The queen of Lagash: Ritual economy in a Sumerian state.

Abstract

This study examines processes affecting the political structure and social development of Early Dynastic states in southern Mesopotamia (ca. 2900--2350 B.C.) by examining an archive from the Emunusa (e-munus, house of the Lady) or e-<super>d</super>ba-ba₆ (house of Baba), a cult-institution dedicated to the goddess Baba in the Sumerian state of Lagash. This cult-institution was presided over by a wife of the ruler of the Lagash state, and the archive dates to the last three independent Early Dynastic rulers of this state (ca. 2400--2350 B.C.). A central point of this study is that royal ideology and its religious symbolism represented an important mechanism available to Mesopotamian rulers to influence, integrate and control various segments of their society. This study also attempts to understand the wealth of early Mesopotamian states and the inextricable links between the royal economy and its sponsorship of ritual activities. This was manifest in a ritual economy that depended on an ideology by which royal power could be extended into social units and incorporate individuals who were not necessarily themselves part of the royal sector. In this manner, resources could be disembedded from social units as well as individuals and allocated to royal institutions. A model is developed in which this ideology was directed at lower ranking and local elites who controlled commoners or peasants. This model is elaborated by tracing the activities of the queen in a ritual cycle in which she undertook ceremonies at the capital city, Girsu, and traveled to sacred sites in the Lagash state to participate in ceremonies associated with other cult-institutions. In addition to social integration and control, this ritual cycle was tied to the agricultural cycle and inserted royal influence in the productive activities of the Sumerian year.