Tura-Dagan (, ''Tu-ra-
Dda-gan'', c. 2075–2050 BCE) was a ruler of the city of
Mari, northern
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 ...
, after the fall of the
Akkadian Empire
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 (city), Akkad () and its surrounding region. The empire united Akkadian language, Akkadian and ...
. He was son of
Apil-Kin, and brother of
Ili-Ishar
Ili-Ishar, also Ilum-Ishar (, ''Il3-Ishar''), was a ruler of the city of Mari, northern Mesopotamia, after the fall of the Akkadian Empire c. 2084-2072 BCE. His father was Apil-Kin (), and his brother was Tura-Dagan, who succeeded him.
He hel ...
.
He held the title of
Shakkanakku
Shakkanakku ( Sumerian: , GIR.NITA or ''šagina'', , ''Shakkanakku''), was an Akkadian language title designating a military governor. Mari was ruled by a dynasty of hereditary Shakkanakkus which was originally set by the Akkadian Empire and gain ...
(military governor), which was borne by all the princes of a dynasty who reigned at
Mari in the late third millennium and early second millennium BC. These kings were the descendants of the military governors appointed by the kings of
Akkad Akkad may refer to:
*Akkad (city), the capital of the Akkadian Empire
*Akkadian Empire, the first ancient empire of Mesopotamia
*Akkad SC, Iraqi football club
People with the name
*Abbas el-Akkad, Egyptian writer
*Abdulrahman Akkad, Syrian LGBT act ...
. He was contemporary of the
Third Dynasty of Ur
The Third Dynasty of Ur, also called the Neo-Sumerian Empire, refers to a 22nd to 21st century Common Era, BC (middle chronology) Sumerian ruling dynasty based in the city of Ur and a short-lived territorial-political state which some historians c ...
, and probably their vassal.
He had a son, who succeeded him, named
Puzur-Ishtar
Puzur-Ishtar (, ''Puzur4-Eš4-tár'', c. 2050–2025 BCE) was a ruler of the city of Mari, northern Mesopotamia, after the fall of the Akkadian Empire. He was contemporary of the Third Dynasty of Ur, and probably their vassal.
He had several so ...
.
Inscriptions
The
Museum of the Ancient Orient
The Museum of the Ancient Orient (Turkish language: ''Eski Şark Eserleri Müzesi'') is a museum in Istanbul, and part of the group of Istanbul Archaeology Museums, located just in front of the main Archaeology Museum building. The building of the ...
has a statue of Tura-Dagan, but it is headless and the inscription is heavily damaged. Tura-Dagan is also known from various seals and dynastic lists.
A statue of Puzur-Ishtar is known from the
Royal Palace of Mari
The Royal Palace of Mari was the royal residence of the rulers of the ancient kingdom of Mari in eastern Syria. Situated centrally amidst Palestine, Syria, Babylon, Levant, and other Mesopotamian city-states, Mari acted as the “middle-man ...
, now in the
Museum of the Ancient Orient
The Museum of the Ancient Orient (Turkish language: ''Eski Şark Eserleri Müzesi'') is a museum in Istanbul, and part of the group of Istanbul Archaeology Museums, located just in front of the main Archaeology Museum building. The building of the ...
in
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
, with an inscription on the hem of the statue’s skirt mentioning his father Tura-Dagan.
[Gates, Henriette-Marie. "The Palace of Zimri-Lim at Mari." ''The Biblical Archaeologist'' 47 (June.,1984): 70-87.][Gates, "The Palace of Zimri-Lim at Mari," 70-87.]
The inscription on the hem of the statue reads:
File:Puzur-Ishtar statue cuneiform inscription.jpg, Puzur-Ishtar statue inscription (hem).[For transcript and translation: ]
File:Tura-Dagan Shakkanakku Mari-ki.jpg,
References
{{Istanbul Archaeology Museums
21st-century BC rulers
Kings of Mari
21st-century BC people