ISHME-DAGAN
I
Reign
: c. 1775–1765 BC Išši’ak, Aššur
Preceded by : Shamshi-Adad
I
Succeeded by : Mut-Ashkur
Akkadian : Išme-Dagan I
Father : Shamshi-Adad I
Regnal
titles of Ishme-Dagan I : 1st Emperor of Assyria and 13th
King of Old Assyria
Ishme-Dagan
I (Akkadian: Išme-Dagan) was a monarch of Ekallatum and Assur
during the Old Assyrian period. The much later Assyrian King List
(AKL) credits Ishme-Dagan I with a reign of forty years; however,
it is now known from a limmu-list of eponyms unearthed at Kanesh
in 2003 that his reign in Assur lasted eleven years. According to
the AKL, Ishme-Dagan I was the son and successor of Shamshi-Adad
I. Also according to the AKL, Ishme-Dagan I was succeeded by his
son Mut-Ashkur.
Biography
:
Family :
![](Third_Mari.png)
A map of the Ancient Near East showing the geopolitical situation
around the Assur (light brown) near contemporary great powers such
as: Eshnunna (light blue), Yamhad (dark blue), Qatna (dark brown),
the First Dynasty of Babylon (yellow), and the Third Mariote Kingdom
(shortly before the conquest of the long-abandoned town of Shubat-Enlil
c. 1808 BCE by the Amorite conqueror Shamshi-Adad I.)
Ishme-Dagan I's father, Shamshi-Adad I, was an Amorite king, originally
of Terqa (in Syria), who seized control of Assyria around 1808 BCE.
Shamshi-Adad
I ruled from Shubat-Enlil. Shamshi-Adad I placed his oldest son
(Ishme-Dagan I) on the throne of Ekallatum. Shamshi-Adad I placed
his youngest son (Yasmah-Adad) on the throne of Mari. Ishme-Dagan
I ruled the south-eastern region in Upper Mesopotamia. Ishme-Dagan
I's realm of influence included the city-state of Assur.
Correspondence
:
A number of letters relating the familial relationships between
Shamshi-Adad I and his two sons have been excavated, and these letters
provide a glimpse into the tensions of this family of rulers. Ishme-Dagan
I is called, “A forceful soldier not afraid to risk his own
skin.” This was a quality which allowed Shamshi-Adad I to
rely on him unhesitatingly. Shamshi-Adad I's correspondence with
his younger son is not as generous, and Ishme-Dagan I appears to
have picked up his father's censure of his younger brother and contributed
to it. In one letter, Ishme-Dagan I asks his brother, “Why
are you setting up a wail about this thing? That is not great conduct.”
In another letter, Ishme-Dagan I bluntly commands Yasmah-Adad to,
“Show some sense.” In a third, Ishme-Dagan I tells his
brother to stop writing their father directly, and use him as an
intermediary.
Conquests
of Ishme-Dagan I :
War against Eshnunna :
Ishme-Dagan I's main challenge was in keeping his enemies in check.
To Ishme-Dagan I's south was the King Dadusha of Eshnunna (fl. c.
1800 BCE - c. 1779 BCE.) To Ishme-Dagan I's east were the warlike,
nomadic, pastoral peoples inhabiting the foothills of the Zagros
mountains. Eshnunna was to be Ishme-Dagan I's chief enemy, and although
records are sparse, there are some accounts of some political conflicts
involving Eshnunna. An instance of defeat occurs in a year-name
coined by the King Dadusha of Eshnunna which commemorates a victory
over an army led by Ishme-Dagan I.
Campaign
against Qabra and Nurugum :
Shamshi-Adad I, along with Ishme-Dagan I, embarked on a new campaign
against both Qabra and Nurugum. During the course of the campaign
on Nurugum, Ishme-Dagan I and his armies besieged the city of Nineveh.
Once Ishme-Dagan I conquered Nineveh, he allowed some prisoners
to enter his army, and gave special treatment to skilled prisoners
(according to letters excavated from the period.) These expeditions
betray the different attitudes of the urban peoples toward the tribal
peoples. The people of the kingdoms were treated differently than
the tribal people.
Campaign
against the Ya’ilanum :
Another campaign for which records exist is a campaign that Ishme-Dagan
I appears to have engaged in was against the nomadic tribe called
the Ya’ilanum. Shamshi-Adad I had ordered Yasmah-Adad to execute
all the members of this tribe. However, it was the troops of Ishme-Dagan
I who later exterminated the entire tribe. There are two accounts
of this annihilation, one from Shamshi-Adad I, and one from Ishme-Dagan
I. Shamshi-Adad I seems to have slightly reneged on his earlier
bloodthirstiness toward the tribes, as his account appears to limit
the killing to the leaders and the combatants of the army, but in
a letter from Ishme-Dagan I to Yasmah-Adad, it seems the whole population
was eradicated, as he states:
“Mar-Addu
and all the sons of the tribe of Ya’ilanum were killed, and
all its servants and soldiers were killed, and not one enemy escaped.”
Death
of Shamshi-Adad I :
Although his father counted Ishme-Dagan I as politically astute
and a capable soldier, commending him as he berated Yasmah-Adad
in their letters, Ishme-Dagan I was not able to hold his father's
empire for long after his father died. Ishme-Dagan I eventually
lost most of his domain, and was reduced to holding Ashur and Ekallatum,
despite waging several counter offensives to try to regain the upper
Khabur area. The year-name of the fifth year of Ibalpiel II's reign
(indicating some reverence to Shamshi-Adad I at his passing) suggests
that Eshnunna had become subservient to the Ekallatum. Ishme-Dagan
I wrote a letter to his brother, after Ishme-Dagan I assumes their
father's throne and the rule of all of Upper Mesopotamia, that he:
“Has
the Elamites on a leash as well as their ally, the king of Eshnunna.”
His
confidence was overstated, however; as year-names of the eighth
and ninth years of King Ibalpiel's reign indicate Eshnunna attacked
and destroyed the armies of Ashur and Mari, and Ishme-Dagan I's
control over his father's entire realm slipped, as his hold was
reduced to the region of Ashur and Ekallatum.
A
letter that was purportedly from Ishme-Dagan I, writing to his brother
after their father had died, states:
“I
acceded to my father's throne, but having been very busy, I haven't
sent you my news. Now you are my brother, and aside from you I have
no brother. I will make peace with any city or king that you take
as a vassal. Don't ever worry. Your throne is yours to keep.”
This
letter led historians to believe that Yasmah-Adad held the throne
of Mari for a while after his father died. However, this letter
was proven to actually be from Ishme-Addu of Ashnakku, (written
to Ibal-Addu of Ashlakka), thus disproving many chronologies that
had been based on the letter.
In
addition to letters whose authorship can be verified to Ishme-Dagan
I, Shamshi-Adad I and Yasmah-Adad, there have been letters attributed
to this family that were not written by them. One such letter caused
issues in the chronology of the ancient near east, as it allowed
historians to place dates on Hammurabi of Babylon.
Subservience
to Babylon :
Some evidence indicates that after his reduction in power, Ishme-Dagan
I appeared to hold tolerable relations with Babylon, Eshnunna, and
Mari. Hammurabi requested reinforcements from Ishme-Dagan I at least
once, and Ishme-Dagan I responded, though it seems his response
was grudging, and Hammurabi was not entirely pleased with the poor
support. However, Ishme-Dagan's troops were present in Hammurabi's
war against Elam, and Hammurabi even allowed Ishme-Dagan's generals
into his secret council meetings, to the dismay of Zimri-Lim, Hammurabi's
then ally. Ishme-Dagan's reputation with Hammurabi fluctuated with
Hammurabi's goals, and there is some evidence that Hammurabi sent
troops to aide Atamrum, one of Ishme-Dagan's rivals, during Babylon's
war with Larsa. Later, it is likely that Ishme-Dagan I was the king
of Ashur when Hammurabi vanquished her king and occupied Assyrian
lands.
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishme-Dagan_I