Elam destroys the Third Dynasty of Ur
2004 BCE · Ur, Sumer (modern Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq) · World · Ancient
Ur was stormed, and its last king, Ibbi-Sin, was captured and taken to Elam
Belligerents
Elam and the Su people
- Commanders
- Elamite king Kidin-Hutran
- Strength
- Elamite coalition, size unknown
Third Dynasty of Ur
- Commanders
- Ibbi-Sin
- Strength
- Undermanned garrison, supply lines cut
Background
In the late Third Dynasty of Ur, grain prices soared and Amorites on the frontier kept moving inland; the dynasty's administrative and storage systems collapsed before its army did, and Elam took advantage to come in from the east.
Course of the battle
- Border lostThe Amorites crossed the defensive wall, cutting Ur off from its provinces
- Elam comes from the eastElamite army advances on Ur from the direction of Susa
- Fall of UrThe city fell and Ibbi-Sin was captured; later generations recorded the event in the "Lament for Ur"
Outcome at a glance
| Date | 2004 BCE |
|---|---|
| Place | Ur, Sumer (present-day Dhi Qar Province, Iraq) |
| Result | Ur was stormed, and its last king, Ibbi-Sin, was captured and taken to Elam |
| Winner | Elam |
| Casualties | Records say the city was heavily plundered after it fell; exact figures cannot be determined |
| Territorial change | The last unified state founded by the Sumerians fell, and southern Mesopotamia entered the period of rival Isin and Larsa |
Impact
Sumer came to an end as an independent political force, and dominance in Mesopotamia thereafter passed to the Akkadian-speaking Babylon and Assyria.
See the world in 2004 BCE on the map →