Near East Kingdoms

Der (City State) (Southern Mesopotamia)

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The city states of Sumer formed one of the first great civilisations in human history (see feature link). This Near Eastern civilisation emerged a little way ahead of that of Africa's ancient Egypt, and up to a millennium before that of the Indus Valley culture. It developed out of the end of the Pottery Neolithic across the Fertile Crescent, a period which had seen Neolithic Farmer practices spread far and wide across the Near East and beyond.

As irrigation improved so the more southerly reaches of the Euphrates could at last be occupied by humans and their animals. Southern Mesopotamia (modern Iraq and the western edge of Iran) was subjected to permanent settlement, initially in the form of pastoralists but soon as farmers too. Cultures around the edges of this progression included the Hassuna and Samarra which began this settlement process, and perhaps elements of the Hissar culture in the Iranian highlands were also involved.

By the late fourth millennium BC, Sumer was divided into approximately a dozen city states which were independent of one another and which used local canals and boundary stones to mark their borders. Many early historical events in the region are found only in the Sumerian king list, which notates the rulers of the city states (and see feature link), but archaeology has also uncovered a wealth of detail.

The city of Der (now the archaeological site of Tell 'Aqar or Tell Aqar) lies close to the town of al-Badra in eastern Iraq. That name, Badrah (al-Badra), descends from the name 'Der'. During the later second millennium BC the city was known by the Aramaean version of its name, Bīt-Derāya. Following the Arabic takeover of the region under the Islamic empire the name became contorted to Badarāya, with Badrah being its modern form.

As a city state in its own right, Der controlled territory to the immediate east of Eshnunna and Sippar, as well as the Tigris. This places it in the foothills of the Zagros mountains, closer to the frontier with Elam but well to the north of it.

During the second millennium BC it may well have bordered the uncertain Amorite territorial holding called Yamatbul, which also had control of Andarig and Razama in northern Mesopotamia and Larsa in southern Mesopotamia. It apparently emerged as an independent state following the fall of Sumer, no doubt also controlled by Amorites who were ascendant across much of southern Mesopotamia at the start of the second millennium BC.

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(Information by Peter Kessler, with additional information from History of the Ancient Near East c.3000-323 BC, Marc van der Mieroop (Blackwell Publishing, 2004, 2007), from Historical Atlas of the Ancient World, 4,000,000 to 500 BC, John Heywood (Barnes & Noble, 2000), from Mesopotamia: Assyrians, Sumerians, Babylonians, Enrico Ascalone (Dictionaries of Civilizations 1, University of California Press, 2007), from Early Mesopotamia: Society and Economy at the Dawn of History, J N Postgate (Routledge, 1994), from The First Empires, J N Postgate (Oxford 1977), from Mesopotamia, Chris Scarre (Ed, Past Worlds - The Times Atlas of Archaeology, Guild Publishing, London 1989), and from External Links: Ancient Worlds, and Ancient History, Anthony Michael Love ('List 3' of Sumerian rulers at Sarissa.org), and City of Culture 2600 BC - Early Mesopotamian History and Archaeology at Abu Salabikh, John Nicholas Postgate (Archaeopress Archaeology, 2024, and available via Archaeopress).)

c.2083 BC

The city of Der has been built up in the lower foothills of the western Zagros mountains during Sumer's 'Early Dynastic' period (by at least 2400 BC), and probably in its later years during the peak successes of the Akkadian empire. It is likely to have suffered under the subsequent rule of the Gutians, and recovered during the ascendancy of the Ur III empire.

The ruins of the once-vast city of Ur were excavated in 1922 by Sir Leonard Woolley, which is when the 'Royal Tombs' were discovered (External Link: Creative Commons Licence 4.0 International)

Around now, in the eleventh year of Shulgi of Ur, the king's year name (as delivered during the subsequent year) is the 'year [the god] Ishtaran of Der was brought into his temple'. The act suggests a rebuilding of Der, or a temple rededication.

c.2073 BC

Shulgi's twenty-first year is named the 'year in which Der was destroyed'. The circumstances are unknown but, just five years later, Shulgi is attempting to forge an alliance between his Ur III empire and Libanukshabash, king of Marhashi and the dominant power in Elam at this time.

c.2040s BC

Ensi (governor). Son of Amar-Sin of Ur.

c.2040s BC

During the reign of Amar-Sin in the later 2040s BC and early 2030s BC, the king has to campaign against Huhnuri in Elam, and also Arwilukpi, the present king of Marhashi (possibly one and the same campaign).

Some of the earliest cities, such as Sippar, Borsippa, and Kish in the north, and Ur, Uruk, and Eridu in the south, formed the endpoints of what became the complex Sumerian network of cities and canals (click or tap on map to view full sized)

The outcome is unknown but Marhashi becomes much less of a threat. The Huhnuri campaign requires the king's son to leave his post as governor of Der to return to Ur and protect the city.

fl c.1940s BC

Independent ruler of Der.

Eshnunna is sacked during the time in which that city is governed by Usurawassu. Possibly the act is committed by Anum-muttabbil of Der, and Eshnunna may temporarily be subject to his city. Little is known about Eshnunna's subsequent nine rulers.

c.1883 BC

The first independent ruler of Babylon starts out as a minor Amorite leader who seizes the town from the control of Kazallu. Sumu-abum begins his reign with the construction of a great city wall which remains unfinished at his death, after he is driven into exile by Manana of Kish, to take refuge in Der.

Tell es-Senkereh, the site of ancient Larsa, one-time capital of Sumer, is one of the largest archaeological sites in Iraq

c.1810 - 1800 BC

In the thirteenth year of the rule of Rim-Sin of Larsa - about 1809 BC - he defeats a coalition of forces which is led by Uruk, Isin, and Babylon. He captures some villages near Uruk, but a pause occurs until further action is possible.

He seems to have to fight near Larsa itself - and is victorious - before recapturing Nippur (which clearly has been lost, perhaps about 1810 BC), destroying Der around 1802 BC, and then destroying Uruk around 1800 BC (albeit certainly not at the first attempt).

fl c.1776 BC

Independent ruler of Der, but tied to Yamkhad.

c.1776 BC

Yamkhad and Eshnunna attack and destroy the kingdom of 'Upper Mesopotamia'. Yarim-Lim is free to expand his kingdom down the Euphrates valley as far as the borders of Mari, with whom relations are friendly as the ruler, Zimri-Lim, is Yarim-Lim's brother-in-law.

BM 22470 (British Museum, a statue which was dedicated to the goddess Nin-shubur of the city of Der, by Enzi and his son Amar-kiku around 2400 BC (External Link: Creative Commons Licence 4.0 International)

Now more powerful than Hammurabi of Babylon in terms of his level of support, a letter which archaeologists discover in Mari claims Yarim-Lim is followed by twenty [lesser] kings, including those of Ugarit and Ebla. The city of Der, however, has to be reminded of its loyalties.

Yarim-Lim reminds Der's ruler, Yasub-Yahad, about the military help which has been supplied to him for the past fifteen years, followed by a declaration of war against the city in retaliation for what Yarim-Lim describes as Yasub-Yahad's evil deeds.

c.1684 - 1647 BC

Babylon is able to regain the cities of Uruk, Isin, Lagash and Larsa from Sealand. Babylon's current ruler, Ammi-ditana, is recorded as having destroyed the city walls of Der in his thirty-seventh year (about 1647 BC), after they had apparently been built by Damqi-ilishu of Sealand.

This stela and boundary stone of Babylonia's King Nebuchadnezzar I (1126-1103 BC) mentions Der: 'Siru, the bright god, the son of the temple of Der'

720 BC

Having achieved instant success in battle in Syria and Canaan, the usurper Assyrian king, Sargon II, attempts to attack Elam. He is defeated near Der by Elamites and their allies at this time, the Babylonians. Der fades after this point, eventually being entirely abandoned.