Mind-Benders of Mesopotamian History
The king who boasted he ran a marathon between two cities
In a royal hymn, King Šulgi of Ur (reigning around 2094 BCE) boasts of running from Nippur to Ur and back — roughly 160 km each way — to preside over festivals in both cities on the same day, even through a hailstorm. Whether or not the run happened, Šulgi is credited with building a network of roads with roadside rest-houses and a royal messenger service across his kingdom.
How we know
Šulgi of Ur, Third Dynasty of Ur, reign c. 2094–2046 BCE (Middle Chronology); the run appears in the Sumerian royal hymn Šulgi A. 2094 + 2026 = 4,120 years ago.
One of many fact-checked wonders across eight traditions at The Spring of Wisdom.