Near East Kingdoms

Karana (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 modern archaeological site of Tell al-Rimah is located about sixty kilometres to the west of Mosul in Iraq. This is a candidate for the location of Karana, although placing the rival city of Qattara here is favoured. Perhaps more likely to be the case is the concept that Karana is buried under the modern town of Tal Afar, which would make archaeological investigation highly problematic.

Emerging as one of a wave of small states in northern Mesopotamia in the nineteenth century BC, Karana flourished after the collapse of the 'Kingdom of Upper Mesopotamia', and for much of its short period of independence it and Qattara were united within one state.

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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: The Tell al-Rimah Stela (Livius).)

c.1809 BC

The town of Karana is conquered by Shamshi-Adad and is incorporated into his 'Kingdom of Upper Mesopotamia'. If Samu-Addu is already governing Karana by this date then he is probably retained as a vassal.

? - c.1776 BC

Probably a vassal of Upper Mesopotamia.

c.1776 BC

The 'Kingdom of Upper Mesopotamia' is attacked simultaneously by Yamkhad and Eshnunna. Following this latest attack and seeming defeat, Shamshi-Adad dies soon afterwards, either in battle or of natural causes. His broad northern Mesopotamian empire quickly falls apart.

Much of the previous order is re-established but, in Karana, Samu-Addu's power wanes and Shamshi-Adad's former vassal in Qattara seizes the town. Samu-Adad is possibly driven into exile in Eshnunna along with his whole family, something which certainly happens to his daughter, Iltani.

c.1776 - 1770? BC

King of Qattara. Ally of Sharriya of Razama.

fl c.1770 BC

Son of Samu-Addu. Regained the throne.

Son.

Upon the death of Hatnu-rabi of Qattara, Asqur-Addu extends his control to include that city, thereby uniting or reuniting the two locations into a single state.

He hands over day-to-day control of Qattara to one of his own men, Aqba-Hammu, and also marries off his sister, Iltani, to the man. However, Aqba-Hammu subsequently usurps the throne of Karana, and Asqur-Addu is forced to take refuge in Mari.

Usurper and king of Qattara.

Aqba-Hammu possibly defeats Sharriya of Razama following a siege.

Wife. Sister of Asqur-Addu. Queen of Qattara.

c.1762 BC

Karana's brief period of independence is ended by the occupation of northern Mesopotamia by Hammurabi of Babylon. Karana probably shares Qattara's fortunes although, unlike Qattara, Karana may remain inhabited to the present day if it does indeed lie underneath the town of Tal Afar.