Portrait of Enheduanna

Enheduanna

Akkadian princess; Sumerian high priestess of Nanna at Ur; poet and philosopher

Lived
2300 BC–2300 BC
Country
Akkadian Empire

Updated September 2026

About Enheduanna

Enheduanna was the entu (high) priestess of the moon god Nanna (Sīn) in the Sumerian city-state of Ur in the reign of her father, Sargon of Akkad. She was likely appointed by her father as the leader of the religious group at Ur to cement ties between the Akkadian religion of her father and the native Sumerian religion. Enheduanna has been celebrated as the earliest known named author in world history.

Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.