Ur

Definition

Ur was a major city, and later the capital, of the Sumerian Empire in southern Mesopotamia. Its location near the sea made it a center of commerce and trade routes. Between 2030-1980 BC Ur was the world's largest city, boasting about 65,000 inhabitants within its walls. The city featured many glorious temples and tombs. Today, the site is recognizable for its well-preserved remains of the Great Ziggurat.

The earliest settlement of Ur dates back to the Ubaid Period, or about 5300–4000 BCE. Droughts brought about the consolidation of several small farming villages into larger settlements. This led to the need for large-scale irrigation, in order to support the larger farms and populations during the drought periods.

Due to its favorable location, Ur became the capital of the Sumerian Empire, and the city was ruled by an impressive record of dynastic Kings, including Ur-Nammu (2112–2094 BCE). Countless advances in agriculture, architecture, and warfare were achieved in the Sumerian empire. The Sumerians are also well-known for cuneiform writing, a very early form of written communication that helped propel Ur’s position for trade and commerce.

The city of Ur faced much conflict throughout its dynasties, including its invasion by the great Akkadian King Sargon in 2340 BCE. Despite this, Ur flourished again and continued as an urban center in Mesopotamia for nearly 1500 years. Ur began to decline around 550 BCE, likely due to drought and other natural occurrences to the region.

Written by writer873, published 28 April 2011.

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Articles

• Third Dynasty of Ur (Ur III)

  Following the collapse of the Agade empire, the centre of power in southern Mesopotamia shifted to the cities of Uruk and Ur. The governor of Ur, Ur-Nammu, established a dynasty which came to dominate the other cities of the region, and whose territory stretched east into Iran. Under his successor, Shulgi...

• The Hymn to Ninkasi, Goddess of Beer

  The Hymn to Ninkasi is at once a song of praise to Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of beer, and an ancient recipe for brewing. Written down around 1800 BCE, the hymn is no doubt much older. Evidence for brewing beer in the Mesopotamian region dates back to 3500-3100 BCE at the Sumerian settlement...

• The Eternal Life of Gilgamesh

  The Epic of Gilgamesh was originally a Sumerian poem, later translated into Akkadian, and first written down some 700 – 1000 years after the reign of the historical king in the cuneiform script. The poem was known originally as Sha-naqba-imru (He Who Saw The Deep) or, alternately, Shutur-eli-sham (Surpassing...

• The Epic of Gilgamesh in Prose (Standard Akkadian Version)

  The standard version was discovered by Austen Henry Layard in the library of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh in 1849. It was written in standard Babylonian, a dialect of Akkadian that was only used for literary purposes. This version was compiled by Sin-liqe-unninni sometime between 1300 and 1000 BC out of older legends.The...

Illustrations

Ur Books

• The Cambridge Ancient History vol 1 - Egypt and Babylonia to 1580 BC J.B. Bury Plantagenet Publishing (10 July 2011) Currently unavailable

• The History of Babylonia Hugo Winckler (13 September 2011) Currently unavailable

• Treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur Anonymous University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (01 January 1998) Price: $49.94

• The Sumerians C. Leonard Woolley W. W. Norton & Company (17 September 1965) Price: $16.89

• Rebellion in Chiapas: An Historical Reader Anonymous New Press, The (01 March 1999) Price: $22.88