First Dynasty of Ur

Short description: Royal dynasty in Mesopotamia

First Dynasty of Ur

𒉆𒈗𒋀𒀕𒆠 (Sumerian)
nam-lugal urim2KI

Ur I

A map of the Near East detailing the approximated territorial extent of the Sumerian empire during the first dynasty of Ur

class=notpageimage|

Location of Ur, in Western Asia, modern Iraq.

Show map of West and Central Asia

Ur (Iraq)

Show map of Iraq

Country| Sumer
Founded| c. 2600 BC
Founder| Mesannepada
Final ruler| Balulu
Titles|

List

* King of Ur
* King of Sumer
* Governor of Ur
* King of Kish
* King of Uruk and Ur
* Queen of Ur
* Lord of Sumer and King of all the Land

Connected families| Third dynasty of Ur
Dissolution| c. 2340 BC

The First Dynasty of Ur (abbreviated Ur I) was a dynasty of rulers from the city of Ur in ancient Sumer who reigned c. 2600 – c. 2340 BC. Ur I is part of the Early Dynastic III period of ancient Mesopotamia.[1] It was preceded by the earlier First Dynasty of Kish and the First Dynasty of Uruk.[2]

## Contents

* 1 Rule
* 1.1 Ethnicity and language
* 1.2 International trade
* 1.3 Demise
* 2 List of rulers
* 3 Examples
* 4 See also
* 5 References
* 6 External links
* 6.1 Sumerian King List
* 7 Artifacts
* 8 See also
* 9 References

## Rule

Golden helmet of Meskalamdug, possible founder of the First Dynasty of Ur. Gold objects from tomb PG 580, Royal Cemetery at Ur. King at peace, with attendants, from the Standard of Ur. King at war, with soldiers, from the Standard of Ur.

According to the Sumerian King List, the final ruler of the First Dynasty of Uruk Lugal-kitun was overthrown by Mesannepada of Ur. There were then four kings in the First Dynasty of Ur: Mesannepada, Mes-kiagnuna, Elulu, and Balulu.[3] Two other kings earlier than Mes-Anepada are known from other sources, namely Mes-kalam-du and A-Kalam-du.[3] It would seem that Mes-Anepada was the son of Mes-kalam-du, according to the inscription found on a bead in Mari, and Mes-kalam-du was the founder of the dynasty.[3] A probable Queen Puabi is also known from her lavish tomb at the Royal Cemetery at Ur. The First Dynasty of Ur had extensive influence over the area of Sumer, and apparently led a union of south Mesopotamian polities.[3][4]

Funeral procession at the Royal Cemetery of Ur (items and positions in PG 789), circa 2600 BCE (reconstitution).

### Ethnicity and language

Like other Sumerians, the people of Ur were a non-Semitic people who may have come from the east circa 3300 BCE, and spoke a language isolate.[5][6]

### International trade

The etched carnelian beads in this necklace from the Royal Cemetery dating to the First Dynasty of Ur were probably imported from the Indus Valley. British Museum.[7]

The artifacts found in the royal tombs of the dynasty show that foreign trade was particularly active during this period, with many materials coming from foreign lands, such as Carnelian likely coming from the Indus or Iran, Lapis Lazuli from the Badakhshan area of Afghanistan, silver from Turkey, copper from Oman, and gold from several locations such as Egypt, Nubia, Turkey or Iran.[8] Carnelian beads from the Indus were found in Ur tombs dating to 2600-2450, in an example of Indus-Mesopotamia relations.[9] In particular, carnelian beads with an etched design in white were probably imported from the Indus Valley, and made according to a technique developed by the Harappans.[7] These materials were used into the manufacture of beautiful objects in the workshops of Ur.[8]

Lapis lazuli was likely imported from the Badakhshan area of Afghanistan.[8]

The Ur I dynasty had enormous wealth as shown by the lavishness of its tombs. This was probably due to the fact that Ur acted as the main harbour for trade with India, which put her in a strategic position to import and trade vast quantities of gold, carnelian or lapis lazuli.[4] In comparison, the burials of the kings of Kish were much less lavish.[4] High-prowed Sumerian ships may have traveled as far as Meluhha, thought to be the Indus region, for trade.[4]

### Demise

According to the Sumerian King List, the First Dynasty of Ur was finally defeated, and power went to the Elamite Awan dynasty.[10] The Sumerian king Eannatum (c.2500–2400 BCE) of Lagash, then came to dominate the whole region, and established one of the first verifiable empires in history.[11]

The power of Ur would only revive a few centuries later with the Third Dynasty of Ur.[11][12]

## List of rulers

#  | Depiction  | Ruler  | Succession  | Epithet  | Approx. dates  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|

Early Dynastic IIIa period (c. 2600 – c. 2500 BC)
Predynastic Ur (c. 2600 – c. 2500 BC)
| 120px  | A-Imdugud
𒀀𒀭𒅎𒂂  |  |  | fl.

Short description: Latin loanword meaning "approximately, around"

CA|other uses of "Cca"|CCA (disambiguation)|CCA|other uses of "Circa"|Circa (disambiguation)}}Template:TWCleanup2Circa (from la 'around, about, roughly, approximately') - frequently abbreviated ca. or c. and less frequently circ., cca. or cc. - signifies "approximately" in several European languages and is used as a loanword in English, usually in reference to a date.[13] Circa is widely used in historical writing when the dates of events are not accurately known.

When used in date ranges, circa is applied before each approximate date, while dates without circa immediately preceding them are generally assumed to be known with certainty.

## Examples

* 1732–1799: Both years are known precisely.
* c. 1732 – 1799: The beginning year is approximate; the end year is known precisely.
* 1732 – c. 1799: The beginning year is known precisely; the end year is approximate.
* c. 1732 – c. 1799: Both years are approximate.

## See also

* Floruit

## References

1. ↑ (in en) The Cambridge Ancient History. Cambridge University Press. 1970. p. 228. ISBN 9780521070515. https://archive.org/details/cambridgeancient02edwa.
2. ↑ (in en) Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East. Infobase Publishing. 2009. p. 664. ISBN 9781438126760. https://books.google.com/books?id=stl97FdyRswC&pg=PA664.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Frayne, Douglas (2008) (in en). Pre-Sargonic Period: Early Periods, Volume 1 (2700-2350 BC). University of Toronto Press. pp. 901–902. ISBN 9781442690479. https://books.google.com/books?id=8PNAnIome3AC&pg=PT901.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Diakonoff, I. M. (2013) (in en). Early Antiquity. University of Chicago Press. pp. 78–79. ISBN 9780226144672. https://books.google.com/books?id=JU8pegs94uoC&pg=PA78.
5. ↑ "The Sumerians, a non-Semitic people who perhaps came from the east" in Curtis, Adrian (2009) (in en). Oxford Bible Atlas. Oxford University Press. p. 16. ISBN 9780191623325. https://books.google.com/books?id=bTyeXEicBfkC&pg=RA1-PR16. . Mention of Gen 11:2 "And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there." (English Standard Version)
6. ↑ Bromiley, Geoffrey W. (1979) (in en). The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 392. ISBN 9780802837813. https://books.google.com/books?id=wo8csizDv0gC&pg=PA392.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 British Museum notice: "Gold and carnelians beads. The two beads etched with patterns in white were probably imported from the Indus Valley. They were made by a technique developed by the Harappan civilization" Photograph of the necklace in question
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 British Museum notice "Grave goods from Ur"
9. ↑ McIntosh, Jane (2008) (in en). The Ancient Indus Valley: New Perspectives. ABC-CLIO. pp. 182–190. ISBN 9781576079072. https://books.google.com/books?id=1AJO2A-CbccC&pg=PA189.
10. ↑ "Then Urim was defeated and the kingship was taken to Awan." in Kriwaczek, Paul (2014) (in en). Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization. Atlantic Books. p. 136. ISBN 9781782395676. https://books.google.com/books?id=xqiWAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT136.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Incorporated, Facts On File (2009) (in en). Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East. Infobase Publishing. p. 664. ISBN 9781438126760. https://books.google.com/books?id=stl97FdyRswC&pg=PA664.
12. ↑ Knapp, Arthur Bernard (1988) (in en). The history and culture of ancient Western Asia and Egypt. Wadsworth. p. 92. ISBN 9780534106454. https://books.google.com/books?id=lHXiAAAAMAAJ.
13. ↑ "circa". Dictionary.com. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/circa.

## External links

* v
* t
* e

Chronology

Key topics|

* Archaeology
* Astronomy
* Geology
* History
* Big History
* Paleontology
* Time

* Periods
* Eras
* Epochs

| Calendar eras|

* Human Era
* Ab urbe condita
* Anno Domini / Common Era
* Anno Mundi
* Byzantine era
* Seleucid era
* Spanish era
* Before Present
* Hijri
* Egyptian
* Sothic cycle
* Hindu units of time (Yuga)
* Mesoamerican
* Long Count
* Short Count
* Tzolk'in
* Haab'

|

Regnal year|

* Canon of Kings
* Lists of kings
* Limmu

Era names|

* Chinese
* Japanese
* Korean
* Vietnamese

Calendars|

| Pre-Julian / Julian|

* Pre-Julian Roman
* Original Julian
* Proleptic Julian
* Revised Julian

|

Gregorian|

* Gregorian
* Proleptic Gregorian
* Old Style and New Style dates
* Adoption of the Gregorian calendar
* Dual dating

Astronomical|

* Lunisolar
* Solar
* Lunar
* Astronomical year numbering

Others|

* Chinese sexagenary cycle
* Geologic Calendar
* Hebrew
* Iranian
* Islamic
* ISO week date
* Mesoamerican
* Maya
* Aztec
* Winter count (Plains Indians)

Astronomic time|

* Cosmic Calendar
* Ephemeris
* Galactic year
* Metonic cycle
* Milankovitch cycles

Geologic time|

| Concepts|

* Deep time
* Geological history of Earth
* Geological time units

|

Standards|

* Global Standard Stratigraphic Age (GSSA)
* Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP)

Methods|

* Chronostratigraphy
* Geochronology
* Isotope geochemistry
* Law of superposition
* Luminescence dating
* Samarium–neodymium dating

Chronological
dating|

| Absolute dating|

* Amino acid racemisation
* Archaeomagnetic dating
* Dendrochronology
* Ice core
* Incremental dating
* Lichenometry
* Paleomagnetism
* Radiometric dating
* Radiocarbon
* Uranium–lead
* Potassium–argon
* Tephrochronology
* Luminescence dating
* Thermoluminescence dating

|

Relative dating|

* Fluorine absorption
* Nitrogen dating
* Obsidian hydration
* Seriation
* Stratigraphy

Genetic methods|

* Molecular clock

Linguistic methods|

* Glottochronology

Related topics|

* Chronicle
* New Chronology
* Synchronoptic view
* Timeline
* Year zero
* Circa
* Floruit
* Terminus post quem
* ASPRO chronology

0.00

(0 votes)

|

* Historicity certain
* His name does not appear on the SKL
* Known from an inscribed cylinder seal bearing the title of, "Governor of Ur" (found in tomb PG 1236 located in the Royal Cemetery at Ur)[1]

| 120px  | Ur-Pabilsag
𒌨𒀭𒉺𒉋𒊕  | Son of A-Imdugud (?)[2] |  | Template:Died-in |

* temp. of Ursangpae[3]
* Known from an inscription fragment bearing the title of, "King of Ur" (found in tomb PG 779 located in the Royal Cemetery at Ur)

#  | Depiction  | Ruler  | Succession  | Epithet  | Approx. dates  | Notes
Early Dynastic IIIb period (c. 2500 – c. 2350 BC)
| 120px  | Akalamdug
𒀀𒌦𒄭  | Son of Meskalamdug (?)  |  | reigned c. 2500 BC |

* Son of Meskalamdug (?)
* temp. of Akurgal[3]
* Known from dynastic beads and tomb inscriptions bearing the title of, "King of Ur" (found in tomb PG 1332 located in the Royal Cemetery at Ur)

| 120px  | Meskalamdug
𒈩𒌦𒄭  | Son of Akalamdug (?)  |  | r. c. 2500 BC |

* Son of Akalamdug (?)
* temp. of Enakalle[3]
* Known from dynastic beads and tomb inscriptions bearing the title of, "King of Kish" (found in tomb PG 755 located in the Royal Cemetery at Ur)

| 120px  | Puabi
𒅤𒀜  | Template:Married-in to Meskalamdug (?)  |

* Known from inscriptions bearing the title of, "Queen" (found in tomb PG 800 located in the Royal Cemetery at Ur)
* She may have ruled in her own right as queen regnant[4]

> "Then Uruk was defeated and the kingship was taken to Ur."

— SKL

1st  | 120px  | Mesannepada
𒈩𒀭𒉌𒅆𒊒𒁕  | Son of Meskalamdug (?)  |  | r. c. 2500 BC
(80 years) |

* Son of Meskalamdug (?)
* temp. of Ur-Lumma[3]
* Known from the SKL, Tummal Chronicle, and an inscribed seal bearing the title of, "King of Kish" (found in tomb PG 1232/1237 located in the Royal Cemetery at Ur)

2nd  | 120px  | Meskiagnun
𒈩𒆠𒉘𒉣  | Son of Mesannepada (?)  |  | r. c. 2485 – c. 2450 BC
(30 or 36 years) |

* Son of Mesannepada (?)
* temp. of Epa'e[3]
* Said on the SKL to have been the son of Mesannepada and to have held the title of, "King" of not just Ur; but, all of Sumer
* Known from the Tummal Chronicle his tomb PG 1157 located in the Royal Cemetery at Ur

3rd  | 120px  | Elulu
𒂊𒇻𒇻  |  |  | r. c. 2445 BC
(25 years) |

* Historicity certain.[3]
* Said on the SKL to have held the title of "king" of not just Ur; but, all of Sumer.[3]
* temp. of Lugalanda[3]

4th  | 120px  | Balulu
𒁀𒇻𒇻  |  |  | Uncertain
(36 years) |

* Historicity uncertain.
* Known from the SKL; very little otherwise.
* Said on the SKL to have held the title of "king" of not just Ur; but, all of Sumer.

> "4 kings; they ruled for 171 years. Then Ur was defeated and the kingship was taken to Awan."

— SKL

| 120px  | Enshakushanna
𒂗𒊮𒊨𒀭𒈾  | Son of Elulu (?)[3] |  | r. c. 2430 BC
(60 years) |

* Son of Elulu (?)[3]
* temp. of Urukagina[3]
* Held the title of "lord of Sumer and king of all the land".[3]

| 120px  | Lugal-kinishe-dudu
𒈗𒆠𒉌𒂠𒌌𒌌  |  |  | r. c. 2400 BC
(120 years) |

* Originally from Uruk
* Held the title of "King of Uruk and Ur"
* temp. of Enannatum II[3]

| 120px  | Lugal-kisal-si
𒈗𒆦𒋛  | Son of Lugal-kinishe-dudu[3] |  | r. c. 2400 BC |

* Son of Lugal-kinishe-dudu.[3]
* Held the title of "king of Uruk and Ur".[3]
* temp. of Enentarzi[3]

| 120px  | A'annepada
𒀀𒀭𒉌𒅆𒊒𒁕  | Son of Mesannepada  |  | Uncertain; this ruler may have r. c. 2500 – c. 2350 BC sometime during the EDIIIb period[3] |

* Son of Mesannepada
* temp. of Entemena[3]
* Known from dedication tablets with inscriptions bearing the title "King of Ur" (found in tomb PG 580 located in the Royal Cemetery at Ur)

#  | Depiction  | Ruler  | Succession  | Epithet  | Approx. dates  | Notes
Proto-Imperial period (c. 2350 – c. 2112 BC)
|  | Lunanna  |  |  | Uncertain; this ruler may have r. c. 2350 – c. 2112 BC sometime during the Proto-Imperial period[3] |

* Historicity certain.[3]
* temp. of Sargon[3]

### Sumerian King List

Only the final kings of the First Dynasty of Ur, from Mesannepada to Balulu and possibly 4 unnamed kings, are mentioned in the Sumerian King List:[5]

> "... Uruk with weapons was struck down, the kingship to Ur was carried off. In Ur Mesannepada was king, 80 years he ruled; Mesh-ki-ang-Nanna, son of Mesannepada, was king, 36 years he ruled; Elulu, 25 years he ruled; Balulu, 36 years he ruled; 4 kings, the years: 171(?) they ruled. Ur with weapons was struck down; the kingship to Awan was carried off.

— Sumerian King List, 137-147.[5]

## Artifacts

The Royal Cemetery of Ur held the tombs of several rulers of the First Dynasty of Ur.[6] The tombs are particularly lavish, and testify to the wealth of the First Dynasty of Ur.[7] One of the most famous tombs is that of Queen Puabi.[7]

* A gold dagger and a dagger with a gold-plated handle, Ur excavations (1900).

* Reconstructed Sumerian headgear necklaces found in the tomb of Puabi, housed at the British Museum

* Queen's Lyre, one of the Lyres of Ur, Ur Royal Cemetery.

* Cylinder seal of Queen Puabi, found in her tomb. Inscription 𒅤𒀀𒉿 𒊩𒌆Pu-A-Bi-Nin "Queen Puabi".[8][9][10] The last word "𒊩𒌆" can either be pronounced Nin “lady”, or Eresh “queen”.[11]

* The Standard of Ur

* Ram in a Thicket

* Lyre of a Bull's Head from Queen Puabi's tomb. (British Museum)

* Nacre plate with anthropomorphic animals, circa 2600 BCE

## See also

* Sumerian King List
* History of Sumer
* Third Dynasty of Ur

## References

1. ↑ Woolley, Leonard; Hall, Henry; Legrain, L. (1900). ﻿Ur excavations﻿ (Report). II. Trustees of the British Museum and of the Museum of the University of Pennsylvania by the aid of a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. ISBN 9780598629883. https://books.google.com/books?id=GygcAQAAMAAJ.
2. ↑ Aruz, J.; Wallenfels, R. (2003). Art of the First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus. Metropolitan Museum of Art Series. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 9780300098839. https://books.google.com/books?id=czZmQgAACAAJ.
3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 Marchesi, Gianni (January 2015). Sallaberger, Walther. ed. "Toward a Chronology of Early Dynastic Rulers in Mesopotamia". History and Philology (ARCANE 3; Turnhout): 139–156. https://www.academia.edu/10655886.
4. ↑ "Queen Puabi's Headdress from the Royal Cemetery at Ur". https://www.penn.museum/collections/highlights/neareast/puabi.php.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "CDLI-Found Texts". https://cdli.ucla.edu/search/search_results.php?CompositeNumber=Q000371.
6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `DF`
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `IMD`
8. ↑ British Museum notice WA 121544
9. ↑ Crawford, Harriet (2013) (in en). The Sumerian World. Routledge. p. 622. ISBN 9781136219115. https://books.google.com/books?id=4SKYAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT622.
10. ↑ Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and; Hansen, Donald P.; Pittman, Holly (1998) (in en). Treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur. UPenn Museum of Archaeology. p. 78. ISBN 9780924171550. https://books.google.com/books?id=h8j76olVKloC&pg=PA78.
11. ↑ James, Sharon L.; Dillon, Sheila (2015) (in en). A Companion to Women in the Ancient World. John Wiley & Sons. p. 13. ISBN 9781119025542. https://books.google.com/books?id=0NYdCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA9.

Template:Rulers of Sumer

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First Dynasty of Ur. Read more

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=History:First_Dynasty_of_Ur&oldid=4039523"
*[Approx.]: approximately
*[c.]: circa
*[fl.]: floruit ("flourished" – known to have been active at a particular time or during a particular period)
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[r]: reign