The Amorites - A Political History of Mesopotamia in the Early Second Millennium BCE

This study of the political history of Mesopotamia - today's Iraq and Syria - in the Old Babylonian period (ca. 2000-1600 BCE) is the first comprehensive historical synthesis of this kind published in English after many decades. Based on numerous written sources in Sumerian and Akkadian - royal inscriptions, letters, law collections, economic records, etc. - and on up-to-date research, it presents the region's political history in a meticulous geographic and chronological manner. This allows the interested academic and non-academic reader an in-depth view into the scene of ancient Mesopotamia ruled by competing dynasties of West Semitic (Amorite) origin, with a complex web of political and tribal connections between them.

List of contents

Preface
List of Illustrations and Maps
Abbreviations
Introduction

Part 1: The Historical Arena
1 The Geographical Setting

2 Nomads and Sedentary Peoples
1 Urban Dwellers and the People of the Steppe
2 Forefathers and Nomadic Groups: The ana, the Sim alites, and the Yaminites
3 The Amorite Origins of Samsi-Addu's Dynasty and the Assyrian King List
4 The Amorite Descent of ammurapi's Dynasty
5 Amorite Populations in Southern Mesopotamia
6 Amorite Tribes as an Example of Enclosed Nomadism
7 The Amorite Tribal System as Reflected in the Mari Documents
8 Major Institutions and Customs among the Amorite Tribes

3 Ethnic Identities in Mesopotamia in the Early Second Millennium BCE
1 Nation, Ethnic Group, and Ethnic Category
2 The Amorites as Foreigners in Mesopotamian Cities and Their Self-Perceived Identity
3 Change of Tribal Affiliation as a Political Decision
4 Covenant Terminology and Its Meaning for Tribal Links
5 Language as a Vehicle of Ethnic Distinction
6 The Multiple Faces of Ethnic Identity

4 The Age of the Amorite Dynasties and the Periodization of Mesopotamian History: Some Basic Observations
1 Periodization of Mesopotamian History according to the Astronomical Treatise

5 The Chronological Framework of the Amorite Dynasties
1 Relative and Absolute Chronology, Synchronisms, and Astronomical Anchors
2 The Assyrian King List as a Chronological Source
3 The Kanes Eponym List and the Relative Chronology of Assyria
4 Year Names in Southern Mesopotamia and the Kings of the First Dynasty of Babylon
5 Mari: A Kingdom with Two Systems of Year-Reckoning
6 The Sumerian King List
7 From Relative to Absolute Chronology: The Venus Tablets of Ammi-saduqa and the Solar Eclipse in the Mari Eponym Chronicle
8 Dendrochronology: Tree-Rings as a Chronological Tool

Part 2: Cities, Dynasties, and Kings: Political History
6 The Kingdom of Isin
1 Chronology of the Kings of Isin
2 The Isin Dynasty from Isbi-Erra to Lipit-Istar
3 A New Royal Line in Isin: Ur-Ninurta and His Descendants
4 Isin's Struggle against Its Neighbors: Erra-imitti, Enlil-bani, and Their Successors
5 The End of Isin
6 Another Successor to the Empire of Ur: The Kingdom of Simurrum

7 The Kingdom of Larsa
1 The Isin-Larsa Period and the Chronology of the Kings of Larsa
2 The Early Kings
3 The Dynasty of Nur-Adad
4 The Dynasty of Kudur-Mabuk
5 The Babylonian Conquest of Larsa
6 Larsa's Revolt against Babylon

8 The Kingdom of Uruk
1 The Early Kings of Uruk
2 The Sîn-kasid Dynasty
3 Uruk at the Time of the South Mesopotamian Revolt against Babylon

9 The Kingdom of Esnunna
1 Between Ur, Isin, Elam, and the Amorites: The Beginnings of Esnunna
2 Esnunna on the Rise: The Dynasty of Ibal-pi-El I
3 Esnunna at Its Apex: The Reigns of Dadusa and Ibal-pi-El II
4 The Babylonian Conquest of Esnunna
5 Esnunna's Final Attempts to Regain Independence

10 The Kingdom of Malgium
1 The Early Kings of Malgium
2 A Period of Political Upheavals
3 The End of Malgium

11 The Kingdom of Assur
1 Assur as a City-State
2 The Rulers of Assur at Its Apex as a Center of Commerce
3 The Assyrian Trade with Anatolia
4 The Crisis of the Assyrian Trade and Its Recovery
5 The Conquest of Assur by Samsi-Addu

12 The Kingdom of Samsi-Addu
1 Samsi-Addu's Family Origins
2 The Early Years of Samsi-Addu: The Escape to Babylon and the Conquest of Ekallatum, Assur, and Mari
3 The Kingdom of Upper Mesopotamia
4 The Reign of Isme-Dagan I

13 The Kingdom of Mari
1 The Beginnings of Mari
2 The Early Rulers of the Amorite Dynasty in Mari
3 The Reign of Zimri-Lim
4 The Babylonian Conquest of Mari
5 Mari's Successor: The Kingdom of ana

14 The Kingdom of Yam ad
1 The Beginnings of the Amorite Dynasty of Yam ad
2 Yam ad as an Ally of Mari: The Reigns of Yarim-Lim I and ammurapi I
3 Yam ad from the Death of ammurapi I to the Hittite Conquest

15 The Kingdom of Qa na
1 Archaeological Discoveries at Qa na
2 The Dynasty of Is i-Addu
3 Qa na on the Eve of the Hittite Conquest of Northern Syria

16 The Kingdom of Babylon
1 Chronology of the Kings of Babylon
2 The Beginnings of the Kingdom
3 Babylon at Its Peak: The Reign of ammurapi
4 Babylon at the Time of Samsu-iluna
5 The Late Kings of the Amorite Dynasty of Babylon

Concluding Remarks: Instead of an Epilogue
Bibliography
Index

Product details

• Authors: Yigal Bloch, Nathan Wasserman
• Publisher: Brill
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 27.07.2023
• EAN: 9789004546585
• ISBN: 978-90-0-454658-5
• No. of pages: 570
• Weight: 1101 g
• Series: Culture and History of the Anc; Culture and History of the Ancient Near East
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Antiquity; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Sociological theories