List of kings of Mari

The city of Mari in modern Syria was ruled by several dynasties in the Bronze Age. The history of the city is divided into three kingdoms. Rulers in orange are legendary figures with notably uncertain historicity.

The Sumerian King List (SKL) records a dynasty of six kings from Mari enjoying hegemony between the dynasty of Adab and the dynasty of Kish.^[1] The names of the Mariote kings were damaged on the early copies of the list,^[2] and those kings were correlated with historical kings that belonged to the second kingdom.^[3] However, an undamaged copy of the list that date to the Old Babylonian period was discovered in Shubat-Enlil,^[2] and the names bears no resemblance to any of the historically attested monarchs of the second kingdom,^[2] indicating that the compilers of the list had an older and probably a legendary dynasty in mind, that predate the second kingdom.^[2]

#	Inscription	Ruler	Epithet	Reign	Notes
Early Dynastic IIIa period (c. 2600 – c. 2500 BC)
First Mariote kingdom (c. 2900 – c. 2500 BC)
"Then Adab was defeated and the kingship was taken to Mari."^[4] — SKL
1st		Anbu 𒀭𒁍		c. 2550 BC^[5] (60 years)	This name is also read as Ilshu^[6] Said on the SKL to have held the title of, "King" of not just Mari; but, to have held the "Kingship" over all of Sumer Known from the SKL; very little otherwise

2nd		Anba 𒀭𒁀		c. 2550 BC (12 years)	Historicity uncertain Known from the SKL; very little otherwise Said on the SKL to have held the title of, "King" of not just Mari; but, to have held the "Kingship" over all of Sumer Son of Anbu^[4]

3rd		Bazi 𒁀𒍣	"the leatherworker"^[4]	c. 2550 BC (30 years)	Historicity uncertain Known from the SKL; very little otherwise Said on the SKL to have held the title of, "King" of not just Mari; but, to have held the "Kingship" over all of Sumer

4th	Zizi 𒍣𒍣	"the fuller"^[4]	c. 2550 BC (20 years)	Historicity uncertain Known from the SKL; very little otherwise Said on the SKL to have held the title of, "King" of not just Mari; but, to have held the "Kingship" over all of Sumer
5th	Limer 𒇷𒅎𒅕	"the 'gudug' priest"^{[note 1]}^[4]	c. 2550 BC (30 years)	Historicity uncertain Known from the SKL; very little otherwise Said on the SKL to have held the title of, "King" of not just Mari; but, to have held the "Kingship" over all of Sumer
6th	Sharrum-iter 𒈗𒄿𒌁		c. 2550 BC (8 years)	Historicity uncertain It has been suggested that only Sharrum-iter held the hegemony after Lugal-Anne-Mundu Said on the SKL to have held the title of, "King" of not just Mari; but, to have held the "Kingship" over all of Sumer

"6 kings; they ruled for 184 years. Then Mari was defeated and the kingship was taken to Kish."^[4] — SKL

Second kingdom

The chronological order of the kings from the second kingdom era is highly uncertain; nevertheless, it is assumed that the letter of Enna-Dagan lists them in a chronological order.^[8] Many of the kings were attested through their own votive objects discovered in the city,^[9]^[10] and the dates are highly speculative.^[10]

Depiction	Ruler	Reign	Notes
Early Dynastic IIIb period (c. 2500 – c. 2350 BC)
Second Mariote kingdom (c. 2500 – c. 2266 BC)
	Ikun-Mari 𒄣𒄿𒈠𒌷𒆠	c. 2500 BC	Held the title of, "King" temp. of Ush^[11] This name is inscribed on a jar in Mari^[12]
	Ikun-Shamash 𒄿𒆪𒀭𒌓	c. 2500 BC	Held the title of, "King" May have ruled before the reign of Ur-Nanshe^[1] temp. of Lugal-zage-si (?)^[11]
	Iku-Shamagan 𒄿𒆪𒀭𒊭𒈠𒃶	c. 2500 BC	Held the title of, "King" temp. of Ur-Lumma^[11] His name was inscribed on a votive statue offered by his official "Shibum"^[13]
	Ansud	c. 2423 – c. 2416 BC	His name is inscribed on a jar (as Hanusum) sent to Mari by Mesannepada of Ur^[3]^[2] The name was read by Pettinato as Anubu^[14]^[15]
	Sa'umu	c. 2416 – c. 2400 BC	temp. of Kun-Damu He was attested in Enna-Dagan's letter as conquering many lands^[16]
	Ishtup-Ishar 𒅖𒁾𒄿𒊬	c. 2400 BC^[17]	Held the title of, "King" temp. of Il^[11] He was attested in Enna-Dagan's letter as conquering Emar and other Eblaite vassals^[16]
	Iblul-Il 𒅁𒈜𒅋	c. 2380 BC	Held the title of, "King" temp. of Igrish-Halam^[11] He forced Ebla to pay tribute^[16]
	Nizi	c. 2360 BC^[18]	Held the title of, "King" temp. of Enentarzi^[11]
	Enna-Dagan	c. 2355 BC	Held the title of, "King" temp. of Irkab-Damu^[11] He wrote a letter to Irkab-Damu of Ebla to assert Mari's authority^[19]
Proto-Imperial period (c. 2350 – c. 2266 BC)
	Ishqi-Mari 𒅖𒄄𒈠𒌷	c. 2350 - c. 2330 BC	temp. of Ur-Zababa^[11] His name was previously read as Lamgi-Mari^[20] Hypothetically the last king before the conquests of Akkad^[21]
	Ikun-Ishar 𒄿𒆪𒊬	c. 2320 BC	Held the title of, "King" temp. of Meskigal^[11] He forced Ebla to pay tribute^[16]
	Hidar	c. 2300 BC	Held the title of, "King" temp. of Enshakushanna^[11] He is attested in the archives of Ebla, which was destroyed during his reign^[22]

Third kingdom

The third kingdom was ruled by two dynasties: the Shakkanakkus and the Lim. For the Shakkanakkus, the lists are incomplete and after Hanun-Dagan who ruled at the end of the Ur era c. 2008 BC (c. 1920 BC Short chronology), they become full of lacunae.^[23] Roughly 13 more Shakkanakkus succeeded Hanun-Dagan but only few are known, with the last known one reigning not too long before the reign of Yaggid-Lim who founded the Lim dynasty in c. 1830 BC, which was interrupted by Assyrian occupation in 1796–1776 BC.^[24]^[25]

Depiction	Ruler	Reign	Notes
Akkadian period (c. 2266 – c. 2154 BC)
Third Mariote kingdom (c. 2266 – c. 1761 BC)
Shakkanakku dynasty (c. 2266 – c. 1830 BC)
	Ididish	c. 2266 - c. 2206 BC	Held the title of, "Military Governor"
	Shu-Dagan	c. 2206 - c. 2200 BC	Held the title of, "Military Governor" Son of Ididish^[26]
	Ishma-Dagan 𒅖𒈣𒀭𒁕𒃶	c. 2200 - c. 2154 BC^[27]^[28]	Held the title of, "Military Governor"
	Nûr-Mêr 𒉌𒉿𒅈𒈨𒅕	c. 2154 - c. 2148 BC	Held the title of, "Military Governor" Son of Ishma-Dagan^[27]
Gutian period (c. 2154 – c. 2119 BC)
	Ishtup-Ilum 𒅖𒁾𒀭	c. 2148 – c. 2136 BC	Held the title of, "Military Governor" Son of Ishma-Dagan^[27]
	Ishgum-Addu 𒅖𒄣𒀭𒅎	c. 2136 - c. 2127 BC^[27]	Held the title of, "Military Governor"
Ur III period (c. 2119 – c. 2004 BC)
	Apil-kin 𒀀𒉈𒄀	c. 2127 - c. 2091 BC	Was designated with the royal title Lugal in a votive inscription set by his daughter^[29] Son of Ishgum-Addu^[27]^[30]
	Iddi-ilum 𒄿𒋾𒀭	c. 2091 - c. 2085 BC	His name is also read as Iddi-Ilum; his name was inscribed on his votive statue^[31]
	Ili-Ishar 𒀭𒄿𒊬	c. 2085 - c. 2072 BC	His name is inscribed on a brick^[32]
	Tura-Dagan 𒌅𒊏𒀭𒁕𒃶	c. 2072 - c. 2050 BC	Son of Apil-kin^[33]
	Puzur-Ishtar 𒆃𒊭𒁹𒁯	c. 2050 – c. 2025 BC	Used the royal title^[34] Son of Tura-Dagan^[27]
	Hitlal-Erra	c. 2025 – c. 2017 BC	Used the royal title^[34] Son of Puzur-Ishtar^[35]
	Hanun-Dagan	c. 2017 – c. 2008 BC	Used the royal title^[34] Son of Puzur-Ishtar^[36]
Isin-Larsa period (c. 2004 – c. 1796 BC)
	Isi-Dagan	c. 2000 BC	This name is inscribed on a seal^[37]
	Ennin-Dagan	c. 1900 BC	Son of Isi-Dagan^[38]
	Itur-(...)	c. 1900 BC	This name is damaged, a gap separate him from Ennin-Dagan^[24]
	Amer-Nunu	c. 1900 BC	This name is inscribed on a seal^[39]^[40]
	Tir-Dagan	c. 1900 BC	Son of Itur-(...)^[41]
	Dagan-(...)	c. 1900 BC	This name is damaged and is the last attested Shakkanakku^[42]
Lim dynasty (c. 1830 – c. 1796 BC)
	Yaggid-Lim	c. 1830 – c. 1820 BC	He may have ruled in Suprum rather than in Mari^[43]^[44]
	Yahdun-Lim	c. 1820 – c. 1797 BC	Son of Yaggid-Lim
	Sumu-Yamam	c. 1797 – c. 1796 BC

Old Assyrian period (c. 1796 – c. 1761 BC)
Dynasty of Shamshi-Adad (c. 1796 – c. 1776 BC)
	Yasmah-Adad	c. 1796 – c. 1776 BC	Son of Shamshi-Adad I^[45]

	Ishar-Lim	c. 1776 – c. 1775 BC	He was an Assyrian official who usurped the throne for a few months between Yasmah-Adad's escape and Zimri-Lim's arrival^[46]

Lim restoration (c. 1776 – c. 1761 BC)
	Zimri-Lim 𒍣𒅎𒊑𒇷𒅎	c. 1775 – c. c. 1760 BC

List of kings of Mari

Second kingdom

Third kingdom

Gallery

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

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