgamesh: the Babylonian epic poem and other texts in Akkadian and Sumerian. London: Allen Lane Penguin Press. ISBN 978-0-7139-9196-3.
  10. ^ "ETCSLtranslation : t.2.1.3; The history of the Tummal". Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  11. ^ Kramer, S.N. (1963). The Sumerians: their history, culture, and character. University of Chicago Press. p. 46. Retrieved 2011-12-29.
  12. ^ "CDLI-Found Texts". cdli.ucla.edu.

External links[edit]

Regnal titles
Preceded by
En-me-barage-si 		King of Sumer
c. 2600 BC or legendary 		Succeeded by
Gilgamesh of Uruk
Ensi of Kish
c. 2600 BC or legendary 		Succeeded by
Unknown


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