This paper focuses on the geographic area that lies south of Baghdad, the area between Baghdad and the Persian Gulf, an area now under occupation by United States forces. The paper's focus is approximately 4300 years before, yet it hopes in the end to explain the rhetorical relevance of that time, that place, and the particular figure of an ancient woman, Enheduanna, for today. According to the paper, Enheduanna, a poet, princess, and high priestess wrote the "Exaltation of Innana," a complex 153-line hymn/poem. The paper states that her existence and work present the possibility of an illuminating case study of both her own "ancient context" and the "contemporary context" of her reception in current academia which lags well behind her iconic status in popular culture. It notes that working with the texts of Enheduanna presents several problems--the distance of more than 4,000 years seem to make her works and their themes difficult for students to comprehend, and the structure of her hymns, her use of repetition and metonymy as she ritually addresses the goddess Innana, is often puzzling to modern students. The paper suggests working with "The Exaltation of Innana" as an introduction to Enheduanna's rhetoric. It also recommends several resources to consult for placing her works in context. It contends that Enheduanna's work and life lay at the intersections of four contemporary debates about rhetorics as they inscribe the relationship of power and language. (NKA)