The Sumerian shelf follows the Sumerian literary and sacred corpus: hymns, laments, myths, disputations, royal praise, wisdom, and scribal learning.
Main Doorways
- Disputations - start with Sumerian/Disputations/The Debate Between Summer and Winter and Sumerian/Disputations/The Debate between Grain and Sheep.
- Epics - start with Sumerian/Epics/Gilgamesh and Akka, Sumerian/Epics/Gilgamesh and Huwawa, and Sumerian/Epics/Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld.
- Hymns and Temple Songs - start with Sumerian/Hymns and Temple Songs/The Temple Hymns, Sumerian/Hymns and Temple Songs/The Zame Hymns, and Sumerian/Hymns and Temple Songs/Shulgi B — A Self-Praise Hymn of Shulgi.
- Inanna and the Gods - start with Sumerian/Inanna and the Gods/The Descent of Inanna, Sumerian/Inanna and the Gods/Inanna and the Divine Powers, and Sumerian/Inanna and the Gods/The Exaltation of Inanna.
- Laments - start with Sumerian/Laments/The Lament for the Destruction of Ur, Sumerian/Laments/The Lament for the Destruction of Sumer and Ur, and Sumerian/Laments/The Death of Ur-Namma.
- Myths - start with Sumerian/Myths/Enki and the World Order, Sumerian/Myths/Enki and Ninhursag, and Sumerian/Myths/Lugale — Ninurta's Exploits.
- Prayers and Incantations - start with Sumerian/Prayers and Incantations/A Bilingual Litany for Enki and Sumerian/Prayers and Incantations/Without You.
- Wisdom - start with Sumerian/Wisdom/The Instructions of Shuruppak and Sumerian/Wisdom/The Examination of the Scribe.
Across the Library
Read this shelf beside Babylonian when following the later Akkadian reshaping of Sumerian materials, especially Gilgamesh, Ishtar/Inanna, flood traditions, incantations, and scribal bilingualism.