Kunnam also often called Kunnam of Elam was a military expedition leader of the kingdom of
Elam in the 18th century BC. He was part of a military campaign into
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...
and is mainly known from cuneiform letters found at
Mari, a Syrian city state where there are the royal archives preserved. He was a contemporary of
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 ...
(Mari) and
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 ...
(Babylon).
The King of Elam connected with the military expedition is not mentioned in the texts from Mari as an aggressor, but for chronological reasons it was most likely
Siwe-Palar-Khuppak, who tried to get control over Mesopotamia, attacked several cities and was only defeated in year 30 of King Hammurabi. Kunnam guided the expedition against Tell Shubat-Enlil (most likely
Tell Leilan
Tell Leilan is an archaeological site situated near the Wadi Jarrah in the Khabur River basin in Al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. The site has been occupied since the 5th millennium BC. During the late third millennium, the site wa ...
) and entered the city with a huge army. He installed there Ibni-Addu as king of
Tadum. Kunnam had the reputation of always telling the truth and is several times described as drunken.
[Hempel: ''Letters to the King of Mari'', pp. 547-548.]
References
{{Reflist
18th-century BC deaths
Elamite people