Meet Enheduanna, the earliest author in human history whose name we know. A priestess and a poet, her work predates the Homeric epics by more than a millennium.
A new exhibition at The Morgan Library & Museum, She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia ca. 3400-2000 BCE, will commemorate the pioneering writer. The exhibit offers a glimpse into the life of a woman who died almost 5000 years ago and yet whose voice we can still hear today.
Leaning into the experiences and echoes of caste and status in an ancient patriarchal society, the exhibition is not only an aesthetic enterprise, but also a humane one, addressing the nature of memory and dehumanization throughout history.
It's on view October 14 through February 19, 2023.