by
Damien F. Mackey
“One night, as Gudea slept, he had a vivid dream. In this dream, a giant figure appeared to him, with the head of a god and the body of a man. The figure showed Gudea a tablet with the plans for the temple, and instructed him on how it should
be built. When Gudea awoke, he immediately called for his scribes and had them record every detail of the dream”.
Here is a wonderful story about wise Gudea, the Temple builder, that I picked up at: The Peaceful King of Lagash: Gudea’s Legacy of Culture and Prosperity | by Leslie | Time Chronicles | Medium
It was written by Leslie (October 18, 2024).
While I have kept the story, I have had to make some serious amendments to it, based upon my view that the enigmatic Gudea was Israel’s famed King Solomon, the wisest of the wise, who also, as Senenmut, played a major part in Eighteenth Dynasty Egypt:
Yahweh, Solomon, Jerusalem - Ningirsu, Gudea and Girsu
(13) Yahweh, Solomon, Jerusalem - Ningirsu, Gudea and Girsu
Leslie commences:
Gather ‘round, my friends, and let me tell you a tale from the distant past, a story of a king unlike any other. In the land between two great rivers, where civilization first took root, there lived a ruler whose name still echoes through the ages: Gudea, the peaceful king of Lagash.
Damien Mackey’s comment: Gudea may better be described as the ruler of Girsu, which I believe was Jerusalem. This Girsu is sometimes referred to as “the mother city” of Lagash, for: “… Girsu became the capital of the Lagash kingdom and continued to be its religious center …”. (Girsu - Wikipedia)
Leslie continues:
Picture, if you will, a time long before our own, when the world was young and the gods walked among men. It was a time of great upheaval, when kings waged war for glory and conquest. But in the city-state of Lagash, nestled in the heart of ancient Sumer, a different kind of ruler came to power.
The year was 2144 BCE, or thereabouts — time has a way of blurring the edges of history.
Damien Mackey’s comment: Hold it right there!
Somehow, was it late, during the Seleucid era?, some famous Judean history appears to have become re-written, ‘Sumerianised’, re-located to central/southern Iraq.
The date here for Gudea of “2144 BCE” is hopelessly wrong, it being more than a millennium too early.
And, as for Sumer, read e.g. my article:
“The Sumerian Problem” – Sumer not in Mesopotamia
(8) “The Sumerian Problem” – Sumer not in Mesopotamia
Leslie continues:
The people of Lagash had grown weary of war and strife. They yearned for a leader who would bring peace and prosperity to their land. And so, as if answering their prayers, Gudea ascended to the throne.
Now, you might be wondering, what made Gudea so special? Well, let me tell you, it wasn’t his prowess in battle or his thirst for conquest. No, Gudea was a different breed of king altogether. He was a man of peace, a builder, a patron of the arts, and a devout servant of the gods.
Damien Mackey’s comment: This reads exactly like King Solomon.
Initially, a loyal Yahwist, he later apostatised (I Kings 11:1-8).
Leslie continues:
When Gudea first took the throne, the people of Lagash held their breath. Would he be like the kings before him, leading them into battle and leaving their fields untended? But Gudea had other plans. On the day of his coronation, he stood before his people and made a bold declaration.
“My people,” he said, his voice ringing out across the crowded square, “I stand before you not as a conqueror, but as a builder. Not as a warrior, but as a peacemaker. Under my rule, Lagash will not seek to dominate others, but to cultivate our own greatness. We will build, not destroy. We will create, not conquer. And in doing so, we will make Lagash a beacon of culture and prosperity for all of Sumer!”
Damien Mackey’s comment: Lagash (var. Lakish) was actually the second great fort after Jerusalem, Lachish, also known as Ashdod (cf. Isaiah 20:1), Assyrian Ashduddu, which later became associated with Lagash as Eshnunna (Ashnunnu), supposedly in central Mesopotamia.
How did this come about???
The Kingdom of Girsu (Jerusalem) appears to have been frequently referred to, instead, as the kingdom of Lagash.
Leslie continues:
The crowd was stunned into silence. Then, slowly, a cheer began to build. It started as a whisper, then grew to a roar. The people of Lagash had found their king, and they embraced his vision with open arms.
True to his word, Gudea set about transforming Lagash. But his first act as king was not to build a palace or erect monuments to his own glory. No, Gudea’s first order of business was to restore the great temple of Eninnu, dedicated to the god Ningirsu, the patron deity of Lagash.
Damien Mackey’s comment: Ningirsu simply means Lord of Girsu, that is, Lord of Jerusalem - hence Yahweh.
See article above, “Yahweh, Solomon, Jerusalem - Ningirsu, Gudea and Girsu”.
Leslie continues:
Now, you might think that building a temple is a straightforward affair. But let me tell you, when it came to Gudea, nothing was ever simple. You see, Gudea was a deeply pious man, and he wanted to ensure that every aspect of the temple’s construction was in accordance with divine will.
One night, as Gudea slept, he had a vivid dream. In this dream, a giant figure appeared to him, with the head of a god and the body of a man. The figure showed Gudea a tablet with the plans for the temple, and instructed him on how it should be built. When Gudea awoke, he immediately called for his scribes and had them record every detail of the dream.
Damien Mackey’s comment: King Solomon had a famous Dream (Cf. I Kings 3:56-15 and 2 Chronicles 1:7-12).
The Lord, in fact, “had appeared to him twice” (I Kings 11:9).
See also:
Solomon, Gudea and Ezekiel
(8) Solomon, Gudea and Ezekiel
Leslie continues:
But Gudea wasn’t satisfied with just one divine vision. Oh no, he sought confirmation from the gods at every turn. He consulted oracles, made sacrifices, and even embarked on a pilgrimage to seek the blessing of other deities. It’s said that he was so devoted to getting every detail right that he delayed the start of construction for months, much to the frustration of his advisors.
“My king,” they would plead, “surely we have enough guidance from the gods. Let us begin the work!”
But Gudea would simply smile and say, “Patience, my friends. The gods work on their own time, not ours. We must ensure that every brick, every beam, every carving is exactly as they wish it to be.”
And so, the people of Lagash waited, watching their king’s tireless devotion with a mixture of awe and exasperation.
But when the construction finally began, it was a sight to behold.
Gudea spared no expense in building the Eninnu temple. He imported cedar wood from distant Lebanon, gold and lapis lazuli from far-off lands. The finest artisans in all of Sumer were brought to Lagash to work on the project. Day and night, the sound of hammers and chisels filled the air as the temple slowly took shape.
But Gudea didn’t just oversee the construction from afar. No, he rolled up his sleeves and worked alongside his people. There are stories of him carrying bricks, mixing mortar, and even carving intricate designs himself. Can you imagine it? A king, with his own royal hands calloused and stained from labor, all in service to his god and his people.
As the temple rose, so too did the spirits of the people of Lagash. They saw in their king a model of piety and dedication, and they strove to emulate him. The city began to flourish as never before. Craftsmen honed their skills, creating works of art that would be marveled at for generations to come. Farmers tended their fields with renewed vigor, knowing that their harvests would feed their families and not fuel endless wars.
But Gudea’s vision extended beyond just the Eninnu temple. He embarked on a vast building program, constructing and restoring temples throughout Lagash and its territories. Each temple was a marvel in its own right, a testament to the skill of Sumerian architects and the wealth of the city-state.
Now, you might be thinking, “All this building and devotion is well and good, but surely a king needs to defend his realm?” And you’d be right to wonder. The ancient world was a dangerous place, and many a peaceful kingdom had fallen to more aggressive neighbors.
But Gudea had a different approach to security. Instead of building up a mighty army or constructing imposing walls, he focused on diplomacy and trade. He sent envoys to neighboring city-states, bearing gifts and proposals for mutual cooperation. He welcomed foreign merchants, encouraging them to trade in Lagash’s markets.
There’s a story that illustrates Gudea’s approach perfectly. One day, a group of warriors from a rival city-state arrived at the gates of Lagash. The guards were alarmed and sent word to Gudea, expecting him to call the army to arms. But Gudea simply smiled and said, “Invite them in. Prepare a feast in their honor.”
The warriors were brought before Gudea, their hands on their weapons, unsure of what to expect. But Gudea greeted them warmly, as if they were old friends. He had his servants bring out the finest foods and wines, and he engaged the warriors in conversation, asking about their homes, their families, their dreams.
By the end of the night, the warriors were laughing and singing with the people of Lagash. When they left the next day, they did so not as potential conquerors, but as friends and allies. And from that day forward, their city-state became one of Lagash’s staunchest supporters.
This approach earned Gudea a reputation throughout Sumer. He became known as a wise and just ruler, one who could be trusted to keep his word and to seek peaceful solutions to conflicts. Other kings sought his counsel, and merchants went out of their way to trade in Lagash, knowing they would be treated fairly.
But perhaps Gudea’s greatest legacy was not in the temples he built or the alliances he forged, but in the culture he fostered. Under his rule, Lagash became a center of learning and artistic expression. He established schools where young scribes could learn the art of writing, preserving knowledge for future generations. He patronized artists and sculptors, encouraging them to push the boundaries of their crafts.
One of the most remarkable artifacts from Gudea’s reign are the statues of the king himself. These aren’t your typical royal portraits, mind you. The statues of Gudea are unlike anything seen before in Sumer. They’re carved from hard diorite stone, polished to a smooth sheen. But what’s truly striking about them is the way they portray the king.
In these statues, Gudea isn’t shown as a mighty warrior or a domineering ruler. Instead, he’s depicted as a humble servant of the gods. In many of the statues, he’s seated with his hands clasped in prayer, his head bowed in reverence. The inscriptions on the statues speak not of military victories or conquests, but of Gudea’s piety and his commitment to serving his people.
One statue, in particular, tells a fascinating story. It shows Gudea holding a tablet and a stylus. On the tablet is a plan for a temple, complete with measurements and architectural details. But here’s the interesting part: the plan on the tablet matches exactly with the remains of the actual Eninnu temple that archaeologists have uncovered. It’s as if Gudea wanted to show future generations that he had followed the divine plan to the letter.
These statues weren’t just works of art; they were also powerful propaganda tools. They sent a clear message to the people of Lagash and to visitors from other city-states: here was a king who ruled not through force, but through wisdom and devotion. A king who saw himself not as a god, but as a servant of the gods and the people.
Now, you might be wondering, “How do we know all this about Gudea? Surely, after all these thousands of years, much of his story must be lost to time?” And you’d be right to ask. But here’s where the story gets even more fascinating.
You see, Gudea left us a remarkable gift: his words, preserved in clay. During his reign, he commissioned numerous inscriptions detailing his building projects, his prayers to the gods, and his vision for Lagash. These inscriptions were carved into clay cylinders and cones, which were then buried in the foundations of the temples he built.
For thousands of years, these clay documents lay hidden, protected from the ravages of time. Then, in the 19th and 20th centuries, archaeologists began to uncover the ruins of ancient Sumer [sic]. And there, amidst the crumbling bricks and fallen columns, they found Gudea’s words, as clear and powerful as the day they were written.
One of the most remarkable of these documents is known as the Cylinders of Gudea. These two clay cylinders, each about a foot long, contain over 1,300 lines of text in the Sumerian language. They tell the story of the construction of the Eninnu temple, from Gudea’s divine dream to the final dedication ceremony.
Reading these cylinders is like stepping into a time machine. We can hear Gudea’s voice across the millennia, speaking of his hopes, his fears, his deep devotion to the gods.
We can feel his pride as he describes the magnificent temple he’s building, and his humility as he acknowledges that all his accomplishments are due to divine favor.
But the cylinders do more than just tell us about one building project. They give us a window into the world of ancient Sumer. We learn about religious beliefs, about social structures, about trade networks that stretched across the ancient world. We see a society that, despite being separated from us by thousands of years, grappled with many of the same issues we face today: how to govern justly, how to ensure prosperity for all, how to live in harmony with one’s neighbors.
Gudea’s reign lasted for about twenty years, from around 2144 to 2124 BCE [sic]. In that time, he transformed Lagash from a minor city-state into one of the cultural and economic powerhouses of Sumer. His peaceful approach to rule, his emphasis on cultural development, and his dedication to serving his people and his gods left a lasting impact not just on Lagash, but on the entire region.
But all good things must come to an end, and eventually, Gudea’s reign drew to a close. The records don’t tell us much about his final days or how he died. Perhaps he passed peacefully in his sleep, satisfied with a life well-lived. ….
