First Dynasty of Ur

First Dynasty of Ur
(26th-25th century BCE)

Golden helmet ofMeskalamdug,possible founder of the First Dynasty of Ur, circa 2500 BCE.

Ur

class=notpageimage|

Location of Ur, in Western Asia, modernIraq.

Ur

Ur(Iraq)

TheFirst Dynasty of Urwas a 26th-25th century BCE dynasty of rulers of the city ofUrin ancientSumer.^[1]It is part of theEarly Dynastic period IIIof thehistory of Mesopotamia.It was preceded by the earlierFirst Dynasty of Kishand theFirst Dynasty of Uruk.^[2]

Rule[edit]

According to theSumerian King List,the final ruler of the First Dynasty ofUruk Lugal-kitunwas overthrown byMesannepadaofUr.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, namelyMes-kalam-duand 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 inMari,and Mes-kalam-du was the founder of the dynasty.^[3]A probable QueenPuabiis also known from her lavish tomb at theRoyal Cemetery at Ur.The First Dynasty of Ur had extensive influence over the area ofSumer,and apparently led a union of south Mesopotamian polities.^[3]^[4]

Ethnicity and language[edit]

Like otherSumerians,the people ofUrwere a non-Semitic peoplewho may have come from the east circa 3300 BCE, and spoke alanguage isolate.^[5]^[6]

International trade[edit]

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 asCarnelianlikely coming from theIndusorIran,Lapis Lazulifrom theBadakhshanarea ofAfghanistan,silver fromTurkey,copper fromOman,and gold from several locations such asEgypt,Nubia,TurkeyorIran.^[8]Carnelian beads from the Indus were found inUrtombs dating to 2600-2450, in an example ofIndus-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 theHarappans.^[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 withIndia,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 ofKishwere much less lavish.^[4]High-prowed Sumerian ships may have traveled as far asMeluhha,thought to be theIndusregion, for trade.^[4]

Demise[edit]

According to theSumerian King List,the First Dynasty of Ur was finally defeated, and power went to theElamite Awan dynasty.^[10]The Sumerian kingEannatum(c.2500–2400 BCE) ofLagash,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 theThird Dynasty of Ur.^[11]^[12]

List of rulers[edit]

Sumerian King List[edit]

Only the final kings of the First Dynasty of Ur, fromMesannepadatoBaluluand possibly 4 unnamed kings, are mentioned in theSumerian King List:^[13]

"...Urukwith weapons was struck down, the kingship to Ur was carried off. In UrMesannepadawas king, 80 years he ruled;Mesh-ki-ang-Nanna,son ofMesannepada,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 toAwanwas carried off.
— Sumerian King List,137-147.^[14]

Artifacts[edit]

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 QueenPuabi.^[4]

A gold dagger and a dagger with a gold-plated handle, Ur excavations (1900).
Reconstructed Sumerian headgear necklaces found in the tomb ofPuabi,housed at the British Museum
Queen's Lyre, one of theLyres of Ur,Ur Royal Cemetery.
Cylinder seal of QueenPuabi,found in her tomb. Inscription 𒅤𒀀𒉿 𒊩𒌆Pu-A-Bi-Nin"Queen Puabi".^[15]^[16]^[17]The last word "𒊩𒌆" can either be pronouncedNin“lady”, orEresh“queen”.^[18]
TheStandard of Ur
Ram in a Thicket
Lyre of a Bull's Head from QueenPuabi's tomb. (British Museum)
Nacre plate with anthropomorphic animals, circa 2600 BCE

References[edit]

^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 ^eFrayne, 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 ^fDiakonoff, 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" inCurtis, Adrian (2009).Oxford Bible Atlas.Oxford University Press. p. 16.ISBN 9780191623325..Mention ofGen 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 ^bBritish 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 ^cBritish 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 toAwan."inKriwaczek, Paul (2014).Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization.Atlantic Books. p. 136.ISBN 9781782395676.
^^a ^bIncorporated, 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.
^"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] 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" inCurtis, Adrian (2009).Oxford Bible Atlas.Oxford University Press. p. 16.ISBN 9780191623325..Mention ofGen 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 toAwan."inKriwaczek, 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] "CDLI-Found Texts".cdli.ucla.edu.

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

[15] British Museum notice WA 121544

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

[17] 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

[SKL-24] PerSumerian King List

[25] 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.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

Ruler	Image	Epithet	Length of reign	Approx. dates	Mentions
(A-Imdugud)			?	c. 26th century BC	Tomb inscriptions at theRoyal Cemetery at Ur
(Ur-Pabilsag)			?	c. 26th century BC	Tomb inscriptions at theRoyal Cemetery at Ur
(Meskalamdug) (QueenPuabi)			?	c. 26th century BC	Dynastic beads, tomb inscriptions at theRoyal Cemetery at Ur
(Akalamdug)			?	c. 26th century BC	Dynastic beads, tomb inscriptions at theRoyal Cemetery at Ur
Mesannepada			80 years	c. 26th century BC	Sumerian King List,Tummal Chronicle
A'annepada		"son of Mesh-Ane-pada"	?	c. 26th century BC	Dedication tablets with inscriptions
Mesh-ki-ang-Nanna	Sumerian King List	"son of Mesh-Ane-pada"	36 years		Sumerian King List,Tummal Chronicle
Elulu			25 years		Sumerian King List
Balulu			36 years		Sumerian King List
"Then Urim(Ur)was defeated and the kingship was taken toAwan."