Sumerian Addenda Β· Signs
king
| Name | LUGAL |
|---|---|
| Reads | [lugal] |
| Means | king |
| Taught in | 06 Β· Reading real cuneiform: seals and bricks |
Where it comes from
Not a picture but a composition β standard doctrine in the sign lists: LU2 βmanβ plus GAL βbigβ fused into one sign. The king is literally the big man. In the classical form the two halves have melted together past easy recognition, but the etymology stands.
How to remember it
The king is the big man β the sign says so out loud. It is also one of the heaviest signs you own, about a dozen wedges: royalty takes work to write, which is easy to believe.
In the wild
urn:nabu:etcsl:0.2.12:A.1 Β· license: ETCSL Β·
non-commercial.
Piece by piece:
- lugal β king
- me-en β am I: the copula worn as an ending
A royal hymn opens with the king announcing himself, and a librarian filed the whole poem under these three signs. The line gives 102βs chapter 07 its name.