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The Gutian dynasty, also Kuti or Kutians ( Sumerian: , gu-ti-umKI) was a dynasty, originating among the Gutian people, that came to power in Mesopotamia ''c.'' 2199—2119 BC ( middle), or possibly ''c.'' 2135—2055 BC ( short), after displacing the
Akkadian Empire The Akkadian Empire () was the first ancient empire of Mesopotamia after the long-lived civilization of Sumer. It was centered in the city of Akkad () and its surrounding region. The empire united Akkadian and Sumerian speakers under one ru ...
. It ruled for roughly one century; however, some copies of the '' Sumerian King List'' (''SKL'') vary between 4 and 25 years. The end of the Gutian dynasty is marked by the accession of Ur-Nammu (founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur, which ''fl.'' ''c.'' 2112 BC ( middle) or 2055 BC ( short)). Originally thought to be a horde that swept in and brought down the Akkadian Empire, the Gutians are now known to have been in the area for at least a century by then. By the end of the Akkadian period, the Sumerian city of Adab was occupied by the Gutians, who made it their capital.


History

The Gutians were described as part of the horde that toppled the kingdom of Akkad (or Agade). It was a conglomeration of tribes that descended from the Zagros Mountains, possibly drawn to the plains for its prosperity. The
ancient Mesopotamia The history of Mesopotamia ranges from the earliest human occupation in the Paleolithic period up to Late antiquity. This history is pieced together from evidence retrieved from archaeological excavations and, after the introduction of writing i ...
ns treated them as subnormal beings who were unwilling to conform to customs and laws of their civilization. Chronicles written around the end of the third millennium BC, for instance, described the Gutians as barbarians, having the intelligence of dogs and the appearance of monkeys while speaking a language similar to a confused babble. The Gutians practiced
hit-and-run tactics Hit-and-run tactics are a tactical doctrine of using short surprise attacks, withdrawing before the enemy can respond in force, and constantly maneuvering to avoid full engagement with the enemy. The purpose is not to decisively defeat the en ...
, and would be long gone by the time regular troops could arrive to deal with the situation. Their raids crippled the economy of Sumer. Travel became unsafe, as did work in the fields, resulting in famine. The Sumerian king list indicates that king Ur-Utu of
Uruk Uruk, also known as Warka or Warkah, was an ancient city of Sumer (and later of Babylonia) situated east of the present bed of the Euphrates River on the dried-up ancient channel of the Euphrates east of modern Samawah, Al-Muthannā, Iraq.Harm ...
was defeated by the barbarian Guti, perhaps around 2150 BC. The Guti swept down, defeated the demoralized Akkadian army, took Akkad, and destroyed it around 2083 BC. However, they did not supplant all of Akkad, as several independent city-states remained alongside them, including
Lagash Lagash (cuneiform: LAGAŠKI; 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 Ash Shatrah, Iraq. Lagash (modern Al-Hiba) w ...
, where a local dynasty still thrived and left numerous textual and archaeological remains. Ultimately Akkad was so thoroughly destroyed that its site is still not known. The Guti proved to be poor rulers. Under their crude rule, prosperity declined. They were too unaccustomed to the complexities of civilization to organize matters properly, particularly in connection with the canal network. This was allowed to sink into disrepair, with famine and death resulting. Thus, a short "dark age" swept over Mesopotamia. Akkad bore the brunt of this as the center of the Empire, so that it was in Akkad that the Guti established their own center in place of the destroyed Akkad. Some of the Sumerian cities in the south took advantage of the distance and purchased a certain amount of self-government by paying tribute to the new rulers. Uruk was thus able to develop a fifth dynasty. Even in the city of Akkad itself, a local dynasty was said to have ruled. The best known Sumerian ruler of the Gutian period was the ensi of
Lagash Lagash (cuneiform: LAGAŠKI; 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 Ash Shatrah, Iraq. Lagash (modern Al-Hiba) w ...
, Gudea. Under him, c. 2075 BC ( short), Lagash had a golden age, and seemed to enjoy a high level of independence from the Gutians. After a few kings, the Gutian rulers became more cultured. Guti rule lasted only about a century — around 2050 BC, they were expelled from Mesopotamia by a coalition of rulers of Uruk and Ur, when
Utu-hengal Utu-hengal ( sux, , ), also written Utu-heg̃al, Utu-heĝal, and sometimes transcribed as Utu-hegal, Utu-hejal, Utu-Khengal, was one of the first native kings of Sumer after two hundred years of Akkadian and Gutian rule, and was at the origin o ...
of Uruk defeated Gutian king
Tirigan Tirigan ('' fl.'' late 3rd millennium BCE, , ''ti-ri₂-ga-a-an'') was the 19th and last Gutian ruler in Sumer mentioned on the "'' Sumerian King List''" (''SKL''). According to the ''SKL'': Tirigan was the successor of Si'um. Tirigan ruled for ...
: Utu-hengal's victory revived the political and economic life of southern Sumer. The year 11 of king Ur-Nammu also mentions "Year Gutium was destroyed".


Weidner Chronicle

1,500 years later, the Weidner Chronicle (ABC 19) accounts for the Gutian period as follows: There are scholars who state that the description of the Gutian rule over parts of Mesopotamia was fiction or that it at least gave undue importance to the Guti horde. This is believed to be perpetuated by the chroniclers of Uruk to turn Utu-hegal's minor victory into an event of universal significance for the purpose of solidifying support for his emergent regime. This view is based on the varying accounts of the surviving manuscripts, with many of them in total disagreement as to the length of the king's reign and even the identities of the Guti kings.


List of Gutian kings

According to the ''SKL'':


Gutian kings not on the SKL


Gutian kings on the SKL

The listed reign lengths throughout much of the Gutian period are comparatively short and uniform:


Modern connection theories: Kurds and Gutian dynasty

The historical Guti have been regarded by many scholars as having contributed to the ethnogenesis of the Kurds. In the abstract, Kurdish highland split up between today's Iran and Iraq is considered as the original settlement area of Guteans. Some sources even mention Gutium and Kurdistan interchangeably. For instance: “Under Cyrus the Great of Persia Gobryas I is counted as governor of Kurdistan (Kutium).” According to Tamaz V. Gamkrelidze and Vyacheslav V. Ivanov, the
Gutian language Gutian (; also Qutian) is an extinct unclassified language that was spoken by the Gutian people, who briefly ruled over Sumer as the Gutian dynasty in the 22nd century BCE (middle chronology). The Gutians lived in the territory between the Za ...
was close to the Tocharian languages of the
Indo-European family The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dut ...
. There is no linguistic evidence linking Gutians to modern ethnic identities. Most scholars reject the attempt to link Gutian king names to Indo-European languages.


See also

* History of Sumer *
List of Mesopotamian dynasties The history of Mesopotamia extends from the Lower Paleolithic period until the establishment of the Caliphate in the late 7th century AD, after which the region came to be known as Iraq. This list covers dynasties and monarchs of Mesopotamia up ...


Notes and references

* Howorth 1901: "The Early History of Babylonia", Henry H. Howorth, The English Historical Review, Vol. 16, No. 61 (Jan. 1901), p. 1-34 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gutian Dynasty Of Sumer States and territories established in the 3rd millennium BC States and territories disestablished in the 3rd millennium BC Gutian people Sumer Ancient peoples Ancient Mesopotamia Former kingdoms es:Guti (tribu) fa:کوتیان (قوم) ru:Кутии