Apil-kin ( ''a-pil-gin6''; died 2091 BC), was a ruler of the city of Mari, northern

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

, after the fall of Akkad c. 2127-2091 BCE. He was a son of Ishgum-Addu, and ruled 35 years, according to the ''Shakkanakku Dynasty List''. He had two sons, who succeeded him in turn:

Ili-Ishar Ili-Ishar, also Ilum-Ishar (, ''Il3-Ishar''; died 2072 BC), was a ruler of the city of Mari, northern Mesopotamia, after the fall of Akkad c. 2085-2072 BCE. His father was Apil-kin, and his brother was Tura-Dagan, who succeeded him. He held ...

and

Tura-Dagan Tura-Dagan (, ''Tu-ra- Dda-gan''; died 2050 BC) was a ruler of the city of Mari, northern Mesopotamia during the Ur III period. He was son of Apil-Kin, and brother of Ili-Ishar. He held the title of Shakkanakku (military governor), which was b ...

. 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 gai ...

(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 BCE. These kings were the descendants of the military governors appointed by the kings of Akkad. He was contemporary of the

Third Dynasty of Ur The Third Dynasty of Ur or Ur III was a Sumerian dynasty based in the city of Ur in the 22nd and 21st centuries BC ( middle chronology). For a short period they were the preeminent power in Mesopotamia and their realm is sometimes referred to by ...

, and probably their vassal. He was a contemporary of

Ur-Nammu Ur-Nammu (or Ur-Namma, Ur-Engur, Ur-Gur, Sumerian language, Sumerian: ; died 2094 BC) founded the Sumerian Third Dynasty of Ur, in southern Mesopotamia, following several centuries of Akkadian Empire, Akkadian and Gutian period, Gutian rule. Thou ...

. He had a daughter named

Taram-Uram Taram-Uram (''she who loves Ur''; ) was a king's daughter and queen at the end of the third millennium BC. She was the daughter of the king of Mari, Syria, Mari, Apil-kin and the wife of Shulgi, second king of the Third Dynasty of Ur. The marriage ...

, who became the First Queen of king

Shulgi Shulgi ( dšul-gi,(died c. 2046 BC) formerly read as Dungi) of Ur was the second king of the Third Dynasty of Ur. He reigned for 48 years, from (Middle Chronology). His accomplishments include the completion of construction of the Great ...

Ur III The Third Dynasty of Ur or Ur III was a Sumerian dynasty based in the city of Ur in the 22nd and 21st centuries BC (middle chronology). For a short period they were the preeminent power in Mesopotamia and their realm is sometimes referred to by ...

. In a dedication, she called herself "daughter-in-law of

", and "daughter of Apil-kin, ''

Lugal ( Sumerian: ) is the Sumerian term for "king, ruler". Literally, the term means "big man." In Sumerian, ''lú'' " 𒇽" is "man" and ''gal'' " 𒃲" is "great", or "big." It was one of several Sumerian titles that a ruler of a city-state could ...

'' ("King") of Mari", suggesting for Apil-kin a position as a supreme ruler, and pointing to a marital alliance between Mari and Ur. On some of his inscriptions, Apil-kin uses the title ''dannum ("the Great") in front of his function ''

'' ("Military Governor"), a practice for which he is the first to be attested at Mari, and which was initially introduced by Naram-Sin of the

Akkadian Empire The Akkadian Empire () was the first known empire, succeeding the long-lived city-states of Sumer. Centered on the city of Akkad (city), Akkad ( or ) and its surrounding region, the empire united Akkadian language, Akkadian and Sumerian languag ...

. Apil-kin and his successors generally used the Akkadian style of royal inscriptions and titulature. It is considered that the Shakkanakkus gained some form of independence and came to be considered as "Kings" from the time of Apil-kin. One of the inscriptions of Apil-kin, inscribed on a bronze plaque, reads: The "''Sahuri''" built by Apil-kin is thought to be the name of a building or structure at Mari.

References

{{Early Rulers of Mesopotamia 22nd-century BC monarchs 21st-century BC monarchs Kings of Mari 22nd-century BC births 21st-century BC deaths