The Standard of Ur, "war side". Click on any of the images to enlarge them.
The “war side” of the Standard of Ur has always been regarded as a work of art, but it has never received proper credit for what it really is: an historic record. It has always been given only a cursory examination by the historians, with very little commentary as to its content, despite the fact that it's a complete, accurate, and detailed documentary of ancient warfare, the first in world history.
Although there's a lot of action crowded into the three registers (rows) of the panel, there is even more here than meets the eye.
The top left register of the "war side" of the Standard of Ur is shown above. The usual interpretation of this scene is that it shows the "aftermath of battle". The victorious king has dismounted from his chariot. The chariot is in the process of being unharnessed, and the chariot doesn't carry any spears because they have already been used in battle. The king's generals are lined up behind him. The soldiers carry spears and battleaxes. They wear their leather plated armor in the Sumerian fashion, draped across one shoulder.
The right half of the top register shows the enemy prisoners being paraded before the victorious Sumerian king. Although I have never heard it mentioned before, I would suggest the man in front of him is the captured enemy king, since he is the first prisoner shown, and therefore the most important. He is escorted by a Sumerian soldier. Look at the closeup of the captive king (below right). Notice how he doesn't wear a helmet; Nor does he wear the armor of the Sumerians draped across his shoulder. He wears a robe, and beneath the robe he wears a skirt that's different than the fringed skirts worn by the Sumerian soldiers. In fact, none of his attire matches the uniform of the Sumerians. He and his guard are followed by another prisoner, who is naked, bound and bleeding. It is reasonable to assume that this is a captured enemy general, since the prisoners would be displayed for the Sumerian king in the order of their rank and importance (not just any enemy private would be paraded before the Sumerian king). The prisoner has a bloody wound on his body, as do most of the enemies depicted on the Standard of Ur. Other naked, bound and wounded prisoners, escorted by their captors, are also displayed for the king in the descending order of their rank. (Also see a high-resolution photograph of one of the prisoners, with bleeding wounds on his face, chest and thigh, and a rope around his neck and arms.) The king is the only prisoner who still has his clothes on, and the only reason for this is so he can be identified by the viewer. However, because of the damaged condition of the figure, his true identity has been obscured for the past 85 years, ever since the standard was first discovered.
The capturedenemy king (left) being guarded by a Sumerian soldier.
Given the preponderance of the evidence, there can be little doubt that this is indeed the captured enemy king. After all, who else could it be? This is exactly where one would expect to find the defeated king (or his body). It would be surprising not to find him here. Otherwise, the victory of the Sumerian king is incomplete: He has won a great victory, yet the enemy king has escaped? It would mean that the enemy king had avoided his just punishment, and was free to fight again on another day.
Since only the most important prisoners are displayed for the king, it's reasonable to assume that all of the captives in the upper register are high-ranking noblemen. Because all of them are naked, bound, and being roughly treated, there is some question as to their fate. As explained in The Standard of Ur: King, the Sumerian king is not the kind of man who would execute common soldiers who had been captured. The opposing noblemen, however, would be a different matter. In ancient warfare, the victorious king would sometimes pardon the defeated lords who had fought against him, though more often than not they were executed. They'd thus be held accountable for the war and for the casualties suffered by the king's army. Also, if allowed to live, they could lead another revolt against the king. The fact that the prisoners being displayed before the king are naked, bound, and roughly handled, without deference to their high rank, does not bode well for their eventual fate.
In the artistic convention of the times, the Sumerian king is drawn larger than other men to symbolize his higher rank. In fact, he actually exceeds the decorative border of the panel.
Note the "little man" beneath the horses' heads. He has been described as a "slave" because he is drawn so much smaller than the others. He cannot be a slave, however, because he carries a weapon; slaves weren't allowed to have weapons. He has also been called a "groom", the kind that takes care of horses. There's no direct evidence that he's a groom, except for the fact that he walks in front of the horses. Since he carries a weapon, he seems to be more than just a groom, but he doesn't seem like a regular soldier because he doesn't wear armor and a helmet. Perhaps he's just a "commoner", which would explain why he is drawn at such a reduced scale. Commoners were always drawn smaller than normal when in the presence of a king, which symbolized their lowly status. If he is indeed a commoner, it means that the men standing beside him are lords and noblemen; which is only to be expected, given their nearness to the king. What's interesting is the fact that he is drawn so much smaller than everyone else on the top row of the panel, or anywhere else on the Standard of Ur. He's drawn smaller than the servants on the reverse side of the standard, who are also in the presence of the king. He is even smaller than the enemy, who are not only "enemy", but "defeated" and "prisoner" and therefore "slave", which in the hierarchy of things, is about as far down on the social scale as one can get. So if the "little man" is not a slave, a servant, a groom, a soldier, or a commoner, then there's really only one possiblity left. Although I have not heard it suggested before, I believe the "little man" is not a man at all, but just a boy. He is the royal prince, the son of the Sumerian king. He is accompanying his father on the campaign, following in his father's footsteps, as it were, learning how to become a warrior and a king, which has always been the royal tradition. This would explain why he carries a weapon, but doesn't wear a helmet or armor. He's not really a soldier; he's too young to fight.
Introducing theroyal prince. The mark on the back of his head suggests a royal diadem, or perhaps a youthful haircut, like a "topknot". This mark is not seen on any of the images of the men on the Standard of Ur. Nor is the mark seen on any other Sumerian depictions of boys. In his left hand he would have carried a spear or battleaxe (now lost due to damage) like the soldiers in front of him. The weapon would be toy-like. The prince is "playing soldier", imitating the men standing with the king.
The object the prince is carrying across his shoulder is a royal scepter. It of course belongs to his father, since a royal scepter symbolizes the right to rule, and the prince is still too young to be an reigning monarch. This is a rather surprising and touching family vignette here on the field of carnage
This raises the possibility that the three men standing behind the Sumerian king may also be his sons, arranged in the ascending order of their height, from youngest to oldest; or they may be high ranking officers, lined up in order of their rank; or they may be both.
The king's chariot: The horses wear leather armor similar to that of the soldier. Note the spotted trim on the back of the chariot.
This picture is usually interpreted as "the Sumerian soldiers march to war" because they seem to march in a measured cadence. However, a close up of the picture reveals that their spears are leveled forward. The spear point of every soldier is outlined on the cloak of the soldier in front of him. This is not the way soldiers hold their spears when on the march; it would be dangerous to the soldier in front. Soldiers march with their spears held verticially. The leveled spears is an attack stance. The picture shows the Sumerian soldiers in a phalanx on the attack.
They attack in a disciplined formation. They are identically armed and equipped, with copper helmets, spears, and spotted cloaks. Notice how the spots on their cloaks matches the spots on the king's chariot. The spots are the identifying ensignia of the army. These are probably common soldiers. They do not wear the kind of armor that is draped across the shoulder; perhaps they wear no armor at all. The soldiers with the shoulder-mounted armor are the officers, meaning the nobility; in ancient armies high ranking officers are always the nobility. The Sumerian king also wears the shoulder-armor.
The attack terminates in a brief, sharp battle, where the Sumerian soldiers make short work of their enemies. One soldier takes an enemy prisoner while another soldier dispatches a fallen enemy with his spear. On the right, a Sumerian soldier disrobes a subdued prisoner. This was a common practice in the ancient world. A newly captured prisoner was first stripped of his clothes. This served not only to humilate the prisoner (demonstrating that he had no rights or status, at all) but also insured that he could not carry a concealed weapon. All of the prisoners on the Standard of Ur are naked, which symbolizes their newly degraded condition and their inferiority to the victorious Sumerians.
This scene has always been described as, "The enemy prisoners are led away". This seems a likely explanation, since some of the men (the prisoners) are naked, and some of the men (the guards) are clothed and carrying weapons. I would suggest the scene represents something else entirely. Notice the "angled-skirts" that the men are wearing. The Sumerians are never depicted wearing this kind of skirt. None of the men wear cloaks, armor, or helmets. It was believed that the men were from "faraway places" (though from where is not specified). In this case, they could be "auxiliary troops", fighting on behalf of the Sumerians. If it's true that they are indeed allies of the Sumerians, fighting and dying on their behalf, and they're the ones escorting the prisoners, why are they not shown in the top register where the prisoners are being presented to the king? Notice how the man on the far right has bleeding wounds on his head and chest. The soldier second to his left also has a head wound. If they are really allied soldiers, they're the only ones of the victorious army to be wounded in the battle; not a single Sumerian soldier has a scratch on him. Does this suggest that the allied soldiers are somehow inferior fighters compared to the Sumerians? Is it really the artist's intent to be so needlessly insulting to the Sumerian allies? Also, there are already depictions of the enemy being taken prisoner in this register, and the prisoners are displayed again in the top register; so why belabor the point by showing yet another scene of the prisoners being escorted from the battlefield?
Besides, prisoners are always led back behind the lines where they can be processed and guarded. They are never led forward of the battle line, deeper into their own territory.
There are two other very important points that need to be considered: First of all, if these men are the auxiliary troops of the Sumerians, why are they not seen in action against the enemy? It is only the Sumerian soldiers who are seen fighting the battle, killing the enemy soldiers and taking them prisoner. Is it really the sole duty of the auxiliary troops to merely "escort" the prisoners from the field after the battle has been won by the Sumerians? Secondly, if they are auxiliary troops, why are they seen at the front of the battle line, ahead of the Sumerians? Pictorally, it seems as if they have already fought the battle and taken their prisoners, and they're calmly strolling off the battlefield, while the Sumerians are behind them, still engaged in combat, still taking prisoners, and still involved in some kind of "mopping up" operation. Why would any Sumerian artist portray the Sumerian soldiers in such a subordinate role?
There's another explanation for the scene above that makes more sense. These men are not the "allies" of the Sumerians; they are the enemy, running away from the battlefield. The ones who are naked are the ones who have been wounded. (Not just the prisoners, but all the dead and wounded enemies on the Standard of Ur are shown as naked, like those who are being trampled beneath the charging chariots (see below) even though they are technically not "prisoners".) These men have already lost the battle, so it's inevitable that they be shown in full retreat. It's what one would expect to see in this portion of the panel. Rather than the battle scene being truncated by an unnecessary depiction of the prisoners being escorted from the battlefield, this interpretation makes the battle scene complete: The Sumerians attack the enemy. They defeat the enemy in battle. The enemy runs away.
In the above scene, some of the men are wounded and some of them are not. Some of the men still have their weapons, while others have thrown theirs away in panic. One wounded enemy soldier casts a horrified glance back at what is happening to his comrades, while all of the others face in the opposite direction, looking to escape. All except for one; he is an enemy officer grabbing a running soldier, trying to prevent his men from fleeing the battlefield.
Wounded enemy soldier. On the Standard of Ur, bleeding wounds are depicted by the simple artistic device of drawing a few wavy lines.
The reason why some of the enemy soldiers are clothed is because it would have been pointless to depict all of the enemy soldiers as naked. Otherwise, how could the viewer know who they are? All naked men pretty much look alike. Since all the faces on the Standard of Ur are drawn the same, the way to identify the enemy is by his clothing. The angled-skirt is the uniform of the enemy. A modern viewer might not be able to identify the enemy by his distinctive angled-skirt, but a Sumerian certainly could.
This brings us back again to the captured enemy king. Take another look at the picture below. Despite the damaged condition of the figure, it is clear that the skirt he wears beneath his robe is unlike the Sumerian "fringed skirt" worn by the soldier standing next to him. It is the same "angled-skirt" worn by the enemy soldiers running away from the battlefield. Notice how it is angled up in the middle and how it matches that of the wounded enemy soldier pictured above. The fringe of the skirt is also angled upwards. It's finer than the fringe worn by the Sumerians, and the skirt matches several of the ones worn by the enemy in the retreat scene above. When this figure was new, it would have been obvious to any Sumerian viewer that this is the captured king whose troops were defeated on the battlefield.
The captured enemy king, escorted by a Sumerian soldier.
The final proof that the angled-skirt is the uniform of the enemy is seen in the picture above. Note how the fringe on the skirt taken from the prisoner matches that of the enemy soldiers and the captured king shown above.
Note: It has never been pointed out before, but notice the position of the prisoner’s hand, tucked inside his right armpit. This isn't just the way he fell. The same gesture is also performed by the servant in the presence of the king (on the Peace side of the standard) and by a member of the religious procession. It is also seen in many other Sumerian works of art. The gesture is always performed in the same manner, with the left hand tucked under the right armpit and the right arm folded. It has always been assumed that the meaning of this gesture is unknown. I believe it is nothing more than a gesture of submission and obedience. In this particular case, it is also a gesture of surrender.
There's another place where you can see this kind of angled-skirt. It is (appropriately enough) on the other side of the Standard of Ur. Take a look at the "peace side" of the standard. The second register shows a procession where the people bring forth the abundance of the Land; sheep, cattle, goats, fish, etc. The scene depicted is part of a religious ceremony, led by a man with his hands held in the "prayer position". The procession is a thanksgiving celebration to mark the victory of the king.
The man on the top right has his hands folded in prayer. Note the gesture of obedience by the man on the bottom right.
The people bring forth their goods voluntarily, and all the men depicted are Sumerian; except for one. Second from the left is a man with curly hair, which is different than the Sumerians, who have clean-shaven heads. He wears a different kind of belt and he also wears a shorter skirt, since it cannot be seen hanging beneath the ram that he is herding. He has always been described as the man who represents the people from "faraway places" who are the friends and allies of the Sumerians.
Now look at the bottom register. There you will see many men who wear the distinctive angled-skirt. These are the defeated enemy. The goods they carry are not voluntary contributions, but tribute; which is only to be expected. They lost the battle on the "war side" of the Standard of Ur, so it's inevitable that they be seen on the "flip side" of the standard carrying tribute to the victors. The fact that almost all of the men in this procession are the defeated enemy, who are burdened like pack animals carrying many kinds of goods, indicates that they are providing a lot of tribute. It demonstrates to the Sumerian people that the king has done his job of protecting them from their enemies and providing them with tribute from the hostile foreign lands. Scenes of the defeated enemy bearing tribute to the conquering king are depicted a thousand times in the ancient world.
Only the defeated enemies in the procession carry a burden. None of the Sumerians carry a load; not even the donkeys carry a burden.
Which brings us back to the man who is supposed to represent the people from faraway places who are the friends and allies of the Sumerians. He, too, is a defeated enemy. His curly hair and "double belt" matches the appearance of many of the men bearing tribute. His angled-skirt is hidden behind the ram he is herding.
End panel, the Standard of Ur, "war side":
The enemy in the angled-skirt is also portrayed on one of the end panels of the Standard of Ur. The end panels have always been described as “fanciful scenes”, but perhaps they have a deeper meaning.
In the top register, a ram is feeding on the high branches of a tree. This image occurs on many Sumerian artifacts, and it seemed to be symbolic of Sumer itself. (The identity of the damaged creature on the right, with hooved feet and a tail, isn't known. It may be a "bull/man", a recurring figure in Sumerian mythology.)
In the middle register, a Sumerian boy is making a ceremonial offering to the ram. Then the enemy in the angled-skirt shows up. He has curly hair and a beard. It’s not exactly clear what he is doing with the ram. The object that he holds in his hand has been damaged, but the end of it looks like the pommel of a sword or a dagger. It seems the blade goes across the body of the ram in the same way the spear points appear across the cloaks of the Sumerian soldiers (unless it is merely a stripe on the ram's fur). The enemy symbolically enacts the provocations that led to the war.
Then in the the last register the ram is missing (?) and the tree is flanked with two images of Anzud, the lion-headed eagle, attacking a man-headed bull, suggestive of “war”. It seems that the end panels, like the front and back of the standard, also represent “war” and “peace”.
End panel from the Standard of Ur, "Peace": In the top register are two flowering plants with the eight-pointed rosettes so symbolically important to the Sumerians. In the middle register, a ram (its horns damaged) is being stalked by a leopard. Then the ram is seen having escaped the danger.
Click on the next three chariot images to see high-resolution photographs of them.
The Sumerian war chariots attack:
Sumerian chariot: It has never been pointed out before, but the "spear" at the bottom of the rack is actually a mace (war club). The shaft is thicker, and the head is different than the spears pictured above it. This was less obvious in the low-resolution photos of the standard that were previously available. In modern drawings of ancient Sumerian war chariots, even those that are accurate in every other detail, the mace is never shown. Notice the rein post and rings, used to separate the reins of the horses. The driver of the chariot is sitting down, which explains why he looks so "portly". All the other drivers are standing up, like the one pictured below. At first, this doesn't make any sense; chariots don't have seats. I would suggest he is sitting on the railing of the chariot, perhaps leaning over the side so he can get a better look at what's happening ahead. He seems rather nonchalant going into combat sitting down, until it's realized he's in the last chariot in the battle line, and he hasn't yet reached attack speed, like the other chariots.
I reconstructed this chariot scene to compensate for the damage done to the figures. I also reconstructed the next two chariot scenes. Of the four chariots depicted on the bottom register of the Standard of Ur, only this one is usable in its original form; even though it is also heavily damaged. This is the first time in more than 4,500 years that the chariots can be seen in something resembling their original condition. See Sumerian war chariots for more details on the reconstruction process, and for some more high-resolution pictures.
War chariot in action. An enemy soldier is trampled beneath the horses' hooves, while a Sumerian soldier prepares to finish him off with a spear.
The chariot attack begins slowly. The chariot horses start out in a canter, the driver on the left is casually sitting down. Then the horses are running, trampling over the body of a fallen enemy soldier. . .
Then the horses are at a full gallop, piling up more bodies. Finally, they rear up victoriously over the vanquished enemy. Compare the dynamic realism of this chariot attack to the more stilted and formalized attack scene of Ramses II which was done 1,200 years later.
In the battle depicted on the Standard of Ur, it seems the chariots were used to pursue and kill the defeated enemy. Pictorially, at least, it appears that the enemy had already been routed by the infantry, and then the chariots were sent in to run down the fleeing soldiers.
There is one more aspect of the Standard of Ur that needs to be considered: Where is the Sumerian king during the battle scenes? Is the king just the passive, wooden figurehead at the top of the standard, aloof from the battle?
In a high-resolution photograph, the king is shown wearing a helmet and armor. He also holds a spear and he carries a weapon (either a battleaxe or a sickle sword) across his shoulder, indicating that he has been in combat. (see The "Standard" of Ur for the identity of the object on his spear).
It must be remembered that this was back in the day when kings did not just reign, they ruled. They were not only administrators, they were also warriors. Back then, a king could not get the respect of his people, nor could he control his ambitious lords, unless he proved himself to be a brave warrior and a capable general. These were real men, who led their soldiers from the front. Three hundred years after the Standard of Ur was created, King Ur-Namma would die of wounds received in combat, as would many other kings, all across the world, until early in the 18th century A.D. On his Victory Stele, King Eannatum shows himself leading his men into battle on foot and in a chariot. Would the king on the Standard of Ur do anything less? It would be surprising not to see him engaged in heroic combat during the battle. So where is the Sumerian king in the battle scenes?
I would suggest he is the one driving the chariot, just like King Eannatum, even though he wears no royal insignia (in the top register, his only royal trappings is his robe, which he wouldn't wear in combat). He is, of course, the one in the lead chariot. He's not only driving it, he is also wielding a weapon (because of the damage to the figure, it's impossible to tell if it is a mace or a battleaxe). The reason why the king's chariot is prominently displayed in the upper register is to show that he has used it. It’s interesting to note that the profile of the driver in the lead chariot looks most like the king's profile on the standard's "Peace side". Not too much stock can be put into this, however, since the faces on the standard (and in Sumerian art in general) are “generic”, and not meant to be recognizable portraits of individual men. Nonetheless, it seems more than a coincidence that the king looks most like the man in the lead chariot, which is exactly where one would expect the king to be.
The king's profile(s). Peace side, left; and war side.
Another indication that the king is in the lead chariot can be found in a minor difference between the king's chariot and the three others:
The king's chariot: All of the war chariots have a distinctive double-curve at the top. The king's chariot also has a peak on top of the front panel, which is best seen in an enlargement. Though it is shown on the side of the chariot, the peaked panel actually represents the front of the chariot, which normally cannot be seen when the chariot is viewed from the side, but it's been turned toward the viewer to show its shape. This peaked panel makes the king's chariot distinctive from all the others.
The front panels on the other three chariots have straight-line tops that are angled down and forward. The angle of the straight line is also seen on the top of the only undamaged decorative panel (left).
In the chariot attack scene, only the lead chariot has a front panel that has an upward angle on top similar to the peak on the king's chariot. This upward angle is also shown on the bottom of the weapons cluster and on the decorative panel of the chariot.
The lead chariot (partially restored). Click on the picture to see a high-resolution photograph. Click here to see it in its original condition.
There are two arguments that can be made against the supposition that the king is in the lead chariot. First of all, the chariot doesn't have the diagonal "double lines" seen on the top front of the king's chariot. This may be a simplification on the part of the artist, since the all of the chariots in the bottom register are drawn at a smaller scale and thus their front panels are not as highly detailed. In this case, the peak of the weapons chamber is sufficient to suggest that this is the king's chariot, and the double lines are represented abstractly on the smaller scale of the decorative panel. These aren't "cookie cutter" chariots. They were each individually produced, and they are not exactly alike in all of their details and dimensions; but it seems a deliberate effect that the front panel of the lead chariot, the king's chariot, is different from all the others. The peaked panel is also seen on King Eannatum's chariot; it's what distinguishes the king's chariot from all the others.
Secondly, the king is not drawn larger than normal, like on the top registers of the War and Peace sides of the standard. This could mean that the charioteer is just a regular man, and therefore not a king. Or perhaps this is because the king is already standing up in the chariot, and it would be awkward to show him as any taller. The height of the king is restricted by the decorative borders above and below him. It seems the artist of the Standard of Ur made every attempt to portray the battle scenes realistically. Perhaps he didn't feel compelled to draw the king abnormally large, as was the artistic convention of the time, because he had already done it twice on other parts of the standard, and he wanted the battle scene to look authentic. In forgoing making the king larger than normal, the artist of the Standard of Ur created the first realistic battle scene in all of history.
King Eannatum: Detail from the "Vulture Stele". Click on the picture to enlarge it.
On the Vulture Stele, King Eannatum leads his troops to victory on foot and in a chariot. He is also shown carrying a sickle sword. It seems that the Standard of Ur uses the same format to depict the king's role in the battle scenes. This picture shows a Sumerian "soldier" taking an enemy prisoner. The Sumerian soldier is the first one shown, in the vanguard of the battle, at the head of his troops. This would indicate that he is the infantry commander. He also carries a sickle sword, just like King Eannatum. He's the only soldier on the Standard of Ur with a sickle sword. As explained in Weapons, the Royal Tombs of Ur, the sickle sword is a symbol of royalty. The only two other known examples of Sumerians carrying sickle swords are kings. I would therefore suggest that this is a picture of the Sumerian king. Just like King Eannatum, he personally leads his troops to victory on foot and in a chariot. Further proof of this is the fact that the enemy prisoner performs the "gesture of submission", which is performed in the presence of a king.
It may be argued that this is just a general at the head of troops, and not the king himself; and the man in the lead chariot is simply the commander of the charioteers. I would suggest that if the generals are represented in the battle scenes, they would be shown following the king. The king would always be in the lead, on foot and in a chariot. Like the Vulture Stele, the Standard of Ur is all about The King. So it seems too unlikely that the king would be so conspicuously absent from the battle scenes. It's far more likely that he's been there all along. When you come to think about it, of course it's the king at the head of his troops leading his soldiers into battle. After all, who else could it be? Of course it's the king in the lead chariot, his horses rearing up victoriously over the vanquished enemy. It cannot be anyone else.
When the above picture is expanded, we can see the skill of the artist on the Standard of Ur in depicting realistic battle scenes:
The king in battle: The king has just fought against an enemy soldier; wounded him, taken him prisoner, and stripped off his clothes. Brandishing a sword, the king already has his eye on the next man he will attack. The man is starting to run away, looking back at the king in mortal terror. This is the pivotal point of the battle. Right here, at the point of the king's sword, is where the enemy loses the battle. Here is where the rout begins. Ancient wars were often depicted with the opposing kings engaged in individual combat (whether or not it really happened during the battle). Therefore, the fallen enemy "soldier", who is gesturing surrender, is actually the enemy king. The Sumerian king has the enemy king's skirt draped over his arm and he holds the robe in his hand (the enemy's clothes will later be restored to him when the prisoners are displayed in the top register, thus making him identifiable as the captured king.)Seeing their king fall would have started the rout of his men. In depictions of ancient warfare, a conquering king is never shown "wasting his time" battling a single low-ranking enemy soldier, so this no ordinary enemy private. Kings were always conscious of their rank; even in the heat of combat they preferred to fight against other high-ranking royals. In any case, the man who has just been defeated by the Sumerian king has to be important enough to warrant the king's attention, and important enough that seeing him fall would panic his men, thus causing the headlong retreat. This enemy king carried aloft his personal standard going into the battle. Now the fallen standard lies between his feet. This may be a depicition of a well-known event in the battle (long since forgotten) when the Sumerian king defeated his adversary in combat and thus won the war. The "dis-robing" of the defeated enemy king is symbolic of victory. Next, the Sumerian king will mount his chariot and run to ground the fleeing soldiers.
A summary of the new interpretation of the Standard of Ur, war side:
The man standing in front of the Sumerian king is the captured enemy king, since he is the first prisoner displayed and therefore the most important. His attire matches that of the enemy soldiers. Like the Sumerian king, he wears a robe and he carries a standard.
The next prisoner shown is probably a general, since the prisoners are displayed in the order of their rank and importance. All of the captives displayed in the upper register are important high-ranking noblemen. It's probable that they will later be executed.
The small “man” walking in front of the king’s horses is actually a boy, the royal prince, the son of the Sumerian king. He's "playing soldier", imitating the men in front of him.
The men standing behind the Sumerian king may also be his sons.
The infantrymen in the spotted cloaks are probably common soldiers. They are not "marching" to the battle. They are already on the attack, their spears leveled, in a phalanx formation. The soldiers with the armor draped across their shoulders are the high-ranking officers (noblemen).
In the battle, the infantry is used to rout the enemy, and then chariots are used to pursue the fleeing enemy soldiers.
The men in the “angled-skirts” are not auxiliary troops escorting prisoners from the battlefield. They are the enemy, running away from the Sumerian soldiers.
The men in the angled skirts are also shown in the religious procession on the “Peace side” of the standard, which marks the victory of the Sumerian king. They are not the “people from faraway places” who are the friends and allies of the Sumerians, bearing gifts of thanksgiving. They are the defeated enemy, bearing tribute to the victorious Sumerian king.
The enemy in the angled-skirt also shows up on one of the end panels of the Standard of Ur, symbolically enacting the provocations that led to the war.
The end panels, like the front and back of the standard, also represent War and Peace. They are not just "fanciful scenes".
The gesture of holding one hand under the armpit, heretofore unexplained, is a gesture of submission and obedience. It is also a gesture of surrender, as performed by the captured prisoner seen above.
The prisoner taken by the Sumerian king is actually the enemy king himself, who was defeated in individual combat by the Sumerian king.
The Sumerian king carries a sickle sword, a symbol of royalty. None of the other soldiers carry a sword.
The driver of the lefthand chariot in the attack scene is sitting down, which makes him seem shorter and heavier than he really is. The "spear" at the bottom of the weapons cluster is actually a mace.
The peaked front panel on the lead chariot in the attack scene proves it is the king's chariot.
The Sumerian king is not just the stiff, formal figurehead at the top of the panel. He is shown in the battle scenes, on foot and in a chariot, engaged in heroic combat against the enemy.
The king of the Standard of Ur. The King of War. The King of Peace. It's not known who he is.
