The middle of the third millennium was tumultuous in war-ravaged Sumer. Fortress cities fought for supremacy against each other with first one, and then another, vying for and gaining control, only to lose it again in yet another battle. Umma and Lagash were two of the cities most in opposition, and they engaged one another in conflict frequently. Around 2450 BC, a monument was raised in Lagash heralding the triumph of King Eannatum over the Ummans.
At about 2375 BC, Lugalzaggesi of Umma exacted revenge and sacked the city of Lagash, burning their temples.1 The heady aroma of victory was not to endure as the forces of Lugalzaggesi were crushed at Nippur by Sargon the Great (2334-2284 BC), bringing to power a new ruler, a Semite, over Sumer and Akkad.
Notes
- George, Constable, ed., The Age of God Kings: Time Frame 3000-1500 BC (Alexandria: Time-Life Books, 1987), 32.