cóng kǎo gǔ fā xiàn yǐ jīng dé dào de shǐ liào lái kàn，
cóng gōng yuán qián 2900
nián kāi shǐ，
sū měi '
ěr chéng bāng jìn rù yī gè “ zhū guó zhēng bà ” de shí dài。
bǐ jiào dà de chéng shì yòu '
āi lì dū、
jī shí、
lā gé shí、
wū lǔ kè、
wū '
ěr hé ní pǔ '
ěr。
zhè xiē chéng shì yīn shuǐ quán、
mào yì dào lù hé yóu mù mín zú de jìn gòng děng shì wù jìn xíng liǎo jīhū yī qiān nián de、
wéi shí bù duàn de hù xiāng zhēng zhàn。
kǎo gǔ yǐ jīng néng dà zhì gòu lè chū dāng shí de lì shǐ qíng kuàng，
dàn shì yóu yú kǎo gǔ fā xiàn de shǐ liào yòu xiàn，
jīn tiān rén men suǒ zhī dào de nà duàn lì shǐ kě néng réng rán shì dāng shí shí jì qíng kuàng de bīng shān yī jiǎo '
ér yǐ。
jī shí bèi rèn wéi céng jīng shì yī gè bǐ jiào qiáng dà de chéng bāng，
yīn wéi hòu lái xǔ duō sū měi '
ěr jūn zhù shèn zhì bìng méi yòu shí jì tǒng zhì guò jī shí，
què yě zì chēng jī shí zhī wáng。（
bù guò xiàn zài yě yòu lì shǐ xué jiā rèn wéi，
zhè bìng bù zú yǐ shuō míng jī shí céng jīng chēng bà，
zì chēng jī shí zhī wáng kě néng yòu qí tā de bǐ rú zōng jiào fāng miàn de yuán yīn）
zuì zǎo de kě yǐ yàn zhèng shì cún zài de guó wáng jiù shì jī shí guó wáng '
ēn měi bā lā gé xī。
hòu lái yī xiē bǐ jiào qiáng dà de chéng bāng shì wū lǔ kè，
wū '
ěr，
wēn mǎ，
yǐ jí lā gé shí děng。
kǎo gǔ xué jiā zài lā gé shí fā xiàn liǎo wáng shì de míng wén，
shǐ dé jīn tiān de rén men dé yǐ zhī dào cóng gōng yuán qián 2500
nián dào gōng yuán qián 2350
nián zhī jiān yuē yī bǎi wǔ shí nián jiān de wán zhěng de lā gé shí guó wáng liè biǎo，
yǐ jí xiāng guān de shǐ shì，
yě shǐ dé lā gé shí chéng wéi sū měi '
ěr gè chéng bāng zhōng，
jīn tiān de rén men liǎo jiě de wéi yī bǐ jiào wán zhěng de chéng bāng .
“
yuē gōng yuán qián 2500
nián zuǒ yòu，
lā gé shí qiáng dà qǐ lái，
wū '
ěr nán shí wáng shí，
lā gé shí zài sū měi '
ěr zhōng chēng bà，
dào liǎo '
ān nà yè mǔ wáng hé '
ēn tiě měi nà wáng shí，
lā gé shí zhēng fú liǎo bù shǎo dì fāng，
sū měi '
ěr pō yòu tǒng yī de qū shì。
hòu lái，
guó wáng lú jiā '
ěr '
ān dá yīn zhì guó bù shàn，
yǐn qǐ liǎo bào dòng，
yī gè míng jiào wū lǔ kǎ jī nà de rén tuī fān liǎo lú jiā '
ěr '
ān dá de tǒng zhì，
zài píng mín de yōng hù xià，
zì jǐ dēng shàng liǎo wáng wèi，
bìng jìn xíng liǎo yǐ zhī rén lèi lì shǐ shàng dì yī cì zhèng zhì gǎi gé yùn dòng，
shì tú wéi hù píng mín de lì yì。
zhèng dāng lā gé shí nèi luàn zhī shí，
sū měi '
ěr gè guó bào fā liǎo dà guī mó de zhàn zhēng，
wēn mǎ wáng lú jiā '
ěr zhā kè xī zhēng fú lā gé shí，
shā sǐ wū lǔ kǎ jī nà。
xuè tú quán chéng。
wū lǔ kǎ jī nà zài wèi jǐn liù nián，
tā de gǎi gé yě yīn cǐ '
ér fèi qì。”
wēn mǎ de jì sī guó wáng lú jiā '
ěr zhā kè xī（ Lugal-Zage-Si，
gōng yuán qián 2259
～ gōng yuán qián 2235
nián）
xiāo miè lā gé shí de wáng cháo，
zhàn lǐng wū lǔ kè，
bìng jiāng tā zuò wéi tā de shǒu dū，
tā zì chēng tā de dì guó cóng bō sī wān yī zhí màn yán dào dì zhōng hǎi。
dàn shì shǎn zú de '
ā kǎ dé guó wáng sà '
ěr gòng dǎ bài liǎo lú jiā '
ěr zhā kè xī，
fú lǔ liǎo tā，
ér sū měi '
ěr rén chéng bāng de lì shǐ yě jiù jiù cǐ jié shù liǎo。
Early Dynastic period (Early Bronze Age II-IV)
* Early Dynastic I period: 2900 – 2800 BC
* Early Dynastic II period: 2800 – 2600 BC (Gilgamesh)
* Early Dynastic IIIa period: 2600 – 2500 BC
* Early Dynastic IIIb period: ca. 2500 – 2334 BC
The Dynastic period begins ca. 2900 BC and includes such legendary figures as Enmerkar and Gilgamesh—who are supposed to have reigned shortly before the historic record opens ca. 2700 BC, when the now decipherable syllabic writing started to develop from the early pictograms. The center of Sumerian culture remained in southern Mesopotamia, even though rulers soon began expanding into neighboring areas, and neighboring Semitic groups adopted much of Sumerian culture for their own.
The earliest Dynastic king on the Sumerian king list whose name is known from any other legendary source is Etana, 13th king of the first Dynasty of Kish. The earliest king authenticated through archaeological evidence is Enmebaragesi of Kish (ca. 26th century BC), whose name is also mentioned in the Gilgamesh epic—leading to the suggestion that Gilgamesh himself might have been a historical king of Uruk.
1st Dynasty of Lagash
ca. 2500 – 2270 BC
The dynasty of Lagash, though omitted from the king list, is well attested through several important monuments and many archaeological finds.
Although short-lived, one of the first empires known to history was that of Eannatum of Lagash, who annexed practically all of Sumer, including Kish, Uruk, Ur, and Larsa, and reduced to tribute the city-state of Umma, arch-rival of Lagash. In addition, his realm extended to parts of Elam and along the Persian Gulf. He seems to have used terror as a matter of policy—his stele of the vultures has been found, showing violent treatment of enemies. His empire collapsed shortly after his death.
Later, Lugal-Zage-Si, the priest-king of Umma, overthrew the primacy of the Lagash dynasty in the area, then conquered Uruk, making it his capital, and claimed an empire extending from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean. He was the last ethnically Sumerian king before the arrival of the Semitic king, Sargon of Akkad.