Sūmû-abum (also Su-abu) was an

Amorite The Amorites () were an ancient Northwest Semitic-speaking Bronze Age people from the Levant. Initially appearing in Sumerian records c. 2500 BC, they expanded and ruled most of the Levant, Mesopotamia and parts of Egypt from the 21st century BC ...

, and the first King of the First Dynasty of Babylon (the ''Amorite Dynasty''). He reigned c. 1897-1883 BC ( MC). He freed a small area of land previously ruled by the fellow Amorite city state of

Kazallu Kazalla or Kazallu (Ka-zal-luki) is the name given in Akkadian sources to a city in central Mesopotamia whose specific location is unknown. Its patron god was Numushda and his consort Namrat. There are indications that the god Lugal-awak also liv ...

which included Babylon, then a minor administrative center in southern

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 ...

. Sūmû-abum (and the three Amorite kings succeeding him) makes no claim to be ''King of Babylon'', suggesting that the town was at this time still of little importance. He is known to have become king of Kisurra. An alternative view is that the Sūmû-abum controlling Kisurra was actually a ruler in the 6th Dynasty of Uruk, preceding

Sîn-kāšid Sîn-kāšid (inscribed in : EN.ZU''-kà-ši-id'') was the Amorites, Amorite king of the ancient Mesopotamian city of Uruk during the 18th century BC. No date lists are known nor any year names so his regnal length is uncertain, but it is likely ...

. He controlled the city of

Dilbat Dilbat (modern Tell ed-Duleim or Tell al-Deylam) was an ancient Near Eastern city located 25 kilometers south of Babylon on the eastern bank of the Western Euphrates in modern-day Babil Governorate, Iraq. It lies 15 kilometers southeast of the an ...

25 kilometers south of Babylon, recording the building of its city wall in his 9th year of rule. In his 3rd year of rule he claimed to have conquered the city of Elip/Ilip, a major city of the Manana Dynasty. By year 10 of his reign, Sūmû-abum had gained control of

Kish Kish may refer to: Businesses and organisations * KISH, a radio station in Guam * Kish Air, an Iranian airline * Korean International School in Hanoi, Vietnam People * Kish (surname), including a list of people with the name * Kish, a former ...

, 12 kilometers east of Babylon, which had been controlled by the Manana dynasty for some time. It was then briefly lost to

Larsa Larsa (, read ''Larsamki''), also referred to as Larancha/Laranchon (Gk. Λαραγχων) by Berossus, Berossos and connected with the biblical Arioch, Ellasar, was an important city-state of ancient Sumer, the center of the Cult (religious pra ...

but recovered by Sūmû-abum in his 13th reigning year. While Kish was no longer a powerful city, it maintained its outsized symbolic importance. He should not be confused with Isi-sümü-abum of the same period who ruled a city as yet unknown. On a tablet found at

Sippar Sippar (Sumerian language, Sumerian: , Zimbir) (also Sippir or Sippara) was an ancient Near Eastern Sumerian and later Babylonian city on the east bank of the Euphrates river. Its ''Tell (archaeology), tell'' is located at the site of modern Tell ...

, BM 80328, there is a list of rulers of Babylon with 19 unknown rulers before Sūmû-abum.Finkelstein, J. J., "The Genealogy of the Hammurapi Dynasty", Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 20, no. 3/4, pp. 95–118, 1996

References

{{Babylonian kings 19th-century BC kings of Babylon First dynasty of Babylon

See also

References