Ilim-Ilimma I (reigned middle 16th century BC - c. 1524 BC -
Middle chronology
The chronology of the ancient Near East is a framework of dates for various events, rulers and dynasties. Historical inscriptions and texts customarily record events in terms of a succession of officials or rulers: "in the year X of king Y". Com ...
) was the king of
Yamhad (present-day
Halab
Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
) succeeding his father Abba-El II.
Reign
Ilim-Ilimma is known through the inscriptions found on the
Statue
A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or Casting (metalworking), cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to ...
of his Son
Idrimi: his queen belonged to
Emar royalty, and he had many children of which Idrimi was the youngest.
Ilim-Ilimma was under the threats of king
Parshatatar of
Mitanni
Mitanni (–1260 BC), earlier called Ḫabigalbat in old Babylonian texts, ; Hanigalbat or Hani-Rabbat in Assyrian records, or in Ancient Egypt, Egyptian texts, was a Hurrian language, Hurrian-speaking state in northern Syria (region), Syria an ...
, and a rebellion probably instigated by him ended Ilim-Ilimma's reign and life in ca. 1524 BC, and the royal family fled to Emar.
Dynasty's Fate
Aleppo came under the authority of Mitanni, while
Idrimi stayed in exile for seven years, after which he conquered
Alalakh and continued the dynasty as the King of Mukis. Ilim-Ilimma I was the last king of the Yamhad dynasty to rule as King of Halab; his grandchild
Niqmepa might have controlled Halab, but as king of Alalakh.
References
Citations
{{reflist, 2
16th-century BC deaths
16th-century BC monarchs
Kings of Yamhad
Amorite kings
Yamhad dynasty