Enheduanna
The Sumerian Priestess Poet Who Invented Literature
Circa 2300 BCE, more than four millennia ago in Sumer, an ancient author named Enheduanna became the most powerful woman in the world. Her parents were King Sargon the Great and Queen Tashlultum, history’s first empire builders, who conquered and unified the independent city-states of Mesopotamia. The thing was that Sargon was a northern Semite who spoke Akkadian, so the older Sumerian cities in the south viewed him as a foreign invader. This brought up disputes over ethnicity and nationality for the first time in the history of civilization. As a consequence of this, the southerners frequently revolted to regain their independence, which fractured the dynasty. So, with no one else to turn to, Sargon appointed his only daughter, Enheduanna, as the high priestess of the most important temple in the empire. This was a bold move that permanently altered the destiny of humanity.
As the high priestess of the goddess Inanna in the city of Ur, Enheduanna managed grain storage for thousands of residents, oversaw hundreds of temple workers, presided over the monthly new moon festival as well as annual rituals celebrating the solstices and equinoxes, and interpreted sacred dreams. She was educated to read and write in both Sumerian and Akkadian and even taught to make mathematical calculations in cuneiform, the very first…
