Stele of the Vultures

E766733

The Stele of the Vultures is an Early Dynastic Mesopotamian limestone monument commemorating the victory of the city-state of Lagash over Umma, notable for its detailed narrative reliefs of warfare and divine protection.

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Mesopotamian monument
archaeological artifact
limestone stele
victory stele
artStyle Early Dynastic Sumerian relief sculpture
narrative relief
associatedDeity Ningirsu NERFINISHED
Ningirsu’s consort Ninhursag NERFINISHED
associatedWith city-state of Lagash NERFINISHED
city-state of Umma NERFINISHED
commemorates victory of Lagash over Umma
commissionedBy Eannatum of Lagash NERFINISHED
condition fragmentary
countryModern Iraq NERFINISHED
culture Sumerian
currentCity Paris NERFINISHED
currentLocation Louvre Museum NERFINISHED
dateApproximate circa 2450 BCE
depicts Eannatum of Lagash NERFINISHED
battle scenes
divine protection in battle
god Ningirsu NERFINISHED
net of enemies held by Ningirsu
phalanx of Lagash soldiers
religious or mythological scenes
vultures carrying severed heads
warfare between Lagash and Umma
discoveredAt Tello NERFINISHED
discoveredBy Ernest de Sarzec NERFINISHED
discoveryDateApproximate late 19th century
function boundary marker
political propaganda monument
heightApproximate about 1.8 meters
inscriptionContent account of Eannatum’s victory over Umma
description of a border dispute
invocation of gods as guarantors of the boundary
inscriptionType royal inscription
language Sumerian
material limestone
museumInventoryNumber AO 50 NERFINISHED
originalLocation Girsu NERFINISHED
originalRegion southern Mesopotamia
period Early Dynastic III period
sideDescription historical side with battle scenes
mythological side with Ningirsu and divine imagery
significance evidence for early territorial boundaries in Mesopotamia
important source for Early Dynastic warfare
one of the earliest known historical narrative reliefs
writingSystem Sumerian cuneiform

Referenced by (5)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Eannatum associatedWithArtifact Stele of the Vultures
Eannatum commemoratedBy Stele of the Vultures
Lagash documentedIn Stele of the Vultures
Lagash hasArtifact Stele of the Vultures
Umma mentionedIn Stele of the Vultures