The Death of Ur-Nammu: The Sumerian Vision of the Afterlife (opens in new tab)

The poem The Death of Ur-Nammu is frequently cited for its depiction of a great banquet in the underworld, which is usually described as dark and silent. Another interesting aspect of the piece is the depiction of the gods and Ur-Nammu's charge that he was betrayed by them. He trusted the most powerful of the gods, Anu (An) and Enlil, to protect him, but, instead, they let him die on the battlefield. There is no reason given for the gods' decision to withdraw their protection from the king, w...