Enheduanna: The World's First Author

Enheduanna: The World's First Author

It's hard to imagine a time when we didn't write things down- on stone, papyrus or parchment. Who was the first to actually put 'pen to paper' and write. Well, her name was Enheduanna. She was an Akkadian poet, writer and high priestess, remembered as the first named author in recorded history. She lived in the 3rd millennium BCE in the city-state of Ur, and was a figure of immense significance in the Mesopotamian world. As the high priestess of the moon god Nanna, she would help to cement ties between the newly merged Sumerian and Akkadian civilisations. She would also pen the first authored literary works, and her poems on womanhood and faith hold great meaning through to this day. Dan speaks to Sidney Babcock, the Jeannette and Jonathan Rosen Curator at the Morgan Library and Museum, to find out how we know so much about her, and what her significance is today.


Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.


If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe to History Hit today!


Download the History Hit app from the Google Play store.

Download the History Hit app from the Apple Store.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaksot(1488)

Germany After Hitler

Germany After Hitler

80 years ago, as the war in Europe drew to a close, the world began to come to terms with the horrors of the Third Reich. This is the story of the Nuremberg Trials, the first of their kind, that would...

1 Touko 202530min

The Death of Hitler

The Death of Hitler

Warning: this episode contains discussion of suicide.Berlin, April 1945: After nearly 12 years, the "Thousand-Year Reich" is crumbling. Isolated in a bunker beneath the city, as Soviet forces close in...

29 Huhti 202537min

The Dreyfus Affair: The Spy Scandal that Shook France

The Dreyfus Affair: The Spy Scandal that Shook France

It started with an inconsequential piece of military intelligence, scrawled on a piece of paper and left in a waste paper basket. But over the next decade, the infamous Dreyfus affair would mutate int...

27 Huhti 202536min

The Einstein Murders

The Einstein Murders

Warning: this episode contains discussion of suicide.In August 1944, German soldiers burst into the Florentine villa of Robert Einstein, cousin of the renowned physicist, Albert Einstein. As both a Je...

24 Huhti 202528min

A History of Popes

A History of Popes

Popes have shaped the history of the world. The Catholic Church has had a Pope for two thousand years, the first- tradition dictates- was St Peter, the fisherman turned disciple of Jesus. Pope 'Leo th...

22 Huhti 202544min

How Did the American Revolution Start?

How Did the American Revolution Start?

On 19th April, 1775, just over 250 years ago, the opening salvos of the American Revolutionary War were fired at the battles of Lexington and Concord. Elite British Redcoats went head-to-head with the...

20 Huhti 20251h 18min

The Battle of Berlin with Sir Antony Beevor

The Battle of Berlin with Sir Antony Beevor

Warning: this episode includes discussion of subjects like suicide and sexual assault that some listeners may find disturbing.80 years ago, the Soviets launched their final assault on the German capit...

17 Huhti 202536min

The Liberation of Bergen-Belsen

The Liberation of Bergen-Belsen

Warning: This episode contains detailed discussion of the Holocaust and genocide, which some listeners may find upsetting.80 years ago, British troops liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. T...

15 Huhti 202527min

Suosittua kategoriassa Historia

olipa-kerran-otsikko
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
mayday-fi
huijarit
mystista
tsunami
totuus-vai-salaliitto
rss-ikiuni
konginkangas
rouva-diktaattori
rss-subjektiivinen-todistaja
sotaa-ja-historiaa-podi
rss-i-dont-like-mondays-2
rss-peter-peter
tiedetta-ja-sirkushuveja-vanhojen-aikojen-podcast
rss-kirkon-ihmeellisimmat-tarinat
maailmanpuu
rss-iltanuotiolla
rss-kalmakabinetti
rss-sattuu-sita-suomessakin