Near East Kingdoms

Upper Mesopotamia / Shubat-Enlil (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 and the western edge of Iran. 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 founder of the short-lived 'Kingdom of Upper Mesopotamia' was Shamshi-Adad, an Amorite descendent (possibly a son) of Ila-Kabkaba. He was one of the early Assyrian 'Kings who were Ancestors', although that link was probably manufactured following Shamshi-Adad's conquest of Assyrian lands. Ila-Kabkaba, however, may have created or seized control of a small city by the name of Ekallatum.

Shamshi-Adad's own early years are vague but he would seem to have inherited Ekallatum for as much of a decade before being ejected. His empire-building feats actually began with defeat when his state was occupied by Naram-Sin, ruler of Eshnunna. Shamshi-Adad was forced to flee to Babylon for protection. It was only following Naram-Sin's death that he was able to return to Ekallatum to resume control.

He re-founded his kingdom, and spent three years building up his forces there. Then, during a period which saw the general expansion of Amorite power from the Khabur river delta in the nineteenth century BC, Shamshi-Adad overthrew the local Assyrian king of Ashur, Erishum II, and took wider control, swiftly dominating all of northern Mesopotamia.

Very quickly he created a new capital at the ancient site of Shehna (modern Tell Leilan), which until very recently had been the capital of Apum. He expanded the city, building a royal palace and city gate. He also renamed it Shubat-Enlil, 'the residence of the god Enlil'.

Seemingly a tactical genius and military tactician of the level of a Napoleon, his conquests were swift and encompassing. Given the likelihood that he was raised within Assyrian lands (Ekallatum's likely location), perhaps it should not be surprising that he spread the use of the Assyrian method of eponym dating across his empire. Like Napoleon, though, his decline was equally swift and encompassing, and his empire was swept away shortly after his death. Even his son's holdings at Ekallatum only survived for one further generation before being snatched away.

(Information by Peter Kessler, with additional information 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 First Farmers: The Origins of Agricultural Societies, Peter Bellwood (Second Ed, Wiley-Blackwell, 2022), 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 The First Empires, J N Postgate (Oxford 1977), 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), from The Age of the God-Kings, Kit van Tulleken (Ed, Time Life Books, Amsterdam 1987), 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).)

c.1809 - 1776 BC

King of Ekallatum. Founded empire. Probably died in battle.

c.1809 BC

Shamshi-Adad sets up an empire in 'Upper Mesopotamia' which stretches from Tuttul near the Mediterranean to the Assyrians and the foothills of the Zagros mountains. He hands over Ekallatum to one of his sons to rule in his name, and incorporates Andarig, Apum, Ashur (which is rebuilt and expanded), Carchemish, Karana, Qattara, Razama, Terqa, and Urkesh into his domains, amongst others.

The kings of Tukrish, a mountain land to the north of Elam, also send tribute to him. He is aided by his ally, Eshnunna, and renews the former Assyrian trade routes to Kanesh. The former capital of Apum in the Khabur Valley is chosen as the site for the new capital, Shubat-Enlil.

Shamshi-Adad's soldiers, who had proven to be so successful in forming a short-lived but powerful regional empire to the east of the Euphrates - are shown in this Assyrian relief

c.1800? BC

Yahdun-Lim of Mari sends troops to join those of Yamkhad to fight against several hostile northern Mesopotamian tribal states, including Abattum, Samanum, and Tuttul, defeating their armies and attacking their cities.

He claims to destroy their ramparts and turn their cities into ruin mounds. Given the fact that Shamshi-Adad's kingdom of 'Upper Mesopotamia' soon conquers Mari and replaces its ruler, this would seem to be an attempt to fight back against him which ultimately fails.

c.1791 BC

Shamshi-Adad now does indeed conquer Mari, placing Yasmah-Adad, one of his sons, on the throne there. He also supports the Syrian state of Qatna in its rivalry with Yamkhad, and it could be from this period that Qatna becomes a firm ally.

c.1776 BC

The kingdom is attacked simultaneously by Yamkhad and Eshnunna. Given that the approximate date in which he had begun his initial rule of Ekallatum is 1829 BC, fifty-three years before, then he must be at least sixty by now (if the possibility of a child-king is included) or even in his early seventies, an advanced age for the period.

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.

c.1776 - 1741 BC

Son. Ruled Ekallatum during his father's lifetime.

c.1776 BC

Although Ishme-Dagan is a capable military leader, his reign is chaotic and he is never able to assert control over his father's empire. The city of Shubat-Enlil reverts to its previous name, Apum, and is quickly lost, while the king continues to rule Ekallatum and Ashur. The other Syrian and northern Mesopotamian states regain their freedom and restore the previous order.