Kings of the Ur III Dynasty and Cities under their Rule

2005 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 15520460
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: History of Europe and America
• Research Institution: Waseda University
• Principal Investigator: MAEDA Tohru Waseda University, Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Professor, 文学学術院, 教授 (80116665)
• Project Period (FY): 2003 – 2005
• Keywords: Mesopotamia / Sumer / kingship / city-state

Research Abstract

At the end of the third millennium B.C., the third dynasty of Ur had established as an ideal an absolute sovereignty and a divine kingship. However, in actuality the political system of the third dynasty of Ur was not acentralized bureaucratic organization. Each city was administrated independently by their own organizations,. lead by their native rulers (ensi_2). This is the conclusion of my previous studies.
In the present research, I examined administrative texts of Umma in order to study the royal prestige of Ur III kings in the religious sphere. The result of this research supports my previous studies.
1)The temples of the Ur III kings were built in Umma, with the exception of Ur-Nammu, the founder of the dynasty. However, the divine kings housed in their temples in Umma were not worshiped as symbols of coercive sovereignty of the Ur III dynasty, but rather they were worshiped as tutelary gods (Ilama) to protect. the peace and order, and to ensure fertility.
2)Ur III kings sacrificed regularly to the god Shara, the chief god of Umma, but they never made sacrifices to any other gods in Umma. Sacrifices and festivals for the gods of Umma were carried out by native Ummanians in their traditional manner. The Ur III kings were not able to alter the regulation of the Umma religious ceremony to conform to the structure of the state festivals.