Rim-Sîn I (, ^Dri-im-^Dsuen) ruled the

ancient Near East The ancient Near East was home to many cradles of civilization, spanning Mesopotamia, Egypt, Iran (or Persia), Anatolia and the Armenian highlands, the Levant, and the Arabian Peninsula. As such, the fields of ancient Near East studies and Nea ...

city-state of

Larsa Larsa (, read ''Larsamki''), also referred to as Larancha/Laranchon (Gk. Λαραγχων) by Berossus, Berossos and connected with the biblical Arioch, Ellasar, was an important city-state of ancient Sumer, the center of the Cult (religious pra ...

from 1822 BC to 1763 BC ( MC). His sister En-ane-du was high priestess of the moon god in Ur. Rim-Sin I was a contemporary of

Hammurabi Hammurabi (; ; ), also spelled Hammurapi, 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 the ci ...

Babylon Babylon ( ) was an ancient city located on the lower Euphrates river in southern Mesopotamia, within modern-day Hillah, Iraq, about south of modern-day Baghdad. Babylon functioned as the main cultural and political centre of the Akkadian-s ...

and Irdanene of

Uruk Uruk, the archeological site known today as Warka, was an ancient city in the Near East, located east of the current bed of the Euphrates River, on an ancient, now-dried channel of the river in Muthanna Governorate, Iraq. The site lies 93 kilo ...

.
. Fitzgerald, "The Rulers of Larsa", Yale University Dissertation, 2002 His father, Kudur-mabuk, may have been of Elamite descent, notwithstanding his Akkadian name.

Reign

Rim-Sin’s reign of

started sometime around 1822 BC (in Middle Chronology#Variant Bronze Age chronologies, middle chronology) when he succeeded his brother,

Warad-Sin Warad-Sin (, ARAD- Dsuen) ruled the ancient Near East city-state of Larsa from 1834-1823 BC ( MC). There are indications that his father Kudur-Mabuk was co-regent or at very least the power behind the throne. His sister En-ane-du was high prieste ...

. He immediately began to expand Larsa by attacking the neighboring city-states of

Isin Isin (, modern Arabic language, Arabic: Ishan al-Bahriyat) is an archaeological site in Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate, Iraq which was the location of the Ancient Near East city of Isin, occupied from the late 4th millennium Uruk period up until at ...

, and

. By 1808 BC, the city was so big that other cities were worried about its growth. The king of Isin, the ruler of Uruk, and the chief of Babylon campaigned against Rim-Sin. He defeated them, then occupied Pi-Naratim (the mouths of the

Tigris The Tigris ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the eastern 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 Desert, Syrian and Arabia ...

and

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

) in 1807, Zibnatum in 1805, Bit-Susin and Uzarbara in 1804, and Kisarra in 1802. He also destroyed Der in that year. In 1801 BC he sacked Uruk, sparing its inhabitants. In 1797 he invaded the territory of Isin, finally seizing the capital in 1792 BC. This conquest was so important to Rim-Sin that every year name of his rule after was named in years after the sack of Isin. In 1787 BC,

, the king of Babylon, attacked Isin and reports to have conquered it, but this is more likely an exaggeration of a successful raid. In 1764 BC, Hammurabi turned against Rim-Sin, who had refused to support Hammurabi in his war against

Elam Elam () was an ancient civilization centered in the far west and southwest of Iran, stretching from the lowlands of what is now Khuzestan and Ilam Province as well as a small part of modern-day southern Iraq. The modern name ''Elam'' stems fr ...

despite pledging his troops. Hammurabi, with troops from Mari, first attacked

Mashkan-shapir Mashkan-shapir (Maškan-šāpir) (modern Tell Abu Duwari, Al Qadisyah Governorate, Iraq) was an ancient '' tell'' roughly north of Nippur and around southeast of Baghdad. The city god of Mashkan-shapir was Nergal and a temple named Meslam dedica ...

on the northern edge of Rim-Sin's realm. Hammurabi's forces quickly reached Larsa, and after a six-month siege the city fell. Rim-Sin escaped the city but was soon found and taken prisoner and died thereafter.

File:Rim-Sin foundation tablet, 1822-1763 BC - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07170.JPG, Rim-Sin foundation tablet, 1822–1763 BC - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago. File:Stone bowl dedicated to Innana of Zabala, 1822-1763 BC - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07161.JPG, Stone bowl dedicated to Innana of Zabala, in the name of Rim-Sin, 1822–1763 BC - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago File:Rim-Sin, King of Larsa.jpg, File:Foundation figurine of Rim-Sin for Nanaya.jpg, Foundation figurine of Rim-Sin for

Nanaya Nanaya ( Sumerian , DNA.NA.A; also transcribed as "Nanāy", "Nanaja", "Nanāja", '"Nanāya", or "Nanai"; antiquated transcription: "Nanâ"; in Greek: ''Ναναια'' or ''Νανα''; , ) was a Mesopotamian goddess of love closely associated ...

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

File:Tablet of Rim-Sin king of Larsa.jpg, Dedication tablet of Rim-Sin king of Larsa

Notes

External links

Rim-Sin I Year Names at CDLI
{{Rulers of the Ancient Near East Amorite kings 19th-century BC Sumerian kings 18th-century BC Sumerian kings 18th-century BC deaths Year of birth unknown Kings of Larsa Monarchs taken prisoner in wartime People who died in prison custody

Reign

See also

Notes

External links