From The Alpha and the Omega - Volume III
by Jim A. Cornwell, Copyright © July 20, 2002, all rights reserved
"Volume III - Sumerian Kings List - Gutium"

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Sumerian Kings List - Gutium


    Kings after the Flood, the city of Gutium reigns.

    Gutians, (Guti or Quti) semi-nomads from the mountains in the north (modern Iran), which threatened the empire of Naräm-Sîn.    They are described as subhuman barbarians.    According to written Sumerian and Akkadian texts, they are:
    'Not classed among people, not reckoned as part of the land
    Gutian people who know no inhibitions,
    With human instinct but canine intelligence and monkey's features.'

    Sack of Akkad known from a famous text called 'the curse of Akkad' was written in Sumerian a few centuries after the presumed facts.    It has a unique subject: the sack of a city who was never to be rebuilt again.    It was one of the most popular compositions of Old Babylonian scribes in later time, although the people kept calling themselves Akkadians.    It is written as a history of the rise and fall of Akkad, but many events could not be verified by archeological findings.
    Naräm-Sîn had committed sacrilege against the national Sumerian god, the supreme god Enlil, lord of the world and king of the gods (together with the heaven god an).    He wanted to build a temple in Akkad for the goddess Ištar but after performing extispicy (inspecting the bowels of an animal) to seek divine permission, the omens kept being unfavorable.    According to the legend he attacked and plundered Enlil's sanctuary, the famous Ekur (Sumerian E 'building', 'temple', kur 'mountain') in the holy city of Nippur in order to enforce a positive answer.    The sins of the father were revenged by the downfall of Akkad under the reign of his son, the king šar-kali-šarrï, (Shar-kali-shari) 'king of all kings'.    The god Enlil (divine decision) seeks revenge (justification of the downfall) by making the barbarian Gutians to attack the empire.
    'The curse of Akkad' is a story written from the point of view of Sumer, often the opponent/adversary of Akkad in political matters.    Most of the manuscripts are found in Nippur, the cultural capital and religious center of Sumer, a sacred city of Enlil, supreme god of Sumer and Akkad.    There are also Ur-III and Old Babylonian manuscripts.    Details from excavations in Nippur do not show any signs of destruction of the Ekur-temple in that period.
    The successor of Naräm-Sîn is his son šar-kali-šarrï, (Shar-kali-shari) who ruled for 25 years.    He uses the determinative for god in front of his name, but here the order is reversed.    First he follows his father's tradition, but later while his empire crumbles and possibly under pressure of priests, he abandons the habit.    In contrasts to the texts in 'the curse of Akkad' and the Sumerian King Lists, it is improbable that the Gutians were the only ones responsible for the final fall of the dynasty of Akkad.
    The century to follow (until 2100 B.C.) is little known (a dark age) the end of a period with a central government, but not a complete collapse of civilization.    The city-states of importance are Lagaš (Lagash) and Uruk and a territory controlled by the Gutians.

    Unug was abolished and the kingship was taken to the land of Gutium.    In the army/land of Gutium, at first no king was famous and ruled thus for 3 years, other manuscripts have 5 years.

    The Horde of Gutium:

City King City No. King Flood No. Kings Name Years ruled Other Notes
Gutium
1
97
 (unknown) ? years
 .
    One source calls this king Erridupizir, who reigned for 7 (?) years around 2212-2205 B.C.

Gutium
2
98
 (unknown) 3 years
 .
    One source calls this king Imta', who reigned for 3 years around 2205-2202 B.C.

Gutium
3
99
 Inkicuc 6 years
 Other manuscripts have 7 years.
    One source calls this king Inkisus, who reigned for 6 years around 2202-2196 B.C.

Gutium
4
100
 Zarlagab 6 years
 .
    One source calls this king Sarlagab, who reigned for 6 years around 2196-2190 B.C.

Gutium
5
101
 Culme 6 years
 Other manuscripts call him Yarlagac.
    One source calls this king Sulme', who reigned for 6 years around 2190-2184 B.C.

Gutium
6
102
 Silulumec 6 years
 Other manuscripts have 7 years.    Also called Silulu.
    One source calls this king Elulumeš, who reigned for 6 years around 2184-2178 B.C.

Gutium
7
103
 Inimabakec 5 years
 Other manuscripts have 6 years, also called Duga.
    One source calls this king Inimabakes, who reigned for 5 years around 2178-2173 B.C.

Gutium
8
104
 Igecauc 5 years
 Other manuscripts have 3 years, also called Ilu-an (?).
    One source calls this king Igesaus, who reigned for 6 years around 2173-2167 B.C.

Gutium
9
105
 Yarlagab 15 years
 Other manuscripts have 5 years.
    One source calls this king Iarlagab, who reigned for 15 years around 2167-2152 B.C.

Gutium
10
106
 Ibate 3 years
 .
    One source calls this king Ibate, who reigned for 3 years around 2152-2149 B.C.

Gutium
11
107
 Yarla 3 years
 Other manuscripts call him Yarlangab (?).
    One source calls this king Iarlangab, who reigned for 3 years around 2148-2145 B.C.

Gutium
12
108
 Kurum 3 years
 Other manuscripts have 3 years.
    One source calls this king Kurum, who reigned for 1 year around 2145 B.C.

Gutium
13
109
 Apil-kin 3 years
 .
    One source calls this king Habil-kin, who reigned for 3 years around 2144-2141 B.C.

Gutium
14
110
 La-erabum (?) 2 years
 .
    One source calls this king Laerabum, who reigned for 2 years around 2141-2139 B.C.

Gutium
15
111
 Irarum 2 years
 .
    One source calls this king Irarum, who reigned for 2 years around 2139-2137 B.C.

Gutium
16
112
 Ibranum 1 year
 .
    One source calls this king Ibranum, who reigned for 1 year around 2137 B.C.

Gutium
17
113
 Hablum 2 years
 .
    One source calls this king Hablum, who reigned for 2 years around 2137-2135 B.C.

Gutium
18
114
 Puzur-Suen 7 years
 Son of Hablum.
    One source calls this king Puzur-Sin, son of Hablum, who reigned for 7 years around 2135-2128 B.C.

Gutium
19
115
 Yarlaganda 7 years
 .
    One source calls this king Iarlaganda, who reigned for 7 years around 2128-2121 B.C.

Gutium
20
116
 (unknown) 7 years
 .
    One source calls this king Si'um, who reigned for 7 years around 2121-2114 B.C.    Independent Ensi of Lagaš: Urgar was around 2116-2114 B.C.

Gutium
21
117
 Tiriga (?) 40 days
 .
    One source calls this king Tirigan, who reigned for 40 days around 2114 B.C.

City Number of Kings Total Years Ruled
Gutium
21
124 years and 40 days.
Other manusripts have 25 years

    I can count 21 Kings who reigned for 91 years and 40 days, and could be 98 years, and the dating goes from 2212-2114 B.C., which is 98 years.    There is no justification for the 124 years mentioned above.
    The starting date 2212 B.C., represents when the Gutians came into the picture, 58 years into the Dynasty of Agade, so we start at 2154 B.C., and the ending date is 2114 B.C. for this dynasty, representing a 40-year time frame.


    This file was created on November 20, 2004.

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