The Foundings

"Sumer has become the envy of peoples everywhere. This is the root of many of our problems.

"Sumer has not always enjoyed such peace and prosperity. There have been, and always will be, problems of one sort or another."

Ur-nu reaches under the table and pinches my leg, as he has done time and again. I pinch him back, but neither one of us makes a sound. No one notices, and Father goes right on talking.

"When my Father, King Dumuzi, died, and I became King a little more than fifteen years ago, Sumer almost split into many separate city-states with each fighting one another. Even Enki-du, the ishakku of the city of Khafaje, sent word by a messenger that Khafaje would break away and become a new kingdom before it would consent to being ruled by a young up-start like Gilgamesh. I sent back word that I would challenge Enki-du to a wrestling match here in Uruk, with the outcome of the fight to determine the future of Sumer.

"When Enki-du arrived in Uruk, I learned of his great strength and I knew I was in trouble. I sent word that the match would beheld in one week. In the meantime, Enki-du would be served in his room with our very richest ninda, and our finest wines. Then I selected a beautiful temple prostitute to spend the entire week with Enki-du to sap his strength.

"On the appointed day we met at daybreak in the courtyard. At the signal, Enki-du charged like a raging bull. We locked arms. We locked legs. We squeezed. We hacked. We kicked. We gouged. We pulled hair. I flung him over my back. He tossed me over his shoulders. We fought the entire day without stopping. At sundown, both of us were bruised and bloody, but we were still able to stand. Neither could declare victory, but neither would accept defeat. We shook kel and the crowd cheered like I never heard before. We entered the temple arm-in-arm, laughing. And, after bathing, we sat down to a spectacular feast. On that day, Enki-du became my friend, my confidant, and my assistant. I will tell you now, if it had not been for that prostitute, I think Enki-du would have killed me."

Uncle Enki-du arises slowly from his chair, puts his arm around Father and says, "And I must now confess, I had already seen your beautiful sister and knew I wanted her for my wife. So when the prostitute arrived, I sent her away and told her to hide for a week."

The entire family roars with laughter. Father and Uncle Enki-du laugh so hard tears stream down their faces.

Finally, Father is able to continue, "For the next seven days, while we recovered from out wounds, we discussed every problem our country faced. We were determined to find the best solution to every problem. As soon as we agreed on a solution, we summoned a dubsar to record the decree.

"The first decree declared that Sumer would provide an edubba in several parts of each city, so that every young lu and sal between the ages of seven and fourteen years could learn to read, write, and become educated, if they desired.

"The next decree ordered all able-bodied youths, both lu and sal, between the ages of fifteen and seventeen to serve Sumer in some capacity for a period of two years. This service could be in the army, in a workforce, or in training for a profession. Each would receive free ninda, clothing, and health care, but no other compensation for this service.

"We then decreed that, beginning immediately, Sumer would no longer charge rent, or compensation, or require services to be rendered for a family home within a city. All families could own a home on a home-site measuring up to two gi by six gi. Also, within every city, a family could earn a gar-du plot of land for growing vegetables or fruit by giving one-seventh of the produce to the royal treasury for a period of ten years. The remainder would be theirs to use or trade. After ten years the family would own the plot and all they produced from it. Further, any family that desired could earn, under the same terms, an iku of land outside of the city walls by raising ab or other farm animals, or by growing wheat, she, or other grains.

"We decreed that families desiring to become damgar could build shops within the cities, but outside the temple walls, and earn the land on the same basis of contributing one-seventh of their merchandise to the treasury for a period of ten years. Those damgar who had shops within the inner walls would continue, as they had for many years, paying rent to the treasury of one-tenth of their merchandise.

"Our last decree stated that Sumer would build outer walls around each city adequate to stop invaders. An additional security for our citizens, Sumer would maintain soldiers who would guard the outer walls and gates twenty-four hours a day.

"I believe the people of Sumer enjoy the greatest amargi and prosperity the would had ever known. our ishbar, our addub, our pahar, our engar, our ashgab, our mangar, our shidim and our tibira are the best, and their produce and merchandise are in great demand everywhere.

"In my opinion Sumerian damgar have always traded fairly with our neighbors. But, now that Sumer has become prosperous, many of them feel they have somehow been cheated. Some have demanded we give them ninda and produce from our warehouses when they are suffering from hunger that has befallen them because of war or disfavor by their dingir.

"Just this morning a Semite trade mission bearing some paltry trinkets from the Martu came begging that we supply their starving city with ninda. In my opinion they are just a bunch of spies trying to determine whether we have any weakness in our defense. Now, I come to what I must report to you tonight.

"I have just received word our trade mission returning from the city of Harran was attached by our neighbors to the Uri -- some Akkadian soldiers from the city of Babylon. Nearly half of the two hundred soldiers who were along to protect our damgar have been killed, and many of the boats captured. The survivors should arrive at the docks in Uruk in the morning. We will notify the families of those who have been killed, and begin making an inventory to determine the full extent of our losses. And now I must tell you how important these losses my be.

"During the past year our brilliant tibira have been experimenting with mixing molten copper with various other metals and ores. They have developed one mixture of nine parts copper and one part tin that, when cooled, makes a completely new metal. They call this new metal 'bronze.' Swords, knives, spearheads, arrow-points and exes made of this new metal are far superior to those made of copper.