Near East Kingdoms

Der (City State) (Southern Mesopotamia)

Ancient Mesopotamia (Intro) Canaanite States & Groups Israelites & Israel Mesopotamian States & Groups Rome Syrian States & Groups

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) lies close to the town of al-Badra in eastern Iraq. That name, Badrah, descends from the name Der. During the later second millennium BC, Der was known by the Aramaean version of its name, Bīt-Derāya. Following Arabic takeover of the region 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. It apparently emerged as an independent state following the fall of Sumer, no doubt controlled by Amorites who were ascendant across much of southern Mesopotamia at the start of the second millennium BC.

The city's patron god was Ištaran (also shown in its unaccented form as Ishtaran). His earthly minister was the snake god, Nirah. From various preserved passages of text it is clear that this god was recognised by the cities of Sumer as the divine adjudicator, at least in terms of territorial disputes.

Unfortunately, despite the city's longevity as an occupied settlement (covering at least fifteen hundred years), records for it or for any of its kings are extremely sparse.

(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).)

fl c.1940s BC

Eshnunna is sacked, possibly by Anum-muttabbil, and may temporarily be a subject of Der.

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

c.1883 BC

The first king of Babylon, Sumuabum, is driven into exile in Der by Manana of Kish.

720 BC

Assyrian king Sargon II attempts to attack Elam but is defeated near Der by Elamites and their allies at this time, Babylonians.