Most authors believe that Ur reached its peak in the Paleo-Babylonian period during the forty years between the advent of Warad-Sin and the middle of Rim-Sin's reign (1834-1793), before Hammu-rabi annexed the kingdom of Larsa and Ur became part of the Babylonian kingdom. But it would be wrong to regard the quarter-century of domination by Hammu-rabi (1763-1750), then Samsu-iluna (1749-1738), as a period of decline. During these twenty-five years, there is a contrast between a turbulent political-military history and, on the other hand, numerous elements of continuity revealed by the archives.
The period begins with Hammu-rabi's conquest of the kingdom of Larsa: there is no precise information on the fall of Ur. In the prologue to the Code of Hammu-rabi, the place given to Ur, its god Nanna and its sanctuary, the Ekišnugal, just after Babylon, Marduk and Esagil, is remarkable; it contrasts with the scant traces left on site by the Babylonian conqueror. After thirteen years, Hammu-rabi died and was succeeded by his son Samsu-iluna. He left no inscriptions in Ur, but we now know that he did not neglect the city: a text discovered in 2017 in the house of Abisum shows that the king came in person to Ur to offer the throne to the god Nanna mentioned in the name of year 5. We note that no text exists in Ur between the middle of the eleventh month of Samsu-iluna's year 8 and the middle of the eighth month of year 10, i.e. for one year and nine months: it was during this period that the inhabitants of Ur recognized the rebel Rim-Sin II; contrary to what has often been written, however, he did not take the title of "king of Ur". Samsu-iluna succeeded in retaking the entire south during his tenth year of reign. The walls of Ur were destroyed, as was that of Uruk, where the usurper Rim-Anum had reigned.
