# Uruk

Uruk (/ˈuːrʊk/; Cuneiform: 𒌷𒀕 or 𒌷𒀔 UNUG; Sumerian: Unug; Akkadian: Uruk; Arabic: وركاء, Warkā; Aramaic/Hebrew: אֶרֶךְ Erech; Ancient Greek: Ὀρχόη translit. Orchoē, Ὀρέχ Orech, Ὠρύγεια Ōrugeia) was an ancient city of Sumer (and later of Babylonia), situated east of the present bed of the Euphrates river, on the dried-up, ancient channel of the Euphrates, some 30 km east of modern Samawah, Al-Muthannā, Iraq.

## Quotes

* [S]he made Icme-Dagan, the son of Enlil, the en priest of Unug, into their guardian -- this is what Inana, the lady of heaven and earth, did; and the great An declared his consent.
** Anonymous, A praise poem of Ishme-Dagan, First Dynasty of Isin, at The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature
* No city was made to be so well-built as the city of Unug.
** Enmerkar, in Enmerkar and En-suhgir-ana, Neo-Sumerian period (ca. 21st century BCE).
* Kulaba, city which reaches from heaven to earth; Unug, whose fame like the rainbow reaches up to the sky, a multicoloured sheen, as the new moon standing in the heavens. Built in magnificence with all the great powers, lustrous mount founded on a favourable day, like moonlight coming up over the land, like bright sunlight radiating over the land.
** Enmerkar and En-suhgir-ana, Neo-Sumerian period (ca. 21st century BCE).
* Once upon a time my princely sister holy Inana summoned me in her holy heart from the bright mountains, had me enter brick-built Kulaba. Where there was a marsh then in Unug, it was full of water. Where there was any dry land, Euphrates poplars grew there. Where there were reed thickets, old reeds and young reeds grew there. Divine Enki who is king in Eridu tore up for me the old reeds, drained off the water completely. For fifty years I built, for fifty years I was successful. Then the Martu people, who know no agriculture, arose in all Sumer and Akkad. But the wall of Unug extended out across the desert like a bird net. Yet now, here in this place, my attractiveness to her has dwindled. My troops are bound to me as a cow is bound to its calf; but like a son who, hating his mother, leaves his city, my princely sister holy Inana has run away from me back to brick-built Kulaba. If she loves her city and hates me, why does she bind the city to me? If she hates the city and yet loves me, why does she bind me to the city? If the mistress removes herself from me to her holy chamber, and abandons me like an Anzud chick, then may she at least bring me home to brick-built Kulaba: on that day my spear shall be laid aside. On that day she may shatter my shield. Speak thus to my princely sister, holy Inana.
** Enmerkar to Lugalbanda, in Lugalbanda and the Anzud Bird, Ur III Period (21st century BCE).
* Enmerkar son of Utu prepared an expedition against Aratta, the mountain of the holy divine powers. He was going to set off to destroy the rebel land; the lord began a mobilization of his city. The herald made the horn signal sound in all the lands. Now levied Unug took the field with the wise king, indeed levied Kulaba followed Enmerkar. Unug's levy was a flood, Kulaba's levy was a clouded sky. As they covered the ground like heavy fog, the dense dust whirled up by them reached up to heaven. As if to rooks on the best seed, rising up, he called to the people. Each one gave his fellow the sign.
** Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave, Ur III Period (21st century BCE).
* Many followed Gudam on the streets of Unug. They sat armed before him. [...] He lopped off the crossbeams of E-ana as if they were branches. Gudam went out into the street. Gudam crushed many on the streets of Unug, and killed many with his mace. He hacked down the door of the city gate.
** Tale of Gudam, text online at The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature.

## External links

* Earliest evidence for large scale organized warfare in the Mesopotamian world (Hamoukar vs. Uruk?)
* Uruk at CDLI wiki
* Lament for Unug (in Sumerian)
* Archaeological Expedition Mapping Ancient City Of Uruk in 2002
* Digital images of tablets from Uruk - CDLI
* Authority control: WorldCat search