Lagash

Lagash was a prominent Sumerian city-state in southern Mesopotamia during the Early Dynastic period, roughly between the 26th and 22nd centuries BCE. It was centered at Girsu, whose ruins lie at Telloh in present-day Iraq, and it controlled surrounding territory along the southern Mesopotamian plain. The city’s institutions and monuments reflect a temple-centered economy and an organized urban polity.

Politically, Lagash rose to regional prominence under rulers such as Eannatum, who expanded its influence and defeated Umma in a long series of conflicts depicted in the Stele of the Vulture. The dynasty continued with later rulers who maintained Lagash’s expansion, military activity, and temple-endowment programs, illustrating early state administration and provincial governance in Sumer.

Culture and religion were central to Lagash’s identity. The city worshiped Ningirsu, the warrior god, and built extensive temple complexes at Girsu. Inscriptions and administrative texts from Lagash illuminate aspects of year-names, military campaigns, and temple economies, including the Enmetena inscription, which records administrative and economic measures such as debt, interest, and early forms of contractual law.

Archaeology contributed significantly to our understanding of Lagash. Excavations at Telloh by Ernest de Sarzec in the late 19th century uncovered the Temple of Ningirsu, votive offerings, and the Stele of the Vulture, among other artifacts. Later work helped reveal Lagash’s urban layout, institutional practices, and its role in early Sumerian state formation.

Lagash’s prominence waned after the Early Dynastic period, but its inscriptions and monuments provide crucial insights into warfare, governance, religion, and early legal-economic systems in ancient Mesopotamia.