His name does not appear in the Sumerian King List, but he is known from one of a statue bearing his name. The statue is similar in style to those of other Sumerian kings such as Meannesi or Entemena, sons of En-anna-tum I.[2][3]
The statue, made of grey gypsum or limestone, was discovered by Abbas Balkis of Affej[4] during the excavations overseen by Edgar James Banks, who described it in an article published in 1904 as "The Oldest Statue in the World" (a claim shared by other statues such as the Urfa Man or the 'Ain Ghazal Statues).[5]
The inscription in archaic cuneiform on the statue reads ππ¬ πππ» πππ£π Γ¨-sar lugal-dalu lugal adab-(ki) "In the temple Esar, Lugaldalu king of Adab", referring to the Esarra Temple in Adab.[6][7]
Detail of the inscription.
Lugaldalu inscription: ππ¬ πππ» πππ£π Γ¨-sar lugal-dalu lugaladab-(ki) "In the temple Esar, Lugaldalu king of Adab"
The name "Lugal-dalu" (πππ») vertically in the inscription, with its rendering in standardized early Sumero-Akkadian cuneiform