First Dynasty of Ur

First dynasty of Ur
𒉆𒈗𒋀𒀕𒆠 (Sumerian)
*nam-lugal urim₂^KI*

Ur I
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 Ur class=notpageimage\| Location of Ur, in Western Asia, modern Iraq. Ur Ur (Iraq)
Country	Sumer
Founded	c. 2600 BC
Founder	Mesannepada
Final ruler	Balulu
Historic seat	Ur
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]

Rule

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]

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 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]

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)
		A-Imdugud 𒀀𒀭𒅎𒂂			fl. c. 2600 BC	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)^[13]
		Ur-Pabilsag 𒌨𒀭𒉺𒉋𒊕	Son of A-Imdugud (?)^[14]		d. c. 2550 BC	temp. of Ursangpae^[15] 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)
		Akalamdug 𒀀𒌦𒄭	Son of Meskalamdug (?)		reigned c. 2500 BC	Son of Meskalamdug (?) temp. of Akurgal^[15] 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)
		Meskalamdug 𒈩𒌦𒄭	Son of Akalamdug (?)		r. c. 2500 BC	Son of Akalamdug (?) temp. of Enakalle^[15] 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)
		Puabi 𒅤𒀜	m. c. 2500 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 regent
"Then Uruk was defeated and the kingship was taken to Ur." — SKL
1^st		Mesannepada 𒈩𒀭𒉌𒅆𒊒𒁕	Son of Meskalamdug (?)		r. c. 2500 BC (80 years)	Son of Meskalamdug (?) temp. of Ur-Lumma^[15] 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)
2^nd		Meskiagnun 𒈩𒆠𒉘𒉣	Son of Mesannepada (?)		r. c. 2485 – c. 2450 BC (30 or 36 years)	Son of Mesannepada (?) temp. of Epa'e^[15] 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
3^rd		Elulu 𒂊𒇻𒇻			r. c. 2445 BC (25 years)	Historicity certain.^[15] Said on the SKL to have held the title of "king" of not just Ur; but, all of Sumer.^[15] temp. of Lugalanda^[15]
4^th		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
		Enshakushanna 𒂗𒊮𒊨𒀭𒈾	Son of Elulu (?)^[15]		r. c. 2430 BC (60 years)	Son of Elulu (?)^[15] temp. of Urukagina^[15] Held the title of "lord of Sumer and king of all the land".^[15]
		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^[15]
		Lugal-kisal-si 𒈗𒆦𒋛	Son of Lugal-kinishe-dudu^[15]		r. c. 2400 BC	Son of Lugal-kinishe-dudu.^[15] Held the title of "king of Uruk and Ur".^[15] temp. of Enentarzi^[15]
		A'annepada 𒀀𒀭𒉌𒅆𒊒𒁕	Son of Mesannepada		Uncertain; this ruler may have r. c. 2500 – c. 2350 BC sometime during the EDIIIb period^[15]	Son of Mesannepada temp. of Entemena^[15] 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^[15]	Historicity certain.^[15] temp. of Sargon^[15]

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:^[16]

"... 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.^[17]

Artifacts

The Royal Cemetery of Ur held the tombs of several rulers of the First Dynasty of Ur.^[3] The tombs are particularly lavish, and testify to the wealth of the First Dynasty of Ur.^[4] One of the most famous tombs is that of Queen Puabi.^[4]

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".^[18]^[19]^[20] The last word "𒊩𒌆" can either be pronounced Nin “lady”, or Eresh “queen”.^[21]
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

References

^ The Cambridge Ancient History. Cambridge University Press. 1970. p. 228. ISBN 9780521070515.
^ Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East. Infobase Publishing. 2009. p. 664. ISBN 9781438126760.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Frayne, Douglas (2008). Pre-Sargonic Period: Early Periods, Volume 1 (2700-2350 BC). University of Toronto Press. pp. 901–902. ISBN 9781442690479.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Diakonoff, I. M. (2013). Early Antiquity. University of Chicago Press. pp. 78–79. ISBN 9780226144672.
^ "The Sumerians, a non-Semitic people who perhaps came from the east" in Curtis, Adrian (2009). Oxford Bible Atlas. Oxford University Press. p. 16. ISBN 9780191623325.. 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)
^ Bromiley, Geoffrey W. (1979). The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 392. ISBN 9780802837813.
^ ^a ^b 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
^ ^a ^b ^c British Museum notice "Grave goods from Ur"
^ McIntosh, Jane (2008). The Ancient Indus Valley: New Perspectives. ABC-CLIO. pp. 182–190. ISBN 9781576079072.
^ "Then Urim was defeated and the kingship was taken to Awan." in Kriwaczek, Paul (2014). Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization. Atlantic Books. p. 136. ISBN 9781782395676.
^ ^a ^b Incorporated, Facts On File (2009). Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East. Infobase Publishing. p. 664. ISBN 9781438126760.
^ Knapp, Arthur Bernard (1988). The history and culture of ancient Western Asia and Egypt. Wadsworth. p. 92. ISBN 9780534106454.
^ Woolley, Leonard; Hall, Henry; Legrain, L. (1900). Ur excavations (Report). Vol. 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. Archived from the original on 2010-07-01.
^ 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.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v Marchesi, Gianni (January 2015). Sallaberger, Walther; Schrakamp, Ingo (eds.). "Toward a Chronology of Early Dynastic Rulers in Mesopotamia". History and Philology (ARCANE 3; Turnhout): 139–156.
^ "CDLI-Found Texts". cdli.ucla.edu.
^ "CDLI-Found Texts". cdli.ucla.edu.
^ British Museum notice WA 121544
^ Crawford, Harriet (2013). The Sumerian World. Routledge. p. 622. ISBN 9781136219115.
^ Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and; Hansen, Donald P.; Pittman, Holly (1998). Treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur. UPenn Museum of Archaeology. p. 78. ISBN 9780924171550.
^ James, Sharon L.; Dillon, Sheila (2015). A Companion to Women in the Ancient World. John Wiley & Sons. p. 13. ISBN 9781119025542.

[CAH-1] The Cambridge Ancient History. Cambridge University Press. 1970. p. 228. ISBN 9780521070515.

[2] Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East. Infobase Publishing. 2009. p. 664. ISBN 9781438126760.

[DF-3] Frayne, Douglas (2008). Pre-Sargonic Period: Early Periods, Volume 1 (2700-2350 BC). University of Toronto Press. pp. 901–902. ISBN 9781442690479.

[IMD-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Diakonoff, I. M. (2013). Early Antiquity. University of Chicago Press. pp. 78–79. ISBN 9780226144672.

[5] "The Sumerians, a non-Semitic people who perhaps came from the east" in Curtis, Adrian (2009). Oxford Bible Atlas. Oxford University Press. p. 16. ISBN 9780191623325.. 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). The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 392. ISBN 9780802837813.

[BM_Carnelian-7] 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

[BM-8] British Museum notice "Grave goods from Ur"

[JMI-9] McIntosh, Jane (2008). The Ancient Indus Valley: New Perspectives. ABC-CLIO. pp. 182–190. ISBN 9781576079072.

[10] "Then Urim was defeated and the kingship was taken to Awan." in Kriwaczek, Paul (2014). Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization. Atlantic Books. p. 136. ISBN 9781782395676.

[Infobase_Publishing-11] Incorporated, Facts On File (2009). Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East. Infobase Publishing. p. 664. ISBN 9781438126760.

[12] Knapp, Arthur Bernard (1988). The history and culture of ancient Western Asia and Egypt. Wadsworth. p. 92. ISBN 9780534106454.

[13] Woolley, Leonard; Hall, Henry; Legrain, L. (1900). Ur excavations (Report). Vol. 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. Archived from the original on 2010-07-01.

[14] 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.

[Marchesi2015-15] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v Marchesi, Gianni (January 2015). Sallaberger, Walther; Schrakamp, Ingo (eds.). "Toward a Chronology of Early Dynastic Rulers in Mesopotamia". History and Philology (ARCANE 3; Turnhout): 139–156.

[16] "CDLI-Found Texts". cdli.ucla.edu.

[17] "CDLI-Found Texts". cdli.ucla.edu.

[18] British Museum notice WA 121544

[19] Crawford, Harriet (2013). The Sumerian World. Routledge. p. 622. ISBN 9781136219115.

[20] Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and; Hansen, Donald P.; Pittman, Holly (1998). Treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur. UPenn Museum of Archaeology. p. 78. ISBN 9780924171550.

[21] James, Sharon L.; Dillon, Sheila (2015). A Companion to Women in the Ancient World. John Wiley & Sons. p. 13. ISBN 9781119025542.

[22] Rulers with names in italics are considered fictional.

[23] Hallo, W.; Simpson, W. (1971). The Ancient Near East. New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich. pp. 48–49.

[24] "Rulers of Mesopotamia". cdli.ox.ac.uk. University of Oxford, CNRS.

[25] Thomas, Ariane; Potts, Timothy (2020). Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins. Getty Publications. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-60606-649-2.

[26] Roux, Georges (1992). Ancient Iraq. Penguin Books Limited. pp. 532–534 (Chronological Tables). ISBN 978-0-14-193825-7.

[SKL-27] Per Sumerian King List

[28] Unger, Merrill F. (2014). Israel and the Aramaeans of Damascus: A Study in Archaeological Illumination of Bible History. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-62564-606-4.

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