MIDDLE EAST HISTORY POLITICS CULTURE XIII MIDDLE EAST XIII | Page 31

remains that Eannatum intended for it to represent his victory over his
rivalagainst the odds, since apparently, his victory brought the force of many
other Mesopotamian cities to bear on Lagash. Eannatum is shown as a hero,
leading troops fearlessly at the front of his army. The Ummaites are shown to
be completely powerless in the face of Eannatum since Lagash had the will of
their god Ningirsu on their side, as illustrated by the ”Shushgal” Net motif.
Though Eannatum does show himself to be a great military leader, he gives
Ningirsu the credit for the victory, with the god being the one to smite the
captured king. Thus the Shushgal Net is not only a powerful image on its
own, but it is also associated with Eannatum’s more straightforward
depictions of his unmatched power. It was important for him to include this
scene out of a sense of piety and gratitude to Ningirsu for his divine assistance
in the battle.
Though Eannatum’s political successes
were short-lived, his efforts were apparently
not forgotten, as shown by the fragments of a
victory stele of Sargon. Sargon’s stele is heavily
damaged and the vast majority is missing, but
the little of it that remains is telling of the
influence of late Early Dynastic iconography.
Sargon is depicted leading his army on foot,
just like Eannatum. There are significant
differences: first, the soldier directly behind
Sargon is holding a parasol above the king,
Figure 2. Reconstruction of
and the soldiers are armed with axes rather
Sargon's Shushgal Net motif, by
than spears (thus in a more loose formation
Nigro. Note Lugalzagesi’s (?)
than a shield-wall). 6 Sargon’s alterations to
hair. Image from
http://sumerianshakespeare.com/
the Shushgal Net motif are also important.
media/2bb5ecf2c805583affff820fff
Though this fragment is highly damaged,
ffe415.jpg
Nigro reconstructs (Figure 2) from the
remaining portion that the figure holding the captured enemies in the net is
none other than Sargon himself, rather than a specific patron deity (which in
the case of Akkad would have been Ilaba). 7 In this regard, Sargon uses the
6 Nigro L., The Two Steles of Sargon: Iconology and Visual Propaganda at the
Beginning of Royal Akkadian Relief, Iraq, vol. 60, 1998, p. 92.
7 Ibid., p. 91.
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