![Seal of King Ebarat Louvre Museum Sb 6225](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Seal_of_King_Ebarat_Louvre_Museum_Sb_6225.jpg)
The Sukkalmah Dynasty (c. 1900-1500 BCE), also Epartid Dynasty after the founder Eparti/Ebarat,
was an early dynasty of
West Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...
in the ancient region 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 ...
, to the southeast of
Babylonia
Babylonia (; Akkadian: , ''māt Akkadī'') was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Syria). It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state c. ...
. It corresponds to the latest part of the
Old Elamite period
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, stret ...
(dated c. 2700-1600 BC).
The Sukkalmah dynasty followed the
Shimashki Dynasty
The Shimashki or Simashki dynasty (, ''lugal-ene si-mash-giki'' "Kings of the country of Simashgi"), was an early dynasty of the ancient region of Elam, to the southeast of Babylonia, in approximately 2100-1900 BCE. A list of twelve kings of Shim ...
(c. 2200-1900 BCE).
The name of the dynasty comes from the name ''Sukkalmah'' meaning "Grand Regent", the title used by Elamite rulers.
Numerous cuneiform documents and inscriptions remain from this period, particularly from the area of
Susa
Susa ( ; Middle elx, 𒀸𒋗𒊺𒂗, translit=Šušen; Middle and Neo- elx, 𒋢𒋢𒌦, translit=Šušun; Neo-Elamite and Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼𒀭, translit=Šušán; Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼, translit=Šušá; fa, شوش ...
, making the Sukkalmah period one of the best documented in Elamite history.
Origin of the title "Sukkalmah"
''Sukkalmah'' was a Sumerian title first attested in the Pre-Sargonic texts from
Girsu
Girsu ( Sumerian ; cuneiform ) was a city of ancient Sumer, situated some northwest of Lagash, at the site of modern Tell Telloh, Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq.
History
Girsu was possibly inhabited in the Ubaid period (5300-4800 BC), but sign ...
, where it seems to have had the meaning of "prime minister" or "grand vizier." The title was well-attested under the powerful
Ur III
The Third Dynasty of Ur, also called the Neo-Sumerian Empire, refers to a 22nd to 21st century BC ( middle chronology) Sumerian ruling dynasty based in the city of Ur and a short-lived territorial-political state which some historians consider t ...
state, where it remained associated with Girsu and nearby Lagash. The Sukkalmahs of Lagash held effective control over the entire ''ma-da'' or buffer zone to the north and east of the Ur III core territory, and thus held authority over Susa. The Sukkalmah Arad-Nanna held the title of ''shagina'' or military governor of Pashime on the southern coast of Iran, indicating that the influence of the Neo-Sumerian Sukkalmahs could extend quite deep into Elamite territory. The later adoption of the title ''Sukkalmah'' by the Elamites probably reflects the considerable political influence that the Neo-Sumerian Sukkalmahs had on Susiana and Elam, and may have also been favored due to similarity between the Sumerian ''sukkal'' and the Elamite title ''sunkir'' or ''sukkir'' meaning "king".
The dynasty
The founder of the dynasty was a ruler named Shilhaha, who described himself as "the chosen son of Ebarat", who may have been the same as King Ebarti mentioned as the 9th King of the
Shimashki Dynasty
The Shimashki or Simashki dynasty (, ''lugal-ene si-mash-giki'' "Kings of the country of Simashgi"), was an early dynasty of the ancient region of Elam, to the southeast of Babylonia, in approximately 2100-1900 BCE. A list of twelve kings of Shim ...
.
Ebarat appears as the founder of the dynasty according to building inscriptions, but later kings rather seem to refer to Shilhaha in their filiation claims.
The dynasty was roughly contemporary with the
Old Assyrian Empire
The Old Assyrian period was the second stage of Assyrian history, covering the history of the city of Assur from its rise as an independent city-state under Puzur-Ashur I 2025 BC to the foundation of a larger Assyrian territorial state after the ...
, and the Old
Babylonia
Babylonia (; Akkadian: , ''māt Akkadī'') was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Syria). It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state c. ...
n period in
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 F ...
. During this time, Susa was under Elamite control, but Akkadian-speaking Mesopotamian states such as
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 ...
and
Isin
Isin (, modern Arabic: Ishan al-Bahriyat) is an archaeological site in Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate, Iraq. Excavations have shown that it was an important city-state in the past.
History of archaeological research
Ishan al-Bahriyat was visited b ...
continually tried to retake the city. Notable Sukkalmah dynasty rulers in Elam during this time include
Sirukdukh (c. 1850), who entered into various military coalitions to contain the power of the south Mesopotamian states;
Siwe-Palar-Khuppak Siwe-Palar-Khuppak was the ''Sukkalmah'' (ruler) of Elam from around 1778 to 1745 B.C.E.
Around 1767 B.C.E, Siwe-Palar-Khuppak formed a coalition with Zimri-Lim of Mari and Hammurabi of Babylon. He led this coalition against Eshnunna, conquering ...
, who for some time was the most powerful person in the area, respectfully addressed as "Father" by Mesopotamian kings such as
Zimrilim __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 h ...
of
Mari,
Shamshi-Adad I
Shamshi-Adad ( akk, Šamši-Adad; Amorite: ''Shamshi-Addu''), ruled 1808–1776 BC, was an Amorite warlord and conqueror who had conquered lands across much of Syria, Anatolia, and Upper Mesopotamia.Some of the Mari letters addressed to Shamsi-Ada ...
of
Assyria
Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , romanized: ''māt Aššur''; syc, ܐܬܘܪ, ʾāthor) was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization which existed as a city-state at times controlling regional territories in the indigenous lands of the A ...
, and even
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 ...
of Babylon; and
Kudur-Nahhunte, who plundered the temples of southern Mesopotamia, the north being under the control of the
Old Assyrian Empire
The Old Assyrian period was the second stage of Assyrian history, covering the history of the city of Assur from its rise as an independent city-state under Puzur-Ashur I 2025 BC to the foundation of a larger Assyrian territorial state after the ...
. But Elamite influence in southern Mesopotamia did not last. Around 1760 BC, Hammurabi drove out the Elamites, overthrew Rim-Sin of Larsa, and established a short lived
Babylonian Empire
Babylonia (; Akkadian: , ''māt Akkadī'') was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Syria). It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state c. ...
in Mesopotamia. Little is known about the later part of this dynasty, since sources again become sparse with the
Kassite
The Kassites () were people of the ancient Near East, who controlled Babylonia after the fall of the Old Babylonian Empire c. 1531 BC and until c. 1155 BC (short chronology).
They gained control of Babylonia after the Hittite sack of Babylon ...
rule of Babylon (from c. 1595).
Gunagi vessels
The names of Ebarat and Shilhaha, the founding members of the Sukkalmah Dynasty, have been found on the Gunagi silver vessels, inscribed in the
Linear Elamite
Linear Elamite was a writing system used in Elam during the Bronze Age between , and known mainly from a few extant monumental inscriptions. It was used contemporaneously with Elamite cuneiform and records the Elamite language. The French archae ...
script. The Gunagi vessels were discovered recently (2004). French archaeologist François Desset identified repetitive sign sequences in the beginning of the Gunagi inscriptions, and guessed they were names of Kings, in a manner somewhat similar to
Grotefend
Georg Friedrich Grotefend (9 June 1775 – 15 December 1853) was a German epigraphist and philologist. He is known mostly for his contributions toward the decipherment of cuneiform.
Georg Friedrich Grotefend had a son, named Carl Ludwig Gro ...
's decipherment of
Old Persian cuneiform
Old Persian cuneiform is a semi-alphabetic cuneiform script that was the primary script for Old Persian. Texts written in this cuneiform have been found in Iran (Persepolis, Susa, Hamadan, Kharg Island), Armenia, Romania (Gherla), Turkey ( Van Fo ...
in 1802-1815.
Using the small set of letters identified in 1905-1912, the number of symbols in each sequence taken as syllables, and in one instance the repetition of a symbol, Desset was able to identify the only two contemporary historical rulers that matched these conditions: Shilhaha and Ebarat, the two earliest kings of the Sukkalmah Dynasty.
Another set of signs matched the well-known God of the period:
Napirisha
Napirisha (Linear Elamite: ''Napirriša'') was an Elamite deity from the region of Anshan, and was the main deity of the kingdom from at least the late 3rd millennium BCE. In Elamite, his name means "Great (-''ša'') God (''napir'')"; in cuneiform ...
:
*
![Ebarat (E-b-r-t in Linear Elamite)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Ebarat_%28E-b-r-t_in_Linear_Elamite%29.jpg)
''E-b-r-t'', Ebarat II, founder of the Sukkalmah Dynasty.
*
![Shilhaha (Shi-il-ha-ha, Linear Elamite)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Shilhaha_%28Shi-il-ha-ha%2C_Linear_Elamite%29.jpg)
''Shi-l-ha-ha'', Shilhaha, second king of the Sukkalmah Dynasty.
*
![Napirrisha](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Napirrisha.jpg)
''Na-pi-r-ri-sha'', God
Napirisha
Napirisha (Linear Elamite: ''Napirriša'') was an Elamite deity from the region of Anshan, and was the main deity of the kingdom from at least the late 3rd millennium BCE. In Elamite, his name means "Great (-''ša'') God (''napir'')"; in cuneiform ...
.
Artifacts of the Sukkalmah
File:Baukeramik aus Iran, Susa, Wasserspeier, Sukkalmah-Periode, 1900-1600 v.C. (1).jpg, Sculpture of a lion as a fountain head, Susa, Sukkalmah period.
File:Tablet-Sb 8748-IMG 0823-white.jpg, Sealed tablet with a serpent god, Susa circa 17th century BCE. Inscription: "Tan-Uli, sukkalmah, sukkal from Susa and Shimashki, son of the sister of Shilhaha".
File:Men with daggers Sukkalmah dynasty 1940-1600 BCE Susa Louvre Museum Sb 1394.jpg, File:Men with daggers, Sukkalmah dynasty, 1940-1600 BCE, Susa, Louvre Museum Sb 1394.
File:Sukkalmah Anshan cylinder Louvre Museum Sb 1515.jpg, Sukkalmah Anshan
Anshan () is an inland prefecture-level city in central-southeast Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, about south of the provincial capital Shenyang. As of the 2020 census, it was Liaoning's third most populous city with a population ...
cylinder, Louvre Museum, reference Sb 1515. Ruler enthroned, with his queen standing behind in a flouced garment, under overhanging vines.
File:Seal of Adaia attendant to Nin-Shubur Sukkalmah dynasty 1940-1600 BCE Susa Louvre Museum Sb 1418.jpg, File:Seal of Adaia attendant to Nin-Shubur, Sukkalmah dynasty, 1940-1600 BCE, Susa, Louvre Museum Sb 1418.
File:Cylinder seal,ca. 20th century B.C. Old Elamite.jpg, Cylinder seal mentioning Shilhaha, ca. 20th century B.C. Old Elamite
File:Cylinder seal, ca. 19th–18th century B.C. Elamite.jpg, Cylinder seal, ca. 19th–18th century B.C. Elamite
File:Reception seal Sukkalmah dynasty 1940-1600 BCE Susa Louvre Museum Sb 1440.jpg, Reception seal, Sukkalmah dynasty, 1940-1600 BCE, Susa, Louvre Museum Sb 1440
Rulers
See also
*
Awan dynasty
The Awan Dynasty ( Sumerian: ''lugal-e-ne a-wa-anki'', "Kings of Awan") was the first dynasty of Elam of which very little of anything is known today, appearing at the dawn of historical record. The Dynasty corresponds to the early part of the Ol ...
*
List of rulers of Elam
The kings of Elam were the rulers of Elam, an ancient civilization in modern-day south-western Iran. The earliest known Elamite dynasty was the Awan dynasty, which came to power in the Early Dynastic period. Elam was conquered by the Akkadian E ...
References
Sources
* Cameron, George, "History of Early Iran", Chicago, 1936 (repr., Chicago, 1969; tr. E.-J. Levin, L’histoire de l’Iran antique, Paris, 1937; tr. H. Anusheh, ایران در سپیده دم تاریخ, Tehran, 1993)
* Potts, D. T., The Archaeology of Elam, Cambridge University Press, 1999.
{{Iran topics
Elamite kings
Sukkalmah Dynasty