Part of a stone monument inscribed with the name of Utu-hengal, king of Uruk (Ur, c. 1215 BC).In 233

Part of a stone monument inscribed with the name of Utu-hengal, king of Uruk (Ur, c. 1215 BC).In 2334 BC, Sargon of Akkad conquered Sumer and seized the throne.  He later founded the Akkadian Empire - the first multi-national empire in history, possibly based on the model set by Eannutum.The Akkadian Empire ruled over much of Mesopotamia, including Sumer, until the Gutians invaded from the north (modern-day Iran) in c. 2218 BC.  The Gutian Period is considered a dark age in Sumerian and Mesopotamian history.  Later Sumerian writers reviled the Gutians, and many considered them to be a punishment from the gods.Utu-hengal was the first native Sumerian king after the Akkadian and Gutian Periods. He defeated Tirigan and the Gutians and reigned for (possibly) seven years himself as the only king of the Fifth Dynasty of Uruk. He appointed Ur-Nammu governor of Ur, and was succeeded by him c. 2047 BC.  With Ur-Nammu’s rule, the Sumerian Renaissance (also known as the Ur III Period) began, lasting until the Elamite invasion in 1750 BC. -- source link

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