Reform Edict of Urukagina

Questions for Further Study

• 1.: The texts discovered in the vicinity of Lagash seem to place emphasis on buildings that were constructed in the name of deities. Why do you think concern with buildings and architecture was so pronounced at this time and in this place?
• 2.: What role did religious belief appear to play in the political and economic affairs of Lagash?
• 3.: Compare the Reform Edict of Urukagina with the New Year's Day Taika Reform Edict in seventh-century Japan. Do you see any similarities or pronounced differences between the nature of the reforms enacted and the reasons for enacting them? Explain.
• 4.: Compare the Reform Edict of Urukagina with the medieval English Domesday Book. To what extent were governmental concerns the same or different in medieval England and ancient Mesopotamia?
• 5.: To what extent can the Reform Edict of Urukagina be regarded as a “milestone” document? Why is it important? What place does it occupy in the development of social institutions in the ancient world?