Ur-Pabilsag Explained

Ur-Pabilsag
King of Ur
Reign:	fl. circa 2600 BCE
Predecessor:	A-Imdugud
Successor:	Meskalamdug
Royal House:	First Dynasty of Ur

Ur-Pabilsag (ur-^dpa-bil₂-sag) was an early ruler of the First Dynasty of Ur in the 26th century BCE. He does not appear in the Sumerian King List, but is known from an inscription fragment found in Ur, bearing the title "Ur-Pabilsag, king of Ur".^{[1] [2]} It has been suggested that his tomb is at the Royal Cemetery at Ur (Grave PG 779).^{[3] [4]} He may have died around 2550 BCE.^[5]

It also has been suggested that Ur-Pabilsag was the son of king A-Imdugud, known from grave PG 1236, which is the largest and probably the earliest tomb structure at the Royal Cemetery at Ur.^[6] The tomb of Ur-Pabilsag (Grave PG 779) is generally considered as the second oldest at the site, and probably contemporary with grave PG 777, thought to be the tomb of his queen.^[6] Meskalamdug (grave PG 755, or possibly PG 789) was his son.^[7]

Artifacts

Several artifacts are known from tomb PG 779 at the Royal Cemetery at Ur, such as the famous Standard of Ur, and decorated shell plaques.^{[8] [9]}

See also

• Sumer
• History of Sumer
• Royal Cemetery at Ur
• Near Eastern archaeology

Sources

• Jane McIntosh: Ancient Mesopotamia. ABC-CLIO 2005,, p. 73 (restricted online version (google books))
• Leonard Woolley: The Sumerians. p. 38 (restricted online version (google books))

External links

• Meskalamdug at Bartleby.com (Text snippet from The Encyclopedia of World History (2001))

Notes and References

1. Inscription "1. LAK566 2. ur-pa-bil2-sag3. lugal uri2#[{ki}-ma]" on fragment BM 124348 in Web site: CDLI-Found Texts . cdli.ucla.edu.
2. For a photograph: Benati . Giacomo . The "Archaic I" Phase of the Ziqqurat Terrace at Ur: A Contextual Re-assessment . Mesopotamia Xlviii (2013): 197-220 . 216, Cat. 33 . en.
3. Book: Art of the First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus . 2003 . Metropolitan Museum of Art . 978-1-58839-043-1 . 96 . registration . en.
4. Book: Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie . 2015 . De Gryuter . 437 . en . Martos . Manuel Molina .
5. Hamblin, William James. Warfare in the ancient Near East to 1600 BC: holy warriors at the dawn of history, p. 49. Taylor & Francis, 2006.
6. Book: Reade . Julian . Art of the First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus . 2003 . Metropolitan Museum of Art . 978-1-58839-043-1 . 94–96 . en.
7. Book: Reade . Julian . Art of the First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus . 2003 . Metropolitan Museum of Art . 978-1-58839-043-1 . 96 . en.
8. Book: Hall . H. R. (Harry Reginald) . Woolley . Leonard . Legrain . Leon . Ur excavations . 1934 . Trustees of the Two Museums by the aid of a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York . Plaques 116, 117 .
9. Hamblin, William James. Warfare in the ancient Near East to 1600 BC: holy warriors at the dawn of history, p. 49. Taylor & Francis, 2006.