Meskigal (, mes-ki-g̃al₂-la; ) was a Sumerian ruler of the Mesopotamian city of Adab. He was contemporary with Lugal-zage-si and the founder of Akkad, Sargon.
Reign His reign falls mainly into the early Akkadian period.
There are fragmentary and conflicting information about Meskigal. That he originally was the governor of Adab serving king Lugalzagesi of Uruk, but then changed his allegiance to Sargon of Akkad. Later, inscriptions indicate that he participated in military expeditions under Sargon. Finally, he appear in inscriptions as a rebel against Rimush of Akkad. The timeframe here is quite extensive raising questions.
Reign of Lugalzagesi of Uruk It has been suggested that Meskigal had actually defected to the Akkadian Empire, in opposition to Lugal-zage-si. Another known case is Lugalushumgal, who was also a collaborator of Akkad.
Reign of Sargon of Akkad In a fragmentary inscription, he claimed to have been on an expedition to the "Mountain of the Cedar forests" (, KURg̃eš-erin, Lebanon), perhaps together with Sargon I:
Reign of Rimush of Akkad It is uncertain if this is the same Meskigal being mentioned in these several inscriptions.
According to an inscription however, the Akkadian ruler Rimush, successor of Sargon, captured him following a rebellion:
The Statue of Meskigal There is a statue of Meskigal in the Baghdad Museum, in a style reminiscent of Akkadian statuary. Meskigal is also known from inscriptions.
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