The Amorites : : A Political History of Mesopotamia in the Early Second Millennium BCE / / Nathan Wasserman and Yigal Bloch.

• Superior document: Culture and History of the Ancient Near East ; 133
• VerfasserIn: Wasserman, Nathan,; Bloch, Yigal,
• TeilnehmendeR: Bloch, Yigal,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden ;, Boston : : Brill,, 2023.; ©2023
• Year of Publication: 2023
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Culture and History of the Ancient Near East ; 133.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (597 pages) :; illustrations.

This study of the political history of Mesopotamia - today's Iraq and Syria - in the Old Babylonian period (ca. 2000-1600 BCE) is the first comprehensive historical synthesis of this kind published in English after many decades. Based on numerous written sources in Sumerian and Akkadian - royal inscriptions, letters, law collections, economic records, etc. - and on up-to-date research, it presents the region's political history in a meticulous geographic and chronological manner. This allows the interested academic and non-academic reader an in-depth view into the scene of ancient Mesopotamia ruled by competing dynasties of West Semitic (Amorite) origin, with a complex web of political and tribal connections between them.

Table of Contents

Preface -- List of Illustrations and Maps -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- Part 1: The Historical Arena -- 1 The Geographical Setting -- 2 Nomads and Sedentary Peoples -- 1 Urban Dwellers and the People of the Steppe -- 2 Forefathers and Nomadic Groups: The Ḫana, the Simʾalites, and the Yaminites -- 3 The Amorite Origins of Samsī-Addu's Dynasty and the Assyrian King List -- 4 The Amorite Descent of Ḫammurāpi's Dynasty -- 5 Amorite Populations in Southern Mesopotamia -- 6 Amorite Tribes as an Example of Enclosed Nomadism -- 7 The Amorite Tribal System as Reflected in the Mari Documents -- 8 Major Institutions and Customs among the Amorite Tribes -- 3 Ethnic Identities in Mesopotamia in the Early Second Millennium BCE -- 1 Nation, Ethnic Group, and Ethnic Category -- 2 The Amorites as Foreigners in Mesopotamian Cities and Their Self-Perceived Identity -- 3 Change of Tribal Affiliation as a Political Decision -- 4 Covenant Terminology and Its Meaning for Tribal Links -- 5 Language as a Vehicle of Ethnic Distinction -- 6 The Multiple Faces of Ethnic Identity -- 4 The Age of the Amorite Dynasties and the Periodization of Mesopotamian History: Some Basic Observations -- 1 Periodization of Mesopotamian History according to the Astronomical Treatise -- 5 The Chronological Framework of the Amorite Dynasties -- 1 Relative and Absolute Chronology, Synchronisms, and Astronomical Anchors -- 2 The Assyrian King List as a Chronological Source -- 3 The Kaneš Eponym List and the Relative Chronology of Assyria -- 4 Year Names in Southern Mesopotamia and the Kings of the First Dynasty of Babylon -- 5 Mari: A Kingdom with Two Systems of Year-Reckoning -- 6 The Sumerian King List -- 7 From Relative to Absolute Chronology: The Venus Tablets of Ammī-ṣadūqa and the Solar Eclipse in the Mari Eponym Chronicle -- 8 Dendrochronology: Tree-Rings as a Chronological Tool -- Part 2: Cities, Dynasties, and Kings: Political History -- 6 The Kingdom of Isin -- 1 Chronology of the Kings of Isin -- 2 The Isin Dynasty from Išbi-Erra to Lipit-Ištar -- 3 A New Royal Line in Isin: Ur-Ninurta and His Descendants -- 4 Isin's Struggle against Its Neighbors: Erra-imittī, Enlil-bāni, and Their Successors -- 5 The End of Isin -- 6 Another Successor to the Empire of Ur: The Kingdom of Simurrum -- 7 The Kingdom of Larsa -- 1 The Isin-Larsa Period and the Chronology of the Kings of Larsa -- 2 The Early Kings -- 3 The Dynasty of Nūr-Adad -- 4 The Dynasty of Kudur-Mabuk -- 5 The Babylonian Conquest of Larsa -- 6 Larsa's Revolt against Babylon -- 8 The Kingdom of Uruk -- 1 The Early Kings of Uruk -- 2 The Sîn-kāšid Dynasty -- 3 Uruk at the Time of the South Mesopotamian Revolt against Babylon -- 9 The Kingdom of Ešnunna -- 1 Between Ur, Isin, Elam, and the Amorites: The Beginnings of Ešnunna -- 2 Ešnunna on the Rise: The Dynasty of Ibāl-pī-El I -- 3 Ešnunna at Its Apex: The Reigns of Dāduša and Ibāl-pī-El II -- 4 The Babylonian Conquest of Ešnunna -- 5 Ešnunna's Final Attempts to Regain Independence -- 10 The Kingdom of Malgium -- 1 The Early Kings of Malgium -- 2 A Period of Political Upheavals -- 3 The End of Malgium -- 11 The Kingdom of Aššur -- 1 Aššur as a City-State -- 2 The Rulers of Aššur at Its Apex as a Center of Commerce -- 3 The Assyrian Trade with Anatolia -- 4 The Crisis of the Assyrian Trade and Its Recovery -- 5 The Conquest of Aššur by Samsī-Addu -- 12 The Kingdom of Samsī-Addu -- 1 Samsī-Addu's Family Origins -- 2 The Early Years of Samsī-Addu: The Escape to Babylon and the Conquest of Ekallātum, Aššur, and Mari -- 3 The Kingdom of Upper Mesopotamia -- 4 The Reign of Išme-Dagān I -- 13 The Kingdom of Mari -- 1 The Beginnings of Mari -- 2 The Early Rulers of the Amorite Dynasty in Mari -- 3 The Reign of Zimrī-Līm -- 4 The Babylonian Conquest of Mari -- 5 Mari's Successor: The Kingdom of Ḫana -- 14 The Kingdom of Yamḫad -- 1 The Beginnings of the Amorite Dynasty of Yamḫad -- 2 Yamḫad as an Ally of Mari: The Reigns of Yarīm-Līm I and Ḫammurāpi I -- 3 Yamḫad from the Death of Ḫammurāpi I to the Hittite Conquest -- 15 The Kingdom of Qaṭna -- 1 Archaeological Discoveries at Qaṭna -- 2 The Dynasty of Išḫī-Addu -- 3 Qaṭna on the Eve of the Hittite Conquest of Northern Syria -- 16 The Kingdom of Babylon -- 1 Chronology of the Kings of Babylon -- 2 The Beginnings of the Kingdom -- 3 Babylon at Its Peak: The Reign of Ḫammurāpi -- 4 Babylon at the Time of Samsu-ilūna -- 5 The Late Kings of the Amorite Dynasty of Babylon -- Concluding Remarks: Instead of an Epilogue -- Bibliography -- Index.