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 The Guti Hordes / Gutium / Gutians
The Gutians were a people of ancient Mesopotamia who
lived in the central Zagros Mountain range. Nothing is known about their origins.
They may have been an Indo-European speaking people, possibly related
linguistically to Tocharians or early Kurds.
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. However, shortly after about 2200 BC they swept down
in force into
southern and central Mesopotamia, destroying the Akkadian Empire and
subjugating much of Sumer either directly or indirectly.
The Gutians proved to be very poor rulers of Sumer, being crude
administrators, and prosperity declined. They were not at all used to the
complexities of civilization and failed to provide proper organisation,
particularly in connection with the canal network. This was allowed to sink
into disrepair, with famine and death resulting. A short "dark age" swept
over Mesopotamia. They based themselves near the ruins of Agade, so the
cities in the south enjoyed a certain level of freedom, and were able to
manage their own affairs to an extent.
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, backed up by "List 2"
and "List 3" (see
Sumer for details). Dates
are calculated back from circa 2120 BC, when the
 Gutians were
ejected, and may not be entirely accurate. |
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