Deification Of Shuulgi's Deification

The Deification of Šulgi (ca. 2000 BCE)

Shulgi was a King of Ur from 2094-2047 BCE. He was part of the short-lived dynasty of Ur III rulers. The son of Ur-Namma, Shulgi was perhaps the most influential of the Ur III kings. What set him apart from his father, and all the previous rulers of Ur? He declared himself a god “Sometime between his tenth and twenty first regnal years” (Chavalas p 54). It is important to note, however, that he was not the only Mesopotamian King to deify himself. Indeed there were several others across many generations and families who had claimed themselves to be divine. Shulgi’s deification can be explained if we look at the circumstances surrounding his reign:

Firstly, Ur was undergoing a renaissance-like revival

Sumerian again became the language of the administration, and we see an outburst of literary texts and inscriptions coming from the period of his reign. In fact, Shulgi claimed to have “Mastered Writing” during his reign. That is to say, Sumerian as a language and culture was at the height of its existence during this time. One prolific example of Shulgi’s devotion to the occult and his attempts to renew the spiritual community in his kingdom was the construction of the “Eninnu” temple. Shulgi devoted this great project to the god of Lagash, Ningirsu. Inscribed on the foundation is written, “For Ningirsu . . . Shulgi (the mighty man, the king of Ur, the king of Sumer and Akkad) built the Eninnu, his [Ningirsu’s] beloved temple” (Chavalas p 54). Here we see his attempts to glorify his own name, while at the same time giving credit to the gods. He puts himself in an interesting position where Shulgi (the man) is a benefactor of his people and their faith while at the same time Shulgi (the god) presides over his people, interceding in a way with the

This is evident by the number of texts we find from the period. One such text is called Shulgi B, in which he (Shulgi) attests to his own wisdom and greatness. A direct quote from the text:

“Let me boast of what I have done. The fame of my power is spread far and wide. My wisdom is full of subtlety. Do not my achievements surpass all qualifications?” Later in the text he even goes on to say “It is good to praise me” (Shulgi B). These truly sound like the words of a god, and not of a mortal man. We can imagine that this text would have been read by all members of his Kingdom. Perhaps in passing, they might have noticed the inscription. They certainly would not have recognized all of his accomplishments in their day-to-day lives, so this inscription would have served as a kind of ‘reminder’ to his people: a reminder that he is divine and that he alone