Iku-Shamagan (, ''i-ku-^Dsha-ma-gan'') was a King of the second Mariote kingdom who reigned c. 2500 BCE. He is one of three Mari kings known from archaeology,

Ikun-Shamash Ikun-Shamash or Iku-Shamash () was a King of the second Mariote kingdom who reigned c. 2500 BC. According to François Thureau-Dangin, the king reigned at a time earlier than Ur-Nanshe's of Lagash. He is one of three Mari kings known from archaeo ...

probably being the oldest one. Another king was

Ishqi-Mari Ishqi-Mari or Ishgi-Mari ( iš11-gi4-ma-rí), previously read Lamgi-Mari, was a King of the second Mariote kingdom who reigned c. 2350-2330 BCE. He is one of three Mari kings known from archaeology, Ikun-Shamash probably being the oldest one. The ...

, also known from an inscribed statue. In their inscriptions, these Mari kings used the

Akkadian language Akkadian (, Akkadian: )John Huehnergard & Christopher Woods, "Akkadian and Eblaite", ''The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the World's Ancient Languages''. Ed. Roger D. Woodard (2004, Cambridge) Pages 218-280 is an extinct East Semitic language th ...

, whereas their contemporaries to the south used the

Sumerian language Sumerian is the language of ancient Sumer. It is one of the oldest attested languages, dating back to at least 3000 BC. It is accepted to be a local language isolate and to have been spoken in ancient Mesopotamia, in the area that is modern-day ...

Vase

A vase mentioning Iku-Shamagan "in an early semitic dialect" is also known:

Statue

Iku-Shamagan is known from a statue with inscription, discovered by

André Parrot André Charles Ulrich Parrot (15 February 1901 – 24 August 1980) was a French archaeologist specializing in the ancient Near East. He led excavations in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria, and is best known for his work at Mari, Syria, where he led i ...

in 1952. The statue, in the

National Museum of Damascus The National Museum of Damascus ( ar, الْمَتْحَفُ الْوَطَنِيُّ بِدِمَشْقَ) is a museum in the heart of Damascus, Syria. As the country's national museum as well as its largest, this museum covers the entire range o ...

, was restored by the

Louvre Museum The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

in 2011. Iku-Shamagan's votive statue was dedicated through an inscription on the back of the statue: The statue was discovered in Mari, in the Temple Ninni-zaza. The statue was heavily damaged during the conquest by the armies of the

Empire of Akkad The Akkadian Empire () was the first ancient empire of Mesopotamia after the long-lived civilization of Sumer. It was centered in the city of Akkad () and its surrounding region. The empire united Akkadian and Sumerian speakers under one ru ...

circa 2300 BCE. File:Asma al-Assad and Marisa Leticia.jpg,

Asma al-Assad Asma Fawaz al-Assad (born 11 August 1975) is the First Lady of Syria. Born and raised in London to Syrian parents, she is married to the 19th and current President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad. Assad graduated from King's College London in 1996 ...

and

Marisa Leticia Marisa may refer to: * Marisa (town), an Indonesian town * Marisa, Hellenised name of Maresha, town in Idumea (today in Israel) * Marisa (given name), a feminine personal name * ''Marisa'' (gastropod), a genus of apple snails * MV ''Marisa'' (193 ...

looking at the statue of Iku-Shamagan in the

Iku-Shamagan - Mari - Temple of Ninni-Zaza (front and side).jpg, Statue of Iku-Shamagan with votive inscription on the back of the right shoulder.

Iku-Shamagan - Mari - Temple of Ninni-Zaza (portrait).jpg, Iku-Shamagan (detail)

Citations

Kings of Mari 25th-century BC rulers 25th-century BC people {{MEast-royal-stub