List of kings of Mari
The city of Mari in modern Syria was ruled by several dynasties in the Bronze Age. The history of the city is divided into three kingdoms.
The first kingdom
The Sumerian King List (SKL) records a dynasty of six kings from Mari enjoying hegemony between the dynasty of Adab and the dynasty of Kish.[1] The names of the Mariote kings were damaged on the early copies of the list,[2] and those kings were correlated with historical kings that belonged to the second kingdom.[3] However, an undamaged copy of the list that date to the old Babylonian period was discovered in Shubat-Enlil,[2] and the names bears no resemblance to any of the historically attested monarchs of the second kingdom,[2] indicating that the compilers of the list had an older and probably a legendary dynasty in mind, that predate the second kingdom.[2]
Ruler | Length of reign | Notes | Epithet | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kings from the Sumerian King List | |||||
"Then Adab was defeated and the kingship was taken to Mari.[4]" | |||||
Anbu | 30 years | This name is also read as Ilshu.[5] | |||
Anba | 17 years | His epithet was given as "the son of Anbu" on the list.[4] | |||
Bazi | 30 years | His epithet was given as "the leatherworker" on the list.[4] | |||
Zizi | 20 years | His epithet was given as "the fuller" on the list.[4] | |||
Limer | 30 years | His epithet was given as "the 'gudug' priest" on the list.[note 1][4] | |||
Sharrum-iter | 9 years | ||||
"Then Mari was defeated and the kingship was taken to Kish.[4]" | |||||
The second kingdom
The chronological order of the kings from the second kingdom era is highly uncertain; nevertheless, it is assumed that the letter of Enna-Dagan lists them in a chronological order.[7] Many of the kings were attested through their own votive objects discovered in the city,[8][9] and the dates are highly speculative.[9]
Ruler | Length of reign | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
The second kingdom | |||||
Ikun-Shamash | Reigned before the reign of Ur-Nanshe of Lagash.[1] | ||||
Ikun-Shamagan | c. 2453 BC | His name was inscribed on a votive statue offered by his official "Shibum".[12] | |||
Ansud | c. 2423–2416 BC | His name is inscribed on a jar (as Hanusum) sent to Mari by Mesannepada of Ur.[3][2] The name was read by Pettinato as Anubu.[13][14] | |||
Saʿumu | c. 2416–2400 BC | He was attested in Enna-Dagan's letter as conquering many lands.[15] | |||
Išhtup-Išar | c. 2400 BC | He was attested in Enna-Dagan's letter as conquering Emar and other Eblaite vassals.[15] | |||
Ikun-Mari | This name is inscribed on a jar in Mari.[16] | ||||
Iblul-Il | c. 2380 BC | He forced Ebla to pay tribute.[15] | |||
Nizi | His reign lasted three years.[17] | ||||
Enna-Dagan | c. 2340 BC | He wrote a letter to Irkab-Damu of Ebla to assert Mari's authority.[18] | |||
Ikun-Ishar | c. 2320 BC | He is attested in the Eblaite archives.[19] | |||
Hidar | c. 2300 BC | He is attested in the archives of Ebla, which was destroyed during his reign.[20] | |||
Ishqi-Mari | c. 2300 BC | His name was previously read as Lamgi-Mari.[21] Hypothetically the last king before the conquests of the Akkadian Empire.[22] | |||
The third kingdom
The third kingdom was ruled by two dynasties: the Shakkanakkus and the Lim. For the Shakkanakkus, the lists are incomplete and after Hanun-Dagan who ruled at the end of the Ur era c. 2008 BC (c. 1920 BC Short chronology), they become full of lacunae.[23] Roughly 13 more Shakkanakkus succeeded Hanun-Dagan but only few are known, with the last known one reigning not too long before the reign of Yaggid-Lim who founded the Lim dynasty in c. 1830 BC, which was interrupted by Assyrian occupation in 1796–1776 BC.[24][25]
Ruler | Length of reign | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Shakkanakkus | |||||
Ididish | c. 2266–2206 BC | ||||
Shu-Dagan | c. 2206–2200 BC | He was the son of Ididish.[26] | |||
Ishma-Dagan | c. 2199–2154 BC | He ruled for 45 years.[27][28] | |||
Nûr-Mêr | c. 2153–2148 BC | He was the son of Ishme-Dagan.[27] | |||
Ishtup-Ilum | c. 2147–2136 BC | He was the brother of Nûr-Mêr, and son of Ishme-Dagan.[27] | |||
Ishgum-Addu | c. 2135–2127 BC | He reigned for eight years.[27] | |||
Apîl-kîn | c. 2126–2091 BC | He was the son of Ishgum-Addu.[27][29] Was designated with the royal title Lugal in a votive inscription set by his daughter.[30] | |||
Iddin-El | c. 2090–2085 BC | His name is also read as Iddi-Ilum; his name was inscribed on his votive statue.[31] | |||
Ili-Ishar | c. 2084–2072 BC | His name is inscribed on a brick.[32] | |||
Tura-Dagan | c. 2071–2051 BC | He was the son of Apîl-kîn and the brother of Ili-Ishar.[33] | |||
Puzur-Ishtar | c. 2050–2025 BC | He was the son of Turam-Dagan.[27] Used the royal title.[34] | |||
Hitlal-Erra | c. 2024–2017 BC | He was the son of Puzur-Ishtar.[35] Used the royal title.[34] | |||
Hanun-Dagan | c. 2016–2008 BC | He was the son of Puzur-Ishtar.[36] Used the royal title.[34] | |||
Isi-Dagan | c. 2000 BC | This name is inscribed on a seal.[37] | |||
Ennin-Dagan | He was the son of Isi-Dagan.[38] | ||||
Itur-(...) | This name is damaged, a gap separate him from Ennin-Dagan.[24] | ||||
Amer-Nunu | This name is inscribed on a seal.[39][40] | ||||
Tir-Dagan | He was the son of Itur-(...).[41] | ||||
Dagan-(...) | This name is damaged and is the last attested Shakkanakku.[42] | ||||
The Lim dynasty | |||||
Yaggid-Lim | c. 1830–1820 BC | He may have ruled in Suprum rather than in Mari.[43][44] | |||
Yahdun-Lim | c. 1820–1798 BC | ||||
Sumu-Yamam | c. 1798–1796 BC | ||||
Assyrian period | |||||
Yasmah-Adad | c. 1796–1776 BC | He was the son of Shamshi-Adad I of Assyria.[45] | |||
Ishar-Lim | c. 1776 BC | He was an Assyrian official who usurped the throne for a few months between Yasmah-Adad's escape and Zimri-Lim's arrival.[46] | |||
Lim restoration | |||||
Zimri-Lim | c. 1776–1761 BC |
Notes
- Gudug was a rank in the hierarchy of the Mesopotamian temple workers, a guduj priest was not specialized to a certain deity cult, and served in many temples.[6]
References
Citations
- Haldar 1971, p. 16.
- Astour 2002, p. 58.
- Liverani 2013, p. 117.
- Cohen 2013, p. 148.
- Kramer 2010, p. 329.
- Black et al. 2004, p. 112.
- Frayne 2008, p. 293–298.
- Frayne 2008, p. 293–298.
- Hamblin 2006, p. 244.
- Spycket, Agnès (1981). Handbuch der Orientalistik (in French). BRILL. pp. 87–89. ISBN 978-90-04-06248-1.
- Parrot, André (1953). "Les fouilles de Mari Huitième campagne (automne 1952)" (PDF). Syria. 30 (3/4): 196–221. doi:10.3406/syria.1953.4901. ISSN 0039-7946. JSTOR 4196708.
- Cooper 1986, p. 87.
- Astour 2002, p. 57.
- Frayne 2008, p. 299.
- Liverani 2013, p. 119.
- Frayne 2008, p. 315.
- Frayne 2008, p. 333.
- Roux 1992, p. 142.
- Frayne 2008, p. 337.
- Frayne 2008, p. 339.
- Heimpel 2003, p. 3.
- Bretschneider, Van Vyve & Leuven 2009, p. 5.
- Frayne 1990, p. 593.
- Frayne 1990, p. 597.
- Bertman 2005, p. 87.
- Leick 2002, p. 152.
- Oliva 2008, p. 86.
- Leick 2002, p. 81.
- Leick 2002, p. 18.
- Michalowski 1995, p. 187.
- Leick 2002, p. 76.
- Leick 2002, p. 78.
- Leick 2002, p. 168.
- Oliva 2008, p. 91.
- Oliva 2008, p. 92.
- Leick 2002, p. 67.
- Frayne 1990, p. 594.
- Frayne 1990, p. 596.
- Oliva 2008, p. 87.
- Frayne 1990, p. 598.
- Frayne 1990, p. 599.
- Frayne 1990, p. 600.
- Porter 2012, p. 31.
- Feliu 2003, p. 86.
- Tetlow 2004, p. 125.
- Dalley 2002, p. 143.
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