FOUNDATION OF CITY UR

• Ur, modern Tall al-Muqayyar or Tell el-Muqayyar, Iraq, important city of ancient
southern Mesopotamia (Sumer), situated about 140 miles (225 km) southeast of
the site of Babylon and about 10 miles (16 km) west of the present bed of the
Euphrates River.
• At some time in the 4th millennium BCE, the city was founded by settlers
thought to have been from northern Mesopotamia, farmers still in the
Chalcolithic phase of culture. There is evidence that their occupation was ended
by a flood, formerly thought to be the one described in Genesis.
• Why did cities form in the first place? Agriculture is believed to be a pre-requisite
for cities, which help preserve surplus production and create economies of
scale.
• The advent of farming encouraged hunter-gatherers to abandon nomadic
lifestyles and settle near others who lived by agricultural production.
• Agriculture yielded more food, which made denser human populations possible,
thereby supporting city development.
• Farming led to dense, settled populations, and food surpluses that required
storage and could facilitate trade. These conditions seem to be important
prerequisites for city life. Many theorists hypothesize that agriculture preceded
the development of cities and led to their growth.
• A good environment includes clean water and a favorable climate for growing
crops and agriculture.
 TIMELINE OF CITY UR

TIMELINE : • 2047 BCE - 1750 BCE

• 5000 BCE Third dynasty of Ur.
Sumer inhabited by Ubaid people. • 2047 BCE - 2030 BCE
• 4000 BCE Ur-Nammu's reign over Sumer.
First settlement of Ur. • 2047 BCE - 1750 BCE
• 2600 BCE - c. 2000 BCE The Ur III Period in Sumer, known as the Sumerian Renaissance.
The Royal Graves of Ur used in Sumer. • 2038 BCE

• 2330 BCE King Shulgi of Ur builds his great wall in Sumer.

Sargon of Akkad sacks Ur. • 2030 BCE - 1980 BCE

• 2100 BCE Ur was reputed to be the largest city in the world.

• 1750 BCE
First ziggurats in Ur, Eridu, Uruk, and Nippur.
Elam conquers Ur.
• 2100 BCE - c. 2050 BCE
• 1000 BCE
The Code of Ur-Nammu (the oldest extant code of laws)
Chaldeans occupy Ur.
• 2055 BCE - 2047 BCE
• 450 BCE
Utu Hegal's reign over Sumerian and Akkadian cities.
Ur is no longer inhabited, possibly due to drought or changing river
patterns.
 FORM & FUNCTION OF CITY UR

• The city, said to have been planned by Ur-Nammu, was apparently divided into neighborhoods, with merchants living in one
quarter, artisans in another. There were streets both wide and narrow, and open spaces for gatherings. Many structures for
water resource management and flood control are in evidence. Houses were constructed from mudbricks and mud plaster. In
major buildings, the masonry was strengthened with bitumen and reeds. For the most part, foundations are all that remain
today. People were often buried (separately and alone; sometimes with jewellery, pots, and weapons) in chambers or shafts
beneath the house floors
• The name "Country of Ur" on a seal of King Ur-Nammu
• Ur was surrounded by sloping ramparts 8 metres (26 feet) high and about 25 metres (82 feet) wide, bordered in some places by
a brick wall. Elsewhere, buildings were integrated into the ramparts. The Euphrates River complemented these fortifications on
the city's western side
 MAPS OF CITY UR

• WORLD MAP
• REGIONAL MAP
• DETAIL MAP- UR