Ishtup-Ilum, also Ishtup-El (, ''Ish-dub-ilum''; died 2136 BC) was a ruler of the city of Mari, one of the military governors known as ''

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 ...

'' in 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. He was probably a contemporary with the Second Dynasty of

Lagash Lagash (; cuneiform: LAGAŠKI; Sumerian language, Sumerian: ''Lagaš'') was an ancient city-state located northwest of the junction of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers and east of Uruk, about east of the modern town of Al-Shatrah, Iraq. Lagash ( ...

, around the time of

Gudea Gudea ( Sumerian: , ''Gu3-de2-a''; died 2124 BC) was a Sumerian ruler ('' ensi'') of the state of Lagash in Southern Mesopotamia, who ruled –2060 BC ( short chronology) or 2144–2124 BC ( middle chronology). He probably did not come from the ...

. He was the son of Ishma-Dagan and brother of Nûr-Mêr, both

s of Mari before him, and, according to the dynastic lists, he ruled after them for a period of 11 years.

Attestations

He is known from inscriptions mentioning the building of a temple, as well as from a monumental statue, discovered in Mari.

Statue of Ishtup-Ilum

His statue was discovered by the team of

André Parrot André Charles Ulrich Parrot (15 February 1901 – 24 August 1980) was a French archaeologist specializing in the ancient Near East. He led excavations in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria, and is best known for his work at Mari, Syria, where he led imp ...

on 14 March 1936 in Mari. It has a rather simple and coarse design, a provincial characteristic during this period, and is significantly less sophisticated than the statues of his successors, such as

Puzur-Ishtar Puzur-Ishtar (, ''Puzur4-Eš4-tár'', (died c. 2025 BC) 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 sons ...

. The statue is now in the

Aleppo National Museum The National Museum of Aleppo () 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 near the Bab al-Faraj Square an ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. File:Ishtup-Ilum excavation in Mari, Syria.jpg, Ishtup-Ilum excavation in Mari, Syria in 1936, under

File:Statue of Ishtup-Ilum.jpg, Ishtup-Ilum statue (front) File:Ishtup-Ilum statue (back).jpg, Ishtup-Ilum statue (back, with inscription) File:Ishtup-Illum statue (three quarters).jpg, Ishtup-Illum statue (three quarters) File:Ishtup-Illum statue (side).jpg, Ishtup-Illum statue (side) File:Ishtup-Ilum Shakkanakku Mari-ki.jpg, Ishtup-Ilum

cuneiform Cuneiform is a Logogram, logo-Syllabary, syllabic writing system that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Near East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. Cuneiform script ...

inscription on the statue: "Ishtup-Ilum, Shakkanakku of Mari" ( ''Ishtup-Ilum Shakkanakku Mari-ki'')

Dedication tablets

Ishtup-Ilum is also known from a dedication tablet for the "Temple of the King of the Country" (either Dagan or

Enlil Enlil, later known as Elil and Ellil, is an List of Mesopotamian deities, 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 t ...

) with the inscription: This implies that Ishtup-Ilum was the builder of this "Temple of the King of the Country", in which were also discovered beautiful copper statues of guardian lions, the " Lions of Mari", probably installed later during a rebuilding of the temple in the early 2nd millennium BCE. The Temple was excavated in 1938 by

. Ishtup-Ilum Shakkanakku of Mari, son of Ishma-Dagan, Shakkanakku of Mari.jpg, Tablet of Ishtup-Ilum. Obverse: "Ishtup-Ilum Shakkanakku of Mari, son of Ishma-Dagan, Shakkanakku". Reverse (hidden from view): " of Mari, the Temple of the King of the Country he has built".

Louvre Museum The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

AO 19823 Tablet of Ishtup-Ilum Shakkanakku of Mari, son of Ishma-Dagan, Shakkanakku of Mari.jpg, Another tablet of Ishtup-Ilum. Obverse: "Ishtup-Ilum Shakkanakku of Mari, son of Ishma-Dagan, Shakkanakku of Mari".

File:Ishtup-Ilum deposit for the Temple of Lions, Mari.jpg, Ishtup-Ilum deposit for the "Temple of Lions", Mari with dedication tablet of Ishtup-Ilum.

AO 19827 File:Ishtup-Ilum deposit for the Temple of Lions, Mari (plate detail).jpg, Ishtup-Ilum deposit for the Temple of Lions, Mari. Tablet inscription: "Ishtup-Ilum Shakkanakku of Mari, son of Ishma-Dagan, Shakkanakku of Mari, the Temple of the King of the Country he has built".

AO 19827 File:Ishtup-Ilum dedication.jpg, Ishtup-Ilum deposit for the Temple of Lions, Mari. Tablet inscription: "Ishtup-Ilum Shakkanakku of Mari, son of Ishma-Dagan, Shakkanakku of Mari, the Temple of the King of the Country he has built".

AO 19827

References

{{Early Rulers of Mesopotamia 22nd-century BC monarchs Kings of Mari 3rd-millennium BC births 22nd-century BC deaths