Battle of Uruk

Battle of Uruk
Part of Conquests of Sargon of Agade image=
Date c. 2271 BC Location Near Uruk Result Akkadian victory
Belligerents
Akkad	Sumerian provinces
Commanders and leaders
Sargon the Great	Lugal-zage-si
Strength
Uncertain, but probably around 5,000	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown, but high

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.^[1] 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 provinces 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.^[2] After the battle, Lugal-zage-si himself was captured by Sargon and brought to Nippur 'haltered like a dog'.^[3]

References

1. Kuhrt, Amélie, The Ancient Near East: C.3000-330 B.C., Routledge 1996 ISBN 978-0-415-16763-5, p. 49
2. La storia, Enrico Cravetto, Rotolito Lombarda, 2007 Instituto Geografico De Agostini S.p.a., p. 281
3. Rice, Michael, The Archaeology of the Arabian Gulf, Routledge, 1994, ISBN 978-0-415-03268-1, p. 106