Ikun-Shamash or Iku-Shamash ()
was a King of the second
Mariote kingdom who reigned c. 2500 BC.
According to
François Thureau-Dangin
François Thureau-Dangin (3 January 1872 in Paris – 24 January 1944 in Paris) was a French archaeologist, assyriologist and epigrapher. He played a major role in deciphering of the Sumerian and Akkadian languages.
He studied under Julius O ...
, the king reigned at a time earlier than
Ur-Nanshe's of Lagash.
He is one of three Mari kings known from archaeology, and probably the oldest one.
Another king was
Iku-Shamagan, also known from a statue with inscription, in the
National Museum of Damascus.
The third king is
Lamgi-Mari
Ishqi-Mari or Ishgi-Mari ( iš11-gi4-ma-rí), previously read Lamgi-Mari, was a King of the second Mariote kingdom who reigned c. 2350-2330 BCE. He is one of three Mari kings known from archaeology, Ikun-Shamash probably being the oldest one. The ...
, also read Išgi-Mari, also known from an inscribed statue now in the
National Museum of Aleppo.
In his inscriptions, Ikun-Shamash used the
Akkadian language, whereas his contemporaries to the south used the
Sumerian language
Sumerian is the language of ancient Sumer. It is one of the oldest attested languages, dating back to at least 3000 BC. It is accepted to be a local language isolate and to have been spoken in ancient Mesopotamia, in the area that is modern-day ...
.
His official title in the inscriptions was "King of Mari" and "
ensi-gal", or "supreme Prince" of the deity
Enlil
Enlil, , "Lord f theWind" later known as Elil, is an ancient Mesopotamian god associated with wind, air, earth, and storms. He is first attested as the chief deity of the Sumerian pantheon, but he was later worshipped by the Akkadians, Bab ...
.
He is known from a statue with inscription, which he dedicated to god
Shamash
Utu (dUD "Sun"), also known under the Akkadian name Shamash, ''šmš'', syc, ܫܡܫܐ ''šemša'', he, שֶׁמֶשׁ ''šemeš'', ar, شمس ''šams'', Ashurian Aramaic: 𐣴𐣬𐣴 ''š'meš(ā)'' was the ancient Mesopotamian sun god. ...
.
Ikun-Shamash's territory seems to have included southern
Babylonia
Babylonia (; Akkadian: , ''māt Akkadī'') was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Syria). It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state c. ...
.
Statue
Ikun-Shamash's votive statue, set by one of his officials, was discovered in the city of
Sippar; the inscription reads:
The statue is located in the
British Museum.
File:Statue of Iku-Shamash, King of Mari circa 2400 BCE.jpg, Statue of Iku-Shamash, King of Mari circa 2400 BCE (in the rear)
File:Ikun-shamash inscription.jpg, The inscription on the statue.
Citations
Kings of Mari
25th-century BC rulers
25th-century BC people
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