Born: Unknown, Iraq (assumed)
Died: Unknown
Country most active: Iraq
Also known as: Ku‐Bau, Kug‐Bau or Ku(g)‐Baba
This biography was originally published in the World History Encyclopedia and was written by Joshua J. Mark. It is shared in line with the Encyclopedia’s policies under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Kubaba, according to the Sumerian King List (circa 2112 – circa 2004 BCE), was a tavern keeper (alewife) before becoming Queen of Kish. There is no record of how she was able to elevate herself, but she is the only woman to appear on the King List as a reigning monarch.
The Third Dynasty of Kish was said to have been founded by a woman, the ‘innkeeper’ Kubaba…who was defeated by the ruler of Akshak. Her son, Puzur-Sin, regained power and initiated the Fourth Dynasty of Kish. (Leick, 99-100)
She is therefore associated with both the 3rd and 4th dynasties of Kish. According to some scholars, she was the inspiration, in part, for the later Anatolian goddess Cybele. The dynasty she established ended, as did the Early Dynastic Period, with the rise of Sargon of Akkad (the Great, reign 2334-2279 BCE), who founded the Akkadian Empire.