What was the first known war in history?

Question

Not the first instance of *warfare*, which surely predates recorded history, but of an organized war between civilizations. For the purposes of this question I'll define a war as: - Defined scope: the war had a beginning, and end, and specific belligerents. Not an ongoing state of hostility between people groups. - Dedicated fighting force: the war was fought by a military of some kind, rather than armed commoners who skirmished when they happened to meet. - State-driven: Military action was enacted by one or more governments. (One state campaigning against disorganized tribes would count.) The earliest war I can find a description of is Sargon's conquest of Sumer at the Battle of Ur in c. 2271 BC, which led to the establishment of the Akkadian Empire. I suspect there were earlier documented conflicts in Sumer or other very early agricultural civilizations.

Answer 1

Your answer was close; however, the Ancient History Encyclopedia, under “War in Ancient Times,” goes a bit farther back. The article states, “The first war in recorded history took place in Mesopotamia in 2700 BCE between Sumer and Elam. The Sumerians, under command of the King of Kish, Enembaragesi, defeated the Elamites in this war and, it is recorded, ‘carried away as spoils the weapons of Elam.’” The articles goes on to discuss the differences among earlier and later skirmishes, but for your purposes, 2700 BCE answers your question. I assume you are studying World History.