Abalgamash ( ''a-ba-al-ga-masz''; ) was a king of Marhashi (" Parahshum" in Akkadian), somewhere on the

Iranian plateau The Iranian plateau or Persian plateau is a geological feature spanning parts of the Caucasus, Central Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. It makes up part of the Eurasian plate, and is wedged between the Arabian plate and the Indian plate. ...

. He seems to have led the forces of

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 ...

, Marhashi, Kupin, Zahara, and

Meluhha or ( ) is the Sumerian name of a prominent trading partner of Sumer during the Middle Bronze Age. Its identification remains an open question, but most scholars associate it with the Indus Valley Civilisation. Etymology Asko Parpola identif ...

into a coalition against 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 ...

, invading

Khuzestan Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's ...

, which had been occupied by

Sargon of Akkad Sargon of Akkad (; ; died 2279 BC), 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 highly unc ...

. This led to a direct conflict with

Rimush Rimush (or Rimuš, ''Ri-mu-uš''; died 2270 BC) was the second king of the Akkadian Empire. He was the son of Sargon of Akkad. He was succeeded by his brother Manishtushu, and was an uncle of Naram-Sin of Akkad. Naram-Sin posthumously deified Sa ...

, Sargon's son and successor, who in turn invaded Elam, and victoriously confronted their armies somewhere between Awan and

Susa Susa ( ) was an ancient city in the lower Zagros Mountains about east of the Tigris, between the Karkheh River, Karkheh and Dez River, Dez Rivers in Iran. One of the most important cities of the Ancient Near East, Susa served as the capital o ...

. Abalgamash appears in the records of the

, the ruler of the

at the time, who led victorious campaigns against

and Marhashi (Sumerian name for the Akkadian "Parahshum"). According to the account, troops from (

) also participated in the conflict: The campaign resulted in 16,212 killed on the side of the enemies, and 4,216 prisoners. Rimush also came back with an important booty taken from Elam, consisting in 300 minas of gold (about 180 kilograms), 3,600 minas of silver, 300 slaves, and vases of

diorite Diorite ( ) is an intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock formed by the slow cooling underground of magma (molten rock) that has a moderate content of silica and a relatively low content of alkali metals. It is Intermediate composition, inter ...

and

chlorite The chlorite ion, or chlorine dioxide anion, is the halite (oxyanion), halite with the chemical formula of . A chlorite (compound) is a compound that contains this group, with chlorine in the oxidation state of +3. Chlorites are also known as s ...

. These events apparently put an end to the influence of Marhashi in Elam. Abalgamash had a general named Sidgau, who is also known to have been in conflict against

, the father of Rimush, when Sargon led his campaign against Elam and Marhashi. It has been argued that both names Abalgamash and Sidgau may be

Hurrian The Hurrians (; ; also called Hari, Khurrites, Hourri, Churri, Hurri) were a people who inhabited the Ancient Near East during the Bronze Age. They spoke the Hurro-Urartian language, Hurrian language, and lived throughout northern Syria (region) ...

. File:Abalgamash Lugal Paraahshum-ki.jpg, "Abalgamash, King of Marhashi" ( ''Abalgamash Lugal Paraahshum-ki'') on one of the Rimush inscriptions (Louvre Museum, AO 5476)

References

{{reflist 3rd-millennium BC births 3rd-millennium BC deaths