Zariqum or Zarriqum was a Sumerian governor (''šakkanakkum'') of the city of

Assur Aššur (; Sumerian: AN.ŠAR2KI, Assyrian cuneiform: ''Aš-šurKI'', "City of God Aššur"; syr, ܐܫܘܪ ''Āšūr''; Old Persian ''Aθur'', fa, آشور: ''Āšūr''; he, אַשּׁוּר, ', ar, اشور), also known as Ashur and Qal ...

under the

Third Dynasty of Ur 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 ...

, attested there between the 44th year of

Shulgi Shulgi ( dŠulgi, formerly read as Dungi) of Ur was the second king of the Third Dynasty of Ur. He reigned for 48 years, from c. 2094 – c. 2046 BC (Middle Chronology) or possibly c. 2030 – 1982 BC (Short Chronology). His accomplishme ...

() and the 5th year of

Amar-Sin Amar-Sin ( akk, : '' DAmar D Sîn'', after the Moon God Sîn", the "𒀭" being a silent honorific for "Divine"), initially misread as Bur-Sin (c. 2046-2037 BC middle chronology, or possibly ca. 1982–1973 BC short chronology) was the third rule ...

(). He is the only governor of the city during this time, otherwise poorly known from surviving sources, to be known by name. Though he has also been suggested to have been an independent ruler, this is a minority view, as Assur is not generally regarded to have been independent before the time of

Puzur-Ashur I Puzur-Ashur I ( akk, , Pu-AMAR-Aš-ŠUR) was an Assyrian king in the 21st and 20th centuries BC. He is generally regarded as the founder of Assyria as an independent city-state, 2025 BC. He is in the Assyrian King List and is referenced in the ...

, . Under the Sumerian Ur III empire, Assur is generally believed to have formed the northernmost peripheral province. In the ruins of one of the city's temples, dedicated to the goddess Ishtar, an inscription by Zariqum states that he founded a new temple in the city, dedicated to the goddess Bēlat-ekallim (i.e.

Ninegal Ninegal (also spelled Ninegalla) or Belat Ekalli (Belet-ekalli) was a Mesopotamian goddess associated with palaces. Both her Sumerian and Akkadian name mean "lady of the palace." From Mesopotamia the worship of Ninegal spread to Elam in the ...

), for the life of Amar-Sin, king of Ur. Zariqum was previously believed to have had a long and wide-spanning career, also having been a military officer and a governor of Susa in Elam, due to the name Zariqum also being attested for contemporary individuals with those positions. Since the Zariqum who governed Susa governed simultaneously with the time Zariqum is attested as the governor of Assur, they cannot be the same person and must instead simply have been contemporary individuals with the same name.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{MEast-royal-stub Ancient Assyrians 21st-century BC people