Urukagina

Ruler (énsi) of Lagash roughly around the half of the XXIV century BC. His name, written URU-KA-GI-NA, has been read Urukagina, Uru'inimgina and Irikagina. Likely an usurper, he was the successor of Lugalanda, and his reigns lasted at least 10 years.
He is mainly known thanks to two events referred to in the extant cuneiform sources: the so-called "reform" (an edict in which he marks his distance by the temple milieu, criticizes his predecessors for their tollerance of the abuses, and restores the equilibrium through a reduction in taxation), and the border conflict with Lugalzagesi of Uruk (last act of an older rivalry between Umma and Lagash for the control of the land situated in the territory called Gu'edena), won by the latter.
M. Bonechi - February 2000

Literature:
Among the bibliographical sources dealing with Urukagina there are:

Cooper J. S.
Reconstructing History from Ancient Inscriptions: The Lagash-Umma Border Conflict, SANE 2/1, Malibu 1983
Sumerian and Akkadian Royal Inscriptions 1: Presargonic Inscriptions, New Haven 1986

Deimel A.
Die Bewirtschaftung des Tempellandes zur Zeit Urukaginas, Or 5 (1922), pp. 1-25
Die Bebauung der Templeläcker zur Zeit Urukaginas, Or 7 (1923), pp. 1-35
Fisch-Texte der Zeit Urukaginas, Or 21 (1926), pp. 40-83
Die Viehzucht der Šumerer zur Zeit Urukaginas, Or 20 (1926), pp. 1-61
Getreidelieferungs(gar)-Listen aus der Zeit Urukaginas und seiner beiden Vorgänger, Or 32 (1928), pp. 1-83
Die Lohnlisten zus der Zeit Urukaginas und seiner Vorgänger, Or 34-35 (1928), pp. 1-122
Die Opferlisten Urukaginas und seiner Vorgänger, Or 28 (1928), pp. 25-70
Die Lohnlisten zus der Zeit Urukaginas und seiner Vorgänger (Fortsetzung), Or 43-44 (1929), pp. 1-131
Šumerische Tempelwirtschft zur Zeit Urukaginas und seiner Vorgänger. Abschluss der Einzelstudien und Zusammenfassung der Hauptresultate, AnOr 2, Roma 1931

Diakonoff I. M.
Some Remarks on the "Reforms" of Urukagina, RA 52 (1958), pp. 1-15

Edzard D. O.
'Soziale Reformen' in Zweistromland, in J. Harmatta - Komoróczy edd., Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft im alten Vorderasien, Budapest 1976, pp. 145-ff.
Irikagina (Urukagina), in P. Michalowski - P. Steinkeller - E. C. Stone - R. L. Zettler edd., Velles Paraules, Ancient Near Eastern Studies in Honor of Miguel Civil, AuOr 9 (1991), pp. 77-79

Förtsch W.
Altbabylonische Wirtschaftstexte aus der Zeit Lugalanda's und Urukagina's, VS 14/1, Leipzig 1916

Foxvog D.
A New Lagaš Text Bearing on Uruinimgina's Reform, JCS 46 (1994), pp. 11-15

Hruška B. (v. Neumann H.)
Die innere Struktur der Reformtexte Urukaginas von Lagaš, ArOr 41 (1973), pp. 4-13
Die innere Struktur der Reformtexte Urukaginas von Lagaš (Forsetzung), ArOr 41 (1973), pp. 104-132
Die Reformtexte Urukaginas. Der verspätete Versuch einer Konsolidierung des Stadtstaates von Lagaš, in P. Garelli ed., Le Palais et la Royauté (Archéologie et Civilisation), XIX RAI, Paris 1974, pp. 151-161

Kientz J.-M. - Lambert M.
L'élevage du gros bétail à Lagash au tenps de Lugalanda et d'Urukagina, RSO 38 (1963), pp. 93-117, 198-218

Lambert M.
Recherches sur la vie ouvrière: les ateliers de tissage de Lagash au temps de Lugalanda et d'Urukagina, ArOr 29 (1961), pp. 422-443
La guerre entre Lugal-zaggesi et Urukagina: ses incidences sur l'économie de Lagash. A Summary, Iraq 25 (1963), pp. 192-193
La guerre entre Urukagina et Lugalzaggesi, RSO 41 (1966), pp. 29-66

Liverani M.
Antico Oriente. Storia Società Economia, Bari 1988

Milone M. E.
Irikagina, figlio di Engisa, énsi di Lagaš, NABU1998/106

Pomponio F.
4 VII 11 and an Administrative Term from the Ebla Texts, JCS 36 (1984), pp. 96-100

Quintana E.
A note about an Urukagina's Technical Term, NABU 1995/27

Sollberger E.
Urukagina, roi de Girsu, in Z. V. Tigan ed., Proceedings of the 22^nd Congress of Orientalists Held in Istanbul 2: Communications, Leiden 1957, pp. 29-35
Sollberger E. - Kupper J.-R.
Inscriptions Royales Sumériennes et Akkadiennes, LAPO 3, Paris 1971

Steible H. - Behrens H.
Die altsumerischen Bau- und Weihinschriften. Teil I. Inschriften aus 'Lagaš', FAOS 5/1 (1982)
Die altsumerischen Bau- und Weihinschriften. Teil II. Kommentar zu den Inschriften aus 'Lagaš'. Inschriften ausserhalb von 'Lagaš', FAOS 5/2 (1982)

Steinkeller P.
The Reforms of UruKAgina and an Early Sumerian Term for "Prison", in P. Michalowski - P. Steinkeller - E. C. Stone - R. L. Zettler edd., Velles Paraules, Ancient Near Eastern Studies in Honor of Miguel Civil, AuOr 9 (1991), pp. 227-233

Stephens F. J.
Notes on Some Economic Texts of the Time of Urukagina, RA 49 (1955), pp. 129-136

Thureau-Dangin F.
La ruine de Shirpourla (Lagash) sous le régne d'Ourou-kagina, RA 6 (1904), pp. 26-32

Tyumenev A. I.
The Working Personnel of the Estate of the Temple of ^dBa-ú in Lagaš During the Period of Lugalanda and Urukagina (25th - 24th cent. B.C.), in I. M. Diakonoff ed., Ancient Mesopotamia. Socio-economic History, Moscow 1969 (1954), pp. 88-125