Near East Kingdoms

Hamazi (City State) (Northern Mesopotamia)

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In southern Mesopotamia the city states of Sumer formed one of the first great civilisations in human history (see feature link). This Near Eastern civilisation 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, with permanent settlements arising from the sixth millennium BC. Initially these were pastoralist settlements, but soon farming villages appeared and they gradually grew and improved. At the same time, northern Mesopotamia experienced its own burgeoning development processes, largely starting under the Hassuna culture.

These processes took longer here than they did in the south, in what is now northern Iraq, the western edge of Iran, the south-eastern corner of Turkey, and the eastern wedge of Syria. An urban lifestyle only really appeared in the third millennium BC, thanks in part to such influences being imposed during Sumerian empire-building periods. Archaeology has uncovered a wealth of detail about settlements in this region, but many more sites remain to be examined.

The city of Hamazi had generally been thought to have been located in the western Zagros mountains, probably between Elam and the later Assyrian heartland. More recent research has placed it in more hospitable circumstances, most likely somewhere between Simurrum at the southern end of Lake Darbandikhan on the River Sirwan (one of two feeders for the River Diyala) in what is now eastern Iraq, and the city of Gasur to its west.

Hamazi was apparently a city state of some importance during a brief high point between circa 2500-2400 BC. According to the Sumerian king list it was the second 'foreign' city outside of the Sumerian heartland to claim the kingship. It defeated the 'Second Dynasty' of Kish to claim supremacy in Sumer, albeit briefly.

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.

According to the Sumerian king list, only one king ruled in Hamazi for 420 years, once (in one dynasty). This is the sixth entry on the list, which comprises king 51. Here, List 1 is primarily used, backed up by List 2 (see the main Sumer page for details).

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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).)

fl c.2450 BC

The order in which he and the next king reigned is not known.

Irkab-Damu of Ebla in Syria sends a diplomatic message to Zizi of Hamazi, along with a large quantity of wood, hailing him as a brother, and requesting that he sends mercenaries in exchange (from a clay tablet copy found in the archives at Ebla).

The surviving seventeen thousand or more clay tablets in the library of Ebla's royal archives are the earliest written documents in Syria, providing a wealth of detailed information about the region and its kingdoms and trade networks

c.2450 - 2430 BC

Ruled for 360 years (possibly up to 20).

c.2046 - 2037 BC

During the reign of Amar-Sin of the 'Third Dynasty' of Ur, Hamazi comes under the control of his empire and is managed by governors, or ensis. Amar-Sin is a great renovator of Sumer's ancient sites, apparently working on the ziggurat at Eridu, the main temple at Ashur, and a potential temple at Adab.

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

fl c.2041 - 2037 BC

Ensi (governor). A vassal of Ur.

fl c.2037 - ? BC

Ensi (governor). A vassal of Ur.

c.2017 BC

As with much of southern Mesopotamia, Ur is rapidly fading in power and influence as harvests fail and the population declines. The over-production of cereal has led to an increased strain being placed on the soil and a fall in productivity.

While southern Mesopotamia flourished during the third millennium BC, it took longer for the same effect to be felt in northern Mesopotamia, with the first larger cities and city states only really emerging towards the end of the millennium (click or tap on map to view full sized)

One of Ibbi-Sin's officials, Ishbi-Erra, is implored by the king to acquire grain in the north at whatever price is necessary, while new waves of immigration into the region by Amorites add an extra layer of confusion and conflict. Ishbi-Erra now takes the opportunity to move to the subject city of Isin and create his own city state there.

c.2010 BC

Having created his own city state at Isin by betraying his master in Ur, Ishbi-Erra is busy raiding and conquering territory as Ur collapses (along with Sumerian civilisation in general). The province of Hamazi is now occupied and plundered by him.