Enheduanna (XXIV bc)

Abstract

We will never be able to know for certain the identity of the first woman who, hidden by the mists of time, worked systematically in the field of astronomy. However, the name of a Mesopotamian Princess has emerged from ancient clay tablets. Enheduanna or Enheduana, En-hedu-ana, En HeduAnna; this is the name of the woman bearing the first documented witness of a female astronomer in antiquity. We don’t know much about her, but she lived around 2300 bc in the Sumerian region and probably her father was a king, Sargon I, the Great (2335–2279 bc). He came from the city of Akkad and was the founder of a dynasty which, about 4000 years ago, unified different people of the Mesopotamian region into a vast empire, including all the Sumerian cities. Sargon was not a noble, but rather a social climber. Starting as cupbearer of the King of Kish, a Sumerian city, he eventually became the Lord of the four kingdoms, creating an empire that stretched from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean including Mesopotamia, Elam, Syria, Oman, Phoenicia and part of Anatolia to the river Hylas. After being proclaimed God, son of Inanna, the Sumerian Goddess of love and fertility whose Babylonian counterpart was Ishtar, he ruled his empire in a balanced way, respectful of the traditions and customs of the different people subjected to his authority. He had the foresight to surround himself with men of great merit and although he was a man of war, he supported art, culture and science. The monarch appointed his eldest daughter, Enheduanna, High Priestess of the Moon goddess in the City, a position of considerable prestige. Indeed we must remember that priests and priestesses played a fundamental role in the Mesopotamian civilizations. From their sacred temples they were not only the depositories of knowledge, but also directed all-important activities such as trade, agriculture and handicrafts. It is because of this role that Enheduanna can be regarded as an Astronomer, one of the activities falling under her authority.

It’s time to rekindle the stars (Guillaime Apollinaire-Les mamelles de Tirésias)