Hammurabi I (reigned -
Middle chronology
The chronology of the ancient Near East is a framework of dates for various events, rulers and dynasties. Historical inscriptions and texts customarily record events in terms of a succession of officials or rulers: "in the year X of king Y". Com ...
) is the third attested king of
Yamhad
Yamhad was an ancient Semitic kingdom centered on Ḥalab (Aleppo), Syria. The kingdom emerged at the end of the 19th century BC, and was ruled by the Yamhadite dynasty kings, who counted on both military and diplomacy to expand their realm. ...
(
Halab
)), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black".
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).
Early life
Hammurabi was the son of
Yarim-Lim I
Yarim-Lim I, also given as Yarimlim, (reigned ) was the second king of the ancient Amorite kingdom of Yamhad in modern-day Aleppo, Syria.
Family Parentage
Yarim-Lim was the son and successor of the first king Sumu-Epuh and his queen Sumunna-Abi. ...
, and his mother was Queen Gashera. His private secretary as a crown prince was Sin-Abushu and is known from the tablets of Mari. Nothing else is known about him before he ascended the throne, following the death of his father in ca. 1764 BC.
Reign
Yarim-Lim I left the kingdom on the height of its power and Hammurabi was among the strongest kings of his age, with no threats to his power as his father had made alliances with
Babylon
''Bābili(m)''
* sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠
* arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel''
* syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel''
* grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn''
* he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel''
* peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru''
* elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...
and
Eshnunna
Eshnunna (modern Tell Asmar in Diyala Governorate, Iraq) was an ancient Sumerian (and later Akkadian) city and city-state in central Mesopotamia 12.6 miles northwest of Tell Agrab and 15 miles northwest of Tell Ishchali. Although situated in th ...
and eliminated the danger coming from
Qatna
Qatna (modern: ar, تل المشرفة, Tell al-Mishrifeh) (also Tell Misrife or Tell Mishrifeh) was an ancient city located in Homs Governorate, Syria. Its remains constitute a tell situated about northeast of Homs near the village of al-M ...
.
At the beginning of his reign, Hammurabi I sent troops to aid the Babylonian king
Hammurabi
Hammurabi (Akkadian: ; ) was the sixth Amorite king of the Old Babylonian Empire, reigning from to BC. He was preceded by his father, Sin-Muballit, who abdicated due to failing health. During his reign, he conquered Elam and the city-states ...
against
Siwe-Palar-Hupak of
Elam
Elam (; Linear Elamite: ''hatamti''; Cuneiform Elamite: ; Sumerian: ; Akkadian: ; he, עֵילָם ''ʿēlām''; peo, 𐎢𐎺𐎩 ''hūja'') was an ancient civilization centered in the far west and southwest of modern-day Iran, stretc ...
who invaded Babylon.
Amut-Pi-El of Qatna tried to form an alliance with the Elamite king, but
Zimri-Lim __NOTOC__
Zimri-Lim (Akkadian: ''Zi-im-ri Li-im'') was king of Mari c. 1775–1761 BCE.
Zimri-Lim was the son or grandson of Iakhdunlim, but was forced to flee to Yamhad when his father was assassinated by his own servants during a coup. He ha ...
of
Mari warned Hammurabi I and the Elamite envoys were captured on the borders as they were trying to return to Elam. After defeating Elam, Hammurabi I sent Hammurabi of Babylon troops to aid him against
Larsa
Larsa ( Sumerian logogram: UD.UNUGKI, read ''Larsamki''), also referred to as Larancha/Laranchon (Gk. Λαραγχων) by Berossos and connected with the biblical Ellasar, was an important city-state of ancient Sumer, the center of the cul ...
. The kingdom of Yamhad was of the same status as Babylon, evidenced by Hammurabi of Babylon's treatment of Yamhad's envoys which caused the delegates of Mari to complain. The fact that Zimri-Lim became king with the help of Yamhad meant that Mari was a semi-
client state
A client state, in international relations, is a state that is economically, politically, and/or militarily subordinate to another more powerful state (called the "controlling state"). A client state may variously be described as satellite state, ...
of Yamhad, and in the correspondence between Zimri-Lim and Hammurabi's father Yarim-Lim I, the king of Mari calls Yarim-Lim his father. This situation helped Yamhad's trade because of Mari's location between Babylon and
Aleppo
)), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black".
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. On one occasion, Hammurabi sent an army of 10,000 troops to aid Zimri-Lim. Yamhad's lordship over Mari was so strong that the king of
Ugarit
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, image =Ugarit Corbel.jpg
, image_size=300
, alt =
, caption = Entrance to the Royal Palace of Ugarit
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asked Hammurabi to intermediate with Zimri-Lim to let him visit the famous Palace of Mari.
The political - military alliance with Babylon ended with Hammurabi of Babylon invading Mari and destroying the kingdom in ca. 1761 BC,
however economical relations continued as Babylon did not advance into Aleppo territory. The invasion of Mari had a negative impact on trade between the two kingdoms, as the road became dangerous because of the loss of Mari's protection to the caravans crossing that road. Later in Hammurabi I's reign, the city of
Carchemish
Carchemish ( Turkish: ''Karkamış''; or ), also spelled Karkemish ( hit, ; Hieroglyphic Luwian: , /; Akkadian: ; Egyptian: ; Hebrew: ) was an important ancient capital in the northern part of the region of Syria. At times during its ...
came under Yamhad's domination.
Death and succession
Hammurabi I gave his son
Yarim-Lim the city of
Irridu
Irridu (Irrite) was a city in northwestern Mesopotamia, likely located between Harran and Carchemish. It flourished in the middle and late Bronze Age before being destroyed by Assyria.
History
The city was first mentioned in a letter from the king ...
. He died ca. 1750 BC and was succeeded by his other son
Abba-El I
Abba-El I (reigned - Middle chronology ) was the king of Yamhad ( Halab), succeeding his father Hammurabi I.
Reign
Hammurabi I left Yamhad a prosperous country, and Abba-El's reign was relatively peaceful. He maintained good commercial relation ...
. Another son called Nakkusse appears in the Tablets of Alalakh, holding a high position in its court.
References
Citations
{{Reflist, 2
18th-century BC rulers
Kings of Yamhad
People from Aleppo
Amorite kings
Yamhad dynasty