The Ur III Sumerian Renaissance

Overview

The mighty Dynasty of Akkad fell to a period of chaos orchestrated by internal weakness and an external threat: the Gutians.

Of the Gutians, the Sumerian King List says, “Who was king? Who was not king?”

After a poorly understood Gutian interregnum came the...

Ur III Period (c.2100-2000)

This period is also known as the “Neo-Sumerian” period and the “Sumerian Revival”.

The founder of the Ur III dynasty was Ur-Nammu.

Following the example of Naram-Sin, the Ur III kings deified themselves, and Ur-Nammu’s son, Shulgi was the first Ur III king to do so in life.

Compared to the Akkadians, the Ur III kings don’t expand too far, and their power is extended only as far north as Assur.

The Ur III period was the height of bureaucracy in Mesopotamian history.

  • It was an extremely centralized and tightly controlled state.
  • 100,000+ administrative texts date to this period
  • According to the texts, the state controlled everything; the government, the temple, and the economy.

The End of Ur III

The end of the Ur III period is enigmatic. There seem to have been possible internal weakness, environmental stress and external foes in the form of a semi-nomadic group--the Amorites.

Sources

Art

There is relatively less monumental art produced during the Ur III period compared with the Dynasty of Akkad.

Stele of Ur-Nammu

  • The name of the king is carved in a different type of stone than the rest of the stele
  • The king is often depicted holding the rod and ring; the symbols of authority
  • The ring may be a nose-ring used for leading animals
  • There aren’t many depictions of Ur III kings in military regalia
  • Most Ur III art depicts the king as a pious builder

Fragment of the Ur-Nammu Stele

Archaeological Sites

Ur

  • Most important site, excavated by Sir Leonard Woolley
  • The Giparru at Ur was the residence of the En priestess of Nanna

Eshnunna (Tell Asmar)

  • Best known Ur III provincial center
  • A temple to the deified king Shu-Sin was found adjacent to the palace
  • The temple is at an angle to the palace, but faces Ur
  • Lloyed noted that during this period there is a shift from the earlier bent axis entrance to temples to a direct axis.
  • Another architectural shift is from the breitraum (or “broad-room”) to the langraum (or “long-room”)

Architecture

  • During Ur III ziggurat construction goes viral
  • Ziggurats are descendants of the temple platforms known from the Ubaid and Uruk periods
  • For the most part, the form and use of ziggurats are unknown; it’s highly speculative

Ziggurat at Ur

Ur III Glyptic (Cylinder Seals)

  • The simple presentation scene is the most common cylinder seal motif
  • The presentation scene depicts the seal’s owner being presented to a seated god or king by his or her personal deity
  • The simplicity of the design may be a result of the more extensive use of writing on seals
  • Irene Winter believes you can see a trend where bureaucrats who are close to the king have seals in which they are being presented to the monarch, while those of lower status are presented to a god

Cylinder Seal LACMA M.76.174.353