lugal

Mesopotamian title

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In history of Mesopotamia: The Sumerians to the end of the Early Dynastic period
…for ruler par excellence is lugal, which etymologically means “big person.” The first occurrence comes from Kish about 2700 bce, since an earlier instance from Uruk is uncertain because it could simply be intended as a personal name: “Monsieur Legrand.” In Uruk the ruler’s special title was en. In later…
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In history of Mesopotamia: Emergent city-states
…seldom do they call themselves lugal, or “king,” the title given the rulers of Umma in their own inscriptions. In all likelihood, these were local titles that were eventually converted, beginning perhaps with the kings of Akkad, into a hierarchy in which the lugal took precedence over the ensi.
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