#enheduanna

womenofantiquity:

Enheduanna is the world’s earliest known author. A woman who wielded incredible power and authority, her legacy has stretched over time longer than she likely ever anticipated.

BASIC BIO: (c. 2300 BC) Enheduanna was the daughter of King Sargon of Akkad, and appointed by him to be the high priestess of the goddess Inanna and god Nanna in the Sumerian city of Ur. This politically-motivated move (he knew she’d be good for unity in the kingdom) exposed Enheduanna to great power, and she was essentially responsible for Sumer’s entire spiritual system. In her capacity as priestess, she composed a number of poems and hymns, not only in devotion to her gods, but also in reference to herself. She is, to date, the first example of an artist who signed her work.

HER IMPACT: Enheduanna continues to be celebrated around the world for not only her writings, but for the social and political significance of her role as high priestess. Her writings are available to read online, and offer an interesting insight into the education and literacy of women in Sumerian culture. Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Cosmos series dedicates some time to her, and she is the subject of many modern feminist debates. Perhaps my favorite thing about Enheduanna is that what we know about her is informed largely by what she wrote about herself - it’s not the most unbiased portrait, but I love that she herself was allowed to create it.

depressednmoderatelywelldressed:

coelasquid:

Whenever people point to Mary Shelley and say “a woman invented sci-fi you know” I just think “well, I mean, technically a woman invented the whole concept of authoring books as far as we can tell but hey who’s keeping track”

*cough* a black woman *cough*