Iblul-Il (reigned c. 2380 BC), was the most energetic king (
Lugal
Lugal ( Sumerian: ) is the Sumerian term for "king, ruler". Literally, the term means "big man." In Sumerian, ''lu'' "𒇽" is "man" and ''gal'' "𒃲" is "great," or "big."
It was one of several Sumerian titles that a ruler of a city-state could ...
) of the second
Mariote kingdom, noted for his extensive campaigns in the middle
Euphrates
The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...
valley against the
Eblaites, and in the upper
Tigris
The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the ...
region against various opponents, which asserted the Mariote supremacy in the
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
n north.
Reign
Sources
Iblul-Il is attested in Mari, where statues bearing his name were excavated in 1952 from the city's temples.
However, the deeds of the king are recorded in a letter sent to Ebla by
Enna-Dagan, a successor of Iblul-Il.
Campaigns
Iblul-Il campaigned extensively against Ebla and its vassals and allies.
The offensive was probably due to Ebla's increasing militaristic character, and was meant to block the trade route between
Kish
Kish may refer to:
Geography
* Gishi, Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan, a village also called Kish
* Kiş, Shaki, Azerbaijan, a village and municipality also spelled Kish
* Kish Island, an Iranian island and a city in the Persian Gulf
* Kish, Iran, ...
,
Nagar and Ebla.
Iblul-Il was a contemporary of Ebla's king
Igrish-Halam
Igrish-Halam or Igriš-Halab, was a king of the ancient city state of Ebla. His name means "(The god of) Halab has driven away (the opponent)", hence, the name might be a commemoration of an Eblaite victory that led to the incorporation of land ...
,
and is mentioned in the letter of Enna-Dagan campaigning in the middle Euphrates defeating the city of
Galalaneni,
and engaging in a victorious battle with
Abarsal Abarsal was a city-state of Mesopotamia in the area of the Euphrates. Very litte is known of the history of the town and the site is unidentified at the moment. It could be the city of Aburru mentioned in various texts of the tablets of Mari, which ...
in the region of
Zahiran Zahiran also known as Sahiri or Sa-hi-ri, also known as Zahiran was an Iron Age city of the ancient near east. It was a city in what is today Syria.
During the Mari-Ebla war (2300 BC) Zahiran was the site of a battle between Igrish-Halam King ...
, which he destroyed.
Next, Iblul-Il campaigned in the region of
Burman
Burman is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Anneli Burman (born 1963), Swedish curler
*Barney Burman, American make-up artist
* Barry Burman (1943–2001), English figurative artist
* Ben Lucien Burman (1896–1984), American ...
of the land of
Sugurum, where he defeated the cities of
Shadab,
Addalini and
Arisum.
The campaigns continued as the king sacked the cities of
Sharan and
Dammium,
and advanced on
Neraad and
Hasuwan, receiving the tribute from Ebla at the city of
Mane, and from the fortress
Khazuwan, then continued his march and conquered
Emar
)
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, alt =
, caption = View from the Byzantine Tower at Meskene, ancient Barbalissos
, map_type = Syria
, map_alt =
, map_size = 200
...
.
In the Tigris valley, Iblul-Il defeated the cities of
Nahal
Nahal ( he, נח"ל) (acronym of ''Noar Halutzi Lohem'', lit. Fighting Pioneer Youth) is a program that combines military service with mostly social welfare and informal education projects such as youth movement activities, as well as training ...
,
Nubat and
Sha-da from the region of
Gasur
Nuzi (or Nuzu; Akkadian Gasur; modern Yorghan Tepe, Iraq) was an ancient Mesopotamian city southwest of the city of Arrapha (modern Kirkuk), located near the Tigris river. The site consists of one medium-sized multiperiod tell and two small sin ...
, at a battle in the land of
Ganane.
Iblul-Il is finally mentioned in the letter conquering the Eblaite cities of
Barama,
Aburu,
Tibalat and
Belan.
The Mariote king successfully achieved his goals and weakened Ebla, exacting a great amount of tribute in the form of gold and silver.
Succession
Iblul-Il was succeeded by
Nizi. The letter of Enna-Dagan is extremely difficult to read, and early decipherment presented the author as a general of Ebla who defeated and deposed Iblul-Il. However, newer readings confirmed Enna-Dagan as a king from Mari,
and further decipherment of the
archives of Ebla showed Enna-Dagan receiving gifts from Ebla as a prince of Mari during the reigns of his Mariote predecessors.
See also
*
Eblaite-Mariote war
Notes
Citations
Further reading
*
{{Early Rulers of Mesopotamia
24th-century BC rulers
Kings of Mari
24th-century BC people