Bilalama
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| Bilalama | |
|---|---|
| King of Eshnunna | |
| Reign | c. 1981 - c. 1962 BC[1] |
| Predecessor | Kirikiri |
| Successor | Isharramashu |
| Died | c. 1962 BC |
| Issue | Me-Kubi Salil-la-Milkum |
| Father | Kirikiri |
Bilalama (died c. 1962 BC) was a 20th century BC ruler of Eshnunna, an ancient Mesopotamian kingdom located in the Diyala Valley in modern Iraq.
It is assumed that Bilalama was a contemporary of Ishbi-Erra and Shu-Ilishu of Isin.[2] He was the son of the previous ruler of Eshnunna, Kirikiri.[3] The names of both Bilalama and Kirikiri are Elamite, which according to Katrin de Graef might indicate that a dynastic change occurred in the city after the reign of their predecessor Nur-ahum.[4] However, it is not clear if they necessarily were Elamites themselves, or if their names only reflect a high level of Elamite cultural influence on Eshnunna.[5]
Bilalama married a daughter of Abda-El, an Amorite chieftain who earlier for diplomatic reasons had his son Ušašum marry a daughter of Nūr-aḫum.[6] Both marriages were most likely meant to guarantee positive relations between the rulers of Eshnunna and the local Amorite groups.[7]
Two children of Bilalama are known.[8] His daughter, Me-Kubi married king Tan-Ruhuratir of Elam, as documented in an inscription commemorating the construction of a temple of Inanna in Susa.[9] She is also mentioned in the inscription on a lapis lazuli seal which states Bilalama apparently gifted it to her.[10] It is also known that he had a son bearing an Amorite name, Šalil-la-Milkum.[11] It has additionally been proposed that a later ruler of Eshnunna, Uṣur-awassu, also was a son of Bilalama.[12]
A number of objects inscribed with names of individuals identified as servants of Bilalama have been discovered, including these attributed to the chanter (NAR) Wusum-bēlī, and a number of scribes (Puzur-Tishpak, Ilšu-dān and Lugal-inim-du).[13]