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Near East Kingdoms

Ancient Mesopotamia

 

Kish / Kiš / Kic (City State) (Sumer)
Incorporating Hursag-kalama

FeatureThe 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.

FeatureBy 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.

Sumerians founded Kish, more properly shown as Kiš, but also rendered as Kic, modern Tell al-Uhaymir which sits some eighty kilometres to the south of Baghdad. These people were non-Semitic and black-haired, their origin unknown but thought to be of the mountains. Their occupation of the site (or sites, of up to forty individual mounds) began in the Jemdet Nasr period (3200-2900 BC) at a time in which many of Sumer's cities were quickly being built up from large villages, eventually to rival the 'mother city' of Uruk.

This growth was ended temporarily by the archaeologically-attested flood of between 2900-2800BC in Sumer, which left deposits in Kish. This and several other equally attested floods serve to separate Sumer's Antediluvian period from its Post Diluvian period, but it is possible that the city was less badly affected than was Shuruppak. After all, according the the Sumerian king list, Kish quickly assumed the kingship.

The city flourished in the full bloom of Sumerian civilisation in the 'Early Dynastic' period at the start of the third millennium BC. It was of major importance in the early part of the millennium (the 'Early Dynastic II' period of the twenty-sixth century BC), but it later declined in importance. Even so, despite Sumer's collapse and reinvention as part of Babylonia, Kish remained occupied throughout, until the Sassanid period.

Certainly in later times, and quite possible from the very earliest times, whichever king controlled the city of Kish was recognised as šar kiššati (king of Kish), and was considered pre-eminent in Sumer, possibly because this was where the two rivers approached, the Tigris and the Euphrates, and whoever controlled Kish ultimately controlled the irrigation systems of the other cities downstream. Many rulers from other cities who achieved dominance in Sumer also claimed the title for themselves.

As is recorded in the 'Early Dynastic IIIa' Sumerian Zame Hymns from the library of Abu Salabikh, the city's patron deity was Zababa. Neither the 'goddess of the land', Inana/Ištar, nor her temple abode in Hursag-kalama were included there. She and Enlil were greater, regional gods, not city-specific gods. Hursag-kalama was a twin city to Kish, built at Tell Ingharra, as much as two kilometres to the south-east of central Kish.

The Kish conurbation has a dual nature as a result, being referred to as 'two cities' in the Akkadian inscriptions of Sargon. The name of Inanna's temple of Hursag-kalama means 'mountain of the land', and it can be tempting to view this as reflecting both the ziqqurrat there and Inanna's role as a regional patron.

The 'First Dynasty' kings of Kish are also known as the 'First Kingship' (of Sumer, after the flood). According to the Sumerian king list, a total of thirty-nine kings ruled in Kish for 14,409 + X years, three months and three and-a-half days, four times (in four dynasties). Here, List 1 is primarily used, backed up by List 2 and List 3 (see the main Sumer page for details).

The king list presents kingship as a divine gift which had been bestowed upon mankind in primordial times. It was passed down from king to king and from city to city through the will of the gods and could only be held by one person at a time. This now appears to be more of a high kingship, with each city recognising the most powerful king of the period while ruling their own territory. Only later did the concept of empire emerge to remove or minimise local rule under a more powerful empire-builder.

Sumerians

(Information by Peter Kessler, with additional information from Mesopotamia: The Invention of the City, Gwendolyn Leick (Penguin Books, 2001), from Encyclopaedia Britannica (Eleventh Edition, Cambridge (England), 1910), from The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character, Samuel Noah Kramer ('List 1' of Sumerian rulers, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1963), from Historical Atlas of the Ancient World, 4,000,000 to 500 BC, John Heywood (Barnes & Noble, 2000), from The Ancient Near East, c.3000-330 BC, Amélie Kuhrt (Routledge, 2000, Vol I & II), from Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East, Michael Road (Facts on File, 2000), from Mesopotamia: Assyrians, Sumerians, Babylonians, Enrico Ascalone (Dictionaries of Civilizations 1, University of California Press, 2007), from The Archaeology of Mesopotamia, S Lloyd (Revised Ed, London, 1984), from Early Mesopotamia: Society and Economy at the Dawn of History, J N Postgate (Routledge, 1994), from History of the Ancient Near East c.3000-323 BC, Marc van der Mieroop (Blackwell Publishing, 2004, 2007), from Ancient History: A Theory About Ancient Times, L C Gerts (List 4 of Sumerian rulers, Chapter 12: The Sumerian king list, 2002), from Mesopotamia, Chris Scarre (Ed, Past Worlds - The Times Atlas of Archaeology, Guild Publishing, London 1989), and from External Links: Ancient Worlds, and The Sumerian Kings List, J A Black, G Cunningham, E Fluckiger-Hawker, E Robson, & G Zólyomi ('List 2' of Sumerian rulers, available via the Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, Oxford, 1998), and Ancient History, Anthony Michael Love ('List 3' of Sumerian rulers at Sarissa.org), and Images from History (University of Alabama), and Evolution of Sumerian kingship (Ancient World Magazine), and City of Culture 2600 BC - Early Mesopotamian History and Archaeology at Abu Salabikh, John Nicholas Postgate (Archaeopress Archaeology, 2024, and available via Archaeopress), and Early Kings of Kish, Albrecht Goetze (Journal of Cuneiform Studies, Vol 15, No 3, 1961, pp 105-111 and available to read via University of Chicago Press Journals).)

c.3100 - 2900 BC

The Uruk IV influence suddenly fades around 3100 BC (or 3200 BC in some modern sources) for reasons unknown. Local traditions re-emerge in places which had previously taken on board Uruk influences, including at Shakhi Kora which is abandoned entirely. Elam's advanced city of Susa experiences an influx of immigrants who introduce great changes there.

The Uruk III or Jemdet Nasr period in Sumer is one of comparative isolation (with the city of Jemdet Nasr supplying the type site). A new social structure is built which will become a fundamental part of the successive 'Early Dynastic' period. A host of early cities are mentioned at this time, on seals which are discovered at Jemdet Nasr itself. These cities include Kesh, Kish, Larsa, Nippur, Ur, Uruk, and Zabalam.

Uruk itself is suddenly rebuilt, with construction taking place in more permanent mudbrick. The city continues to thrive in the Jemdet Nasr period but an entirely new complex of buildings is erected over the carefully-levelled remains of those of the previous period. Sumer remains culturally inward-looking for this period.

Early Bronze Age pottery
This fragment of Early Bronze Age pottery was produced in Mesopotamia around 3000 BC, as the early city-building movement there began to accelerate towards large-scale city states and a recorded history

First Dynasty (Kish) (Sumer)
c.2900? - 2650? BC

The leading position which had been held by Uruk in the fourth millennium BC's Uruk IV period began to fade in the early third millennium BC as other Sumerian city states evolved and gained prominence. The city of Kish in the northern part of Sumer became especially important after city states farther down the river had been ravaged by repeated flooding (the likely origin of the division between Antediluvian and 'Post-Diluvian' periods in Sumer's history).

Shortly after the end of the reign of Etana of 'First Dynasty' Kish, Meskiaggasher of Uruk founded a rival 'First Dynasty' in Uruk, far to the south of Kish. His dynasty quickly came to be the dominant force in the region. Its members increasingly sought luxury materials to express their power, either through trade with places such as the vital trading centre of Dilmun, or through conquest.

This is the first set of entries on the Sumerian list comprising kings 1-23. Twenty-three kings ruled for 24,510 years, three months, and 3.5 days. The earliest names are semi-legendary, but were probably based on real Antediluvian rulers. About half of them have Semitic names, meaning that Semites were at least established in the northern part of Mesopotamia by this approximate date and that not all interaction between the two groups was hostile.

c.3048? BC

FeatureThe Sumerian king list (various versions are available - see feature link) states that: 'After the Flood', 'the kingship was handed down from Heaven for a second time, this time to the city of Kish which became the seat of kingship. In Kish, Gaur ruled for 1,200 years as the city's earliest king' [as far as is known]'.

However, rough dating for the kings of Kish places Gaur around 3050 BC, far too early for him to succeed after the flood of about 2600 BC, and towards the end of 'Early Dynastic I', the very start of dynastic Sumer.

For the king list to work as a succession of potential over-kings or high kings, it must be Enmebaraggesi who claims the kingship, probably following his subduing of the Elamites. The names before that are simply his ancestors who rule only in Kish without any particular greater authority.

fl c.3048 BC

Gaur / Ĝušur / Jucur / Jushur

Ruled for 1,200 years (50 years?) (from the WB-62 list).

c.3000 BC

The Sumerian city of Shuruppak is develop around this period from a few scattered Uruk IV period villages. It is smaller than the mighty expanse of the city of Uruk which lies approximately forty kilometres to its south and which seemingly controls its construction.

Throughout much of its existence - at least until the twenty-fourth century BC - Shuruppak is part of a wider political association. It and several other cities appear to act in unison, and for the good of the group as a whole.

The five other cities are Adab, Lagash, Nippur, Umma, and Uruk, probably along with many minor cities and large towns. Kish, while being independent of this group, seems to be seen as an associate member. Ur is much more likely to be outside of this group, and is a likely candidate for the twenty-fourth century BC attack on Shuruppak.

fl c.2998 BC

Gulla-Nidaba-annapad / Kullassina-bel

Ruled for 960/900 years (40 years?).

fl c.2958 BC

Palakinatim / Nanjiclicma

Ruled for 900/670? years (28 years?).

fl c.2930 BC

Nangishlishma / En-tarah-ana

Ruled for ?/420 years (3 mths, 3.5 days).

fl c.2930 BC

Bahina / Babum

Ruled for ?/300 years (?/12.5 years?).

fl c.2920 BC

Buanum / Puannum

Ruled for 840/240 years (35 years?).

fl c.2885 BC

Kalibum

Ruled for 960/900 years (40/37 years?).

fl c.2855 BC

Galumum / Kalumum

Ruled for 840/900 years (35/37 years?).

fl c.2820 BC

Zukakip / Zuqaqip

Ruled for 900/600 years (37/25 years?).

fl c.2795 BC

Atab / Aba

Ruled for 600 years (25 years?).

fl c.2780 BC

Mashda / Macda

Son. Ruled for 840/720 years (35/30 years?).

fl c.2750 BC

Arurim / Arwium / Arpu-Rim

Son. Ruled for 720 years (30 years?).

c.2750 BC

The Sumerian Antediluvian king list and excavations in Iraq show evidence of a flood at Shuruppak somewhere between 2900-2750 BC. This flood extends as far as Kish, whose king, Etana, then supposedly founds the first 'Post-Diluvian' Sumerian dynasty.

'After the Flood, the kingship was handed down from Heaven a second time, this time to the city of Kish which became the seat of kingship.'

fl c.2750 BC

Etana

Ruled for 1,560/1,500/635 years. 'The Herdsman'.

The king list names Etana as 'the shepherd who ascended to Heaven and made firm all the lands'. In other words, he stabilises the lands, bringing some semblance of peace and control to them after the flood phase (the immediate Post-Diluvian period).

He is also the first king in Sumer to be known from any other source but the list. Trade with cities in northern Mesopotamia includes the purchase of specially-moulded mud bricks from Alakhtum.

Shortly after Etana's reign ends, King Meskiaggasher founds a rival dynasty in 'First Dynasty' Uruk, far to the south of Kish, which now dominates Sumer.

Balih

Son. Ruled for 400/410 years.

Enmenunna / En-me-nuna

Ruled for 660/621 years.

Melam-Kish / Melem-Kic

Son. Ruled for 900 years.

Barsalnunna / Barsal-nuna

Brother. Ruled for 1,200 years.

Meszamug / Zamug

Son. Ruled for 140 years.

Tizkar / Tizqar

Son. Ruled for 305 years.

Ilku

Ruled for 900 years.

? - c.2615 BC

Iltasadum

Ruled for 1,200 years.

c.2600 BC

FeatureThe Sumerian king list (again, see the feature) states that: 'After the Flood', 'the kingship was handed down from Heaven for a second time', now to Kish. Some of the dating for the kingship (or a potential high kingship) only works if the king in question is Enmebaraggesi.

Appearing towards the end of 'Early Dynastic I', the very start of dynastic Sumer, his antecedent, Gaur, rules much too early for him to succeed after the flood of about 2600 BC. Enmebaraggesi, however, certainly does become Sumer's dominant king during his reign (although take note of the ruler named as Etana, above).

c.2615 - 2585 BC

Enmebaraggesi / En-men-barage-si

Ruled for 900 years. First 'high king'?

According to the king list, Kish subdues the Elamites ('Enmebaraggesi, the king who smote the Land of Elam'), although it is not an historically provable event. Enmebaraggesi also becomes the dominant ruler in Sumer, in place of Uruk, and constructs the temple of Enlil at Nippur. He is the earliest king whose existence has been archaeologically confirmed.

fl c.2585 BC

Agga / Aga / Akka

Son. Ruled for 625 years. Last ruler of Etana's dynasty.

Agga of Kish is tied in with the Gilgamesh of 'First Dynasty' Uruk, so it is possible that the date for him here is too late by about sixty years. All dating for third millennium Sumer is open to a degree of debate, however.

Again, according to the king list, Kish is defeated in battle and its kingship is carried off to Eanna and its 'First Dynasty' rulers (with the possibility that there has previously been something of a rivalry for supremacy between these two cities).

c.2585 BC

The Sumerian king list for the 'Post-Diluvian' period states: 'All told, twenty-three kings ruled for a total of 24,510 years, three months and three and-a-half days before Kish was defeated in battle and its kingship carried off to [the rival city of Uruk and its core, commanding, temple region of] Eanna'.

The end of Kish's Etana-descended 'First Dynasty' is not the end of a list of kings for this pre-'Second Dynasty' period, however. Two previously unknown names which are not on the king list are discovered during the sixth season of excavation work at Nippur in AD 1957-1958.

fl c.2570s? BC

A-Imdugud

Son. Ruled, but unknown apart from inscriptions.

fl c.2560s? BC

Enna-il / Û-húb

Son. Ruled. Named on several inscriptions and a statuette.

The name Û-húb comes from a vase which is excavated at Nippur, but this can be matched favourably to the name Enna-ill (or En-na-il - both are valid here). This king claims to be responsible for having smashed Elam (very early in its time as a threat to Sumer), following which he dedicates the inscribed vase to Inanna at Nippur.

Both he and his father are also attested in finds from Shuruppak, suggesting strongly that A-Imdugud is also a king of Kish. How they hold power is unknown, as are both the political situation in Kish at this time and the circumstances regarding their being succeeded by Mesilim and his 'Second Dynasty' of Kish.

Second Dynasty (Kish) (Sumer)
c.2550/2500 - 2430 BC

According to the king list, Kish defeated the Elamite kings of Awan to regain the kingship. The first king of this 'Second Dynasty' of Kish is Mesilim. He is strangely absent from the king list, despite clearly having been a figure of authority in the region. There is a theory that he and Mesannepadda of Ur may be one and the same person, which would explain the omission, but not the subsequent division of Ur and Kish following his reign.

How he comes to power is also unknown. The two little-known kings who preceded him - A-Imdugud and Enna-il - cannot yet be tied to any known genealogy, with the result that Kish in this period has a very patchy recorded history.

The second dynasty of Kish forms the fifth set of entries on the Sumerian list, comprising kings 43-50. Eight kings ruled for 3,195 / 3,792 years (Lists 1 & 2). There may be more kings though, names which could be missing from the king list. The rough dates here for Mesilim and then Mesannepadda leave a potentially large gap in a timeline which to date has been poorly-formed.

fl c.2550 BC

Mesilim

Not on the king list. Well-known from inscriptions.

Mesilim of Kish (or Kesh, a much less likely prospect) does not appear on the king list, but his existence is confirmed from pre-dynastic Lagash and from Adab. He is famous for drawing the border between Umma and Lagash, a contentious point between these two cities. His decision, accepted by both parties, appears to favour Lagash over Umma.

In his position as a recognised overlord or high king in Sumer, he also restores the E-Sar temple in Adab. One of his inscriptions in that city mentions its ruler, Ninkisalsi, a vassal of the city of Ur.

c.2500 BC

Mesannepadda of Ur begins that city's first ruling dynasty around this time, the 'First Dynasty'. It is also this dynasty of kings which coincides with the laying of the 'Royal Graves' of Ur, although none of the archaeological remains can be linked to any specific ruler.

Mesannepadda himself is known to bear the additional title of 'king of Kish', an important addition which appears to confirm a degree of regional dominance.

fl c.2500 BC

Mesannepadda / Mec-Ane-pada

King of Ur's 'First Dynasty'.

 

By this time the scribes of Abu Salabikh bear Semitic names. Sumer is now a multi-lingual region, with at least two major languages being spoken in the form of Sumerian and Semitic (sometimes labelled proto-Akkadian, with that later being a dominant form of non-Sumerian).

Semitic predominates in northern Sumer and in northern Mesopotamia beyond that - such as at Ashur and Nineveh - as this is the route of entry into Sumer itself for Semitic-speakers. Its use is most notable in early Akkadians, while Sumerian still dominates in the south.

c.2500 BC

FeaturePerhaps Eannatum of Lagash is the only king of that city who can claim the (high) kingship of Sumer, but the Sumerian king list (various versions are available - see feature link) avoids any mention of Lagash.

Instead it states that: 'Awan was defeated in battle and its kingship carried off to Kish'. It would seem to be 'Second Dynasty' Kish under Susuda which establishes regional dominance around this time.

fl c.2500 BC

(Name unknown) / Susuda

Ruled for 201 years.

Dadasig

Ruled for ?/81/1,1310 years.

Mamagal / Magalgal / Mamagalla

Ruled for 420/360 years.

Kalbum / Kaalbum / Galbum

Son. Ruled for 132/195 years.

Tuge / Tuge-E

Ruled for 360/300 years.

Mennumna / Men-nuna

Ruled for 180 years.

fl c.2450 BC

Enbi-Ishtar

Not on Lists 1-4.

Lugalmu / (Name unknown) / Ibbiea

Ruled for 420/290 years. Different lists swap the last two kings.

Ibbi-Ea / Lugalju / Lugalmu

Ruled for 290/360/420 years.

c.2440s BC

Eannatum of Lagash annexes virtually all of 'Post-Diluvian' Sumer, including Kish, Nippur, Umma, Uruk (briefly), Ur, and Larsa. In addition, he extends his realm to parts of Elam and along the Persian Gulf, apparently using terror as a matter of policy.

In time, Urur of Akshak leads a northern coalition against him but that is destroyed, with Akshak, along with Mari, recognising Lagash's supremacy. Only after Eannatum's reign, and a century later, is Lagash eclipsed by Umma under Lugalzaggesi, never again to be a great power.

Eannatum's stele of the vultures describes the violent treatment which is meted out to his enemies while he claims the coveted (and quite possibly worshipped) title, 'king of Kish'.

'Early Dynastic IIIb' destruction layers at the 'Palace A' and 'Plano-Convex Building' in Kish are attributed to this period, thanks either to Eannatum or to another defeat by Enshakushanna of Uruk.

c.2430 BC

The Sumerian king list of the 'Post-Diluvian' period states that: 'After kingship was brought back to Kish... [Susuda] ruled [for more than] 201 years; Dadasig ruled for 81 years; Mamagal ruled for 420 years; Kalbum, the son of Mamagal, ruled for 132 years; Tuge ruled for 360 years; Mennumna ruled for 180 years; Lugalmu ruled for 420 years, and Ibbi-Ea ruled for 290 (?) years.

'All told, eight kings ruled for a total of 3,195 years before Kish was defeated in battle [perhaps by Enshakushanna of Uruk] and its kingship carried off to Hamazi'.

Third Dynasty (Kish) (Sumer)
c.2440? - 2400 BC

It seems to have taken Kish the space of a generation and more to recover after the ending of its 'Second Dynasty' during the annexation of Sumer by Eannatum of Lagash. The city defeated the kings of Mari to claim supremacy after a period in which the kingship seems to have been passed through several hands.

An inn keeper before claiming the throne, Ku-Bau was, 'she who made firm the foundations of Kish [and] ruled for a hundred years as "king"'. That description and her epithet of 'innkeeper' suggest she stabilised Kish as a regional power and led it wisely during her time in charge. That time may even extend to the end of the reign of Ibbi-Ea, around 2440 BC.

FeatureHer 'Third Dynasty' reign of a hundred years as shown by the king list needs to be qualified, and perhaps this has been done via in the accompanying feature (see link). She was the only known female king to rule in Sumerian history. This is the eleventh entry on the Sumerian list, comprising king 66: 'One king ruled for one hundred years'.

c.2400 BC

FeatureThe Sumerian king list (various versions are available - see feature link) now states that: 'After kingship was brought to Mari... six kings ruled for a total of 136 years before Mari was defeated and its kingship carried off to Kish [of the "Third Dynasty"]'.

If the approximate dating here is to work at all then it seems more likely that Ku-Bau of Kish inflicts this defeat upon Mari towards the end of her reign, and that her stewardship of this position is relatively brief, perhaps no more than a decade at most.

fl c.2400 BC

Ku-Bau / Kug-Bau / Ku-Baba

Female. Ruled 100 years. The 'Innkeeper'/'woman tavern-keeper'.

Ku-Bau is known by an array of variations of her name, which include Kug-Bau, Ku-Baba, and Kubaba. The king list refers to her as lugal (king), not as eresh (queen consort). She is the only woman to bear this title.

Siduri the tavern-keeper, who runs an inn in the Underworld, is a significant character in the Epic of Gilgamesh, but the origin of Ku-Bau's own epithet of 'innkeeper' may (or may not) metaphorical, showing her to be a wise guide in the form of Siduri.

She is later herself worshipped as a minor god, and is given the name Kybele (more readily known as Cybele). More obliquely, in her divine form she becomes the patron of the Hittite city of Carchemish in northern Syria in the later third millennium BC. In her historical form it is her son, Puzur-Sin, who later founds the 'Fourth Dynasty' of Kish.

c.2390 BC

Now the Sumerian king list of the 'Post-Diluvian' period states that: 'After kingship was brought back to Kish again, Ku-Bau, the innkeeper, she who made firm the foundations of Kish, ruled for a hundred years as "king" before Kish was defeated and its kingship carried off to Akshak'.

Fourth Dynasty (Kish) (Sumer)
c.2360 - 2340 BC

The 'innkeeper', Ku-Bau, appears to have restored some level of governance and control in the 'Third Dynasty' city of Kish. Given the length of time the king list allots to her reign - a century - she may even have gained control following the city's defeat by Lagash around 2440 BC. Her reign was clearly long and successful for the city - she was later deified for her successes.

The king list omits to detail the process by which the kingship was taken by Akshak, whether through battle or simply because the king had died. That city's hold on the kingship was brief though, lasting less than three decades. Then Kish reclaimed the kingship under Ku-Bau's son, Puzur-Sin.

His 'Fourth Dynasty' seems more to be a continuation of the third dynasty, but is differentiated due to the style used by the Sumerian king list. This is the thirteenth set of entries on the list, comprising kings 73-80. Seven kings ruled for 491 / 485 years (Lists 1 & 2), or eight kings ruled for 586 years (List 2).

c.2360 BC

FeatureThe Sumerian king list (various versions are available - see feature link) now states that: 'After kingship was brought to Akshak... six kings ruled for a total of ninety-nine years before Akshak was defeated and its kingship carried off to Kish [of the "Fourth Dynasty"]'.

fl c.2360s ? BC

Puzur-Sin / Puzur-Suen / Puzursin

Son of 'Third Dynasty' Ku-Bau. Ruled for 25 years.

fl c.2350s? BC

Ur-Zababa / Urilbaba

Son. Ruled for 400/6/4+x years.

c.2350? BC

It is Sargon 'whose [probable] father, La'ibum (or Itti-Bel), was a gardener, the cupbearer of Ur-Zababa of Kish, [who] founded Agade'. He claims to be the first king to unite Mesopotamia (Sumer and Agade, plus a wide swathe of northern Mesopotamia), although Enshakushanna of 'Second Dynasty' Uruk has already achieved that in the mid-twenty-fifth century BC.

It is unclear what happens at Kish, and whether it is Sargon or Lugalzaggesi of 'Third Dynasty' Uruk and Umma who dethrones (or attempts to dethrone) Ur-Zababa. Sargon does not claim the throne of Kish but instead relocates to the still-minor town of Agade in the north, so perhaps his attempted coup fails.

Ur-Zababa has an Akkadian cupbearer and gardener in his service who bears the name Sargon. Sargon displaces the king and enters upon a career of conquest from Agade. The timeline here is unclear, possibly leaving free the subsequent rulers of Kish rather than as vassals.

Simudarra / Zimudar / Ziju-iake

Ruled for 30 years.

Usiwater / Uß³i-watar

Son. Ruled for 7/6 years.

Ishtar-muti / Ectar-muti

Ruled for 11/17? years.

Ishme-Shamash / Icme-Camac

Ruled for 11 years.

(No data) / Cu-ilicu / (No data)

Ruled for 15 years.

fl c.2340? BC

Nannia / Nanniya / Zimudar

Ruled for 7/3 years. The 'Stoneworker'.

c.2340? BC

Now the Sumerian king list of the 'Post-Diluvian' period states that: 'After kingship was brought back to Kish, Puzur-Sin, son of [the female "Third Dynasty" ruler,] Ku-Bau, ruled for 25 years; Ur-Zababa, son of Puzur-Sin, ruled for 400 years; Simudarra ruled for 30 years; Usiwatar, son of Simudarra, ruled for 7 years; Ishtar-muti ruled for 11 years; Ishme-Shamash ruled for 11 years, and Nannia, the stoneworker, ruled for 7 years.

'All told, seven kings ruled for 491 years before Kish was defeated [for the final time] and its kingship carried off to Uruk [of the "Third Dynasty"]'.

c.2334 BC

By this time Sargon of Agade certainly has created his Akkadian empire and he now dominates all of Sumer. No kings are known in Kish during this period, which may be another sign that the city has lost its pre-eminence.

fl c.2254? BC

Iphur-Kish

Governor? Vassal of Agade. Not on the king list.

c.2254? BC

Kish leads a 'Great Revolt' against the Akkadian empire, rallying the northern Sumerian cities of Apiak (location unknown, but close to the Tigris, to the east of Nippur), Borsippa, Dilbat, Eresh, Kazallu, Kiritab, Kutha, Sippar, and Tiwa, and placing a well-organised army in the field which is then defeated. The trigger seems to be a dispute between Agade and Gula-AN of the Gutians.

c.2004 BC

The waning Sumerian civilisation which has at its centre the 'Third Dynasty' city of Ur now collapses entirely when the Shimashki king of Elam, Kindattu, together with the people of Susa, sacks the city and captures Ibbi-Sin.

The great brick mausoleums and temples of the third dynasty kings are destroyed and the king is carried off into captivity. Documentation from Umma now ceases. Isin now enjoys a period of dominance in Sumer while a now-Amorite-dominated Ur re-emerges in a reduced state. The city of Kish also becomes an Amorite-controlled Kish.

Kish (Amorite City State) (Southern Mesopotamia)

The fall of the Sumerian city of Ur and its 'Third Dynasty' around 2004 BC ended the final stages of Sumerian civilisation. Long migrating into the region and part of the problem which caused Ur's decline, Amorites began to fill the void left by the collapse by assuming control of former Sumerian cities such as Mari, and by establishing powerful centralised kingdoms such as Babylonia. The Assyrians also achieved temporary independence in Ashur at the same time.

Under Amorite control, the city of Kish enjoyed mixed fortunes. Six years after Ur's conquest by Elam, that city was seized by the successor Amorite city state of Isin. The small city state of Kazallu in Akkad shared in the spoils of the victory of about 2004 BC, temporarily rising to become a small regional power.

Kish appears to have been under Kazallu's control for around a century before freeing itself under a short series of obscure Amorite rulers. Little is known of events in this period, before Babylon took control of much of the region. Even the correct running order for kings is highly uncertain, based largely on year names and a few clay tablets which record events in basic detail.

c.2004 BC

Much of Sumer is under the control of the Elamites, until they are pushed out six years later by Isin. Kish in the north then falls under the control of Kazallu.

fl c.1900 BC

Halium

Related? Contemporary with Ur-Ninurta of Isin.

fl c.1900 BC

Abdi-Erah

Related? Not the same as Abdi-Erah of Eshnunna?

 

Abdi-Erah is (probably) not to be confused with the contemporary Abdi-Erah of Eshnunna. Little is known about either Abdi-Erah, although the one in Kish is the son of one Huzu- (name partially lost).

c.1897 BC

Upon the death of Sumuditama of Kazallu, both Kish and Babylon succeed in freeing themselves from the city's domination. However, Kazallu still controls a large swathe of territory from Sippar in the north, down to Marad in the south, which had been seized from Isin.

c.1897 - 1888 BC

Iawium / Yawium

Freed Kish from the rule of Kazallu.

c.1888 - 1883? BC

Manana

A foreign conqueror who seized Kish.

c.1883 - 1847 BC

Although Manana has already driven off the first king of the newly-founded Babylonian kingdom to Der, Kish is later sacked by Sabium, Babylon's second king. However, based on year names Manana's reign seems largely to be a peaceful one.

? BC

Ahi-marasy

Related? Known only by accession name.

fl c.1872 BC

Naqimum

Related?

fl c.1850 BC

Sumu-iamutbala / Sumu-Yamutbal

Son of Sin-iddinam of Larsa.

fl c.1847 BC

Ashduniarim / Ashduni-yarim

Related? Ruled, but largely unknown.

? BC

Manna-balti-El

Related? Uncertain.

c.1732 - 1460 BC

Kish is taken by the Sealand kings.

c.1460 BC

With the fall of the Sealand kings, Kish becomes the property of Kassite Babylonia. The region undergoes often turbulent times during Babylonia's ascendancy, and also during the height of power of the late Assyrian empire, when it is conquered by the Cimmerians.

 
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