Ili-Ishar, also Ilum-Ishar (, ''Il
3-Ishar''; died 2072 BC), was a ruler of the city of
Mari, northern
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...
, after the fall of
Akkad c. 2085-2072 BCE. His father was
Apil-kin
Apil-kin ( ''a-pil-gin6''; died 2091 BC), was a ruler of the city of Mari, Syria, Mari, northern Mesopotamia, after the fall of Akkadian Empire, Akkad c. 2127-2091 BCE. He was a son of Ishgum-Addu, and ruled 35 years, according to the ''Shakkanak ...
, and his brother was
Tura-Dagan, who succeeded him.
He held the title of
Shakkanakku (military governor), which was borne by all the princes of a dynasty who reigned at
Mari in the late third millennium and early second millennium BC. These kings were the descendants of the military governors appointed by the kings of
Akkad. He was contemporary of the
Third Dynasty of Ur
The Third Dynasty of Ur or Ur III was a Sumerian dynasty based in the city of Ur in the 22nd and 21st centuries BC ( middle chronology). For a short period they were the preeminent power in Mesopotamia and their realm is sometimes referred to by ...
, and probably their vassal.
Several brick inscriptions in the name of Ili-Ishar have been found in Mari, describing the building of a canal:
On some of his inscriptions, Ili-Ishar uses the title ''dannum ("the Great") in front of his function ''
Shakkanakku'' ("Military Governor"), a practice which is first attested at Mari from the inscriptions of Apil-Kin, and was initially introduced by
Naram-Sin of
Akkad.
References
{{Early Rulers of Mesopotamia
21st-century BC monarchs
Kings of Mari
3rd-millennium BC births
21st-century BC deaths