The Ideal King as Athlete. Å ulgi, Gilgameš, and the Sumerian Royal Hymn Tradition

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This article reevaluates the hunting passage from Å ulgi B, focusing on lines 102-106 which list the athletic attributes of the king. Noting additional attestations of these attributes from the Sumerian royal hymn corpus, I suggest that the origin of the ideal king as an athlete stems from the Å ulgi corpus. Notably, I argue that the origin of this concept lies in the connection between Å ulgi and Gilgameš, prompting Å ulgi to regale his running, fighting, and ballplaying skills to further this connection, as well as the concept that he is an ideal king in the model of Gilgameš.