Umma

This article is about the Sumerian city. For the Islamic term, see Ummah.

Coordinates: 31°38′N, 45°52′E Umma (modern Tell Jokha) was an ancient city in Sumer, best known for its long frontier conflict with Lagash. The city reached its zenith ca. 2350BC, under the rule of Lugal-Zage-Si, who also controlled Ur and Uruk. The Umma calendar of Shulgi (ca. 21st century BC) is the immediate predecessor of the later Babylonian calendar, and indirectly of the post-exilic Hebrew calendar.

During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, after Coalition bombing began, looters descended upon the site which is now pockmarked with hundreds of ditches and pits. The archaeological site is now being destroyed and its artifacts stolen. The prospects for future official excavation and research are being destroyed in the process, preventing official researchers from learning more about the history and culture of this place.[1]

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