Enheduana
Enheduana
Circa twenty-third century b.c.e.
Poet
The Emperor’s Daughter. In a profession dominated by men throughout Mesopotamian history, the earliest poet known by name is Enheduana, daughter of the Akkadian king Sargon (circa 2334 - circa 2279 b.c.e.). Her father appointed her high priestess of Nanna, the moon god, in the city of Ur. Ancient tradition credits her with the composition of a collection of forty-two “Temple Hymns,” a hymn to the goddess Inana, and the autobiographical hymn known as the Exaltation of Inana. It is possible that, if Enheduana was indeed the author of the hymns, their composition was politically motivated to support the ambitions of her father, who united the independent Sumerian city-states under his rule.
Sources
William W. Hallo and J. J. A. van Dijk, The Exaltation of Inanna, Yale Near Eastern Researches, 3 (New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 1968).