Ush, king of Umma

Ush ( Uš, possibly read Ninta) was King or ensi of Umma, a city-state in Sumer, circa 2450 BCE.

Ush is mentioned in various inscriptions, such as the Cone of Entemana as having violated the frontier with Lagash, a frontier which had been solemnly established by king Mesilim.

According to Enmetena's account, Ush is the one who invaded the territory of Lagash, and his invasion was then repelled, although the name of the ruler of Lagash who confronted him that time is not mentioned explicitly:

""Ninta (“Uš”), the governor of Umma, turned the matter into something that exceeds (any) word. He smashed that stela and marched on the plain of Lagash. Ningirsu, the warrior of Enlil, at his just command, did battle with Umma. At Enlil’s command, he spread the great throwing-net over it, and set up burial mounds for it on the plains.”"

- Cone of Enmetena

It is thought that Ush was severely defeated by Eannatum, king of Lagash. The victory of Eannatum is mentioned in a fragmentary inscription on the stele, suggesting that after the loss of 3,600 soldiers on the field, Ush, king of Umma, was killed in a rebellion in his capital city of Umma:

""(Eanatum) defeated him. Its (Umma's) 3600 corpses reached the base of heaven (...) raised (their) hands against him and killed him in Umma""

- Stele of the Vultures

Eannatum, king of Lagash, later made a boundary treaty with Enakalle, successor of Ush, settling the matter, as described in the Cone of Entemana.