# Umma–Lagash war

The Lagash-Umma border conflict is the earliest well documented case of a war between states. It took place in Sumer during the Early Dynastic III period (2600–2350 BCE), a period characterized by the division of the region in numerous polities traditionally labeled as city states. It is documented mainly by inscriptions from the city state of Lagash,in which its rival Umma is portrayed as the infringer on an old border treaty regarding a fertile piece of land coveted by both. The intermittent conflict between the two polities lasted for generations, and Umma would eventually prevail over its neighbour. Its victory happened in the context of the emergence of new traditions of kingship that tended towards the political unification of Sumer. It would ultimately culminate in the conquest of all of the region by Sargon of Akkad.

## Origins of the antagonism

The multigenerational conflict between Lagash and Umma is an example of local rivalry in Early Dynastic III Southern Mesopotamia,where the dense urbanization was accompanied by increased competition between neighbouring polities for cultivable land and water resources.
It was centered around a contested strip of agricultural land between them, the Gu’edena (‘’The Edge of the plains’’).The state of Lagash is the source of almost all of the inscriptions covering the conflict. This creates a biased picture and makes it difficult to reliably determine its causes.
This feud was already active at the time of the Early Dynastic II/Early dynastic III king of Kish, Mesilim, who acted as an arbiter and demarcated a border between the two polities. Tensions between the neighbours remained high, however, and war would erupt multiple times in the next generations.
The sources that document the conflict are royal inscriptions written in Sumerian in clay and stone. They include those intended for public display on monuments, those that were built into the foundations or the walls of the buildings whose construction they commemorate, those inscribed on votive objects intended for deities, and inscriptions whose original context is difficult to determine, perhaps due to the archaeological techniques used at the time of their unhearthing. In absence of more evidence from outside of Lagash, they allow chiefly for a reconstruction of the Lagashite historical tradition surrounding the conflict.

## Background

In Late Early Dynastic Sumer, most city states were formed by the union of several original independent cities, often of similar size. The state of Umma included the urban centers at Tell Jokha, Umm al-Aqarib and Tell Izbekh (Zabalam). Its rival Lagash notably included, aside from Lagash proper (al-Hiba), the cities of Girsu (Tello) and Nigin (Tell Zurghul) as well as the seaport of Gu’abba. While Lagash was the name of the kingdom and the city seems to have been its original center, in the Early Dynastic IIIa the capital was moved to Girsu, whose tutelary god, Ningirsu, was the head of the local pantheon.
In the conception of the third millennium Sumerian city states, the land was considered the private property of the gods administered by the ruler. This is reflected in the inscriptions that document the conflict - Lagash and Umma’s chief gods, Ningirsu and Shara, stand in for their respective states, as the boundary between their lands is demarcated by the god Enlil, ''king of the lands''. Deities are depicted as active actors in the conflict- the Gu’edena is ‘’Ningirsu’s beloved field’’, whose takeover by Ummaite forces angers the god. He is portrayed as justly punishing Umma for its transgressions, whether fighting them on the battlefield or creating a champion, the king of Lagash, to retaliate against the intruders.

## History
### Arbitrage of Mesilim and early attestations of conflict

The demarcation of the border between Umma and Lagash by Mesilim, a 26th century BC king of Kish, was a significant event in the interstate relations of these two polities- Lagashite inscriptions would repeatedly refer to his past arbitrage to portray Umma as the trespasser in the conflict. A macehead dedicated to the god Ningirsu by Mesilim in Girsu names Lugal-shaengur as the contemporary ruler of Lagash, and although it appears likely the king of Kish was an important figure, few royal inscriptions are known from this period.
The first ruler of Lagash of which we have a significant number of royal inscriptions is Ur-Nanshe, who reigned circa 2500-2450 BC. He recorded his victory in battle over the city states of Umma and Ur, and the capture of Umma’s king, Pabilgagaltuku.

### Victories of Eannatum and Enmetena of Lagash

Ur-Nanshe's grandson Eannatum is credited with several military victories, among the better known ones being the one against Umma ,which is recorded in a huge monument erected in the sacred city quarter of Girsu, the partly preserved ‘’Stele of the Vultures‘’. In the inscription Lagash argues that the ruler of Umma, only referred to as ‘’the man of Umma’’, broke the border treaty established by Mesilim, invading and unlawfully seizing Lagashite territory. The stele includes passages that depict Ningirsu’s creation of a larger than life Eannatum to be his champion, and the prophetic dream he sent to the ruler, predicting his victory.Umma’s losses in this battle against Lagash were severe, and the Ummaite ruler was afterwards killed by the people of his city. In a treaty with his successor, Enakalle, Eannatum created a new boundary channel, left a strip of territory as a no man’s land, and subjected the defeated state to the payment of a loan in exchange for exploitation of a portion of the Gu’edena.The adversary of Eannatum that was killed by his people is not named in the preserved portion of the stele of the Vultures. It has been suggested he is Ush, a ruler of Umma mentioned in an inscription of Eannatum’s nephew Enmetena.The stele of the Vultures itself includes a very fragmentary account of the history of the conflict, sections of which reference the fight of Eannatum’s father and grandfather against the aggression of an unnamed ruler of Umma.It is unclear whether Ush was the same person as the ‘’man of Umma’’ fighting the Lagashite rulers,the successor of Pabilgagaltuku and the adversary of Eannatum that was killed by his people. Gebhard J. Selz points out that since it is possible to read the sign UŠ as nita, meaning ''a male'', an interpretation of its use as a reference to the ruler of Umma with pejorative intent is not excluded.
   "[King Il of Umma] diverted water from the boundary-channel of Ningirsu and the boundary-channel of Nanshe (...). When because of those channels, Enmetena, the governor of Lagash, sent envoys to Il, Il, the governor of Umma, who steals fields (and) speaks evil, declared: 'The boundary-channel of Ningirsu (and) the boundary-channel of Nanshe are mine! I will shift the boundary-levee from Antasura to Edimgalabzu!' But Enlil (and) Ninhursang did not give it to him."
Eannatum was succeeded by his younger brother, Enanatum I, to the rulership of Lagash. His reign saw the renewal of the conflict with Umma and its new ruler, Ur-Lumma, son of Enakalle. Ur-Lumma refused to pay what Umma owed Lagash for the exploitation of the Gu’edena, and incorporated the boundary channels as part of Umma’s irrigation network. He then launched an invasion of Lagash with the help of foreign mercenaries, claiming part of its territory as his own. Ur Lumma fought against both Enanatum I and his son and successor, Enmetena, and was eventually defeated in battle. He abandoned his charioteers and fled to his capital city of Umma, where he was killed.
Enanatum I was succeeded by his son Enmetena, whose rule was a period of territorial expansion for Lagash. His inscription on the so-called Cone of Enmetena is the most complete account of the history of the border dispute from Lagash’s point of view. It credits him with victory over Ur-Lumma, but does not mention the result of his father’s struggle with the Ummaite ruler. Jerrold S. Cooper notes that the circumstances of Ur-Lumma’s death are only mentioned in the inscription of Enmetena, while Enanatum I doesn't report it, despite going into the details of his original transgression. He argues, therefore, that Enanatum I was likely seriously or mortally wounded during the decisive battle with the Ummaite ruler, and that Enmetena had to finish it by himself. Ur-Lumma was succeeded as ruler of Umma by his nephew Il. Like his uncle, he diverted the water of the boundary channels for Umma’s benefit, not fully paying what was owed to Lagash for their use, and entered into conflict with Enmetena. Of its resolution the Lagashite ruler simply states that the gods thwarted Il's designs, perhaps indicating that he backed away without a military confrontation.

### Victory of Umma under Lugalzagesi and rise of Sargon of Akkad

There is very little information on the Lagash-Umma interstate relations from the successors of Enmetena and Il up until the last pre-Sargonic ruler of Lagash, Urukagina. During his reign, the ruler of Umma, Lugalzagesi, would launch military offensives on the state of Lagash, eventually leading to the fall of the city of Lagash itself. Urukagina was left in control of a reduced territory centered on the city of Girsu, which is marked by the changing of his title from the traditional ‘’ruler of Lagash’’ to ‘’ruler of Girsu’’. A unique clay tablet from Girsu laments the destruction wrought by Lugalzagesi in his sack of Lagashite sanctuaries and temples during the invasion. A number of inscriptions testify to a new decree of the Lagash-Umma boundary that he set up during his reign.
Lugalzagesi took control over much of Sumer, as attested by his adoption of the title ‘’King of the land‘’, lugal kalama. His efforts to unify the region were the culmination of a new ideological and political project that developed in the late Early Dynastic Period, as certain rulers aspired to forge and organize larger polities. This contrasts with the earlier prevailing conception of power, which had been tied to independent city states with a focus on local affairs.
Lugalzagesi’s success would be short-lived, however. He was eventually defeated by another rising dynast, Sargon of Akkad, who would integrate his former kingdom as part of his own polity. Akkad has been often called the world’s first empire, though the definition of ancient empires is still subject to debate. This would mark a temporary halt in the independent fortunes of the Lagash and Umma polities, as they were integrated as provinces of the Akkadian state.