Ikun-Shamash or Iku-Shamash () was a King of the second Mariote kingdom who reigned c. 2500 BC. According to

François Thureau-Dangin François Thureau-Dangin (3 January 1872 in Paris – 24 January 1944 in Paris) was a French archaeologist, assyriologist and epigrapher. He played a major role in deciphering of the Sumerian and Akkadian languages. He studied under Julius ...

, the king reigned at a time earlier than

Ur-Nanshe Ur-Nanshe ( sux, , ) also Ur-Nina, was the first king of the First Dynasty of Lagash (approx. 2500 BCE) in the Sumerian Early Dynastic Period III. He is known through inscriptions to have commissioned many buildings projects, including canals and ...

's of Lagash. He is one of three Mari kings known from archaeology, and probably the oldest one. Another king was

Iku-Shamagan Iku-Shamagan (, ''i-ku- Dsha-ma-gan'') was a King of the second Mariote kingdom who reigned c. 2500 BCE. He is one of three Mari kings known from archaeology, Ikun-Shamash probably being the oldest one. Another king was Ishqi-Mari, also known f ...

, also known from a statue with inscription, in the

National Museum of Damascus The National Museum of Damascus ( ar, الْمَتْحَفُ الْوَطَنِيُّ بِدِمَشْقَ) is a museum in the heart of Damascus, Syria. As the country's national museum as well as its largest, this museum covers the entire range o ...

. The third king is

Lamgi-Mari Ishqi-Mari or Ishgi-Mari ( iš11-gi4-ma-rí), previously read Lamgi-Mari, was a King of the second Mariote kingdom who reigned c. 2350-2330 BCE. He is one of three Mari kings known from archaeology, Ikun-Shamash probably being the oldest one. The ...

, also read Išgi-Mari, also known from an inscribed statue now in the

National Museum of Aleppo The National Museum of Aleppo ( ar, متحف حلب الوطني) is the largest museum in the city of Aleppo, Syria, and was founded in 1931. It is located in the heart of the northern city on Baron Street, adjacent to the famous Baron Hotel and ...

. In his inscriptions, Ikun-Shamash used the

Akkadian language Akkadian (, Akkadian: )John Huehnergard & Christopher Woods, "Akkadian and Eblaite", ''The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the World's Ancient Languages''. Ed. Roger D. Woodard (2004, Cambridge) Pages 218-280 is an extinct East Semitic language th ...

, whereas his contemporaries to the south used the

Sumerian language Sumerian is the language of ancient Sumer. It is one of the oldest attested languages, dating back to at least 3000 BC. It is accepted to be a local language isolate and to have been spoken in ancient Mesopotamia, in the area that is modern-day ...

. His official title in the inscriptions was "King of Mari" and " ensi-gal", or "supreme Prince" of the deity

Enlil Enlil, , "Lord f theWind" later known as Elil, is an ancient Mesopotamian god associated with wind, air, earth, and storms. He is first attested as the chief deity of the Sumerian pantheon, but he was later worshipped by the Akkadians, Bab ...

. He is known from a statue with inscription, which he dedicated to god

Shamash Utu (dUD "Sun"), also known under the Akkadian name Shamash, ''šmš'', syc, ܫܡܫܐ ''šemša'', he, שֶׁמֶשׁ ''šemeš'', ar, شمس ''šams'', Ashurian Aramaic: 𐣴𐣬𐣴 ''š'meš(ā)'' was the ancient Mesopotamian sun god. ...

. Ikun-Shamash's territory seems to have included southern

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. ...

Statue

Ikun-Shamash's votive statue, set by one of his officials, was discovered in the city of

Sippar Sippar ( Sumerian: , Zimbir) was an ancient Near Eastern Sumerian and later Babylonian city on the east bank of the Euphrates river. Its '' tell'' is located at the site of modern Tell Abu Habbah near Yusufiyah in Iraq's Baghdad Governorate, some ...

; the inscription reads: The statue is located in the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

. File:Statue of Iku-Shamash, King of Mari circa 2400 BCE.jpg, Statue of Iku-Shamash, King of Mari circa 2400 BCE (in the rear) File:Ikun-shamash inscription.jpg, The inscription on the statue. File:Ikun-Shamash Lugal Mari-ki.jpg, Inscription on the statue: "Ikun-Shamash, King of Mari" (, ''Ikun-shamash, lugal Mari-ki'') File:BM 60828 Ikun-shamash.jpg, Statue of Ikun-shamash, British Museum, BM 60828

Citations

Kings of Mari 25th-century BC rulers 25th-century BC people {{MEast-royal-stub