Talk:Old Babylonian Empire/Shortchronology
Chronology and notes
[edit]We start our list of Babylonian kings with a significant ruler of Erech called Lugalzaggisi, placing him from 2411 BC to 2376 BC. He was a contemporary of Urukagina king of Lagash (reigned 2407-2399 BC) and Sargon (2399-2343 BC) king of Akkad.
After Sargon, the next king was Rimush(...). His contemporary in Ur was Ka-kug or Ka-ku (2376-2341 BC). The son and successor of Rimush was Manishtusu (2334-2329 BC), whose Assyrian viceroy was Abazu, son of Nuabu.
In this period the rulers of Kish were Simudarra or Simudar (2399-2369), a contemporary of Sargon. After him Usi-watar (2369-2362), Eshtarmuti (2362-2351), Ishme-shamash (2351-2340), and Nannia (2340-2243) reigned in Kish.
In Akkad, after Manishtusu, the following kings reigned:
- 2329-2282 Naram-sin
- 2282-2257 Shar-kali-sharri
He was contemporary with the first Gutian king, Erridupizir, and he later defeated Sarlagab, another king of Gutium.
- 2257-???? Igigi, Nanum, and Imi, pretenders
- ????-2254 Elulu, a pretender, maybe King Elul(u)mesh of Gutium.
- 2254-2233 Dudu
- 2233-2218 Shu-durul
Shu-durul was the last ruler. (Agade/Akkad was defeated by Erech. Then Erech dominated until 2194, then eight Median-Elamite usurper tyrants ruled for 224 years, according to Berossus, from 2194 to 1970 BC. Some of them are listed here.)
Erech:
- 2219-2212 Ur-nigin(ak)
- 2212-2206 Ur-gigir(ak)
- 2206-2200 Kudda or Gudea
- 2200-2195 Puzur-ili
- 2195 (?) Lugal-melam (?)
- 2195-2189 Ur-utu(k)
- 2189-2179 Utu-khegal or Utu-khengal
He was a contemporary of Tirigan, the last king of the Guti.
During this period the Gutian or Guti kings flourished as follow:
- 2280-2277 Erridupizir, the first ruler.
- 2277-2274 Imta
- 2274-2268 Inkishush
- 2268-2265 Sarlagab
- 2265-2259 Shulme'
- 2259-2253 Elulmesh or Elulu-mesh
- 2253-2248 Inimabakesh
- 2248-2242 Igeshaush
- 2242-2227 Iarlangab or Iarlagab
- 2227-2224 Ibate
- 2224-2221 Iarlangab
- 2221-2220 Kurum
- 2220-2217 Habil-kin
- 2217-2215 La'erabum
- 2215-2213 Irarum
- 2213-2212 Ibranum
- 2212-2210 Hablum
- 2210-2203 Puzur-sin
- 2203-2196 Iarlaganda
- 2196-2189 Si'u or Si'um
- 2189-2189 Tirigan
Tirigan reigned only for 40 days, according to Jacobsen. His chrononolgical table (1934: 208 ff.) has placed the accession of Ur-Nammu (Dynasty III of Ur) ten years after the end of Utu-khegal's reign. His fall may or may not have coincided with his lost battle against Erech. This famous battle took place on the day of an eclipse of the moon, on the 14th day of the month Duzu or Tammuz, from the first watch to the middle watch. See Carl Schoch (1927: B6-B8), and Thorkild Jacobsen, The Sumerian King List (Chicago, 1934: 203). This is the first eclipse record in the Near East that is identifiable with high probability. It took place on August 13, 2189 BC, with a magnitude of 120% which is remarkable.
After the defeat of Gutium, the Third Dynasty of Ur was fourishing:
A double (solar and lunar) eclipse took place 23 years after Shulgi's accession to the throne. Prof. Jacob Klein of Bar-Ilan University in his book Three Sulgi hymns (1981: 59 and 81) tells that the first 23 years of his reign was peaceful, and that the sun was eclipsed on the horizon, just like the moon on the sky, during the first battles of Sulgi. (Most historians do not feel confident about their own astronomical proficiency, therefore the extreme importance of this double eclipse record remained unnoticed. Another difficulty is that the reading has a questionmark.) Z.A. Simon adds that the lunar eclipse is mentioned first in the poem, because the worship of Sin (The moon) was predominant for them, and that the record is poetic, not that of an astronomer. This rare phaenomena occurred on May 9, 2138 BC (solar eclipse), with a magnitude of 34%. The lunar eclipse took place on May 24, 2138 BC.
An eclipse of the moon observed in the month Simanu (Sivan) may be placed near the end of Shu-sin's reign, called patricide eclipse in the literature. The clipse "drew through" and "equalized" the first watch, meaning that has coincided with it, then touched the second watch. It took place on July 25, 2095 BC. Refer to Carl Schoch, Die Ur-Finsternis (Berlin, 1927: B6-B8). Professor Peter J. Huber, Astronomy and Ancient Chronology in the journal Accadica (Vol. 119-120) deals with this issue about the omen EAE 20-III. We have learned from him that it may have belonged to the death of Shulgi, or it may have been another king, for the name is not mentioned. (Therefore, it could have belonged to Shu-sin, we believe, also adding that the expression will wrong him does not necessarily mean murdering a king. We note here that the data evaluated by Huber (page 166) "rejects the middle chronologies on the 1% level... this is a strong argument against the correctness of the middle chronologies." (Editor's note: those are still in common use.)
- 2095-2070 Ibbi-Sin
Ibbi-Sin's reign lasted for 24 or 26 years (S. Langdon and John K. Fotheringham, The Venus tablets of Ammisaduqa, 1928). An eclipse of the moon caused terror shortly before his fall, in the month Addaru or Adar. The real eclipse had a magnitude of 153%. (Schoch describes this eclipse as well, proposing a different candidate.)
A few years before the fall of Ibbi-Sin, another city started to flourish: Isin. Its first ruler had emerged several years earlier. The kings of Isin are as follow:
- 2083-2050 Ishbi-erra
- 2050-2040 Shu-ilishu
- 2040-2019 Iddin-dagan
- 2019-2000 Ishme-dagan
- 2000-1989 Lipit-Ishtar
- 1989-1961 Un-ninurta
- 1961-1940 Bur-sin or Amar-sin
- 1940-1935 Lipit-enlil
- 1935-1927 Erra-imitti or Ura-imitti
- 1927-1927 Tabbaya
- 1927-1903 Enlil-bani
- 1903-1900 Zambiya
- 1900-1896 Iter-pisha
- 1896-1892 Ur-dulkugga
- 1892-1881 Sin-magir
- 1881-1858 Damiq-ilishu
The First Dynasty of Babylon was almost contemporary with Isin. Their chronology is debated, because there is a King List A and a Babylonian King List B. Hereby we follow the regnal years of List A, because those are widely used, although we believe that the other list is better, at least for one or two reigns out of the first six. (The reigns in List B are longer, in general. Unfortunately, it is not available for the editor.)
- 1959-1945 Su-abu or Suum-abum
- 1945-1909 Sumula-ilum
- 1909-1895 Sabium or Sabum
- 1895-1877 Apil-Sin
- 1877-1857 Sin-muballit
- 1857-1814 Hammurabi
His other name was Hammurapi-ilu, meaning Hammurapi the god or perhaps Hammurapi is god.
- 1814-1776 Samsu-iluna
- 1776-1748 Abi-eshuh or Abieshu
- 1748-1711 Ammi-ditana
- 1711-1690 Ammi-zaduga or Ammisaduqa
His Venus tablets of Ammisaduqa (i.e., several ancient versions on clay tablets) are famous, and several books had been published about them. Several dates have been offered but the old dates of many sourcebooks seens to be outdated and incorrect. There are further difficulties: the 21 years span of the detailed observations of the planet Venus may or may not coincide with the reign of this king, because his name is not mentioned, only the Year of the Golden Throne. A few sources, some printed almost a century ago, claim that the original text mentions an occultation of the Venus by the moon. It seems to me a misinterpretation because the original texts in the book of Erica Reiner and D. Pingree, The Venus Tablet of Ammisaduqa there is no such sentence.
- 1690-1659 Samsu-Ditana
A text about the fall of Babylon by the Hittites of Mursilis I at the end of Samsuditana's reign tells about a twin eclipse, which is crucial for a correct Babylonian chronology. (The reading of the word Babylon is uncertain but why should a Babylonian tablet refer to another city?). The pair of lunar and solar eclipses occurred in the month Shimanu (Sivan). Professor Peter J. Huber has computed several options that would satisfy the conditions of the detailed description. The lunar eclipse took place on February 9, 1659 BC. It started at 4:43 and ended at 6:47. The latter was invisible which safisfies the record which tells that the setting moon was still eclipsed. The solar eclipse occurred on February 23, 1659 BC. It started at 10:26, has its maximum at 11:45, and ended at 13:04. This indicates that the presently accepted Middle Chronology is too low from the astronomical point of view. See Peter Huber, "Astronomical dating of Babylon I and Ur III" in Monographic Journals of the Near East (1982: 41).