She was definitely not dancing on her own! Today we'd like to introduce you to one of the most relevant #female characters of #Sumer.

Raise your glass and toast to Puabi, Lady of Ur!

#kingsandqueens #history #Mesopotamia

Via @britishmuseum

THREAD

Puabi was a person of high importance during the reign of the First Dynasty of Ur (around 2600 BCE). Her tomb is labelled PG 800 and surprisingly it had never been the subject of looting or major X, it was almost intact.

Plan of tomb PG800, published 1900

The actual position of Puabi is still a mystery. She is identified with the title "nin" or "eresh", two Sumerian words oscillating between "queen" and "priestess". She's been commonly addressed as "queen", but this is not that clear.

Puabi with attendants, c.2600 BCE

Puabi's tom was packed with people. Not only she was found there, but there was a total of 52 people inside. Most of them were servants and attendants, especially female musicians. And surrounding the tomb, there were the called 'death pits'.

The macabre of its name reveals the traditional activity of ceremonial sacrifices for the passing of a person of importance. However, there were great number of those 'death pits' surrounding the tombs, so scholars are unsure of linking all of them to Puabi.

Via @pennmuseum

Some of the finest examples of Sumerian art were found at Puabi's tomb. This silver lion head finial was attached to the arm of a chair was recovered from a sit at the entrance of the 'death pit'.

Via @pennmuseum

And among the objects, there were clearly some highlights: the Queen's Lyre of Ur. This instrument was called so due to the assumption of Puabi's title. And it is indeed one of the most beautiful instruments ever created (that's our opinion!)

Reconstruction @britishmuseum

Here's one curiosity about Puabi: normally, women's seals would include a reference to a husband. However, Puabi always appears by herself, without mentions to husband nor king. This supports the hypothesis that she ruled on her own.

Puabi's cylinder seal, @britishmuseum

The findings at Puabi's tomb helped us greatly to understand how Sumerian women, the elite in this particular case, dressed and represented themselves towards the social sphere.

Puabi's headpiece, @britishmuseum

Also, it highlighted the position of animals in the Sumerian milieu. Puabi was buried not only with humans, but with a horse and some lions too!

Definitively, Puabi is one of those historical characters worth getting to know. Through her, the role of certain women in Mesopotamia came under the spotlight and we are closer to better understanding their culture.

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