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259 This puzzling emergence of Nergal as an influential Asian deity, and the audacious march of Inanna's surrogate Naram-Sin to Egypt—all violations of the status quo of the Four Regions estab- lished after the Pyramid Wars—have one explanation: While Mar- duk had shifted his attention to Babylon, Nergal assumed a a a a WOE: preeminent role in Egypt. Then, having gone to persuade Marduk to leave Mesopotamia without further struggle, the amicable part- ing turned into a bitter enmity between the brothers. And this led to an alliance between Nergal and Inanna; but as they stood for each other, they soon found themselves opposed by all the other gods. An assembly of the gods was held in Nippur to deal with the disruptive consequences of Inanna's exploits; even Enki agreed that she had gone too far. And a decree for her arrest and trial was issued by Enlil. We learned of these events from a chronicle titled by scholars The Curse of Agade. Deciding that Inanna had indeed gotten out of hand, "the word of the Ekur" (Enid's sacred precinct in Nippur) was issued against her. But Inanna did not wait to be seized or held for trial: she forsook her temple and escaped on a Da like a deathly silence; Agade was all atremble. its Ulmash temple was in terror; She who lived there, left the city. The maiden forsook her chamber; Holy Inanna forsook her shrine in Agade. By the time a delegation of the great gods arrived in Agade, they only found an empty temple; all they could do was strip the place of its attributes of power: In days not five, in days not ten, The crownband of lordship, the tiara of Kingship, the throne given to rulership Ninurta brought over to his temple; Utu carried off the city's "Eloquence"; Enki withdrew its "Wisdom." Prelude to Disaster from Agade: The "word of Ekur" was upon Agade Its Awesomeness that could reach the Heaven, Anu brought up to the midst of Heaven.