Battle of Dagorlad

The Battle of Dagorlad occurred in the year 3434 of the Second Age. It was fought between the army of the Last Alliance under Gil-galad and Elendil and an army of Orcs and other creatures loyal to Sauron. The battle took place on the great, treeless, open plain between Emyn Muil and Cirith Gorgor. The army of the Last Alliance won the battle and was able to attack the Morannon, the entrance to Sauron's land of Mordor. Later, in the Third Age, the Dagorlad was the site of many battles between Gondor and various Easterling armies.

By some unknown means, many of the bodies of those slain in the battle on both sides came to occupy the marshes at the foot of Emyn Muil, and were preserved nearly intact for several millennia. The area had long been known as the Dead Marshes by the time Frodo crossed it at the end of the Third Age.

The word dagorlad means 'battle plain' in the Sindarin language.

Note: In Peter Jackson's movie adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, Dagorlad is misspelled as Dagorland on various maps shown in the films and in the appendices of the special extended DVD editions.