Iblul-Il (reigned c. 2380 BC), was the most energetic king (

Lugal Lugal (Sumerian: ) is the Sumerian term for "king, ruler". Literally, the term means "big man." In Sumerian, ''lu'' "𒇽" is "man" and ''gal'' "𒃲" is "great," or "big." It was one of several Sumerian titles that a ruler of a city-state could ...

) of the second Mariote kingdom, noted for his extensive campaigns in the middle Euphrates valley against the

Eblaites Ebla (Sumerian: ''eb₂-la'', ar, إبلا, modern: , Tell Mardikh) was one of the earliest kingdoms in Syria. Its remains constitute a tell located about southwest of Aleppo near the village of Mardikh. Ebla was an important center thro ...

, and in the upper

Tigris 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 ...

region against various opponents, which asserted the Mariote supremacy in the Syrian north.

Reign

Sources

Iblul-Il is attested in Mari, where statues bearing his name were excavated in 1952 from the city's temples. However, the deeds of the king are recorded in a letter sent to Ebla by Enna-Dagan, a successor of Iblul-Il.

Campaigns

Iblul-Il campaigned extensively against Ebla and its vassals and allies. The offensive was probably due to Ebla's increasing militaristic character, and was meant to block the trade route between

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 ...

, Nagar and Ebla. Iblul-Il was a contemporary of Ebla's king Igrish-Halam, and is mentioned in the letter of Enna-Dagan campaigning in the middle Euphrates defeating the city of Galalaneni, and engaging in a victorious battle with

Abarsal Abarsal was a city-state of Mesopotamia in the area of the Euphrates. Very litte is known of the history of the town and the site is unidentified at the moment. It could be the city of Aburru mentioned in various texts of the tablets of Mari, which ...

in the region of Zahiran, which he destroyed. Next, Iblul-Il campaigned in the region of Burman of the land of Sugurum, where he defeated the cities of Shadab, Addalini and Arisum. The campaigns continued as the king sacked the cities of Sharan and Dammium, and advanced on Neraad and Hasuwan, receiving the tribute from Ebla at the city of

Mane Mane may refer to: * Mane (horse), the line of hair along the spine of the neck * Mane (lion), the hair found around the male mammal's neck In arts and entertainment * ''Mane'' (film) is a 1990 Kannada language film directed by Girish Kasaravall ...

, and from the fortress Khazuwan, then continued his march and conquered

Emar Emar (modern Tell Meskene) is an archaeological site in Aleppo Governorate, northern Syria. It sits in the great bend of the mid-Euphrates, now on the shoreline of the man-made Lake Assad near the town of Maskanah. It has been the source of many C ...

. In the Tigris valley, Iblul-Il defeated the cities of Nahal, Nubat and Sha-da from the region of

Gasur Nuzi (or Nuzu; Akkadian Gasur; modern Yorghan Tepe, Iraq) was an ancient Mesopotamian city southwest of the city of Arrapha (modern Kirkuk), located near the Tigris river. The site consists of one medium-sized multiperiod tell and two small ...

, at a battle in the land of Ganane. Iblul-Il is finally mentioned in the letter conquering the Eblaite cities of Barama, Aburu, Tibalat and Belan. The Mariote king successfully achieved his goals and weakened Ebla, exacting a great amount of tribute in the form of gold and silver.

Succession

Iblul-Il was succeeded by Nizi. The letter of Enna-Dagan is extremely difficult to read, and early decipherment presented the author as a general of Ebla who defeated and deposed Iblul-Il. However, newer readings confirmed Enna-Dagan as a king from Mari, and further decipherment of the archives of Ebla showed Enna-Dagan receiving gifts from Ebla as a prince of Mari during the reigns of his Mariote predecessors.

Reign

Sources

Campaigns

Succession

See also

Notes

Citations

Further reading