Il, king of Umma
| Il π | |
|---|---|
Stone tablet for the dedication of a temple, inscribed by Il, king of Umma, c. 2400 BC, and mentioning his father Eandamu (ππππ¬), and his grandfather King Enakalle (ππππ·). Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago. | |
| King of Umma | |
| Reign | c. 2420 BC |
| Predecessor | Ur-Lumma |
| Successor | Gishakidu |
| Issue | Gishakidu |
| Dynasty | 1st Dynasty of Umma |
Il (Sumerian: π , IL) was king (π, Lugal; fl.βc. 2420 BC)[1] of the Sumerian city-state of Umma. His father might have been Eandamu, and his grandfather was King Enakalle, who had been vanquished by Eannatum of Lagash.[1] Il was the successor to Ur-Lumma. According to an inscription, before becoming king, he had been temple administrator in Zabalam: "At this time, Il, who was the temple administrator of Zabalam, marched in retreat from Girsu to Umma and took the governorship of Umma for himself."[2] He ruled for at least 12 years.[3]
An alabaster foundation tablet with unknown provenance reads (Uttu, goddess of weaving, has been suggested for TAG.NUN):
"For the deity TAG.NUN, Il, king of Umma, son of E-anda-mua, grandson of En-akale, king of Umma, built her temple for her."[4]
He entered in a territorial conflict with Entemena, ruler of Lagash, as mentioned in an inscription:[3]
"He (Il) diverted water from the boundary-channel of Ningirsu and the boundary-channel of Nanshe (...). When because of those channels, Enmetena, the governor of Lagash, sent envoys to Il, Il, the governor of Umma, who steals fields (and) speaks evil, declared: βThe boundary-channel of Ningirsu (and) the boundary-channel of Nanshe are mine! I will shift the boundary-levee from Antasura to Edimgalabzu!β But Enlil (and) Ninhursang did not give it to him."[3]
Il was defeated by Entemena, who had sought the aid of Lugal-kinishe-dudu of Uruk, successor to Enshakushanna, who is in the king list.[5]
Il later fought against Enannatum II, king of Lagash and successor to Enmetena, and defeated him, ending the Lagash dynasty founded by Ur-Nanshe.[1][6]
He was succeeded by his son, Gishakidu.[7]
References
- ^ a b c Van De Mieroop, Marc (2004). A History of the Ancient Near East: Ca. 3000-323 BC. Wiley. pp. 50β51. ISBN 9780631225522.
- ^ Sallaberger, Walther; Schrakamp, Ingo (2015). History & Philology (PDF). Walther Sallaberger & Ingo Schrakamp (eds), Brepols. p. 76. ISBN 978-2-503-53494-7.
- ^ a b c Sallaberger, Walther; Schrakamp, Ingo (2015). History & Philology (PDF). Walther Sallaberger & Ingo Schrakamp (eds), Brepols. pp. 77β78. ISBN 978-2-503-53494-7.
- ^ Frayne, Douglas, "GΝiΕ‘a and Umma", Pre-Sargonic Period: Early Periods Volume 1 (2700-2350 BC), University of Toronto Press, pp. 357-368, 2008 ISBN 978-0802035868
- ^ Jordan, Michael (1993). Encyclopedia of gods : over 2,500 deities of the world. Internet Archive. New York : Facts on File. pp. 245.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) - ^ Williams, Henry Smith. The Historians' History of the World Vol.1 (of 25) (Illustrations): Prolegomena; Egypt, Mesopotamia. The Trow Press. p. 171.
- ^ Sallaberger, Walther; Schrakamp, Ingo (2015). History & Philology (PDF). Walther Sallaberger & Ingo Schrakamp (eds), Brepols. p. 78. ISBN 978-2-503-53494-7.
- ^ Art of the First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus. Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2003. p. 78. ISBN 978-1-58839-043-1.
- ^ Thomas, Ariane; Potts, Timothy (2020). Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins. Getty Publications. p. 108. ISBN 978-1-60606-649-2.