Ur

Origins

Ur lay near the mouth of the Euphrates, close to the shore of the Gulf, and was settled from the Ubaid period. In the Early Dynastic III period, around 2600 BCE, it emerged as one of the leading Sumerian cities, and the Sumerian King List records a First Dynasty of Ur founded by Mesannepadda.

Rule and society

Ur prospered on trade by sea with Dilmun, Magan and Meluhha, bringing copper, carnelian and lapis lazuli into Sumer. Leonard Woolley's excavations of 1922 to 1934 uncovered the Royal Cemetery, with the gold helmet of Meskalamdug, the tomb of Queen Puabi, the Standard of Ur and lyres, alongside evidence of attendants buried with their masters. The city's patron was Nanna, the moon god.

Decline and legacy

Ur fell under Lugal-zage-si and then the Akkadian Empire. After Gutian rule, Ur-Nammu founded a Third Dynasty in 2112 BCE and made Ur the capital of the Neo-Sumerian Empire, building its great ziggurat. The city remained inhabited until about the 4th century BCE, when the river shifted away.