At its birth, Ur was established as a village settlement in Mesopotamia during the Ubaid period. The people that settled the region appeared to have evacuated later, possibly due to flooding, and then
returned to rebuild. By 2600 the city was thriving.
At the epicenter of the ruins found today in Iraq, is an ancient Ziggurat, a temple to the
Moon Diety, Nanna, of Sumerian mythology. In Babylon, where the moon diety was also worshiped,
he was called by the name of Sin, his beard made of lapis lazuli, he rides a winged bull. His wife, Ningal (The Great Lady)
bore him Utu (sun) and Inana (the Holy Virgin) and by some accounts Ishkar (the Storm God).
In 2340, the first dynasty of the city ended with an attack from Sargon of Akkad. The city
faded in power through the second dynasty, however with the third dynasty, under King Ur-Nammu, the city thrived once more.
It is during this period, the Ziggurat was most likely built, the land irrigated, and a code of laws introduced.
The city of Ur is mentioned four times in the old Testament. It is the birthplace of the Patriarch
Abraham Genesis 11:28 and 31, 15:7(obviously there is much dispute on this. The arguement following that it was "Ur of the
Chaldees") Other references are Nehemiah 9:7, and Jubilee 11:3.
