Dudu of Akkad

Dudu (Sumerian: ๐’บ๐’บ, du-du) was a 22nd-century BC king of the Akkadian Empire, who reigned for 21 years according to the Sumerian king list.

Dudu
"Dudu the Great King of Akkad"
๐’บ๐’บ ๐’•๐’ˆ ๐’ˆ— ๐’€€๐’‚ต๐’‰ˆ๐’† 
du-du da-num lugal a-ga-de3{ki}
on an alabaster vase fragment, Louvre Museum AO 6773.[1]
King of the Akkadian Empire
Reignc. 2189  BC โ€“ 2169  BC
PredecessorIlulu
SuccessorShu-turul
IssueShu-turul

He is depicted as becoming king during the time of relative anarchy that had followed the death of Shar-Kali-Sharri.[2] The king list mentions four other figures who had been competing for the throne during a three-year period after Sharkalisharri's death. There are no other surviving records referencing any of these competitors, but a few artifacts with inscriptions confirming Dudu's rule over an Akkadian rump state that may have included little more than the capital, Akkad itself.[3] His inscriptions present him simply as "King of Akkad":

"Dudu the mighty, king of Agade: Amar-ลกuba the scribe (is) his servant."

โ€”โ€ŠSeal inscription of Amar-ลกuba found at Bismaya.[4][5]

He also seems to have campaigned against former Akkadian subjects to the south, including Girsu, Umma and Elam.[6] Dudu is said to have campaigned against Umma (vicinity of Girsu).[7] One inscription relates directly to his destruction of Girsu:

"To {d}inanna Iลกtar, Dudu, king of Agade, when Girsu he smote, from the booty of Girsu he dedicated it."

โ€”โ€ŠNippur fragment of Dudu.[4][8]

Dudu may also have campaigned against Elam, but this depends on a dubious interpretation of one of his year names.[9][7] Unlike preceding Akkadian kings, there are no certain "year names" known from this time, thus it is unlikely that Dudu could have actually reigned so long.

An alabaster vase in the Louvre Museum, since the year 2000,[10][11] has the following inscription:[12]

Alabaster vase of Dudu of Akkad, Louvre Museum AO 31549.[13][14]

๐’บ๐’บ ๐’•๐’ˆ ๐’ˆ— ๐’€€๐’‚ต๐’‰ˆ๐’†  ๐’€€๐’ˆพ ๐’€ญ๐’ŠŠ๐’€•๐’ƒฒ ๐’€€๐’‰ˆ๐’€๐’†  ๐’€€๐’ˆฌ๐’Š’ du-du da-num lugal a-ga-de3{ki} a-na {d}ne3-iri11-gal a-pi5-ak{ki} a mu-ru

"Dudu, the Great king of Akkad, for Nergal of Apiak has dedicated this"

โ€”โ€ŠVase of Dudu, King of Akkad, circa 2170 BC. Louvre Museum, AO 31549[4][15][16]

The inroads of the Gutians seem to have caused a fairly rapid collapse of Akkadian power during this period of instability, and it has even been suggested that one of the four named rivals for the throne, Ilulu, was himself a Gutian ruler. After this period, it seems Agade became much less important.[7]

Dudu was succeeded by his son Shu-turul per the king list, who became the last known king of the Akkadian Empire.

  • "Dudu, Great King of Akkad" (๐’บ๐’บ ๐’•๐’ˆ ๐’ˆ— ๐’€€๐’‚ต๐’‰ˆ๐’† , Du-du da-num lugal a-ga-de3(ki)) on the Dudu alabaster vase.
    "Dudu, Great King of Akkad" (๐’บ๐’บ ๐’•๐’ˆ ๐’ˆ— ๐’€€๐’‚ต๐’‰ˆ๐’† , Du-du da-num lugal a-ga-de3(ki)) on the Dudu alabaster vase.
  • King Dudu of Agade, complete alabaster vase inscription (transcription in standard Sumero-Akkadian cuneiform): "Dudu, the Great king of Akkad, for Nergal of Apiak has dedicated this".
    King Dudu of Agade, complete alabaster vase inscription (transcription in standard Sumero-Akkadian cuneiform): "Dudu, the Great king of Akkad, for Nergal of Apiak has dedicated this".[17]
  • Dudu in the Akkadian family tree
    Dudu in the Akkadian family tree

Sources
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dudu of Akkad.
  1. Thureau-Dangin, F. (Franรงois) (1918). La chronologie des dynasties de Sumer et d'Accad. Paris : Leroux. p. 63.
  2. The first great civilizations: life in Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, and Egypt by Jacquetta Hopkins Hawkes
  3. "CDLI-Found Texts". cdli.ucla.edu.
  4. Douglas R. Frayne, "Akkad", The Sargonic and Gutian Periods (2334-2113), pp. 5-218, University of Toronto Press, 1993, ISBN 0-8020-0593-4
  5. "CDLI-Archival View". cdli.ucla.edu.
  6. Gwendolyn Leick, 2002, Who's Who in the Ancient Near East, p. 49.
  7. "One of its kings, Dudu, campaigned against Umma and Susa, but Agade was thereafter an unimportant place, although attested into the Achaemenid period" in Research, American Schools of Oriental (1997). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East. Oxford University Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-19-511215-3.
  8. "CDLI-Archival View". cdli.ucla.edu.
  9. Potts, D. T. (1999). The Archaeology of Elam: Formation and Transformation of an Ancient Iranian State. Cambridge University Press. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-521-56496-0.
  10. "Site officiel du musรฉe du Louvre". cartelfr.louvre.fr.
  11. Formerly Collection Jean-Philippe Mariaud de Serres "CDLI-Archival View". cdli.ucla.edu.
  12. Delaporte, L. (2013). Mesopotamia. Routledge. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-136-19924-0.
  13. "Site officiel du musรฉe du Louvre". cartelfr.louvre.fr.
  14. "CDLI-Archival View". cdli.ucla.edu.
  15. "Site officiel du musรฉe du Louvre". cartelfr.louvre.fr.
  16. "CDLI-Archival View". cdli.ucla.edu.
  17. "CDLI-Archival View". cdli.ucla.edu.
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