Iku-Shamagan (, ''i-ku-^D sha-ma-gan,'' ) was a King of the second Mariote kingdom. He is one of three Mari kings known from archaeology, Ikun-Shamash probably being the oldest one. Another king was Ishqi-Mari, also known from an inscribed statue. In their inscriptions, these Mari kings used the

Akkadian language Akkadian ( ; )John Huehnergard & Christopher Woods, "Akkadian and Eblaite", ''The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the World's Ancient Languages''. Ed. Roger D. Woodard (2004, Cambridge) Pages 218–280 was an East Semitic language that is attested ...

, whereas their contemporaries to the south used the

Sumerian language Sumerian ) was the language of ancient Sumer. It is one of the List of languages by first written account, oldest attested languages, dating back to at least 2900 BC. It is a local language isolate that was spoken in ancient Mesopotamia, in the a ...

Vase

A vase mentioning Iku-Shamagan "in an early semitic dialect" is also known:

Statue

Iku-Shamagan is known from a statue with inscription, discovered by

André Parrot André Charles Ulrich Parrot (15 February 1901 – 24 August 1980) was a French archaeologist specializing in the ancient Near East. He led excavations in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria, and is best known for his work at Mari, Syria, where he led imp ...

in 1952. The statue, in the

National Museum of Damascus The National Museum of Damascus () is a museum in the heart of Damascus, Syria. As the country's national museum as well as its largest, this museum covers the entire range of History of Syria, Syrian history over a span of over 11 millennia. It ...

, was restored by the

Louvre Museum The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

in 2011. Iku-Shamagan's votive statue was dedicated through an inscription on the back of the statue: The statue was discovered in Mari, in the Temple Ninni-zaza. The statue was heavily damaged during the conquest by the armies of the Akkad around 2300 BC. File:Asma al-Assad and Marisa Leticia.jpg,

Asma al-Assad Asma Fawaz al-Assad (; Akhras; born 11 August 1975) is the former first lady of Syria, married to Bashar al-Assad. Her husband was president from 2000 until he was overthrown on 8 December 2024. Born and raised in London, to Syrian parents, ...

and Marisa Leticia looking at the statue of Iku-Shamagan in the

Iku-Shamagan - Mari - Temple of Ninni-Zaza (front and side).jpg, Statue of Iku-Shamagan with votive inscription on the back of the right shoulder.

Iku-Shamagan - Mari - Temple of Ninni-Zaza (portrait).jpg, Iku-Shamagan (detail)

Citations

{{Early Rulers of Mesopotamia Kings of Mari 26th-century BC monarchs 25th-century BC monarchs 3rd-millennium BC births 3rd-millennium BC deaths