Circa 2094 - Circa 2047 B.C.E.
King Of Ur

King of Ur. As the ruler of Ur, Shulgi built on the foundation established by his father Ur- Namma (circa 2112-2095 B.C.E.), continuing to build and refurbish temples, encourage trade, and pursue military conquest. Basking in his success, Shulgi declared himself a god, a status that rulers in Mesopotamia had not claimed since the fall of the Sargonic empire in the previous century.

Patron of Learning. Following in his father's footsteps, Shulgi traced the origins of his dynasty back to the early legendary kings of the city of Uruk. Under his patronage, literary compositions about the epic monarch Lugalbanda, whom Shulgi claimed as his father, and the hero Gilgamesh, whom he claimed was his brother, were put into a final form. These compositions, as well as legends about Enmerkar, another early ruler of Uruk, were probably...