Manishtushu (, ''Ma-an-ish-tu-su'') was the third king of 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 r ...

, reigning from c. 2270 BC until his assassination in 2255 BC (

Middle Chronology The chronology of the ancient Near East is a framework of dates for various events, rulers and dynasties. Historical inscriptions and texts customarily record events in terms of a succession of officials or rulers: "in the year X of king Y". Com ...

). He was the son of Sargon the Great, the founder of the Akkadian Empire, and he was succeeded by his son, Naram-Sin.

Biography

Manishtushu was the third king of the

. He was the son of

Sargon of Akkad Sargon of Akkad (; akk, ''Šarrugi''), also known as Sargon the Great, was the first ruler of the Akkadian Empire, known for his conquests of the Sumerian city-states in the 24th to 23rd centuries BC.The date of the reign of Sargon is highl ...

and Queen

Tashlultum Tashlultum () was a wife of King Sargon of Akkad. Her name is known to archaeology only from a single shard of an alabaster vase or bowl with an inscription indicating it was dedicated to the temple by her steward.Enheduanna Enheduanna ( sux, , also transliterated as , , or variants) was the priestess of the moon god Nanna (Sīn) in the Sumerian city-state of Ur in the reign of her father, Sargon of Akkad. She was likely appointed by her father as the leader of t ...

, Rimush, and

Shu-Enlil Shu-Enlil (also known as Ibarum) was a son of Sargon the Great, first ruler of the Akkadian Empire. He lived in the 23rd century BCE. See also *Ibrium Ibrium (2322-2302 BC), also spelt Ebrium, was the vizier of Ebla for king Irkab-Damu and his ...

, and the father of Naram-Sin. He became king in c. 2270 BC after the death of his brother Rimush. Manishtushu, freed of the rebellions of his brother's reign, led campaigns to distant lands. According to a passage from one of his inscriptions, he led a fleet down the Persian Gulf where 32 kings allied to fight him. Manishtushu was victorious and consequently looted their cities and silver mines, along with other expeditions to kingdoms along the Persian Gulf. He also sailed a fleet down the

Tigris River The Tigris () is the easternmost 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 and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the P ...

that eventually traded with 37 other nations, conquered the city of Shirasum in

Elam Elam (; Linear Elamite: ''hatamti''; Cuneiform Elamite: ; Sumerian: ; Akkadian: ; he, עֵילָם ''ʿēlām''; peo, 𐎢𐎺𐎩 ''hūja'') was an ancient civilization centered in the far west and southwest of modern-day Iran, stretc ...

, and rebuilt the destroyed temple of

Inanna Inanna, also sux, 𒀭𒊩𒌆𒀭𒈾, nin-an-na, label=none is an ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war, and fertility. She is also associated with beauty, sex, divine justice, and political power. She was originally worshiped in Su ...

Nineveh Nineveh (; akk, ; Biblical Hebrew: '; ar, نَيْنَوَىٰ '; syr, ܢܝܼܢܘܹܐ, Nīnwē) was an ancient Assyrian city of Upper Mesopotamia, located in the modern-day city of Mosul in northern Iraq. It is located on the eastern ba ...

in c. 2260 BC. In

and

Pashime Pashime, also Bashime ( ''ba-si-meKI''), was an ancient region of southern Mesopotamia. It has recently been identified with Tell Abu Sheeja, Iraq, about 7 km from Iraq's border with Iran. Pashime corresponded to an area of interaction between Mes ...

, in the coastal area of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, Manishtushu had governors installed for the Akkadian Empire: Eshpum was in charge of Elam, while

Ilshu-rabi Ilshu-rabi, also Ilšu-rabi ( ''Il-shu-rabi'') was a ruler of Pashime around 2250 BCE. He was a vassal of the Akkadian Empire ruler Manishtushu. While Ilshu-rabi was in charge of Pashime, another Governor of Manistushu named Eshpum was in charg ...

was in charge of Pashime. In c. 2255 BC Manishtushu died, assassinated by members of his own court, and was succeeded by his son Naram-Sin. A pyramidal stele erected by Manishtushu bearing a long cuneiform inscription in Akkadian is featured in the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the '' Venus de Milo''. A central ...

. He held the title "King of

Kish Kish may refer to: Geography * Gishi, Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan, a village also called Kish * Kiş, Shaki, Azerbaijan, a village and municipality also spelled Kish * Kish Island, an Iranian island and a city in the Persian Gulf * Kish, Iran, ...

" in some of his inscriptions.

Manishtushu trampling enemies

A probable statue of Manishtushu discovered in

Susa Susa ( ; Middle elx, 𒀸𒋗𒊺𒂗, translit=Šušen; Middle and Neo- elx, 𒋢𒋢𒌦, translit=Šušun; Neo- Elamite and Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼𒀭, translit=Šušán; Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼, translit=Šušá; fa, شوش ...

, shows him trampling vanquished enemies. It was among other Akkadian Empire statues taken there in the 12th century BC by Elamite king Shutruk-Nahhunte. There are inscriptions on the bodies of the enemies, identifying them. The statue is in the Louvre Museum (Sb 48). File:Musée du Louvre Darafsh (1149).jpg, Remain of the statue Musée du Louvre Darafsh (1152).jpg, Enemy being trampled File:Musée du Louvre Darafsh (1153).jpg, Enemy being trampled

Other artifacts

File:P1050576 Louvre Oblélisque de Manishtusu rwk.JPG, alt=Manishtushu Obelisk, Louvre Museum., Manishtushu Obelisk, Louvre MuseumFull transcription of the Manishtusu obelisk: File:P1050578 Louvre Obélisque de Manishtusu détail rwk.JPG, Detail of inscription on the obelisk File:Throne of Manishtushu Louvre Museum.jpg, Throne of Manishtushu, Louvre Museum File:Votive stone mace-head from Uruk, Iraq., the name of the Akkadian king Manishtushu a appears, r. 2270-2255 BC. Iraq Museum.jpg, Votive stone mace-head in the name of Manishtushu, from Uruk, Iraq. 2270–2255 BC.

Iraq Museum The Iraq Museum ( ar, المتحف العراقي) is the national museum of Iraq, located in Baghdad. It is sometimes informally called the National Museum of Iraq, a recent phenomenon influenced by other nations' naming of their national museum ...

. File:Manishtushu Lugal Kish.jpg, Macehead inscription of Manishtushu: ''Manishtushu Lugal Kish'', "Manishtushu King of

" File:BM 91018 Macehead in the name of Manishtushu.jpg, Macehead in the name of Manishtushu, British Museum, BM 91018

References

{{Authority control 23rd-century BC kings of Akkad Akkadian people Sumerian rulers Ancient murdered monarchs 23rd-century BC deaths Year of birth unknown Akkadian Empire