Ekallatum ( Akkadian: 𒌷𒂍𒃲𒈨𒌍, ^URUE₂.GAL.MEŠ, Ekallātum, "the Palaces") was an ancient

Amorite The Amorites (; sux, 𒈥𒌅, MAR.TU; Akkadian: 𒀀𒈬𒊒𒌝 or 𒋾𒀉𒉡𒌝/𒊎 ; he, אֱמוֹרִי, 'Ĕmōrī; grc, Ἀμορραῖοι) were an ancient Northwest Semitic-speaking people from the Levant who also occupied la ...

city-state and kingdom in upper

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 ...

. The exact location of it has not yet been identified, but it is thought to be located somewhere along the left bank of the

Tigris The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the ...

, south 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 ...

. A tablet fragment was found at Tel Hazor which listed an expected trade path from Hazor to Mari and then on to Ekallatum. Ekallatum, whose name means "the palaces," became the capital of an

dynasty related to Babylon, which was important in the 19th and 18th centuries BCE period. The history of upper Mesopotamia in this period is documented in the archives of

Mari, Syria Mari (Cuneiform: , ''ma-riki'', modern Tell Hariri; ar, تل حريري) was an ancient Semitic city-state in modern-day Syria. Its remains form a tell 11 kilometers north-west of Abu Kamal on the Euphrates River western bank, some 120&n ...

History

Its first known king was

Ila-kabkabu The Amorite name Ila-kabkabu appears twice in the Assyrian King List: * Ila-kabkabu ( akk, 𒀭𒆏𒅗𒁉, ILA-KAB-ka-bi) appears within the Assyrian King List among the “kings whose fathers are known” (alongside both: Ila-kabkabu's father a ...

, who seems to have entered into a conflict with Iagitlim of Mari. His son

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-Ad ...

ascended to the throne around 1810 BCE, continuing the conflict and attempting to extend into the valley along the Khabur River. His expansion was halted by Iagitlim's son,

Iakhdunlim Yahdunlim (or ''Yakhdunlim, Yahdun-Lim'') was the king of Mari probably in 1820—1796 BC. He was of Amorite origin, and became king after the death of his father Iagitlim. Yahdunlim built Mari up to become one of the major powers of the region. ...

, and he was soon after defeated by

Naram-Sin of Assyria Naram-Sin, or Narām-Sîn or –Suen, inscribed in cuneiform on contemporary seal impressions as d''na-ra-am-''dEN.ZU, had been the "waklum" (ugula, Overseer) or "'' Išši’ak Aššur''" (énsi d''a-šùr'', Steward of Ashur) of the city-state ...

, which caused him to flee to Babylon, a city founded and ruled by fellow Amorites. He returned upon Naram-Sin's death. Soon thereafter, a series of military victories by Shamshi-Adad followed, and he seized all of Upper Mesopotamia, founding what historians now call the Kingdom of Higher Mesopotamia. He founded his own capital at Shubat-Enlil, entrusting Ekallatum to his elder son

Ishme-Dagan I Ishme-Dagan I ( akk, Išme-Dagān, script=Latn, italic=yes) was a monarch of Ekallatum and Assur during the Old Assyrian period. The much later Assyrian King List (AKL) credits Ishme-Dagan I with a reign of forty years; however, it is now known fr ...

. (His other son,

Yasmah-Adad Yasmah-Adad (Yasmah-Addu, Yasmakh-Adad, Ismah-Adad, Iasmakh-Adad) was the younger son of the Amorite king of Upper Mesopotamia, Shamshi-Adad I. He was put on throne of Mari by his father after a successful military attack following the assassinati ...

, was placed on the throne of Mari at the time.) Ishme-Dagan appears to have been a capable military leader, but when his father died in around 1775, he proved unable to maintain the whole kingdom; nonetheless, he kept Ekallatum, while his brother lost Mari and was killed. The reign of Ishme-Dagan was chaotic. Unable to restore power to the city despite his many attempts, he was the target of nearby warlords, in particular,

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. When the Elamites took Ekallatum in 1765, he sought refuge with his traditional ally --

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—who helped him take back the throne. Consequently, Ekallatum became a vassal city subservient to the king of Babylon, who came to control all of Mesopotamia. With the death of Ishme-Dagan, his son Mut-Ashkur succeeded him. He was the last known king of Ekallatum, and the city disappeared thereafter from Mesopotamian history. An inscription claims that the king of Babylon Marduk-nadin-ahhe (1095–1078 BC) captured Ekallātum. The Neo-Assyrian king Sennacherib (705 BC - 681 BC) claimed to "returned Adad and Shala to Ekallātum after 418 years had passed since the gods had left the city".Zaia, Shana. "State-Sponsored Sacrilege: “Godnapping” and Omission in Neo-Assyrian Inscriptions " Journal of Ancient Near Eastern History, vol. 2, no. 1, 2015, pp. 19-54

References

{{reflist Former populated places in Southwest Asia

History

See also

References