First Dynasty of Ur

The First Dynasty of Ur (abbreviated Ur I) was a dynasty of rulers from the city of Ur in ancient Sumer who . Ur I is part of the Early Dynastic III period of ancient Mesopotamia. It was preceded by the earlier First Dynasty of Kish and the First Dynasty of Uruk.

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. Two other kings earlier than Mes-Anepada are known from other sources, namely Mes-kalam-du and A-Kalam-du. 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. 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.

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."The Sumerians, a non-Semitic people who perhaps came from the east" in . 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)

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.British Museum notice "Grave goods from Ur" Carnelian beads from the Indus were found in Ur tombs dating to 2600-2450, in an example of Indus-Mesopotamia relations. 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. These materials were used into the manufacture of beautiful objects in the workshops of Ur.

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. In comparison, the burials of the kings of Kish were much less lavish. High-prowed Sumerian ships may have traveled as far as Meluhha, thought to be the Indus region, for trade.

Demise According to the Sumerian King List, the First Dynasty of Ur was finally defeated, and power went to the Elamite Awan dynasty."Then Urim was defeated and the kingship was taken to Awan." in 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.

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

List of rulers #DepictionRulerSuccessionEpithet datesNotesEarly Dynastic IIIa period ()Predynastic Ur ()A-Imdugud𒀀𒀭𒅎𒂂Historicity 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)Ur-Pabilsag𒌨𒀭𒉺𒉋𒊕Son of A-Imdugud (?)temp. of Ursangpae Known from an inscription fragment bearing the title of, "King of Ur" (found in tomb PG 779 located in the Royal Cemetery at Ur)#DepictionRulerSuccessionEpithet datesNotesEarly Dynastic IIIb period ()Akalamdug𒀀𒌦𒄭Son of Meskalamdug (?)Son of Meskalamdug (?) temp. of Akurgal 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)Meskalamdug𒈩𒌦𒄭Son of Akalamdug (?)Son of Akalamdug (?) temp. of Enakalle 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)Puabi𒅤𒀜 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 regnant1stMesannepada𒈩𒀭𒉌𒅆𒊒𒁕Son of Meskalamdug (?)(80 years)Son of Meskalamdug (?) temp. of Ur-Lumma 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)2ndMeskiagnun𒈩𒆠𒉘𒉣Son of Mesannepada (?)(30 or 36 years)Son of Mesannepada (?) temp. of Epa'e 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 Ur3rdElulu𒂊𒇻𒇻(25 years)Historicity certain. Said on the SKL to have held the title of "king" of not just Ur; but, all of Sumer. temp. of Lugalanda4thBalulu𒁀𒇻𒇻Uncertain(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.Enshakushanna𒂗𒊮𒊨𒀭𒈾Son of Elulu (?)(60 years)Son of Elulu (?) temp. of Urukagina Held the title of "lord of Sumer and king of all the land".Lugal-kinishe-dudu𒈗𒆠𒉌𒂠𒌌𒌌(120 years)Originally from Uruk Held the title of "King of Uruk and Ur" temp. of Enannatum IILugal-kisal-si𒈗𒆦𒋛Son of Lugal-kinishe-duduSon of Lugal-kinishe-dudu. Held the title of "king of Uruk and Ur". temp. of EnentarziA'annepada𒀀𒀭𒉌𒅆𒊒𒁕Son of MesannepadaUncertain; this ruler may have sometime during the EDIIIb periodSon of Mesannepada temp. of Entemena Known from dedication tablets with inscriptions bearing the title "King of Ur" (found in tomb PG 580 located in the Royal Cemetery at Ur)#DepictionRulerSuccessionEpithet datesNotesProto-Imperial period ()LunannaUncertain; this ruler may have sometime during the Proto-Imperial periodHistoricity certain. temp. of Sargon

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:

Artifacts

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

First Dynasty of Ur

Bron en licentie