Fall of Ur
2004 BCE · Ur (modern Iraq)
The Fall of Ur was fought in 2004 BCE in Ur (modern Iraq) between Elam and its allies vs the Third Dynasty of Ur; Elamite victory; Ur was sacked and the last Sumerian king carried off into captivity.
Fall of Ur: quick facts
- Date
- 2004 BCE
- Location
- Ur (modern Iraq)
- Belligerents
- Elam and its allies vs the Third Dynasty of Ur
- Commanders
- Kindattu vs Ibbi-Sin
- Result
- Elamite victory; Ur was sacked and the last Sumerian king carried off into captivity.
- Era
- 🏛️ Ancient Egypt & Mesopotamia
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Fall of Ur?
The great Sumerian city of Ur, capital of the Third Dynasty of Ur and one of the world's oldest cities, fell to a combined assault by Elamites from the east and Amorite nomads from the west. King Ibbi-Sin, the last Sumerian king, was captured and taken in chains to Elam, where he died in captivity. The destruction of Ur ended Sumerian political power forever, though Sumerian culture and language survived as a scholarly tradition. The fall inspired the 'Lament for Ur,' one of the oldest and most moving works of literature, describing the goddess Ningal weeping over her destroyed city.
Did you know?
The 'Lament for Ur,' composed after the city's fall, is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and describes the goddess Ningal weeping over the ruins in heartbreaking poetic verse.
Sources and further reading
- Fall of Ur on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.