GUTIANS
/ GUTIUM
The
Gutians (Guti, or sometimes Quti) were one of a number of people
who formed the population of ancient Mesopotamia. They occupied
the central Zagros Mountain range from the last few centuries
of the third millennium BC onwards, but nothing concrete is known
about their origins. They were not a tribe, as is often stated,
simply a collection of nomads who settled together and were later
branded under a single name.
For
around a generation they appeared in increasing numbers in Sumer
and Akkad as settlers, to the extent that they required the royal
appointment of an interpreter in Adab. The general region into
which they settled became known as Gutium (although there was
no single, fixed location by that name), but the settlers themselves
came to be referred to as the 'Guti Hordes', as they remained
anything but settled and productive new neighbours. Shortly after
about 2200 BC they swept down in force into southern and central
Mesopotamia, destroying the Akkadian empire at Agade, and subjugating
much of Sumer either directly or indirectly. Their numbers by
this stage must have been impressive, as the city states of Mesopotamia
were long used to fighting tooth-and-nail for regional domination,
and Akkad had become the biggest and strongest of them all.
The
Gutians based themselves near the ruins of Agade at the northern
edges of Sumer and pretty much due west of their Zagros Mountain
settlements. The cities in the south were able to enjoy a certain
level of freedom, and were able to manage their own affairs to
an extent. The Gutians proved to be very poor rulers of Sumer,
however. They were crude administrators, clearly not at all used
to the complexities of managing an urban society. Prosperity declined
alongside proper organisation, particularly in connection with
the canal network. This was allowed to sink into disrepair, with
famine and death resulting as crops failed. A short dark age swept
over Mesopotamia as a result of their arrival and dominance. It
was inevitable that they would be ejected.
The
questions surrounding Gutian origins have long existed. They may
have been an Indo-European people, although assigning them to
any specific group of Indo-Europeans requires some degree of speculation
as they arrived too early to be part of any of the usual waves
of Indo-European migration. There is the possibility, according
to some areas of scholarship (W B Henning especially), that they
were linguistically related to Tocharians (who ended up settling
around the Altai Mountains to the north-west of ancient China
- see feature link, right). This, though, would require an early
split from the main group of proto-Tocharians which itself split
away very early from the main Indo-European collective (something
like 4000-3500 BC). Access to the Near East at this time can only
have been via the Caucuses and eastern Anatolia, as the later
route for Indo-Aryans was still blocked by the Bactria-Margiana
Archaeological Complex. The length of time between split and arrival
suggests a long sojourn in Anatolia itself.
That
Anatolian route raises the possibility that they were part of
- or had travelled ahead of - the second division of Indo-Europeans
in the form of the Anatolian branch (see feature link). This would
also produce unique elements of language that would not be seen
in the main collective. The Gutians have also been linked to the
'Qutils', a group that has in turn been linked to the Mitanni
of the subsequent millennium, and to the modern-day Kurds as the
descendants of these ancient groups who occupied the same general
territory. However, the names of Gutian rulers that are shown
below exhibit almost no apparent Indo-European influence barring
two names, those of Inkishush and Iarlaganda. If the bulk of the
Gutians were Indo-Europeans then they were almost certainly being
dominated by a non-Indo-European elite.
According
to the Sumerian king list, a total of 21 kings (MS P4+Ha has 23)
ruled for 125 years and 40 days (MS P4+Ha has 99 years), once
(one dynasty) in the army of Gutium. This is the seventeenth set
of entries on the list comprising kings 98-118. Here, List 1 is
primarily used (with names in black in the list below), backed
up by List 2 (names in green) and List 3 (names in red - see Sumer
for further details). Dates are calculated back from circa 2120
BC, when the Gutians were ejected, and may not be entirely accurate.
(Information
by Peter Kessler, with additional information by Edward Dawson,
from The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character, Samuel
Noah Kramer (List 1 of Sumerian rulers, Phoenix Books, 1971),
from The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders
from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World, David W Anthony,
from Historical Atlas of the Ancient World, 4,000,000 to 500 BC,
John Haywood (Barnes & Noble, 2000), from Mesopotamia: Assyrians,
Sumerians, Babylonians (Dictionaries of Civilizations 1), Enrico
Ascalone (University of California Press, 2007), from The First
Empires, J N Postgate (Oxford, 1977), from A History of the Ancient
Near East c.3000-323 BC, Marc van der Mieroop (Blackwell Publishing,
2004, 2007), from The Sumerian Kings List: Translation, J A Black,
G Cunningham, E Fluckiger-Hawker, E Robson, and G Zólyomi
(List 2 of Sumerian rulers, via The Electronic Text Corpus of
Sumerian Literature, Oxford, 1998), from Earth's Ancient History:
A Theory About Ancient Times, L C Gerts (List 4 of Sumerian rulers,
Chapter 12: The Sumerian king list, 2002), from Indo-European
Etymological Dictionary, J Pokorny (online database which updates
Pokorny's Indogermanisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch), and
from External Links: Ancient Worlds, and Ancient History, Anthony
Michael Love (List 3 of Sumerian rulers at Sarissa.org (dead link),
and Peering at the Tocharians through Language (Borderless Blogger),
and The United Sites of Indo-Europeans, and Linguistics Research
Center (University of Texas at Austin), and Indo-European Chronology
- Countries and Peoples, and Indo-European Etymological Dictionary,
and Encyclopaedia Iranica.)
c.2350
BC :
The
short-lived empire of Lugalannemundu of Adab subjects the Gutians.
The latter can only recently have arrived in the Zagros Mountains
and have been settling the less hostile areas, probably in a series
of small, interconnected settlements which nevertheless would
seem to be able to muster enough of a military threat that the
more established city states feel they need to impose control
over them.
![](MapSumer01.jpg)
The
Sumer into which the Gutians gatecrashed was formed by a complex
network of city states and canals
fl c.2300
BC :
Sarlak
: Ruled in the Gutian mountain homelands.
Sargon
of the Akkadian empire claims to be the first king to unite Mesopotamia
(Sumer and Akkad), although Enshakushanna of Uruk has already achieved
that. However, his many campaigns include one feat not achieved
before, mounting seemingly successful attacks against the Gutians
who are being lead by their ruler, Sarlak.
fl
c.2220 - 2211 BC :
Eridu-pizir
: Not on the king list. Claimed inheritance of Akkadian
titles.
c.2210
BC :
Marhashi overruns
Elam for a time, and unites eastern efforts in fighting against
the Akkadian empire. A battle is fought near Akshak, at the confluence
of the Diyala and Tigris rivers between the two states. One of
the Marhashi ruler's daughters is married to Sharkalisharri of
Agade or his son, perhaps as a consequence of the battle, and
as a sign of renewed ties of peace.
The
episode, though, may be a sign of growing Akkadian weakness, although
the Gutians are not yet in a position to take advantage. Eridu-pizir
is shown on inscriptions as the Gutian who loses domination over
the Lullubi of northern Mesopotamia.
![](Sumer_Akkad_SargonI_01_full.jpg)
Sargon
the Great, the warrior king of apparently humble origins, unified
Sumer for the first time in recorded history through a series of
campaigns and the defeat of the current holder of Sumer's equivalent
of a high kingship
fl c.2216/15
BC :
(Nameless
king) / (No king was famous) : Ruled
for ?/3/5/4 years.
fl c.2211
BC :
Imta
/ (No data) : Ruled for 3
years.
Inkishush
/ Inkicuc / Inkishu
: Ruled for 6/7 years.
fl c.2208
BC :
The
name Inkishush has the appearance of being of Indo-Aryan origin.
The first part, 'ink-', may be cognate with 'ang-', and therefore
with the Norse name, Ingo, via the early Germanic links with satem-speaking
East Indo-Europeans. Those same satem-speaking Indo-Europeans may
be having a minor impact here, although specifics are unavailable.
fl c.2202
BC :
Sarlagab
/ Zarlagab / Nikilligab
: Ruled for 6 years.
fl c.2196
BC :
Shulme
/ Culme / Yarlagac : Ruled
for 6 years.
c.2193
BC :
The Gutians
overthrow Elam and sweep through Sumer, effectively destroying
the Akkadian empire, and ending Sumerian/Akkadian domination of
the region. They also defeat Uruk, with Sumerian records stating
that they carry off the kingship (in other words, that they are
the dominant force). Sumerians view them as being uncouth foreign
barbarians.
Both
Sumer and Egypt endure a short dark age at this time which would
seem to be climate-induced, indicating that the city states are
weak at this time anyway. Very little is known about Akkad until
around 2100 BC. It is from this point that the Gutian kings are
recorded in more detail (although some lists place Shulme after
Imta, missing out Inkishush and Sarlagab).
![](Sumer_Gudea01_full.jpg)
A
figurine of Gudea of Lagash, who came to prominence in southern
Mesopotamia, for the most part outside of direct Gutian rule but
still subject to its influence
The
king list now states: 'Who was king? Who was not king? Igigi the
king; Nanum, the king; Imi the king; Elulu, the king - the four
of them were kings but reigned only three years' (see the rump post-Gutian
state of Agade, as these all rule briefly there as civil war apparently
grips the city). In the north the Hurrians arise as a notably separate
group which begins to dominate the upper Tigris Valley and the upper
Euphrates.
fl c.2190 BC :
Elulumesh / Silulumec
/ Silulu : Ruled
for 6/7 years.
fl c.2184 BC :
Inimbakesh
/ Inimabakec / Duga :
Ruled for 5/6
years.
fl c.2179 BC :
Igeshaush / Igecauc (or
Ilu-an?) : Ruled
for 6 (or 3)
years.
fl c.2173 BC :
Iarlagab / Yarlagab :
Ruled for 15/5
years.
fl c.2158 BC :
Ibate :
Ruled for 3 years.
fl c.2155 BC :
? / Yarla / Yarlangab?
/ Iarlagash :
Ruled for 3 years.
fl c.2152 BC :
Kurum : Ruled for 1/3 years.
fl c.2151 BC :
?
/ Apil-kin :
Ruled for 3 years.
fl c.2148 BC :
? / La-erabum? :
Ruled for 2 years.
fl c.2146 BC :
Irarum :
Ruled for 2 years.
fl c.2144 BC :
Ibranum :
Ruled for 1 year.
fl c.2143 BC :
Hablum : Ruled for 2 years.
fl c.2141 BC :
Puzur-Sin / Puzur-Suen
: Son. Ruled
for 7 years.
c.2138
BC :
The city of
Kissura (the modern archaeological site of Tell Abu Hatab) establishes
its own kingship for the first time, after around six hundred
years of occupation of the site and dominance by larger cities
around it. This break from its traditional position may be a result
of weakening Gutian influence in the region. Gudea of Lagash (an
interesting figure with the 'gut-' of Gutian in his name) also
rises to prominence in the south, but probably still subject to
Gutian influence.
![](Iran_ZagrosMountains01_full.jpg)
The
Zagros Mountain range provided the Gutians with their home, from
their assumed arrival in the region around the period between
2450-2350 BC onwards, as it did the later Medes and Persians
fl c.2134
BC :
Iarlaganda
/ Yarlaganda : Ruled for 7
years. Indo-Aryan name influences?
fl c.2127
BC :
? /
Si'um / Si-u : Ruled for 7 years. Name found on inscription.
fl c.2120
BC :
?
/ Tiriga / Tirigan
: Ruled for 40 days. Gutians ejected from Sumer.
c.2120
BC :
Utuhegal,
king of Erech (Uruk) throws out the Gutians once and for all, claiming
the kingship. Seemingly unable to retaliate or so broken that they
have been destroyed as a fighting force, they retreat back into
the mountains.
c.1764
BC :
A major invasion
of southern Mesopotamia by a coalition army of Elamites, Assyrians,
Gutians and Eshnunnians is defeated and crushed. The region sinks
into historical obscurity for many centuries, but later provides
a home to new arrivals such as the Mannaeans, Medes, and Parsua.
During the seventh century BC, it is conquered by the Cimmerians,
who are acclaimed by Assyria as rulers of 'Qutium' (Gutium - same
name, perhaps slightly different pronunciation or writing style).
During
the sixth century BC Gutium it appears to be a district or province
of the Babylonian empire, and following conquest by the Persians
in 539 BC it seems briefly to be governed by the aged General Ugbaru,
following his part in turning Babylonia into the Persian satrapy
of Babirush (it has been the case in the past that this Ugbaru has
been identified as the first satrap there, but see Satrap Gaubaruva
for an examination of this). The Gutians survive as a recognisable
group - despite the term evolving into a more generalised branding
for any group of hostile barbarian - but they never again amount
to anything of consequence.
Source
:
https://www.historyfiles.co.uk/
KingListsMiddEast/Mesopotamia
Gutium.htm
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