3rd dynasty of Ur

Circa 2004 B.C. Mesopotamia was in a turbulent era! At the time, Ibbi-Sin, the last ruler of the 3rd dynasty of Ur, was having problems retaining control over his kingdom. On one hand, he worried about the Amorites, a nomadic Semitic tribe from the Middle East, whose growing influence was a good cause for concern. On the other hand, he had to put up with Ishbi-Erra, a general whose ambition reached no limit. As the two issues continued to plague him day and night, Ibbi-Sin saw power slowly slipping through his fingers. In spite of his best efforts, he never solved the problem. To make matters worse, sensing that the final days of the 3rd dynasty of Ur were fast approaching, Elam    


3rd dynasty of Ur were fast approaching, Elam -- an ancient country in present-day southwestern Iran -- broke free and reasserted its independence. Shortly after reclaiming their sovereignty, the Elamites took Ur, the capital, under siege.  


Upon the collapse of the 3rd dynasty of Ur in 2004 B.C., the Amorites took advantage of the situation and began to flex their muscles. Slowly and surely, they made progress and set themselves up as kings of several cities formerly controlled by the 3rd dynasty of Ur. One of those cities was Babylon. Babylon, located near the Euphrates River in southern Mesopotamia, was the capital of the state Babylonia. Over the course of thousands of years, this famous metropolis had acquired many different names. As a result, Babylon was also called Bab-ilu, Bab-ilim, Bavel, Babel, or Atlal Babil in various languages. Today, the area lies within the vicinity of Al Hillah, an Iraqi city about 60 miles south of Baghdad.