Stele of the Vultures
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The Stele of the Vultures is a monument from the Early Dynastic IIIb period in Mesopotamia celebrating a victory of the city-state of Lagash over its neighbour Umma in the Umma–Lagash war. It shows va
The stele in the Louvre Museum (front and back)
Fragment of the Stele of the Vultures.
A fragment of the Stele of the Vultures showing vultures with severed human heads in their beaks and a fragment of cuneiform script
Upper register of the "mythological" side
Umma–Lagash war
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The Lagash–Umma border conflict is the earliest well-documented case of a war between states. It took place in Sumer during the Early Dynastic III period, a period characterized by the division of the
Stele of the Vultures
…from the Early Dynastic IIIb period (2600–2350 BC) in Mesopotamia celebrating a victory of the city-state of Lagash over its neighbour Umma in the Umma–Lagash war. It shows various battle and religious scenes and is named after the vultures that can be seen in one of these scenes. The stele was originally carved…
Votive mace-head of Mesilim, king of Kish, to the god Ninĝirsu.
Eannatum, ruler of Lagash, detail of the Stele of Vultures.