The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-11

capital of this early kingdom is not yet
known, though in all probability Il was
the city of Erech Genesis 10.10) But the
religious center of Kengi was the temple
Of the god Bel or mill in Nippur, which
was Calneh. Nippur was under the IS
pecial care of the kings of Kengi, each
of whom was CHILLED a patesi title which
slgnlned that the king was great, sover-
elgn, lord of the temple, and chief SER
want of its god, Patesi gal mill, or Great
Priest King of Bel, meant that the King
was ruler by divine right Other tenn
pes nad their patesis, who were not
kings, but who enjoyed privileges which
virtually made them rulers of the cities
ana towns in which the temples were
located.
AT this early time Kengi was greatly
harassed by the people of Kish, nearby
city. Kish enjoyed a cult of its own,
ana It's patesi was an ambitious man,
VINO desired to extend his influence out
SIDE OF his own city sor kingdom Nearly
every city was a kingdom in those days
hlsh lay in the northsof Kengi, and The
people Oh the latter place called it gull
sh3S-that is, wicked of heart and ga
pull or 'teeming with wickedness' Once,
indeed, Utag, the pates of Kish en-
croached so far on Babylonia or Kengi-
that he obtained possession of Nippur, for
there. Is a record showing that ne pre-
scented large sandstone vase TO the god
Bel, in the temple of Nippur. But vase
fragments have been found on which was
recorded the fact that En-shaghurana
that most ancient King, marched against
kish with an army, and defeated it's pa
test. The spoil of this expedition was
presented 10 Bel. the god of Nippur. Lat
er on, another King of Kengi marched
against l<ish, and not only invested the
city, but captured its ruler. En- Bildar,
carrying home VIGOROUSLY his statue, his
shining silver, the utensils, his property
depositing them in the temple of Bel.
But this success of the Sumerians who
were the. natural rulers of Kengi, was ev-
identity short-lived, for presently another
King of Kish, Ur-Shulpauddu, is found
to have offered several inscribed vases
in the temple of Nippur TO mill, lord of
lands, and to Ninlil mistress of heaven
and earth, consort TO Inlu.
Northern Hordes.
ut is quite evident from the inscrip-
tons that Babylonia or Kengi was be-
ing steadily encroached upon by the for
eign horde, who dwelt to the north The
Sumerians represented the culture of the
world, ana Kengi was their ancestral
home. How far back into the past their
civilization extended is, of course, I'M
known, but it was very old, even at
that time, for they had already appar-
emily reached that stage of martial ener-
walton which seems to have been the fate
of most advanced civilizations. The in
vaders, on the other hand were Semites,
and they carried on their conquests with
the vigor of a younger nation. Kish,
which originally formed part of Kengi
became their most southerly outpost and
from il they sapped the strength of the
Sumerian civilization. The victory of Ur-
Shulpauddu was apparently complete, but
whether it was shortly wrested from him,
or whether he ruled a long time, the frag-
mentary record does not reveal. Per-
haps the end of the Sumerian supremacy
was inevitable, for at last, when the mo-
ment for their suppression was at hand,
Lugalzaggisi appeared.