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Gutian Dynasty of Sumer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Gutian dynasty (Sumerian: 𒄖𒋾𒌝𒆠, gu-ti-umKI) was a line of kings, originating among the Gutian people. Originally thought to be a horde that swept in and brought down Akkadian and Sumerian rule in Mesopotamia, the Gutians are now known to have been in the area for at least a century by then. By the end of the Akkadian period, the Sumerian city of Adab was occupied by the Gutians, who made it their capital.[1][2] The Gutian Dynasty came to power in Mesopotamia near the end of the 3rd millennium BC, after the decline and fall of the Akkadian Empire. How long Gutian kings held rulership over Mesopotamia is uncertain, with estimates ranging from a few years up to a century. The end of the Gutian dynasty is marked by the accession of Uruk ruler Utu-hengal (c. 2055–2048 BC), marking the short-lived "Fifth dynasty of Uruk", followed by Ur ruler Ur-Nammu (c. 2047–2030 BC), founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur.
Gutian Dynasty of Sumer | |||||||||
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c. 2141 BC–c. 2050 BC | |||||||||
Capital | Adab | ||||||||
Common languages | Gutian language and Sumerian language | ||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
• fl. c. 2141—2138 BC | Erridu-pizir (first) | ||||||||
• fl. c. 2055—2050 BC | Tirigan (last) | ||||||||
Historical era | Bronze Age | ||||||||
• Established | c. 2141 BC | ||||||||
• Disestablished | c. 2050 BC | ||||||||
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Today part of | Iraq |
There are very few hard facts available regarding the rulers of the Gutian Dynasty, still fewer about the Gutian people; even their homeland is not known. We have a few royal inscriptions from one ruler, Erridu-pizir, an inscribed macehead from another, La-erabum, a handful of passing mentions from contemporary Mesopotamian rulers, and one long inscription by Uruk ruler Utu-hengal. And there are the many versions of the Sumerian King List, most recensions of which were written long after the time of the Gutian Dynasty and give different, sometimes conflicting versions of history. The earliest version of the Sumerian King List, written in the Ur III period, not long afterward in time, does not mention the Gutians and lists a Gutian ruler, Tirigan, as a king of Adab.[3] Yet the SKL remains our only source for most Gutian kings.
Still, clearly the Gutian rulers had a huge impact on late–3rd-millennium Mesopotamia, reflected in the vast array of literary compositions featuring them, continuing for almost two millennia.
At one time it was believed that Gutium was known from the 24th century BC, well before the time of the Gutian Dynasty. This was based on a tablet purportedly from the Early Dynastic ruler of Adab Lugal-Anne-Mundu. The inscription included Gutium in the area paying tribute to the ruler. This inscription is now understood to be an Old Babylonian period literary composition written many centuries after the time of Lugal-Anne-Mundu.[5][6] The first attestation of Gutium came from early in the Sargonic period when the Gutians are mentioned in year names of Akkadian rulers and established a capital at the prominent Early Dynastic Sumerian city of Adab.[1]
The full history of the Gutian dynasty is not known. It is known that it lies roughly between two major empires of the late 3rd millennium BC, the Akkadian Empire and the later Ur III Empire. Towards the end of the reign of the last notable Akkadian ruler, Shar-Kali-Sharri (c. 2153–2129 BC), the Akkadian Empire went on to a period of disarray under several weak rulers beginning a tumultuous time in Mesopotamia as Early Dynastic city-states such as Lagash and Uruk began to re-assert themselves. The Gutian newcomers in Adab also asserted their claim to rulership.[1] This contentious time ended with the rise of Ur III under Ur-Nammu (c. 2048–2030 BC).[7]
The end point of the Gutian dynasty is felt to be certain based on a long inscription of Utu-hengal (c. 2055 – 2048 BC) who was ruler of Uruk (and thought to be the brother of the first Ur II ruler Ur-Nammu) which described the destruction of the Gutians under their king Tirigan.[8] For what happened up to then our only sources are the many conflicting recensions of the Sumerian King List (SKL) and the various literary compositions that were produced in the following centuries and millennia. Neither are historically reliable sources but can be mined for insights into the events of the Gutian period.[3] [9][10][11][12]
In the period before the Gutian Dynasty gained rulership over Mesopotamia the Akkadian Empire controlled the region. Two year names of Akkadian ruler Shar-kali-sharri (the last before the empire began to unravel) reflect of interaction with Gutium.
One year name of Ur ruler Ur-Nammu mentions Gutium. It is uncertain if the year name was from the time when he was only governor at Ur, leaving the possibility it was a reflected year name of Utu-hengal, or was later after he had assumed rulership over Mesopotamia.
The tablet marks the building of a temple, E-gidru, in Umma. In passing it mentions the name of a Gutian ruler.
The Umma ruler Nammahni, marking the construction of a temple to the goddess Ninura, mentioned in passing the name of a Gutian ruler.
A tablet from Umma, dating to the waning days of the Akkadian empire, mentions a Gutian governor.
An inscription of the Uruk ruler Utu-hengal, known from 3 Old Babylonian copies, commemorated the defeat of Gutian (and its king Tirigan) and the return of rulership to Sumer. Note the Mesopotamian names of Tirigan's generals.
This source lives on the borderline between history and literary composition. Some elements of it are from Old Babylonian copies of Naram-Sin royal inscriptions. That core was transformed into a wide variety of literary efforts with names like "Naram-Sin and the Enemy Hordes". A relevant one is "Gula-AN and the Seventeen Kings against Naram-Sin". The narrative is that Gutian king Gula-AN, leading 17 other kings, attacks Akkad and is defeated, captured, and then paroled by Naram-Sin, only to attack again resulting in a huge battle the results of which are unknown.
Another source of uncertain historicity or dating. It is known from a single tablet, findspot thought to be Qalat Sherqat, which was translated in 1925, in the early days of cuneiform studies. Gutium is listed among the area in Sargon's domain.
The Weidner Chronicle is a literary composition, known from 7 mostly fragmentary Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian (1st Millennium BC) recensions purportedly a copy of a damaged Old Babylonian Period (1894 - 1595 BC) original which described events of centuries earlier. In the case of the Gutians the premise is that the Gutians destroyed the Akkadian Empire because Naram-Sin was mean to the city of Babylon.[21] There are scholars who state that the description of the Gutian rule over parts of Mesopotamia was fiction or that it at least gave undue importance to the Guti horde. This is believed to be perpetuated by the chroniclers of Uruk to turn Utu-hegal's minor victory into an event of universal significance for the purpose of solidifying support for his emergent regime. This view is based on the varying accounts of the surviving manuscripts, with many of them in total disagreement as to the length of the king's reign and even the identities of the Guti kings.[12] The Weidner Chronicle accounts for the Gutian period as follows:
In this text, the Gutians are "scattered" by an unknown horde, the Umman Manda on their way to attacking Naram-Sin with the Gutians then picking up the pieces afterward.[23] An excerpt reads
A tablet, thought to be from Uruk and from the period following the fall of the Akkadian Empire Islikun-Dagan, known from another tablet read:
Originally thought to be an authentic inscription of the 24th century BC ruler it is now known to be a pseudoautobiographical literary composition. It is known from 3 Old Babylonian tablet copies. The fragmentary text lists areas that are tributary to Lugal-Ane-mundu.[5]
More commonly called the Curse of Agade (known by Sumerians as "The Frown of Enlil"), this is a Sumerian literary composition, many sources and versions of which have been found, purporting to describe the fall of the Akkadian Empire because it had been cursed by the gods. On the Gutians it says:
We know little about what deities the Gutian rulers worshiped though we do know that they did follow gods (both their own, and those of Mesopotamia based on inscriptions of their first known ruler, Erridu-pizir such as this one:
and
And on the mace head of a later Gutian ruler La-erabum
One possible god of Gutium has been proposed, Abublab, identified with Ninurta.[30]
Aside from a few inscriptions, mostly from a single ruler, Erridupizir, most of what is known about the names and reigns of Gutian rulers comes from the Sumerian King List (SKL). There are about two dozen sources, most fragments, for the SKL which often conflict. The earliest source is from the Ur III period, well after some of the events described. Unlike the literary narratives, which have the Akkadian Empire falling to the Gutian hordes, the SKL has rulership passing from Akkad to Uruk, which then falls to the Gutians. It is also unknown if the dynasties listed in the SKL are all sequential or if there is overlap in rulership. Note that the order and dates vary in different recensions of the SKL. The listed reign lengths throughout much of the Gutian period are comparatively short and uniform. The following list should not be considered complete:
# | Portrait or inscription | Ruler | Approx. date and length of reign | Comments, notes, and references for mentions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Akkadian period (c. 2350 – c. 2154 BC) | ||||
Gutian kings not on the SKL (c. 2350 – c. 2211 BC) | ||||
1st | Sarlak | Uncertain, fl. c. 2350 – c. 2250 BC (MC) fl. c. 2250 – c. 2150 BC |
| |
2nd | Gula-AN | Uncertain, fl. c. 2250 – c. 2220 BC (MC) fl. c. 2150 – c. 2147 BC |
| |
3rd | Erridupizir 𒂊𒅕𒊑𒁺𒉿𒍣𒅕 |
Uncertain, reigned c. 2220 – c. 2211 BC (MC) r. c. 2147 – c. 2138 BC |
| |
Gutian kings on the SKL (c. 2211 – c. 2120 BC) | ||||
| ||||
4th | Imta | Uncertain, fl. c. 2211 – c. 2208 BC (MC) fl. c. 2138 – c. 2135 BC |
||
5th | Inkishush 𒅔𒆠𒋙 |
Uncertain, fl. c. 2208 – c. 2202 BC (MC) fl. c. 2135 – c. 2129 BC |
| |
6th | Sarlagab 𒉌𒆸𒆷𒃮 |
Uncertain, fl. c. 2202 – c. 2196 BC (MC) fl. c. 2129 – c. 2126 BC |
| |
7th | Shulme 𒂄𒈨𒂊 |
Uncertain, fl. c. 2196 – c. 2190 BC (MC) fl. c. 2126 – c. 2120 BC |
||
8th | Elulmesh 𒋛𒇻𒇻𒈨𒌍 |
Uncertain, fl. c. 2190 – c. 2184 BC (MC) fl. c. 2120 – c. 2114 BC |
| |
9th | Inimabakesh 𒄿𒉌𒈠𒁀𒆠𒌍 |
Uncertain, fl. c. 2184 – c. 2179 BC (MC) fl. c. 2114 – c. 2109 BC |
||
10th | Igeshaush 𒄿𒄄𒌍𒀀𒍑 |
Uncertain, fl. c. 2179 – c. 2173 BC (MC) fl. c. 2109 – c. 2103 BC |
||
11th | Yarlagab 𒅀𒅈𒆷𒃮 |
Uncertain, fl. c. 2173 – c. 2158 BC (MC) fl. c. 2103 – c. 2088 BC |
||
12th | Ibate 𒄿𒁀𒋼 |
Uncertain, fl. c. 2158 – c. 2155 BC (MC) fl. c. 2088 – c. 2085 BC |
||
Gutian period (c. 2154 – c. 2119 BC) | ||||
13th | Yarla 𒅀𒅈𒆷 |
Uncertain, fl. c. 2155 – c. 2152 BC (MC) fl. c. 2085 – c. 2082 BC |
||
14th | Kurum 𒆪𒊒𒌝 |
Uncertain, fl. c. 2152 – c. 2151 BC (MC) fl. c. 2082 – c. 2081 BC |
||
15th | Apilkin 𒀀𒉈𒆠𒅔 |
Uncertain, fl. c. 2151 – c. 2148 BC (MC) fl. c. 2081 – c. 2078 BC |
||
16th | La-erabum 𒆷𒂍𒊏𒁍𒌝 |
Uncertain, fl. c. 2148 – c. 2146 BC (MC) fl. c. 2078 – c. 2076 BC |
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17th | Irarum 𒄿𒊏𒊒𒌝 |
Uncertain, fl. c. 2146 – c. 2144 BC (MC) fl. c. 2076 – c. 2074 BC |
||
18th | Ibranum 𒅁𒊏𒉡𒌝 |
Uncertain, fl. c. 2144 – c. 2143 BC (MC) fl. c. 2074 – c. 2073 BC |
||
19th | Hablum 𒄩𒀊𒈝 |
Uncertain, fl. c. 2143 – c. 2141 BC (MC) fl. c. 2073 – c. 2071 BC |
||
20th | Puzur-Suen 𒅤𒊭𒀭𒂗𒍪 |
Uncertain, fl. c. 2141 – c. 2134 BC (MC) fl. c. 2071 – c. 2064 BC |
| |
21st | Yarlaganda 𒅀𒅈𒆷𒂵𒀭𒁕 |
Uncertain, fl. c. 2134 – c. 2127 BC (MC) fl. c. 2064 – c. 2057 BC |
| |
22nd | Siium 𒋛𒅇𒌝 |
Uncertain, fl. c. 2127 – c. 2120 BC (MC) fl. c. 2057 – c. 2050 BC |
| |
23rd | Tirigan 𒋾𒌷𒂵𒀀𒀭 |
Uncertain, fl. c. 2120 – c. 2119 BC (MC) fl. c. 2055, c. 2050 BC |
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