Battle of Uruk
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Uruk was one of the decisive battles in which king Sargon the Great
of Akkad
subdued Sumer
and brought it under his control. The only known information about this battle is from a copied inscription at Nippur, and the date for the battle is uncertain. During his military campaign, Sargon attacked the city of Uruk
and destroyed it. The survivors fled the city and joined with other armies from the fifty Sumerian province
s under the leadership of king Lugal-zage-si
of Umma
, before opposing Sargon. In this pitched battle that ensued c. 2271 BC
, Lugal-zage-si, the chief rival and opponent of Sargon, was defeated and his forces were routed. After the battle, Lugal-zage-si himself was captured by Sargon and brought to Nippur
'haltered like a dog'.
Sargon of Akkad
Sargon of Akkad, also known as Sargon the Great "the Great King" , was an Akkadian emperor famous for his conquest of the Sumerian city-states in the 23rd and 22nd centuries BC. The founder of the Dynasty of Akkad, Sargon reigned in the last quarter of the third millennium BC...
of Akkad
Akkad
The Akkadian Empire was an empire centered in the city of Akkad and its surrounding region in Mesopotamia....
subdued Sumer
Sumer
Sumer was a civilization and historical region in southern Mesopotamia, modern Iraq during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age....
and brought it under his control. The only known information about this battle is from a copied inscription at Nippur, and the date for the battle is uncertain. During his military campaign, Sargon attacked the city of Uruk
Uruk
Uruk was an ancient city of Sumer and later Babylonia, situated east of the present bed of the Euphrates river, on the ancient dry former channel of the Euphrates River, some 30 km east of modern As-Samawah, Al-Muthannā, Iraq.Uruk gave its name to the Uruk...
and destroyed it. The survivors fled the city and joined with other armies from the fifty Sumerian province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
s under the leadership of king Lugal-zage-si
Lugal-Zage-Si
Lugal-Zage-Si of Umma was the last Sumerian king before the conquest of Sumer by Sargon of Akkad and the rise of the Akkadian Empire, and was considered as the only king of the third dynasty of Uruk...
of Umma
Umma
Umma was an ancient city in Sumer. Note that there is some scholarly debateabout the Sumerian and Akkadian names for this site.-History:...
, before opposing Sargon. In this pitched battle that ensued c. 2271 BC
23rd century BC
The 23rd century BC is a century which lasted from the year 2300 BC to 2201 BC.-Events:*2334 BC – 2279 BC: Sargon of Akkad's conquest of Mesopotamia....
, Lugal-zage-si, the chief rival and opponent of Sargon, was defeated and his forces were routed. After the battle, Lugal-zage-si himself was captured by Sargon and brought to Nippur
Nippur
Nippur was one of the most ancient of all the Sumerian cities. It was the special seat of the worship of the Sumerian god Enlil, the "Lord Wind," ruler of the cosmos subject to An alone...
'haltered like a dog'.