DYNASTY
OF ISIN
Dynasty
of Isin :
c. 1953 - 1717 BCE
Capital
: Isin
Common languages
: Akkadian language
Religion
: Sumerian religion
Government
: Monarchy
King
of Sumer
•
c. 1953 - 1921 BCE : Ishbi-Erra (first)
•
c. 1740 - 1717 BCE : Damiq-ilishu (last)
Historical
era : Bronze Age
•
Established : c. 1953 BCE
•
Disestablished : c. 1717 BCE
Preceded
by : Third Dynasty of Ur
Succeeded
by : First Dynasty of Babylon
Today
part of : Iraq
![](isin.jpg)
Location
of Isin, now in modern Iraq
The
Dynasty of Isin refers to the final ruling dynasty listed on the
Sumerian King List (SKL). The list of the Kings Isin with the
length of their reigns, also appears on a cuneiform document listing
the kings of Ur and Isin, the List of Reigns of Kings of Ur and
Isin (MS 1686).
The
dynasty was situated within the ancient city of Isin (today known
as the archaeological site of Ishan al-Bahriyat). It is believed
to have flourished circa 1953-1717 BCE according to the short
chronology timeline of the ancient Near East. It was preceded
on the Sumerian King List by the Third Dynasty of Ur. The Dynasty
of Isin is often associated with the nearby and contemporary dynasty
of Larsa (1961-1674 BC), and they are often regrouped for periodization
purposes under the name "Isin-Larsa period". Both dynasties
were succeeded by the First Babylonian Empire.
History
:
Reign of Ishbi-Erra :
Cylinder
seal and modern impression Presentation scene, ca. 2000 - 1750
B.C. Isin-Larsa
Ishbi-Erra (fl. c. 1953-1920 BCE by the short chronology) was
the founder of the Dynasty of Isin. Ishbi-Erra of the First Dynasty
of Isin was preceded by Ibbi-Sin
of the Third Dynasty of Ur in ancient Lower Mesopotamia, and then
succeeded by Šu-ilišu. According to the Weld-Blundell
Prism, Ishbi-Erra reigned for 33 years and this is corroborated
by the number of his extant year-names. While in many ways this
dynasty emulated that of the preceding one, its language was Akkadian
as the Sumerian language had become moribund in the latter stages
of the Third Dynasty of Ur.
At
the outset of his career, Ishbi-Erra was an official working for
Ibbi-Sin, the last king of the Third Dynasty of Ur. Ishbi-Erra
was described as a man of Mari,
either his origin or the city for which he was assigned. His progress
was witnessed in correspondence with the king and between Ibbi-Sin
and the governor of Kazallu (Puzur-Numushda, latterly renamed
Puzur-Šulgi.) These are literary letters, copied in antiquity
as scribal exercises and whose authenticity is unknown. Charged
with acquiring grain in Isin and Kazallu, Ishbi-Erra complained
that he could not ship the 72,000 GUR he had bought for 20 talents
of silver-apparently an exorbitant price-and now kept secure in
Isin to other conurbations due to the incursions of the Amorites
(“Martu”) and requested Ibbi-Sin supply 600 boats
to transport it while also requesting governorship of Isin and
Nippur. Although Ibbi-Sin baulked at promoting him, Ishbi-Erra
had apparently succeeded in wrestling control over Isin by Ibbi-Sin's
8th year, when he began assigning his own regnal year-names, and
thereafter an uneasy chill descended on their relationship.
Ibbi-Sin
bitterly lambasted Ishbi-Erra as “not of Sumerian seed”
in his letter to Puzur-Šulgi and opined that: “Enlil
has stirred up the Amorites out of their land, and they will strike
the Elamites and capture Ishbi-Erra.” Curiously, Puzur-Šulgi
seems to have originally been one of Ishbi-Erra's own messengers
and indicates the extent to which loyalties were in flux during
the waning years of the Ur III regime. While there was no outright
conflict, Ishbi-Erra continued to extend his influence as Ibbi-Sin's
steadily declined over the next 12 years or so, until Ur was finally
conquered by Kindattu of Elam.
Ishbi-Erra
went on to win decisive victories against: the Amorites in his
8th year and the Elamites in his 16th years. Some years later,
Ishbi-Erra ousted the Elamite garrison from Ur, thereby asserting
suzerainty over Sumer and Akkad, celebrated in one of his later
27th year-name, although this specific epithet was not used by
this dynasty until the reign of Iddin-Dagan. He readily adopted
the regal privileges of the former regime, commissioning royal
praise poetry and hymns to deities, of which seven are extant,
and proclaiming himself Dingir-kalam-ma-na, “a god in his
own country.” He appointed his daughter, En-bara-zi, to
succeed that of Ibbi-Sin's as Egisitu-priestess of An, celebrated
in his 22nd year-name. He founded fortresses and installed city
walls, but only one royal inscription is extant.
Reign
of Shu-Ilishu :
![](Cylinder_seal,_ca._1822%961763_B.C._Isin-Larsa.jpg)
Cylinder seal, ca. 1822 - 1763 B.C. Isin-Larsa
Shu-Ilishu (fl. c. 1920-1900 BCE by the short chronology) was
the 2nd ruler of the Dynasty of Isin. He reigned for 10 years
(according to his extant year-names and a single copy of the SKL,
which differs from the 20 years recorded by others.)Šu-ilišu
was preceded by Išbi-erra. Iddin-Dagan then succeeded Šu-ilišu.
Šu-ilišu is best known for his retrieval of the cultic
idol of Nanna from the Elamites and its return to the city-state
Ur.
Šu-ilišu's
inscriptions gave him the titles: “Mighty Man” - “King
of Ur” - “God of His Nation” - “Beloved
of the gods: Anu, Enlil, and Nanna” - “King of the
Land of Sumer and Akkad” - “Beloved of the god Enlil
and the goddess Ninisina” - “Lord of his Land”,
but not “King of Isin” (a title which was not claimed
by a ruler of this city-state until the later reign of Išme-Dagan.)
Šu-ilišu did, however; rebuild the walls of his capital
city: Isin. He was a great benefactor of the city-state Ur (beginning
the restoration which was to continue through his successors:
Iddin-Dagan and Išme-Dagan.) Šu-ilišu built a monumental
gateway and recovered an idol representing Ur's patron deity (Nanna,
god of the moon) which had been expropriated by the Elamites when
they sacked the city-state, but; whether he obtained it either
through diplomacy or conflict is unknown. An inscription tells
of the city-state's resettlement: “He established for him
when he established in Ur the people scattered as far as Anšan
in their abode.” The "Lamentation over the Destruction
of Ur" was composed around this time to explain the catastrophe,
to call for its reconstruction and to protect the restorers from
the curses attached to the ruins of the é.dub.lá.mah.
Šu-ilišu
commemorated: the fashioning of a great emblem for Nanna, an exalted
throne for An, a dais for Ninisin, a magur-boat for Ninurta, and
a dais for Ningal in year names for Šu-ilišu's reign.
An adab (or hymn) to Nergal was composed in honor of Šu-ilišu,
together with an adab of An and perhaps a 3rd addressed to himself.
The archive of a craft workshop (or giš-kin-ti) from the
city-state Isin has been uncovered with 920 texts dating from
Išbi-Erra year 4 through to Šu-ilišu year 3 - a
period of 33 years. The tablets are records of receipts and disbursements
of the: leather goods, furniture, baskets, mats, and felt goods
that were manufactured along with their raw materials. A 2nd archive
(of receipt of cereal and issue of bread from a bakery, possibly
connected to the temple of Enlil in Nippur) includes an accounting
record of expenditures of bread for the provision of the king
and includes entries dated to his 2nd through 9th years which
was used by Steele to determine the sequence of most of this king's
year-names.
Reign
of Iddin-Dagan :
![](512px-Hymn_Iddin-Dagan_Louvre_AO8864.jpg)
A
praise poem to Iddin-Dagan, King of Sumer. Cuneiform script inscribed
on a clay hexagonal prism, currently located at the Musée
du Louvre (dated to c. 1950 BC)
Iddin-Dagan (fl. c. 1900-1879 BCE by the short chronology) was
the 3rd king of the Dynasty of Isin. Iddin-Dagan was preceded
by his father Šu-ilišu. Išme-Dagan (to be confused
with neither Išme-Dagan I nor Išme-Dagan II of the Old
Assyrian Empire) then succeeded Iddin-Dagan. Iddin-Dagan reigned
for 21 years (according to the SKL.) He is best known for his
participation in the sacred marriage rite and the risqué
hymn that described it.
His
titles included: "Mighty King", "King of Isin",
"King of Ur", "King of the Land of Sumer and Akkad".
The 1st year name recorded on a receipt for flour and dates reads:
“Year Iddin-Dagan (was) king and (his) daughter Matum-Niatum
(“the land which belongs to us”) was taken in marriage
by the king of Anshan.” Vallat suggests it was to Imazu
(son of Kindattu, who was the groom and possibly the king of the
region of Shimashki) as he was described as the King of Anshan
in a seal inscription, although elsewhere unattested. Kindattu
had been driven away from the city-state of Ur by Išbi-Erra
(the founder of the First Dynasty of Isin), however; relations
had apparently thawed sufficiently for Tan-Ruhurarter (the 8th
king to wed the daughter of Bilalama, the énsí of
Eshnunna).
There
is only 1 contemporary monumental text extant for this king and
another 2 known from later copies. A fragment of a stone statue
has a votive inscription which invokes Ninisina and Damu to curse
those who foster evil intent against it. 2 later clay tablet copies
of an inscription recording an unspecified object fashioned for
the god Nanna were found by the British archaeologist Sir Charles
Leonard Woolley in a scribal school house in the city-state of
Ur. A tablet from the Enunmah at the city-state of Ur dated to
the 14th year of Gungunum (fl. c. 1868 BCE - c. 1841 BCE) of Larsa,
after his conquest of the city, bears the seal impression of a
servant of his. A tablet described Iddin-Dagan's fashioning of
two copper festival statues for Ninlil, which were not delivered
to Nippur until 170 years later by Enlil-bani. Belles-lettres
preserve the correspondence from Iddin-Dagan to his general Sîn-illat
about Kakkulatum and the state of his troops, and from his general
describing an ambush by the Martu (Amorites).
The
continued fecundity of the land was ensured by the annual performance
of the sacred marriage ritual in which the king impersonated Dumuzi-Ama-ušumgal-ana
and a priestess substituted for the part of Inanna. According
to the šir-namursaga, the hymn composed describing it in
10 sections (Kirugu), this ceremony seems to have entailed the
procession of: male prostitutes, wise women, drummers, priestesses
and priests bloodletting with swords, to the accompaniment of
music, followed by offerings and sacrifices for the goddess Inanna,
or Ninegala.
Reign
of Ishme-Dagan :
Ishme-Dagan (fl. c. 1879-1859 BCE by the short chronology) was
the 4th king of the Dynasty of Isin, according to the SKL. Also
according to the SKL: he was both the son and successor of Iddin-Dagan.
Lipit-Ištar then succeeded Išme-Dagan. Išme-Dagan
was one of the kings to restore the Ekur.
Reign
of Lipit-Ishtar :
![](569px-Steele_-_Code_of_Lipit-Ishtar.jpg)
The
"Code of Lipit-Ištar" (dated to c. 1860 BC)
Lipit-Ishtar (fl. c. 1859-1848 BCE by the short chronology) was
the 5th king of the Dynasty of Isin, according to the SKL. Also
according to the SKL: he was the successor of Išme-Dagan.
Ur-Ninurta then succeeded Lipit-Ištar. Some documents and
royal inscriptions from his time have survived, however; Lipit-Ištar
is mostly known due to the Sumerian language hymns that were written
in his honor, as well as a legal code written in his name (preceding
the famed Code of Hammurabi by about 100 years)-which were used
for school instruction for hundreds of years after Lipit-Ištar's
death. The annals of Lipit-Ištar's reign recorded that he
also repulsed the Amorites.
Reign
of Ur-Ninurta :
Ur-Ninurta (fl. c. 1848-1820 BCE by the short chronology) was
the 6th king of the Dynasty of Isin. A usurper, Ur-Ninurta seized
the throne on the fall of Lipit-Ištar and held it until his
violent death some 28 years later.
He
called himself “son of Iškur,” the southern storm-god
synonymous with Adad, in his adab to Iškur. His name was
wholly Sumerian, in marked contrast to the Amorite names of his
five predecessors. There are only two extant inscriptions, one
of which is stamped on bricks in 13 lines of Sumerian from the
cities of Nippur, Isin, Uruk and Išan Hafudh, a small site
southeast of Tell Drehem, which gives his standard inscription
describing him as an “Išippum priest with clean hands
for Eridu, favorite en priest of Uruk” and there is a copy
of an inscription relating to the erection of a statue of the
king with a votive goat.
He
was contemporary with Gungunum, c. 1868 – 1841 BCE (short),
and his successor Abi-sare, c. 1841 – 1830 BCE (short),
the resurgent kings of Larsa. His reign marks the beginning of
a decline in Isin's fortunes coinciding with a rise in those of
Larsa. Gungunum had wrestled Ur from Isin's control by his 10th
year and it is possible this was the cause of Lipit-Ištar's
overthrow. Indeed, Ur-Ninurta made a dedicatory gift to the temple
of Ningal in Ur during the 9th year of Gungunum. However, Ur-Ninurta
continued to mention Ur in his titles ("herdsman of Ur")
as did his successors in Isin. Gungunum went on to expand his
kingdom, perhaps taking Nippur late in his reign. His death allowed
Ur-Ninurta to launch a temporary counter-offensive, recapturing
Nippur and several other cities on the Kishkattum canal. His year-name
“year (Ur-Ninurta) set for Enlil free (of forced labor)
for ever the citizens of Nippur and released (the arrears of)
the taxes which they were bearing on their necks” may mark
this point. His offensive was stopped at Adab, modern Bismaya,
where Abi-sare “defeated the army of Isin with his weapon,”
in the 9th year-name of his reign. It may be that this battle
was where he was killed, as a year A of Halium of the kingdom
of Mananâ, reads “the year Ur-Ninurta was slain”
and Manabalte’el of Kisurra’s year G,“the year
Ur-Ninurta was killed.”
There
is a year name “year following the year that king Ur-Ninurta
made emerge large a.gàrs from the water.” Marten
Stol suggests that it indicates he succeeded in converting swamp
or similar into cultivatable land.
A
curious legal case arose came to his attention which he ordered
by heard by the Assembly of Nippur. Lu-Inanna, a nišakku
priest was murdered by Nanna-sig, Ku-Enlilla (a barber) and Enlil-ennam
(an orchard-keeper) who then confessed to his estranged wife,
Nin-dada, who remained suspiciously silent on the matter. Nine
persons, with occupations ranging from bird-catcher to potter,
presented the prosecution's case. Two others sprang to the defense
of the widow, as she had not actually participated in the murder,
but the assembly concluded she must have been “involved”
with one of the murders and consequently in cahoots with them.
All four were condemned to execution in front of the victim's
chair.
The
Instructions of Ur-Ninurta and Counsels of Wisdom is a Sumerian
courtly composition which extols the virtues of the king, the
reestablisher of order, justice and cultic practices after the
flood in emulation of the older role models Gilgamesh and Ziusudra.
The SKL gives his reign for 28 years. He was succeeded by his
son, Bur-Sin.
Reign
of Bur-Suen :
![](640px-Cylinder_seal_of_Bur-Sin.jpg)
Cylinder
seal of Bur-Sin
Parshuram
/ Bur-Suen (fl. c. 1820-1799 BCE by the short chronology)
was the 7th king of the Dynasty of Isin and ruled for 21 years
according to the SKL, 22 years according to the Ur-Isin king list.
His reign was characterized by an ebb and flow in hegemony over
the religious centers of Nippur and Ur.
The
titles “shepherd who makes Nippur content,” "mighty
farmer of Ur," “who restores the designs for Eridu”
and “en priest for the mes, for Uruk” were used by
Bur-Suen in his standard brick inscriptions in Nippur and Isin,
although it seems unlikely that his rule stretched to Ur or Eridu
at this time as the only inscriptions with an archaeological provenance
come from the two northerly cities. A solitary tablet from Ur
is dated to his first year, but this is thought to correspond
to Abe-sare's year 11, for which several tablets attest to his
reign over Ur.
He
was contemporary with the tail end of the reign of Abi-sare, ca,
1841 to 1830 BCE (short) and that of Sumú-El, c. 1830 to
1801 BCE (short), the kings of Larsa. This latter king's year-names
record victories over Akusum, Kazallu, Uruk (which had seceded
from Isin), Lugal-Sîn, Ka-ida, Sabum, Kiš, and village
of Nanna-isa, relentlessly edging north and feverish activity
digging canals or filling them in, possibly to counter the measures
taken by Bur-Suen to contain him. Only nine of Bur-Suen's own
year-names are known and the sequence is uncertain. He seized
control of Kisurra for a time as two year-names are found among
tablets from this city, possibly following the departure of Sumu-abum
the king of Babylon who “returned to his city.” The
occupation was brief, however, as Sumu-El was to conquer it during
his fourth year. Other year-names record Bur-Suen's construction
of fortifications, walls on the bank of the Eurphrates and a canal.
A year-name of Sumu-El records “Year after the year Sumu-El
has opened the palace (?) of Nippur,” whose place in this
king's sequence is unknown.
A
red-brown agate statuette was dedicated to goddess Inanna and
an agate plate was dedicated by the lukur priestess and his “traveling
companion,” i.e. concubine, Nanaia Ibsa. A certain individual
by the name of Enlil-ennam dedicated a dog figurine to the goddess
Ninisina for the life of the king. There are around five extant
seals and seal impressions of his servants and scribes, three
of which were excavated in Ur suggesting a fleeting late reoccupancy
of this city at the end of his reign and the beginning of his
successor's as coincidentally no texts from Ur bear Sumu-El's
years 19 to 22 which correspond with this period.
Reign
of Lipit-Enlil :
Lipit-Enlil,
written dli-pí-it den.líl, where the SKL and the
Ur-Isin king list match on his name and reign, was the 8th king
of the 1st dynasty of Isin and ruled for five years, ca. 1810
BCE – 1806 BCE (short chronology) or 1873–1869 BCE
(middle chronology). He was the son of Bur-Sîn.
There
are no inscriptions known for this king. His brief reign ended
a period of relative stability and he was succeeded by Erra-Imitti
whose filiation is unknown, as the SKL omits this information
from this point on. Both he and his successor were conspicuous
in the absence of royal hymns or dedicatory prayers and Hallo
speculates this may have been due to the distractions afforded
by the commencement of conflict with Larsa.
The
archives of the temple of Ninurta, the é-šu-me-ša4,
in Nippur, extended over more than seventy-five years, from year
1 of Lipit-Enlil of Isin (1810) to year 28 of Rim-Sin I (1730)
and were inadvertently preserved when they were used as infill
for the temple of Inanna in the Parthian period. The 420 fragments
show a thriving temple economy absorbing much of the available
wealth. The year-names following his accession year all somewhat
monotonously commemorate generous gifts to the temple of Enlil.
Reign
of Erra-imitti :
Erra-imitti (fl. c. 1794-1786 BCE) was king of Isin, modern Ishan
al-Bahriyat, and according to the SKL ruled for eight years. He
succeeded Lipit-Enlil, with whom his relationship is uncertain
and was a contemporary and rival of Sumû-El and Nur-Adad
of the parallel dynasty of Larsa. He is best known for the legendary
tale of his demise, Shaffer's “gastronomic mishap”.
He
seems to have recovered control of Nippur from Larsa early in
his reign but perhaps lost it again, as its recovery is celebrated
again by his successor. The later regnal year-names offer some
glimmer of events, for example “the year following the year
Erra-imitti seized Kisurra" (the modern site of Abu-Hatab)
for the date of a receipt for a bridal gift and “the year
Erra-imitti destroyed the city wall of Kazallu,” a city
allied with Larsa and antagonistic to Isin and its ally, Babylon.
His conquest of Kisurra would have been a significant escalation
of hostilities against Isin's rival Larsa. A haematite cylinder
seal of his servant and scribe Iliška-utul, son of Sîn-ennam,
has come to light from this city, suggesting prolonged occupation.
The latest attested year-name gives the year he built the city
wall of gan-x-Erra-Imitti, perhaps an eponymous new town.
When
the omens predicted impending doom for a monarch, it was customary
to appoint a substitute as a "statue though animate",
a scape-goat who stood in the place of the king but did not exercise
power for a hundred days to deflect the disaster, at the end of
which the proxy and his spouse would be ritually slaughtered and
the king would resume his throne.
Reign
of Enlil-bani :
![](640px-Foundation_Cone_of_Enlil-Bani..jpg)
Clay nail of Enlil-Bani
Enlil-bani (fl. c. 1786-1762 BCE by the short chronology) was
the 10th king of the Dynasty of Isin and reigned 24 years according
to the Ur-Isin kinglist. He is best known for the legendary and
perhaps apocryphal manner of his ascendancy.
A
certain Ikun-pî-Ištar is recorded as having ruled for
6 months or a year, between the reigns of Erra-imitti and Enlil-bani
according to two variant copies of a chronicle. Another chronicle
which might have shed further light on his origins is too broken
to translate.
Hegemony
over Nippur was fleeting, with control of the city passing back
and forth between Isin and Larsa several times. Uruk, too, seceded
during his reign and, as his power crumbled, he may have had the
Chronicle of Early Kings redacted to provide a more legendary
tale of his accession than the rather mundane act of usurpation
that it may well have been. It relates that Erra-Imitti selected
his gardener, Enlil-bâni, enthroned him, and placed the
royal tiara on his head. Erra-Imitti then died while eating hot
porridge, and Enlil-bâni by virtue of his refusal to quit
the throne, became king.
The
colophon of a medical text,“when a man's brain contains
fire,” from the Library of Ashurbanipal reads: “Proven
and tested salves and poultices, fit for use, according to the
old sages from before the flood from Šuruppak, which Enlil-muballit,
sage (apkallu) of Nippur, left (to posterity) in the second year
of Enlil-bani.”
Enlil-bani
found it necessary to "build anew the wall of Isin which
had become dilapidated," which he recorded on commemorative
cones. He named the wall Enlil-bani-išdam-kin,“Enlil-bani
is firm as to foundation.” In practice, the walls of major
cities were probably under continuous repair. He was a prodigious
builder, responsible for the construction of the é-ur-gi-ra,
“the dog house,” temple of Ninisina, a palace, also
the é-ní-dúb-bu, “house of relaxation,”
for the goddess Nintinugga, “lady who revives the dead,”
the é-dim-gal-an-na, “house - great mast of heaven,”
for the tutelary deity of Šuruppak, the goddess Sud, and
finally, the é-ki-ág-gá-ni for Ninibgal,
the “lady with patient mercy who loves ex-votos, who heeds
prayers and entreaties, his shining mother.” Two large copper
statues were taken to Nippur for dedication to Ningal, which Iddin-Dagan
had fashioned 117 years earlier but had been unable to deliver,
“on account of this, the goddess Ninlil had the god Enlil
lengthen the life span of Enlil-Bani.”
There
are perhaps two hymns addressed to this monarch.
Reign
of Zambiya :
![](640px-thumbnail.jpg)
Inscribed Cone of King Zambiya of Isin, Isin-Larsa period, reign
of Zambiya, c. 1836 - 1834 BC, baked clay - Oriental Institute
Museum, University of Chicago
Zambiya (fl. c. 1762-1759 BCE by the short chronology) was the
11th king of the Dynasty of Isin. He is best known for his defeat
at the hands of Sin-iqišam, king of Larsa.
According
to the SKL, Zambiya reigned for 3 years. He was a contemporary
of Sin-iqišam king of Larsa, whose fifth and final year-name
celebrates his victory over Zambiya: “year the army of (the
land of) Elam (and Zambiya, (the king of Isin,)) was/were defeated
by arms,” suggesting a confederation between Isin and Elam
against Larsa. The city of Nippur was hotly contested between
the city-states. If Zambiya survived this battle, he may have
possibly gone on to be contemporary with Sin-iqišam's successors,
Silli-Adad and Warad-Sin.
Reign
of Iter-pisha :
Iter-pisha (fl. c. 1759-1755 BCE by the short chronology) was
the 12th king of the Dynasty of Isin. The SKL tells us that "the
divine Iter-pisha ruled for 4 years." The Ur-Isin King List
which was written in the 4th year of the reign of Damiq-ilišu
gives a reign of just 3 years. His relationships with his predecessor
and successor are uncertain and his reign falls during a period
of general decline in the fortunes of the dynasty.
He
was a contemporary of Warad-Sin (ca. 1770 BCE to 1758 BCE) the
king of Larsa, whose brother and successor, Rim-Sin I would eventually
come to overthrow the dynasty, ending the cities' bitter rivalry
around 40 years later. He is only known from Kings lists and year-name
date formulae in several contemporary legal and administrative
texts. Two of his year-names refer to his provision of a copper
Lilis for Utu and Inanna respectively, where Lilissu is a kettledrum
used in temple rituals.
He
is perhaps best known for the literary work generally known as
the letter from Nabi-Enlil to Iter-pisha formerly designated letter
from Iter-pisha to a deity, when its contents were less well understood.
It is extant in seven fragmentary manuscripts and seems to be
a petition to the king from a subject who has fallen on hard times.
It is a 24-line composition that had become a belle letter used
in scribal education during the subsequent Old Babylonian period.
Reign
of Ur-du-kuga :
Ur-du-kuga (fl. c. 1755-1751 BCE by the short chronology) was
the 13th king of the Dynasty of Isin and reigned for 4 years according
to the SKL, 3 years according to the Ur-Isin kinglist. He was
the third in a sequence of short reigning monarchs whose filiation
was unknown and whose power extended over a small region encompassing
little more than the city of Isin and its neighbor Nippur. He
was probably a contemporary of Warad-Sîn of Larsa and Apil-Sîn
of Babylon.
He
credited Dagan, a god from the middle Euphrates region who had
possibly been introduced by the dynasty's founder, Išbi-Erra,
with his creation, in cones commemorating the construction of
the deity's temple, the Etuškigara, or the house “well
founded residence,” an event also celebrated in a year-name.
The inscription describes him as the “shepherd who brings
everything for Nippur, the supreme farmer of the gods An and Enlil,
provider of the Ekur…” This heaps profuse declarations
of his care for Nippur's sanctuaries, the Ekur for Enlil, the
Ešumeša for Ninurta and the Egalmah for Gula, Ninurta's
divine wife.
A
piece of brick from Isin, bears his titulary but the event it
marked has not been preserved. A cone shaft memorializes the building
of a temple of Lulal of the cultic city of Dul-edena, northeast
of Nippur on the Iturungal canal. The digging of the Imgur-Ninisin
canal was celebrated in another year-name.
Reign
of Sîn-magir :
![](560px-Sumerian_King_List,_1800_BC,_Larsa,_Iraq_(detail).jpg)
The
Weld-Blundell Prism bearing the Sumerian King List in which Sîn-magir
appears as the last ruler, was probably made during his reign
or soon after
Suen-magir (fl. c. 1751-1740 BCE by the short chronology) was
the 14th king of the Dynasty of Isin and he reigned for 11 years.
His
reign falls over the last six years of Warad-Sin and the first
five of Rim-Sin I, the sons of Kudur-Mabuk and successive kings
of Larsa, and wholly within the reign of the Babylonian monarch
Apil-Sin. There are currently six extant royal inscriptions, including
brick palace inscriptions, seals for his devoted servants, such
as Iddin-damu, his “chief builder,” and Imgur-Sîn,
his administrator, and a cone which records the construction of
a storehouse for the goddess Aktuppitum of Kiritab in his honor
commissioned by Nuptuptum, the lukur priestess or concubine, “his
beloved traveling escort, mother of his first-born.”
An
inscription marks the construction of a defensive wall, called
Dur-Suen-magir, “Suen-magir makes the foundation of his
land firm,” at Dunnum, a city northeast of Nippur. Control
of Nippur itself however may have shifted to Larsa, under the
rule of Warad-Sîn and his father, Kudur-Mabuk, the power
behind the throne, as his sixth year-name celebrates that he “had
(14 copper statues brought into Nippur and) 3 thrones adorned
with gold brought into the temples of Nanna, Ningal and Utu.”
Larsa was to retain Nippur until year nine of Rim-Sîn when
it was lost to Damiq-ilišu. One of the cones bearing this
inscription was found in the ruins of the temple of Ninurta, the
é-hur-sag-tí-la, in Babylon, and is thought likely
to have been an ancient museum piece. The city of Dunnum, the
celebration of whose original foundation may have been the purpose
of the Dynasty of Dunnum myth, was taken by Rim-Sin the year before
he conquered Isin and so it is conjectured that the cone was taken
from Larsa as booty by Hammu-rapi.
Two
legal tablets offered for private sale, recording sales of a storehouse
and palm grove, give a year-name elsewhere unattested, “year
Suen-magir the king dug the Ninkarrak canal.” Another year-name
marks "(Suen-magir) built on the bank of the Iturungal canal
(the old wadi) a great fortification (called) Suen-magir-madana-dagal-dagal
(Suen-magir broadens his country)." A province in the south
and a town in eastern Babylonia near Tuplias are both called Bit-Suen-magir
and some historians have speculated one or other were named in
his honor.
Reign
of Damiq-ilishu :
Damiq-ilishu (fl. c. 1740-1717 BCE by the short chronology) was
the 15th and final king of the Dynasty of Isin. He succeeded his
father Sîn-magir and reigned for 23 years. Some variant
king lists provide a shorter reign, but it is thought that these
were under preparation during his rule. He was defeated first
by Sîn-muballit of Babylon (c. 1748 – 1729 BCE ) and
then later by Rim-Sîn I of Larsa, (c. 1758 – 1699
BCE).
His
standard inscription characterizes him as the "farmer who
piles up the produce (of the land) in granaries." Four royal
inscriptions are extant including cones celebrating the building
of the wall of Isin, naming him as “Damiq-ilišu is
the favorite of the god Ninurta” also recollected in a year-name
and “suitable for the office of en priest befitting the
goddess Inanna.” Construction of a storehouse e-me-sikil,
“house with pure mes (rites?)”, for the god Mardu,
son of the god An. A cone records the construction of a temple,
the é-ki-tuš-bi-du, “House – its residence
is good,” possibly for the deity Nergal of Usarpara. There
is also a palace inscription and a copy of a dedication to Nergal
of Apiak on a votive lion sculpture.
![](528px-Image_from_page_25_of__Ancient_seals_of_the_Near_East__(1940).jpg)
Seal
of Dakiya, son of Damiq-ilishu, as a high official of Samsu-iluna,
after the loss of his father's kingdom
An outline of the political events can be gleaned from an examination
of the year names of the rival kingdoms. Rim-Sîn's year
14 (c. 1744 BCE ) records "Year the armies of Uruk, Isin,
Babylon, Sutum, Rapiqum, and of Irdanene, the king of Uruk, were
smitten with weapons". This victory over a grand coalition
seems to have awakened in Rim-Sîn imperial ambitions. Damiq-ilišu's
year 13 (c. 1739 BCE ) records the “Year in which (Damiq-ilišu)
built the great city wall of Isin (called) 'Damiq-ilišu-hegal’
(Damiq-ilišu is abundance)". The holy city of Nippur
seems to have been wrestled from the control of Larsa around 1749
BCE by Damiq-ilishu who held it until Rim-Sîn reclaimed
it around 1737 BCE, the year he "destroyed Uruk", based
upon the dating of documents found there. Sin-muballit's year
13 (c. 1735 BCE) is called “Year the troops and the army
of Larsa were smitten by weapons.” Rim-Sîn's year
25 (c. 1733 BCE) is named “Year the righteous shepherd Rim-Sin
with the powerful help of An, Enlil, and Enki seized the city
of Damiq-ilišu, brought its inhabitants who had helped Isin
as prisoners to Larsa, and established his triumph greater than
before.” This setback seems to have crippled the tottering
Isin state enabling Sîn-muballit of Babylon to pillage the
city in 1732 BCE, during his year 16.
Rim-Sîn's
year 29 (1729) recalls "Year in which Rim-Sîn the righteous
shepherd with the help of the mighty strength of An, Enlil, and
Enki seized in one day Dunnum the largest city of Isin and submitted
to his orders all the drafted soldiers but he did not remove the
population from its dwelling place". His year 30 (c. 1728
BCE) reads “Year Rim-Sîn the true shepherd with the
strong weapon of An, Enlil, and Enki seized Isin, the royal capital
and the various villages, but spared the life of its inhabitants,
and made great for ever the fame of his kingship.” The event
was considered so significant that from then on every year-name
of Rim-Sîn was named after it: the first year after the
sack of Isin until “Year 31 after he seized Isin.”
The
Weidner Chronicle, also called the Esagila Chronicle, is an apocryphal
historiographical or supposititious letter composed in the name
of Damiq-ilišu who addresses Apil-Sîn of Babylon (c.
1767 - 1749 BCE) discussing the merits of offerings made to Marduk
on their donors. There is also a belle letter from Damiq-ilishu
to the god Nuska. He seems to have become something of a folk-hero,
because later kings hark back to him and describe themselves as
his successor. The Sealand Dynasty seems to have considered itself
the inheritor of the neo-Sumerian beacon and the 3rd king, Damqi-ilišu,
even took his name. The founder of the 2nd Sealand Dynasty, Simbar-Šipak
(c. 1025-1008 BCE), was described as “soldier of the dynasty
of Damiq-ilišu,” in a historical chronicle.
Timeline
of rulers :
Ruler |
Particulars |
Ishbi-Erra
|
Epithet
: ---
Length of reign
: 33 years
Approx. dates
(short) : fl. c. 1953 - 1920 BCE
Comments
:
Ishbi-Erra
and his successors appear on the Sumerian King
List. Contemporary of Ibbi-Suen of Ur.
|
Shu-Ilishu |
Epithet
: "the son of Ishbi-Erra"
Length of reign
: 20 years
Approx. dates
(short) : fl. c. 1920 - 1900 BCE
Comments
: --- |
Iddin-Dagan |
Epithet
: "the son of Shu-ilishu"
Length of reign
: 21 years
Approx. dates
(short) : fl. c. 1900 - 1879 BCE
Comments
: --- |
Ishme-Dagan |
Epithet
: "the son of Iddin-Dagan"
Length of reign
: 20 years
Approx. dates
(short) : fl. c. 1879 - 1859 BCE
Comments
: ---
Contemporary
of Gungunum of Larsa. |
Lipit-Eshtar
|
Epithet
: "the son of Ishme-Dagan (or Iddin-Dagan)"
Length of reign
: 11 years
Approx. dates
(short) : fl. c. 1859 - 1848 BCE
Comments
: --- |
Ur-Ninurta |
Epithet
: "the son of Ishkur, may he have years of
abundance, a good reign, and a sweet life"
Length of reign
: 28 years
Approx. dates
(short) : fl. c. 1848 - 1820 BCE
Comments
:
Contemporary
of Abisare of Larsa. |
Bur-Suen |
Epithet
: "the son of Ur-Ninurta"
Length of reign
: 21 years
Approx. dates
(short) : fl. c. 1820 - 1799 BCE
Comments
: --- |
Lipit-Enlil
|
Epithet
: "the son of Bur-Suen"
Length of reign
: 5 years
Approx. dates
(short) : fl. c. 1799 - 1794 BCE
Comments
: --- |
Erra-imitti
|
Epithet
: ---
Length of reign
: 8 years
Approx. dates
(short) : fl. c. 1794 - 1786 BCE
Comments
:
He
appointed his gardener, Enlil-Bani, substitute
king and then suddenly died. |
Enlil-bani |
Epithet
: ---
Length of reign
: 24 years
Approx. dates
(short) : fl. c. 1786 - 1762 BCE
Comments
:
Contemporary
of Sumu-la-El of Babylon. He was Erra-imitti's
gardener and was appointed substitute king, to
serve as a scapegoat and then sacrificed, but
remained on the throne when Erra-imitti suddenly
died. |
Zambiya
|
Epithet
: ---
Length of reign
: 3 years
Approx. dates
(short) : fl. c. 1762 - 1759 BCE
Comments
:
Contemporary
of Sin-Iqisham of Larsa. |
Iter-pisha |
Epithet
: ---
Length of reign
: 4 years
Approx. dates
(short) : fl. c. 1759 - 1755 BCE
Comments
: --- |
Ur-du-kuga
|
Epithet
: ---
Length of reign
: 4 years
Approx. dates
(short) : fl. c. 1755 - 1751 BCE
Comments
: --- |
Suen-magir
|
Epithet
: ---
Length of reign
: 11 years
Approx. dates
(short) : fl. c. 1751 - 1740 BCE
Comments
:
Suen-magir
appears as the last ruler on the Sumerian King
List. |
(Damiq-ilishu)* |
Epithet
: ("the son of Suen-magir")*
Length of reign
: (23 years)*
Approx. dates
(short) : fl. c. 1740 - 1717 BCE
Comments
: ---
|
|
•
These epithets or names are not included in all versions of the
SKL.
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Dynasty_of_Isin