History’s First Named Author Was a Mesopotamian Priestess

Female scholars are writing long-forgotten women back into history in Atlas Obscura's Q&A series.

Enheduanna was the first author of history. Enheduanna was the high priestess of the ancient Mesopotamian city ofUr. As the daughter of a king, Enheduanna was familiar with the affairs of the state. She used her pen for peace in her writings.

Her words still echo down to us 4,000 years later. The Morgan Library and Museum in New York City has a new exhibit. The importance of other Mesopotamian women is highlighted. Majdolene Dajani, one of the scholars on the exhibition team, spoke with Atlas Obscura about the life of Enheduanna. The exhibit lasts until February 19,23.

What was Enheduanna’s background?

KingSargon was the ruler of the Akkadians. She was put into power after he conquered the area of southern Iraq. She fused the Akkadian goddess Ishtar with the Sumerian goddess Inanna in her writings. She tried to bring the two cultures together. She was a key player in politics.

What do we know about her life as a priestess, from her daily routines to the power she wielded?

Sometimes, when we know them by name, we know what their position was. There is another aspect of their everyday normal life that is hard to comprehend.

Do you like the world?

There is a representation of her on a disk where she facilitates a ritual where a libation is being poured for the god. A set of temple hymns was written by her. Her role is related to ritual and honoring the gods.

The king's list is something. There is a list of the kings that ruled and then there is a list of the priestesses who ruled. I think that tells us a lot about the role of the priestesses in society and politics.

Tell us about the Mesopotamian goddesses, Inanna and Ishtar, who feature in Enheduanna’s writings.

The goddess Inanna is from the Sumerians. She is associated with sexuality. She can be seen in materials where there are animals or food being brought to a temple.

Ishtar is a Goddess of War. She takes on the reproductive aspect when she's combined with Inanna. She is a goddess. She can destroy a landscape, make it fertile and abundant with life, and even make people or animals change genders in some of the poems about her. The associations with fertility, reproduction, and sexuality could have been there before she joined Inanna. The Akkadian Ishtar is a great example of a warrior.

Even though Ishtar/Inanna is popular throughout Mesopotamia, other gods are not. They become popular when they go and do it. She remains throughout time. She was liked by many people. I think the first line of the Exaltation of Inanna says something to the effect of, "Inanna, Queen of the Heavens." She is definitely a major goddess.

What does Ishtar/Inanna’s popularity tell us about gender roles in Mesopotamian society?

She is a goddess. She gets to do things and be a symbol because she is not a mortal woman. What we can say is that power wasn't just a male quality or something that men wanted to control. It is important for women to be in these political structures.

Why has the role of women in Mesopotamia, and Enheduanna specifically, not been well understood?

Archeologists and scholars dismissed the evidence when some of Enheduanna's materials were found. It wasn't taken seriously She was dismissed because she was a woman.

You will get an example. There is a statue of a woman in Mesopotamia. She is likely to write something. When it was found and commented on by early scholars and archeologists, they said something to the effect of a woman with a tablets on her lap. What you do in scholarship is you read everything that someone has written on a particular topic. It influences how scholars write and think.

The impact of Enheduanna was well known by Mesopotamians. I think it has been that way in the past.

As you were researching Enheduanna, did anything surprise you?

You don't get a first person narrative when you read about these people in a textbook or article. A scholar puts together these texts.

Enheduanna refers to herself in the first person when she reads The Exaltation. Her story is the one that matters. She has a strong conviction in her words. She has a passion for her job.

It reminded her that she was a person and that she had feelings. It's a powerful feeling when you hear someone's voice.

The interview has been edited to make it clearer.