View source for Umma

{{Short description|Ancient Sumerian city in modern-day Iraq}}
{{About|the Sumerian city|the Islamic term|Ummah{{!}}''Ummah''|other uses|Umma (disambiguation)}}
<references group="Reference no. 8 is wrong. Chokha is not Jokha. It is somewhere else." />
{{Infobox ancient site
  |name = Umma
  |native_name = 
  |alternate_name =
  |image = {{none}}
  |alt = 
  |caption = 
  |map_type = Iraq
  |map_alt = 
  |map_size =
  |map_dot_label  = Umma
  |relief=yes
  |coordinates = {{coord|31|40|02|N|45|53|15|E|display=inline,title}}
  |location = [[Dhi Qar Province]], [[Iraq]]
  |region = [[Mesopotamia]]
  |type = Settlement
  |part_of = 
  |length = 
  |width = 
  |area = 
  |height = 
  |builder = 
  |material = 
  |built = 
  |abandoned = 
  |epochs = <!-- actually displays as "Periods" -->
  |cultures = 
  |dependency_of = 
  |occupants = 
  |event = 
  |excavations = 1854, 1885, 1999–2002, 2017–2019
  |archaeologists = William Loftus, John Punnett Peters, Nawala Ahmed Al-Mutawalli, Drahoslav Hulínek
  |condition = 
  |ownership = 
  |management = 
  |public_access = 
  |website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
  |notes = 
}}

[[Image:Sumer map.jpg|thumb|260px|Location of the city of Umma in Sumer]]

'''Umma''' ({{langx|sux|{{cuneiform|𒄑𒆵𒆠}}}})<ref>{{cite web|url=http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/epsd2/cbd/qpn-x-places/qpn-x-places.x005723.html|title=ORACC – Umma}}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> in modern [[Dhi Qar Province]] in [[Iraq]], was an ancient city in [[Sumer]]. There is some scholarly debate about the Sumerian and Akkadian names for this site.<ref name="Lambert1990" >Lambert, Wilfred George, "The names of Umma.", Journal of Near Eastern Studies 49.1, pp. 75-80, 1990</ref> Traditionally, Umma was identified with Tell Jokha. More recently it has been suggested that it was located at Umm al-Aqarib, less than {{convert|7|km|abbr=on}} to its northwest or was even the name of both cities.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bartasch|first=Vitali|date=2015|title=On the Sumerian City UB-meki, the Alleged "Umma"|url=https://cdli.ucla.edu/pubs/cdlb/2015/cdlb2015_002.html|journal=Cuneiform Digital Library Bulletin|volume=2|issn=1540-8760}}</ref><ref name="Almamori2014" /> One or both were the leading city of the Early Dynastic kingdom of Gišša, with the most recent excavators putting forth that Umm al-Aqarib was prominent in EDIII but Jokha rose to preeminence later. The town of KI.AN was also nearby.<ref>Marek Stępień, "The Economic Status of Governors in Ur III Times: An Example of the Governor of Umma", Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 64, pp. 17–30, 2012</ref> KI.AN, which was destroyed by [[Rimush]], a ruler of the [[Akkadian Empire]]. There are known to have been six gods of KI.AN including [[Gula (goddess)|Gula KI.AN]] and [[Shara (god)|Sara KI.AN]].<ref>Peat, J. A., "An Offering - List from the Third Dynasty of Ur", Revue d’Assyriologie et d’archéologie Orientale, vol. 69, no. 1, pp. 19–22, 1975</ref>

The tutelary gods of Umma were Sara and Ninura. It is known that the ED ruler [[Ur-Lumma]] built, a temple to the god [[Enki|Enki-gal]] and one to the god Nagar-pa'e at Umma.<ref name="Frayne2008" />

In the early Sumerian literary composition ''[[Inanna's Descent into the Underworld]]'', [[Inanna]] dissuades demons from the netherworld from taking [[Shara (god)|Shara]], patron of Umma, who was living in squalor.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Inana's descent to the nether world|url=https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.4.1#|access-date=2021-07-22|website=[[Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature]]}}</ref>

==History==
The site was occupied at least as far back as the [[Uruk period]]. A number of [[proto-cuneiform]] came from there. While most early textual sources are from Early Dynastic III, a few tablets and a plaque from ED I/II came from there.<ref>[https://cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/search?provenience=jokha&limit=1000&f%5Bperiod%5D%5B%5D=Uruk+III+%28ca.+3200-3000+BC%29 Uruk period proto-cuneiform tablets from Umma]</ref>

===Early Dynastic period===
[[File:Imprisoned man of Umma on the Stele of the Vultures.jpg|thumb|Imprisoned man of Umma on the [[Stele of the Vultures]]]]
Because the two sites were not excavated until modern times, based on the many looted texts available to them, earlier archaeologists grouped together the ancient cities during the Early Dynastic period of Gišša and Umma into the single geographic name of Umma. Modern excavation at these sites has clarified that.<ref name="Lambert1990" /> Gišša ceased occupation after the ED and only one ruler is known, based on a lapis lazuli bead reading "To the goddess Inanna, Aka, king of Gišša (dedicated this bead)".<ref name="Frayne2008" >Frayne, Douglas, "G͂iša and Umma", Pre-Sargonic Period: Early Periods Volume 1 (2700-2350 BC), University of Toronto Press, pp. 357-368, 2008 {{ ISBN|978-0802035868}}</ref>

Best known for its long frontier conflict with [[Lagash]], as reported {{Circa|2400 BC}} by [[Entemena]],<ref>[https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/Publications/SAOC/saoc71.pdf] Carrie Hritz, "The Umma-Lagash Border Conflict: A View from Above", The Umma-Lagash Border Conflict: A View from Above, From Sherds to Landscapes: Studies on the Ancient Near East in Honor of McGuire Gibson, Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization 71, Chicago: The Oriental Institute, pp. 109-130, 2021 {{ISBN|978-1-61491-063-3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Cooper|first=Jerrold S.|title=Reconstructing history from ancient inscriptions : the Lagash-Umma border conflict|date=1983|publisher=Undena Publications|isbn=0-89003-059-6|location=Malibu|oclc=10304478}}</ref> the city reached its zenith {{Circa|2350 BC}}, under the rule of [[Lugal-Zage-Si]] who also controlled [[Ur]] and [[Uruk]].

===Sargonic period===
[[File:Gutian inscription-AO 4783-gradient.jpg|thumb|upright|An Early Dynastic inscription of Lugalannatum from Umma (Collection of the Louvre Museum)]]
Under the [[Akkadian Empire]] Umma was a major power and economic center rivaled only by Adab and Uruk.<ref>Zarins, Juris, "The Sharkallisharri Army of Umma: Linguistic, Historical and Archaeological Considerations", Aux marges de l’archéologie: hommage à Serge Cleuziou, pp. 187-213, 2012</ref> Eleven governors under Akkad are known as well as two who may have been under Gutium. One, Lu-Utu, reports building a temple for [[Ninhursag]] and another for [[Ereshkigal]]. Namahni, a governor from the time of Iarlagan of Gutium, records building the E-ula temple of Ninura.<ref>Foster., Benjamin R., "Archives and Record-keeping in Sargonic Mesopotamia", Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäologie, vol. 72, no. 1, pp. 1-27, 1982</ref><ref name="Frayne1993" /> The Sargonic period ruler of Umma [[Lugalanatum]] built the temple E-gidru there.
{{blockquote|"[[Lugalannatum]] prince of Umma... built the <small>''E.GIDRU''</small> [Sceptre] Temple at Umma, buried his foundation deposit [and] regulated the orders. At that time, [[Si'um]] was king of [[Gutian people|Gutium]]."<ref name="Frayne1993" >[https://archive.org/details/sargonic-and-gutian-periods-2334-2113-bc] Douglas R. Frayne, "Umma", The Sargonic and Gutian Periods (2334–2113), University of Toronto Press, pp. 261-268, 1993 {{ISBN|0-8020-0593-4}}</ref>
}}

===Ur III period===
[[File:Clay tablet. Delivery certificate. Reign of Shu-Sin of Ur, 21st century BCE. From Umma, Iraq. Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin.jpg|thumb|Clay tablet. Delivery certificate. Reign of Shu-Sin of Ur, 21st century BCE. From Umma, Iraq. Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin.]]
Under the [[Ur III]] dynasty, Umma became an important provincial center. Several governors of Umma under Ur are known, Aa-kala, Dadaga, and Ur-Lisi, all sons of one Ur-Nigar, and Ninbilia, wife of Aa-kala.<ref>Frayne, Douglas, "Table III: List of Ur III Period Governors", Ur III Period (2112-2004 BC), Toronto: University of Toronto Press, pp. xli-xliv, 1997</ref><ref>T. Maeda, "Father of Akala and Dadaga, governors of Umma", ASJ 12, pp. 71 - 78, 1990</ref><ref>P. A. Parr, "Ninhilia: Wife of Ayakala, Governor of Umma", JCS 26, pp. 90 – 111, 1974</ref> Most of the over 30,000 tablets recovered from the site are administrative and economic texts from that time.<ref>[https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/mad4.pdf] I. J. Gelb, "Sargonic Texts in the Louvre Museum", Materials for the Assyrian Dictionary 4, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1970 {{ISBN|978-0-22-662308-5}}</ref> They permit an excellent insight into affairs in Umma.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Parr|first=P. A.|date=1972-06-01|title=A Letter of Ur-Lisi, Governor of Umma|url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.2307/1359635|journal=Journal of Cuneiform Studies|volume=24|issue=4|pages=135–136|doi=10.2307/1359635|jstor=1359635|s2cid=163250537|issn=0022-0256|url-access=subscription}}</ref> A year name of Ur III ruler [[Shu-Sin]] was "Year Shu-Sin the king of Ur built the temple of Shara in Umma". The next ruler [[Ibbi-Sin]] also had a year name of "Year Ibbi-Sin the king of Ur built the temple of Shara in Umma". The [[Umma calendar]] of [[Shulgi]] ({{Circa|21st century BC}}) is the immediate predecessor of the later [[Babylonian calendar]], and indirectly of the post-exilic [[Hebrew calendar]].

In the following Isin-Larsa period, a ruler of [[Larsa]], [[Sumuel]] ({{Circa}} 1894-1866 BC), lists as one of his later year names "Year Umma was destroyed".

==Archaeology==
===Tell Jokha===
[[File:Aerial view of Umma, following pillage after the US invasion 1.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of Umma]]
Also called Tell Djokha and Tell Yokha.<ref>de la Fuÿe, Allotte, "Un cadastre de Djokha", Revue d'Assyriologie et d'archéologie orientale 12.1, pp. 47-54, 1915</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/download/selectedtempleac00chieuoft/selectedtempleac00chieuoft.pdf] Chiera, Edward, "Selected temple accounts from Telloh, Yokha and Drehem", University of Pennsylvania, 1921</ref> The site of Tell Jokha was visited by [[William Loftus (archaeologist)|William Loftus]] in 1854 and [[John Punnett Peters]] of the [[University of Pennsylvania]] in 1885. Peters found it to be half covered with sand dunes and found fragments of worked stone and copper fragments.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_4ZiBAAAAIAAJ |first=William K. |last=Loftus |title=Travels and Researches in Chaldaea and Susiana, Travels and Researches in Chaldaea and Susiana: With an Account of Excavations at Warka, the "Erech" of Nimrod, and Shush, "Shushan the Palace" of Esther, in 1849–52 |publisher=Robert Carter & Brothers |year=1857 }}</ref><ref name="Peters1897" >{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/download/nippurorexplorat02pete/nippurorexplorat02pete.pdf |first=John P. |last=Peters |title=Nippur; Or, Explorations and Adventures on the Euphrates: The Narrative of the University of Pennsylvania Expedition to Babylonia in the Years 1888–1890 |series=University of Pennsylvania Babylonian Expedition |publisher=Putnam |year=1897 }}</ref> In the early 1900s, many illegally excavated Umma tablets began to appear on the antiquities market.<ref>Georges Contenau, ''Contribution a l'Histoire Economique d'Umma, Librairie Champion'', 1915</ref> Many of these tablets used an unusual "mul-iti" dating system from the reigns of [[Akkadian Empire]] rulers [[Naram-Sin of Akkad|Naram-Sin]] and [[Shar-kali-shari]].<ref>Foster, Benjamin R., "New Light on the “mu-iti” Texts", Orientalia 48.2, pp. 153-162, 1979</ref> From 1999 to 2002 Jokha, already heavily looted, was worked by an Iraqi team led by Nawala Ahmed Al-Mutawalli, recovering a number of tablets and bullae from the Early Dynastic, Sargonic, Ur III, and Old Babylonian periods as well as an Ur III period temple and Old Babylonian residences. The cuneiform tablets are in the process of being published.<ref>[[Nawala Al-Mutawalli|Al-Mutawalli, N.]], "Excavation of Umma (modern Jokha), seasons 1 & 2.", Sumer 54, pp. 53-82, 2009</ref><ref>Al-Harbi, H. Sh, N. A. Al-Mutawali, and K. M. Khaleel, "Jokha (Umma): The Excavation Results of the Third and Fourth Seasons (2001–2002)", Sumer 56, pp. 49-92, 2011</ref><ref name="Almamori2014" >Almamori, H. O., "Gišša (Umm Al-Aqarib), Umma (Jokha), and Lagaš in the Early Dynastic III Period", Al-Rafidan 35, pp. 1–37, 2014</ref><ref>Al-Mutawalli, N.. "Administrative Cuneiform Texts from Umma in the Iraq Museum Excavation of Shara Temple (1999–2000)", Sumer 55, pp. 45–86, 2010</ref><ref>Mutawallī, Nawālah Aḥmad Maḥmūd al, et al., "Bullae from the Shara Temple= Wuṣūlāt at-tasallum (bulla) min maʿbad aš-Šārā. Cuneiform texts from the Iraqi excavations at Umma (Jokha)", Harrassowitz Verlag, 2019 {{ISBN|978-3-447-11159-1}}</ref>

On the northern end of the main mound the Ešagepadda temple of [[Shara (god)|Shara]] (Šara), primary deity of Umma, was found. Preparations for the temple construction began in the last year of [[Amar-Sin]] and the temple was finished in the 8th year of [[Shu-Sin]]. It is known
that a "Ešagepada of Umma (ĜIŠ.KUŠU₂ki)" existed in the early [[Akkadian Empire]] period though no trace has been found. The large mudbrick temple was 90 meters by 130 meters with a 6 meter thick exterior wall. The exterior wall had buttresses,  recesses, and two
entrances. The main temple courtyard measured 42 meters by 30 meters. Artifacts found
dated primarily to the Ur III and the Early Old Babylonian periods with a few from
the Akkadian period. The temple was the findspot for all cuneiform tablets and bullae.
A number of door sockets were found, some in situ.<ref>[https://iasj.rdd.edu.iq/journals/uploads/2025/01/01/0f618e629cdb867786fee178f7511d6c.pdf]Al-Mutawalli, Nawala, and Walther Sallaberger, "A Door Socket from Šu-Suen's Shara Temple at Umma (Tell Jokha)", 2025</ref>

The site was visited around 1900 by archaeologist [[Walter Andrae]] who described the site as being 1000 meters
long and 15 meters high  with a small plateau to the north holding the remains of a 70 meter by 70  meter building,<ref>Andrae, W., "Aus einem Berichte W. Andrae's über seine Exkursion von Fara nach den südbabylonischen Ruinenstätten", Mitteilungen der Deutschen Orientgesellschaft 16, pp. 16–24, 1902–1903</ref> The site was
visited during a regional archaeological survey in 1967. The site was estimated to cover an area 150 meters
in diameter. A surface survey showed "Late Early Dynastic and Old Babylonian are dominant in surface collections, but intervening Akkadian, Ur III, and Larsa periods also are well represented".<ref name="Adams1972" />

In 2016, a team from the Slovak Archaeological and Historical Institute led by Drahoslav Hulínek began excavations at Tell Jokha focusing on the Temple of Shara. A trench (Trench 1) excavated in 2016 showed the temple had two construction phases (Level 3 and 4). Level 4 is thought to date from the Old Akkadian period. In 2017 a square at the top (Trench 2) of the tell was opened, amidst numerous looter holes, and at Level 5 found Early Dynastic construction. In 2019 and 2020 eighteen cuneiform tablets from the Old Babylonian, Ur III, Old Akkadian and Early Dynastic periods were found in Trench 2, three in situ. A topographic survey showed that in the Early Dynastic period Umma reached an area of 400 hectares, with a 40 hectare city center.<ref>Drahoslav Hulínek and Tibor Lieskovský,  "Report Archaeological project SAHI - Tell Jokha, 2016", Slovak Archaeological and Historical Institute, 2016</ref><ref>Hulínek, Drahoslav, et al., eds., "Preliminary Report Archaeological Project SAHI-Tell Jokha, 2019: Season 3", Slovak Archaeological and Historical Institute-SAHI, 2020</ref><ref>Drahoslav Hulínek, Eva Hulínková Ťuchová, "The SAHI Tell Jokha Archaeological Project: Campaign 2016–2017", in The Intellectual Heritage of the Ancient Near East, 
Proceedings of the 64th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale and the 12th Melammu Symposium, University of Innsbruck, July 16‒20, 2018, pp. 849-868, 2023/04/12</ref>

===Umm al-Aqarib (Gišša)===
[[File:Map Umma Louvre AO5677.jpg|thumb|Map of a property belonging to the city of Ur III Umma, indicating the acreage of each parcel]]
The site of Umm al-Aqarib (located at 45.80°E longitude and 31.60°N latitude) lies about 6 kilometers southeast of Tell Jokha, covers about 5 square kilometers and is made up of 21 mounds the largest of which is 20 meters above the level of the plain. It is thought to be the ancient city of Gišša and was abandoned after the Early Dynastic period. The location was first visited by [[John Punnett Peters]] in the late 1800s, finding it relatively free from sand and featuring two prominent elevations of baked bricks set with bitumen.<ref name="Peters1897" /> It was excavated for a total of 7 seasons in 1999–2002 (led by Donny George Youkhanna and Haider A. Urebi) and 2008–2010 (led by Taha Kerim Abod) under difficult conditions.<ref>Almamori, H. A., "The Excavation Results of the Third and Fourth Seasons at Umm al-Aqarib (2001–2002)", Sumer 52, pp. 242–93, 2003-2004 (Arabic)</ref><ref>Ławecka, Dorota, "Bent or Straight Axis? Temple Plans in Early Dynastic Southern Babylonia", Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archäologie, vol. 104, no. 2, pp. 206-228, 2014</ref> At Umm al-Aqarib, archaeologists uncovered levels from the [[Early Dynastic Period (Mesopotamia)|Early Dynastic Period]] (c. 2900–2300 BC), including residences, palaces, and several monumental buildings, including two Early Dynastic temples (the White Temple and Temple H). About 70 "cuneiform sources" were also excavated.<ref>Almamori, Haider Oraibi. "The Early Dynastic Monumental Buildings at Umm Al-Aqarib" Iraq 76, pp. 149-187, 2014</ref><ref>Abid, Ameer Najim, "The architecture of white temples in the cities of ancient central and southern Mesopotamia (Uruk-Umm Al-Aqarib-Tal Al-Uqair) A comparative study", ISIN Journal 5, pp. 53-79, 2023</ref><ref>Youkhanna, Donny George, H. O. Al-Mamori, and L. Werr, "Temple ‘H’ at Umm al Aqarib", Of Pots and Plans: Papers on the Archaeology and History of Mesopotamia and Syria presented to David Oates in Honour of his 75th Birthday. London: Nabu, pp. 379-385, 2002</ref><ref>Oraibi, Almamori Haider Abdollwahed, "Umm al-Aqarib: an architectural and textual study of a Sumerian City", Dissertation, 2013</ref> The tutelary god is thought to be [[Ama-ušumgal-ana]].<ref>Frayne, Douglas R., "The Struggle for Hegemony in ‘Early Dynastic II’Sumer", The Canadian Society for Mesopotamian Studies Journal 4, pp. 37-75, 2009</ref> Uruk period clay cone mosaics have also been found at the site.<ref name="Adams1972" >[https://commons.library.stonybrook.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1508&context=amar]Adams, Robert McCormick, "The Uruk countryside: The natural setting of urban societies", 1972 Alt Url - [https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/uruk_countryside.pdf] {{ISBN|0-226-00500-3}}</ref>

===Tell Shmet===
[[File:Stone tablet re Il, king of Umma, c. 2400 BC - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07155.JPG|thumb|Stone tablet re Il, king of Umma, c. 2400 BC "For ..., Il, king of Umma, son of Eandamu, grandson of Enakale king of Umma, built his/her temple"]]
The site of Tell Shmet (also Tell Schmidt and Tell Shmid) also lies nearby, around 10 kilometers to the northwest of Umma and within visual distance of [[Zabala (Sumer)|Zabala]]. It is on the banks of the eastern branch of the Euphrates river just above the canal leading to Zabala. It was part of the Umma province in the Ur III period. The site measures 990 by 720 meters (712,800 square meters). The main Sargonic and Ur III remains of the site were destroyed by a Ministry of Agriculture program to plant trees so as to prevent sand dunes. In response to looting which began in 1994 the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage conducted salvage excavations in 2001 and 2002 under Mohammad Sabri Abdulraheem.<ref>Abdulraheem, M. S., "The final report of the excavations in Shmet – 1st season 2001", SBAH, Ministry of Culture, Rep. of Iraq (in Arabic), 2001</ref><ref>Abdulraheem, M. S., "Prospecting at the site of Shmeet 2001–2002", Sumer 52, pp. 201–241 (in Arabic) 2003</ref><ref>Abdulraheem, M. S., "The site of Shmet in the light of archaeological excavations", Unpublished Ph. D. thesis submitted to the Dept. of Archaeology, College of Arts, University of Baghdad (in Arabic), 2014</ref><ref>Abdulraheem, M. S. and B. K. Abboodi, "The final report of the excavations in Shmet – 2nd season 2002", SBAH, Ministry of Culture, Rep. of Iraq (in Arabic), 2002</ref> All of the paper records of the excavation were lost in looting of residential areas after the 2003 war. Plano-convex bricks and a residential area of the Early Dynastic III and Akkadian periods were uncovered. Finds included 67 clay cuneiform tablets, dozens of cylinder seals, and a number of stone and metal objects. The tablets mostly date ED III with the latest being Ur III. The tablets support the proposal that the ancient name of the site was Ki.an<sup>ki</sup>. They mention the names of the gods [[Ninazu]] and Dumuzi-Maru. Only six of the tablets have been published.<ref>Salman Fahad, Sa’ad and Abdul-Qadir Abbas, Raghad., "Cuneiform Tablets from Shmet from the Excavation Season of 2001", Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archäologie, vol. 110, no. 1, pp. 1-13, 2020</ref> Uruk period clay cone mosaics have also been found at the site.<ref name="Adams1972" />

Previous textual analysis had indicated that KI.AN was very near to [[Zabala (Sumer)|Zabala]].<ref>[https://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/245570/1/2021-Two_cuneiform_tablets_Four_Seasons_Museum_Arak.pdf]Molina Martos, Manuel, Amir Zamani, and Sina Abaslou. "Two cuneiform tablets in the Four Seasons Museum of Arak, Iran", in Sentido de un empeño. Homenatge a Gregorio del Olmo Lete, pp, 369-373, 2021</ref> During the reign of [[Rimush]], second ruler of the Akkadian Empire, KI.AN, under its governor Lugal-KA, joined a regional revolt and was defeated.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/sargonic-and-gutian-periods-2334-2113-bc] Douglas R. Frayne, "Akkad", The Sargonic and Gutian Periods (2334–2113), University of Toronto Press, pp. 5-218, 1993 {{ISBN|0-8020-0593-4}}</ref> In the Ur III period KI.AN had an ensi (governor). In that period it is known to have had a temple to the deified ruler [[Shulgi]] (called "e-<sup>d</sup>Sulgi-ra") as well as temples to the gods [[Shara (god)|Šara]], [[Ninura|Ninurra]], Amarsuena, [[Geshtinanna|Geštinanna]], Dumuzi, Gula, Ninlagaša, and Nine'e.<ref name="Adams1972" /><ref>Steinkeller, Piotr, "Babylonian priesthood during the third millennium BCE: between sacred and profane", Journal of ancient near eastern religions 19.1-2, pp. 112-151, 2019</ref><ref>[https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/orient/40/0/40_3/_pdf] Maeda, Tohru, "Royal Inscriptions of Lugalzagesi and Sargon", Orient 40, pp. 3-30, 2005</ref>

===Looting===
During the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]], [[Archaeological looting in Iraq|looters]] descended upon the sites of Tell Jokha and Tell Umm al-Aqarib which are now pockmarked with hundreds of ditches and pits. The prospects for future official excavation and research were seriously compromised in the process.<ref>Gibson, M., "Legal And Illegal Acquisition Of Antiquities In Iraq, 19th Century To 2003", in Cultural Heritage Issues. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, pp. 185–197 , 2010</ref> In 2011, [[Global Heritage Network]], which monitors threats to cultural heritage sites in developing nations, released aerial images comparing Umma in 2003 and 2010, showing a landscape devastated by looters' trenches during that time—approximately 1.12&nbsp;square km in total.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Satellite Imagery Briefing: Monitoring Endangered Cultural Heritage Sites|url=http://globalheritagefund.org/images/uploads/docs/GHNBriefingDocument.pdf|access-date=2021-07-23|website=[[Global Heritage Fund]]}}</ref> Confiscated Umma area cuneiform tablets continue to make their way to the Museum of Iraq, including a group of 1500 in 2009.<ref>Saadoon, Abather Rahi, "Sumerian Texts from the Archive of the Princess Šāt-Eštar in the Collections of the Iraq Museum", Iraq 80, pp. 213-231, 2018</ref>

==List of rulers==
Although the first dynasty of Umma has become well-known based on mentions in inscriptions contemporaneous with other dynasties from the [[Early Dynastic Period (Mesopotamia)|Early Dynastic]] (ED) III period; it was not inscribed onto the ''[[Sumerian King List]] (SKL)''. The first dynasty of Umma preceded the [[Sargonic dynasty|dynasty of Akkad]] in a time in which Umma exercised considerable influence in the region. Only a single ruler ([[Lugal-zage-si]]) from Umma was named on the ''SKL''; however, his name appears as the sole ruler for the third dynasty of [[Uruk]]. The following list should not be considered complete:
{|class="wikitable"border="1"style="width:100%;text-align:center"
|-
!width="25%"|Portrait or inscription
!width="25%"|Ruler
!width="25%"|{{abbr|Approx.|approximately}} date and length of reign ([[Middle Chronology]])
!width="25%"|Comments, notes, and references for mentions
|-
|colspan="4"align="center"style="background-color:palegoldenrod"|'''[[Early Dynastic II|Early Dynastic II period]] ({{circa|2700|2600 BC|lk=yes}})'''
|-
!colspan="4"|[[Pre-dynastic period of Sumer|Predynastic Umma]] ({{circa|2900|2500 BC}})
|-
|[[File:Ak gal-ukkin.jpg|120px]]
|([[Stele of Ushumgal|Akinana]])
|''Uncertain''; this ruler may have {{fl.|{{c.|2900|2600 BC}}}} sometime during the [[Early Dynastic Period (Mesopotamia)|Early Dynastic]] (ED) period<ref name=":0">{{cite journal|last=Marchesi|first=Gianni|editor-last=Sallaberger|editor-first=Walther|editor-link=Walther Sallaberger|editor-last2=Schrakamp|editor-first2=Ingo|date=January 2015|title=Toward a Chronology of Early Dynastic Rulers in Mesopotamia|url=https://www.academia.edu/10655886|journal=History and Philology (ARCANE 3; Turnhout)|pages=139–156}}</ref>
|
*Historicity certain
*Same person as [[Aga of Kish|Aga]] (?)
|-
|colspan="4"align="center"style="background-color:palegoldenrod"|'''Early Dynastic IIIa period ({{circa|2600|2500 BC}})'''
|-
|
|(Parasagnudi)<br>𒉺𒉈𒅍𒃲𒌇
|rowspan="2"|''Uncertain''; these two rulers may have {{fl.|{{c.|2600|2500 BC}}}} sometime during the ED IIIa period
|
*Historicity certain
*''[[Tempore|temp.]]'' of [[Ur-Pabilsag]]<ref name=":0"/>
|-
|
|(Eabzu)
|
*Historicity certain
*''temp.'' of [[Meskiagnun]]<ref name=":0"/>
|-
!width="25%"|Portrait or inscription
!width="25%"|Ruler
!width="25%"|{{abbr|Approx.|approximately}} date and length of reign (MC)
!width="25%"|Comments, notes, and references for mentions
|-
|colspan="4"align="center"style="background-color:palegoldenrod"|'''Early Dynastic IIIb period ({{circa|2500|2350 BC}})'''
|-
!colspan="4"|First dynasty of Umma / Umma I dynasty ({{circa|2500|2230 BC}})
|-
|
|[[Pabilgagaltuku]]<br>𒉺𒉈𒅍𒃲𒌇
|{{reign|single=c. 2500|era=BC}}
|
*Historicity certain
*Held the title of, ''"[[Ensi (Sumerian)|Governor]] of Umma"''
*''temp.'' of [[Ur-Nanshe]]<ref name="WS74">{{cite book |last1=Sallaberger |first1=Walther |last2=Schrakamp |first2=Ingo |title=History & Philology |date=2015 |publisher=Walther Sallaberger & Ingo Schrakamp (eds), Brepols |isbn=978-2-503-53494-7 |pages=74–80 |url=https://www.assyriologie.uni-muenchen.de/personen/professoren/sallaberger/publ_sallaberger/wasa_schrakamp_2015_arcane1.pdf}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Imprisoned_man_of_Umma_on_the_Stele_of_the_Vultures.jpg|120px]]
|[[Ush, king of Umma|Ush]] ("Ninta")<br>𒍑
|{{reign|single=c. 2455|era=BC}}
|
*Historicity certain
*Held the title of, ''"Governor of Umma"''
*''temp.'' of [[Akurgal]]<ref name=":0"/>
|-
|[[File:Enakalle_on_the_plate_of_queen_Bara-irnun.jpg|120px]]
|[[Enakalle]]<br>𒂗𒀉𒆗𒇷
|{{reign|single=c. 2445|era=BC}}<br><small>(8 years)</small>
|
*Historicity certain
*Held the title of, ''"Governor of Umma"''
*''temp.'' of [[Eannatum]]<ref name="HANEA">{{cite book |last1=Van De Mieroop |first1=Marc |title=A History of the Ancient Near East: Ca. 3000-323 BC |date=2004 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=9780631225522 |pages=50–51 }}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Ur-Lumma,_king_of_Umma,_son_of_En-a-Kale_tablet.jpg|120px]]
|[[Ur-Lumma]]<br>𒌨𒀭𒈝𒂷
|{{reign|single=c. 2425|era=BC}}<br><small>(12 years)</small>
|
*Son of Enakalle
*Held the title of, ''"Governor of Umma"''
*''temp.'' of [[Enannatum I]]<ref name="HANEA"/>
|-
|[[File:Stone tablet re Il, king of Umma, c. 2400 BC - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07155 (orientation).jpg|120px]]
|[[Il, king of Umma|Il]]<br>𒅍
|{{reign|single=c. 2420|era=BC}}<br><small>(15 years)</small>
|
*Cousin of Ur-Lumma
*Held the title of, ''"King of Umma"''
*''temp.'' of [[Entemena]]<ref name=":0"/>
|-
|[[File:This cuneiform text gives the city of Umma's account of its long-running border dispute with Lagash. Circa 2350 BCE. From Umma, Iraq. The British Museum, London.jpg|120px]]
|[[Gishakidu]]<br>𒄑𒊮𒆠𒄭
|{{reign|single=c. 2400|era=BC}}<br><small>(5 years)</small>
|
*Son of Il<ref name="WS74"/>
*''temp.'' of [[Enannatum II]]<ref name="HANEA"/>
|-
|
|Me'annedu
|''Uncertain''<br><small>(29 years)</small><ref name="WS74"/><ref>Armando Bramanti, "Three Administrative Texts from the Time of Me’annedu", Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 69, pp. 33–47, 2017</ref><ref>Monaco, Salvatore F., "Meannedu, Ruler of Umma", in dNisaba za3-mi2, Ancient Near Eastern Studies in Honor of Francesco Pomponio, ed. Palmiro Notizia, Annunziata Rositani and Lorenzo Verderame, pp. 175-180, 2021</ref>
|
|-
|
|Ushurdu<ref name="WS74"/>
|''Uncertain''<br><small>(9 years)</small>
|
*''temp.'' of [[Enentarzi]]<ref name=":0"/>
|-
|
|Edin<ref name="WS74"/>
|''Uncertain''<br><small>(6 years)</small>
|
*''temp.'' of [[Lugalanda]]<ref name=":0"/>
|-
|[[File:Lugalzagesi king of Uruk king of the Land son of Ukush.jpg|120px]]
|[[Ukush]]<br>𒌑𒌑
|{{reign|single=c. 2350|era=BC}}
|
*''temp.'' of [[Urukagina]]<ref name=":0"/>
|-
|colspan="4"align="center"style="background-color:palegoldenrod"|'''Proto-Imperial period ({{circa|2350|2230 BC}})'''
|-
|[[File:Prisoner exiting a cage, on an Akkadian Empire victory stele circa 2300 BCE, Louvre Museum.jpg|120px]]
|[[Lugal-zage-si]]<br>𒈗𒍠𒄀𒋛
|{{reign|single=c. 2340|era=BC}}<br><small>(8 years)</small>
|
*Son of Ukush
*''temp.'' of [[Enshakushanna]]<ref name=":0"/>
|-
|
|Mese
|{{reign|single=c. 2330|era=BC}}
|
*''temp.'' of [[Ur-Zababa]]<ref name=":0"/>
|-
|
|Ennalum
|''Uncertain''<br><small>(6 years)</small>
|
*''temp.'' of [[Ikun-Shamash]]<ref name=":0"/>
|-
|
|Shurushken
|''Uncertain''
|
*''temp.'' of [[Sargon of Akkad|Sargon]]<ref name=":0"/>
|-
!width="25%"|Portrait or inscription
!width="25%"|Ruler
!width="25%"|{{abbr|Approx.|approximately}} date and length of reign (MC)
!width="25%"|Comments, notes, and references for mentions
|-
|colspan="4"align="center"style="background-color:palegoldenrod"|'''[[Gutian period]] ({{circa|2230|2112 BC}})'''
|-
!colspan="4"|Second dynasty of Umma / Umma II dynasty ({{circa|2230|1866 BC}})
|-
|[[File:Gutian inscription-AO 4783-gradient.jpg|120px]]
|[[Lugalannatum]]<br>𒈗𒀭𒈾𒁺
|{{reign|single=c. 2130|era=BC}}
|
*''temp.'' of [[Si'um]]
*Vassal to the [[Gutian dynasty]]<ref name="WS74"/>
|-
|colspan="4"align="center"style="background-color:palegoldenrod"|'''[[Ur III period]] ({{circa|2112|2004 BC}})'''
|-
|
|Ur-Nigar
|{{reign|single=c. 2061|era=BC}}
|
*Son of Girini (?)
*''temp.'' of [[Shulgi]]
|-
|
|Ur-Lisi
|{{reign|single=c. 2038|era=BC}}<br><small>(23 years)</small>
|
*Son of Ur-Nigar
|-
|
|Aa-kala
|{{reign|single=c. 2029|era=BC}}<br><small>(9 years)</small>
|
*Brother of Ur-Lisi
|-
|
|Dadaga
|{{reign|single=c. 2022|era=BC}}<br><small>(7 years)</small>
|
*Brother of Ayakalla
|-
|
|Ur-E'e
|''Uncertain''
|
*Brother of Dadaga
|-
|
|Lu-Haya
|''Uncertain''
|
*Son of Ur-E'e
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="150" heights="150" perrow="4">
File:Stele of Ushumgal MET DT849.jpg|[[Stele of Ushumgal]], 2900-2700 BC. Probably from Umma.<ref>{{cite web|title=Stele of Ushumgal|url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/329079|website=www.metmuseum.org}}</ref>
File:This cuneiform text gives the city of Umma's account of its long-running border dispute with Lagash. Circa 2350 BCE. From Umma, Iraq. The British Museum, London.jpg|Vase of King [[Gishakidu]], king of Umma, and son of [[Ur-Lumma]]. This cuneiform text gives the city of Umma's account of its long-running border dispute with Lagash. {{Circa|2350 BC}}. From Umma, Iraq. The British Museum, London.
File:Votive plaque of a beard-IMG 6857.JPG|Votive plaque offered by [[Bara-irnun]], queen of Umma, to God [[Shara (god)|Šara]] in gratitude for sparing her life. Date {{Circa|2370 BC}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Site officiel du musée du Louvre |url=http://cartelfr.louvre.fr/cartelfr/visite?srv=car_not_frame&idNotice=11850 |website=cartelfr.louvre.fr}}</ref>
File:Mesopotamian alabaster ithyphallic statue from Umma, from an Early Dynastic temple. Baghdad Museum.jpg|Alabaster ithyphallic statue from Umma, from an Early Dynastic temple. Baghdad Museum
</gallery>

{{multiple image
| perrow = 2
| total_width = 300
| caption_align = center
| align = left
| direction = horizontal
| header = An official of Umma, {{Circa|2400 BC}}
| image1 = Diorite statue of Lupad, official in town of Umma, Early Dynastic Period III, c. 2400 BC.jpg
| image2 = Upad of Umma.jpg
| footer = Diorite statue of Lupad, an official of the city of Umma, with inscriptions recording the purchase of land in [[Lagash]]. Early Dynastic Period III, {{Circa|2400 BC}}.<ref>I. J. Gelb, P. Steinkeller, and R. M. Whiting Jr, "OIP 104. Earliest Land Tenure Systems in the Near East: Ancient Kudurrus", Oriental Institute Publications 104 Chicago: The Oriental Institute, 1989, 1991 ISBN 978-0-91-898656-6 [https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/oip104_text.pdf Text] [https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/oip104_part_2.pdf Plates]</ref>
}}
{{clear}}

==See also==
{{Commons category|Umma}}
*[[Apišal]]
*[[Cities of the Ancient Near East]]
*[[Garšana]]
*[[List of Mesopotamian dynasties]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Adams, R., "Shepherds at Umma in the Third Dynasty of Ur: Interlocutors with a World beyond the Scribal Field of Ordered Vision", Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, 49(2), pp. 133-169, 2006
*B. Alster, "Geštinanna as Singer and the Chorus of Uruk and Zabalam", UET 6/1 22, JCS, vol. 37, pp.&nbsp;219–28, 1985
*[https://archive.org/details/cu31924026822902] Bedale, Charles Lees, "Sumerian Tablets from Umma in the John Rylands Library, Manchester", The University Press, 1915
*[https://archive.org/details/ummainsargonicpe0000fost/mode/1up]B. R. Foster, "Umma in the Sargonic Period", Memoirs of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, vol. 20, Hamden, 1982
*Georges Contenau, "Umma sous la Dynastie d'Ur", Librarie Paul Geuthner, 1916
*Jacob L. Dahl, "The Ruling Family of Ur III Umma: A Prosopographical Analysis of an Elite Family in Southern Iraq 4000 Years ago", Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten/Netherlands Institute for the Near East (NINO), 2007, {{ISBN|90-6258-319-9}}
*[https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/saoc62.pdf] Romina Laurito, Alessandra Mezzasalma, Lorenzo Verderame, "Texts and Labels: A Case Study from Neo-Sumerian Umma", Proceedings of the 51st Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Held at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, July 18–22, 2005 Robert D. Biggs, Jennie Myers, and Martha T. Roth, eds., Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization 62, Chicago: The Oriental Institute, 2008 {{ISBN|978-1-885923-54-7}}
*Lambert, Maurice, "L’occupation Du Girsu Par Urlumma Roi d’Umma", Revue d’Assyriologie et d’archéologie Orientale, vol. 59, no. 2, pp.&nbsp;81–84, 1965
*T. Maeda, "Ruler's Family of Umma and Control over the Circulation of Silver", ASJ 18, pp.&nbsp;254–260, 1996
*Molina, Manuel, "Court Officials at Umma in Ur III Times", Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archäologie, vol. 103, no. 2, pp.&nbsp;125–148, 2013
*P. Notizia, "More on the Pre-Sargonic Tablets from the Umma Region in the Rosen Collection. Collations and Remarks", Orientalia NS 88, pp.&nbsp;94–117, 2019
*[https://cdnx.uobabylon.edu.iq/research/VD8pcLP8Q0ikcjqwcW03w.pdf] Notizia, Palmiro, and Haider Oraibi Almamori, "The city-state of Umma in the Pre-Sargonic period. New tablets from the Iraq Museum", Akkadica 142, pp.&nbsp;1–30, 2021
*Notizia, P. and Visicato, G., "Early Dynastic and Early Sargonic Administrative Texts Mainly from the Umma Region in the Cornell University Cuneiform Collections", CUSAS 33. Bethesda, MD: CDL Press, 2016
*Ouyang, Xiaoli, "Managing the Treasuries of the Gods—Administration of the KÙ.AN in Ur III Umma", Journal of Ancient Civilizations 35, pp. 13-32, 2020
*F. Pomponio, "Lukalla of Umma", ZA 82, pp.&nbsp;169–179, 1992 
*Rost, Stephanie, and Angelo Di Michele, "Systematic Versus Random Sampling in Approaches to Landscape Archaeology: The Umma Survey Project in Southern Mesopotamia", Journal of Field Archaeology 47.5, pp.&nbsp;285–304, 2022
*[https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/Publications/OIS/ois13.pdf] Stephanie Rost, "Written Sources in the Empirical Investigation of Ancient Irrigation: The Operation of the I-sala Irrigation System in the Umma Province in Late Third-Millennium BCE Southern Mesopotamia", in Irrigation in Early States: New Directions, Oriental Institute Seminars 13, Chicago: The Oriental Institute, pp.&nbsp;137–174, 2022 {{ISBN|978-1-61491-071-8}}
* Shin T. Kang, "Sumerian economic texts from the Umma archive", University of Illinois Press, 1973 {{ISBN|0-252-00425-6}}
* Tonia M. Sharlach, "Provincial taxation and the Ur III State", Brill, 2003 {{ISBN|90-04-13581-2}}
*Steinkeller, Piotr, "An Estimate of the Population of the City of Umma in Ur III Times", At the Dawn of History: Ancient Near Eastern Studies in Honour of J. N. Postgate, edited by Yağmur Heffron, Adam Stone and Martin Worthington, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp.&nbsp;535–566, 2017
*van Driel, G., "The Size of Institutional Umma", Archiv Für Orientforschung, vol. 46/47, pp.&nbsp;80–91, 1999

==External links==
*[https://cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/search?provenience=Gi%C5%A1%C5%A1a+%28mod.+Umm+al-Aqarib%29 Artifacts found at Umm al-Aqarib - CDLI]
*[https://cdli.earth/search?provenience=Umma+%28mod.+Tell+Jokha%29&limit=10000 Artifacts found at Tell Johka - CDLI]
*[https://iaassyriology.com/in-the-field-the-project-sahi-tell-jokha/ “In the field”: The Project SAHI-Tell Jokha]
* [https://cdli.ox.ac.uk/wiki/doku.php?id=the_ur_iii_province_of_umma The Province of Umma - CDLI]

{{Rulers of Sumer}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Umma| ]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Iraq]]
[[Category:Populated places in Dhi Qar Province]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Iraq]]
[[Category:Sumerian cities]]
[[Category:Former kingdoms]]