Ush (π UΕ‘, possibly read Ninta) was King or ensi of Umma, a city-state in Sumer, circa 2450 BCE.
Ush is mentioned in various inscriptions, such as the Cone of Entemana as having violated the frontier with Lagash, a frontier which had been solemnly established by king Mesilim.
8β12
π¨π² ππ§π π€ π ππ π²πΎπ« π π· ππ π π πΎ ππ me-silim lugal kiΕ‘-ke4inim iΕ‘taran-na-ta eΕ‘2 gana2 be2-ra ki-ba na bi2-ru2 "Mesilim, king of KiΕ‘, at the command of IΕ‘taran, measured the field and set up a stele there." 13β17 π πΊπΌπ ππ΅π π€ π π π πππππ ππ uΕ‘ ensi2 umma-ke4 nam inim-ma diri-diri-Ε‘e3 e-ak "Ush, ruler of Umma, acted unspeakably." 18β21 πΎπππ ππ» π π’ππ·π π ππΊ na-ru2-a-bi i3-pad edin lagaΕ‘-Ε‘e3 i3-gΜen "He ripped out that stele and marched toward the plain of LagaΕ‘." Extract from the Cone of Enmetena, Room 236 Reference AO 3004, Louvre Museum.
Umma
Ush was king of Umma, circa 2400 BCE.
According to Enmetena's account, Ush is the one who invaded the territory of Lagash, and his invasion was then repelled, although the name of the ruler of Lagash who confronted him that time is not mentioned explicitly:
"Ninta (βUΕ‘β), the governor of Umma, turned the matter into something that exceeds (any) word. He smashed that stela and marched on the plain of Lagash. Ningirsu, the warrior of Enlil, at his just command, did battle with Umma. At Enlilβs command, he spread the great throwing-net over it, and set up burial mounds for it on the plains.β
It is thought that Ush was severely defeated by Eannatum, king of Lagash. The victory of Eannatum is mentioned in a fragmentary inscription on the stele, suggesting that after the loss of 3,600 soldiers on the field, Ush, king of Umma, was killed in a rebellion in his capital city of Umma:
"(Eanatum) defeated him. Its (Umma's) 3600 corpses reached the base of heaven (...) raised (their) hands against him and killed him in Umma"
ββStele of the Vultures
Slain soldiers of the army of Ush, on the battlefield. Stele of the Vultures.
Soldiers of Enakalle being left to the vultures, after their defeat by Eannatum of Lagash. Stele of the Vultures.
Prisoners captured in nets. Stele of the Vultures.
π ππΌπ ππ΅π Ush ensi Uma-ki "Ush, Governor of Umma" on the net cylinder of Entemena
Eannatum, king of Lagash, later made a boundary treaty with Enakalle, successor of Ush, settling the matter, as described in the Cone of Entemana.
The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article.
The contents are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
Slain soldiers of the army of Ush, on the battlefield. Stele of the Vultures.
Soldiers of Enakalle being left to the vultures, after their defeat by Eannatum of Lagash. Stele of the Vultures.
Prisoners captured in nets. Stele of the Vultures.
