The Sumerian World (Routledge Worlds)

Jason Ur

Figure 7.6 The late third/early second millennium settlement in Sumer (based on Adams 1981:

table 14; Wright 1981; Steinkeller 2001)

is tempting to connect the increasingly full rural landscape to relative political stability
under the kings of Ur, and perhaps the deliberate resettlement of conquered popula­
tions. Furthermore, it is quite likely that survey has underestimated the rural landscape,
when compared with the geographical names in the cuneiform record (see below).
The end of the third millennium saw the development of the first zonal irrigation
systems. Earlier settlements clustered along the major river channels, but late third
millennium settlements sat on branch canals that could extend up to 15 km away from
the main river (Adams 1981:164—165). The regions north and east of Nippur and north
of Adab appear to have such systems, which must have required substantial royal
investment. The rather late development of large systems suggests that “if anything,

Late 3rd Millennium

(Ur III to Larsa)

Settlement

0.1 -4 ha

4.1 -10 ha

10.1 -20 ha

20.1 -40 ha

40.1 -200 ha

200+ ha

Trace/Uncertain

Major

Watercourses

Umma-Drehem

Water Route

0 50 Km