Circa 2112 - Circa 2095 B.C.E.
King Of Ur

Rise to Kingship. At the end of the twenty-second century B.C.E. in Sumer, the city of Uruk was ruled by king Utu-hengal. Utu-hengal had expelled the hated Guti from the land and ruled the city of Ur through his governor, Ur-Namma, who may have been the king's brother or son. At the death of Utu-hengal, who may have drowned while fishing, Ur-Namma ascended the throne and began a new dynasty that is today known as the Third Dynasty of Ur. Linking himself with the past glories of the city of Uruk, Ur-Namma claimed to be the elder brother of the legendary Gilgamesh, king of Uruk and a son of the goddess Ninsun ("the Lady of the Wild Cow"). According to the official ideology, the god Enlil assisted Ur-Namma and brought order to the "rebellious and hostile...