Queen Kubaba of Mesopotamia: the Only Queen on the Sumerian King List

Video

Kelly Macquire
by
published on 08 June 2021

Queen Kubaba of Mesopotamia is known as the only queen who has been named on the Sumerian King List, which is unsurprisingly, a bit of a boy’s club. Kubaba is one of very few women who ruled Mesopotamia in her own right, and the surviving cuneiform texts which mention Kubaba, say that she ruled for 100 years, sometime around the 25th century BCE. Many versions of the king list have Kubaba on her own ruling in the 3rd dynasty of Kish, while others put her in the 4th dynasty during which both her son Puzur-Suen and her Grandson Ur-Zababa became kings. According to the king list, before becoming queen, Kubaba was a brewess, meaning she was a brewer of beer! Her epithet has been translated as "the woman tavern-keeper, who made firm the foundations of Kish."

— ATTRIBUTIONS —
You can find all attribution and credits for images, animations, graphics and music here - https://worldhistory.typehut.com/queen-kubaba-of-mesopotamia-the-only-queen-on-the-sumerian-king-list-images-and-attributions-4995

The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on:
https://www.ancientlyre.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A

— THUMBNAIL IMAGE —
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kubaba_relief.JPG
Homonihilis
Public domain

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About the Author

Kelly Macquire
Kelly is a graduate from Monash University who has completed her BA (Honours) in Ancient History and Archaeology, focussing on iconography and status in Pylos burials. She has a passion for mythology and the Aegean Bronze Age.

Cite This Work

APA Style

Macquire, K. (2021, June 08). Queen Kubaba of Mesopotamia: the Only Queen on the Sumerian King List. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2569/queen-kubaba-of-mesopotamia-the-only-queen-on-the/

Chicago Style

Macquire, Kelly. "Queen Kubaba of Mesopotamia: the Only Queen on the Sumerian King List." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified June 08, 2021. https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2569/queen-kubaba-of-mesopotamia-the-only-queen-on-the/.

MLA Style

Macquire, Kelly. "Queen Kubaba of Mesopotamia: the Only Queen on the Sumerian King List." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 08 Jun 2021. Web. 31 Oct 2024.

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