Battle of Uruk

The Battle of Uruk was one of the decisive battles in which king Sargon the Great of Akkad subdued Sumer and brought it under his control. The only known information about this battle is from a copied inscription at Nippur, and the date for the battle is uncertain. During his military campaign, Sargon attacked the city of Uruk and destroyed it. The survivors fled the city and joined with other armies from the fifty Sumerian provinces under the leadership of king Lugal-zage-si of Umma, before opposing Sargon. In this pitched battle that ensued c. 2271 BC, Lugal-zage-si, the chief rival and opponent of Sargon, was defeated and his forces were routed. After the battle, Lugal-zage-si himself was captured by Sargon and brought to Nippur 'haltered like a dog'.