Explorations in Bible lands during the 19th century - H. V. Hilprecht

384 EXPLORATIONS IN BIBLE LANDS
and Urzag^uddu 1 and En-Bildar, 2 kings of Kish, Enshagkushanna,
" lord of Kengi, king of the world,"
Lugalkigubnidudu
and Lugalkisalsi, kings of Erech and Ur,
Urumush, " king of Kish," and others, or we gather further
details concerning monarchs previously known, as, e. g.,
Entemena of Lagash, Manishtusu of Kish, Sargon and
Naram-Sin of Agade. Above all, we get acquainted with
the great " hero," Lugalzaggisi, " who was favorably
looked upon by the faithful eye of Bel, ... to whom
intelligence was given by Ea . . ., and who was nourished
with the milk of life by the goddess Ningarsag."
Indeed a great conqueror he must have been, one of the
mightiest monarchs of the ancient East thus far known, a
king who, long before Sargon I was born, could boast of
an empire extending from the Persian Gulf to the shores
of the
Mediterranean Sea.
In addition to the many broken vases with their interesting
forms and inscriptions equally important for archaeology,
history, and palaeography, this unique stratum also yielded a
few fragments of statues, reliefs,
and other antiquities similar
to those of Tello. They illustrate again that the Babylonian
artist was as ready to glorify Bel of Nippur as he
was to place his talents in the service of Ningirsu and Bau
of Lagash.
And they indicate at the same time that in all
probability great surprises will await the future explorer of
Nuffar who will
turn his attention from the ziggurrat to the
temple proper, which to the present day has scarcely been
touched, as both Peters and Haynes regarded the temple
of Bel and its stage-tower practically as the same thing,
and, unconscious of what they were doing, covered the
1
The second sign is doubtful. Possibly my former reading Ur-Dun (Shul)
pauddu is correct.
2
The name means " Bildar (a well-known star-god) is lord." This
reading of Hommel is preferable to Thureau-Dangin's Enbi-hhtar or my
former provisional reading Enne- Ugun.