Ikun-Shamash

Ikun-Shamash
(𒄿𒆪𒀭𒌓)
King of Mari
Ikun-Shamash's votive statue, British Museum.[1]
Reignc. 2500 BC Middle Chronology
King of Mari
Mari is located in Near East
Mari
Mari
class=notpageimage|
Location of Mari, where PIkun-Shamash ruled.

Ikun-Shamash or Iku-Shamash (𒄿𒆪𒀭𒌓)[2] was a King of the second Mariote kingdom who reigned c. 2500 BC.[3] According to François Thureau-Dangin, the king reigned at a time earlier than Ur-Nanshe's of Lagash.[3] He is one of three Mari kings known from archaeology, and probably the oldest one.[2] Another king was Iku-Shamagan, also known from a statue with inscription, in the National Museum of Damascus.[2] The third king is Lamgi-Mari, also read Išgi-Mari, also known from an inscribed statue now in the National Museum of Aleppo.[4][5]

In his inscriptions, Ikun-Shamash used the Akkadian language, whereas his contemporaries to the south used the Sumerian language.[2] His official title in the inscriptions was "King of Mari" and "ensi-gal", or "supreme Prince" of the deity Enlil.[2]

He is known from a statue with inscription, which he dedicated to god Shamash.[2]

Ikun-Shamash's territory seems to have included southern Babylonia.[6]

  1. ^ Spycket, Agnès (1981). Handbuch der Orientalistik (in French). BRILL. p. 87. ISBN 978-90-04-06248-1.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Spycket, Agnès (1981). Handbuch der Orientalistik (in French). BRILL. p. 86. ISBN 978-90-04-06248-1.
  3. ^ a b Alfred Haldar (1971). Who Were the Amorites. p. 16.
  4. ^ Photograph in: "Mission Archéologique de Mari 4 vols. in 6. Volume I: Le Temple D'Ishtar. Volume II : Le Palais. Part 1: Architecture. Part 2: Peintures Murales. Part 3: Documents et monuments. Volume III: Les Temples D'Ishtarat et de". Meretseger Books. Archived from the original on 2020-04-07. Retrieved 2020-04-07.
  5. ^ Spycket, Agnès (1981). Handbuch der Orientalistik (in French). BRILL. p. 88. ISBN 978-90-04-06248-1.
  6. ^ Robert Boulanger (1966). The Middle East: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Iran. p. 497.