Shar-Kali-Sharri

Shar-Kali-Sharri (๐’€ญ๐’Šฌ๐’‚ต๐’‰Œ ๐’ˆ—๐’Œท, DShar-ka-li-Sharri;[6] reigned c. 2217โ€“2193 BC (middle chronology) as the ruler of the Akkadian Empire. He was the son and successor of Naram-Sin.[7]

Shar-Kali-Sharri
๐’€ญ๐’Šฌ๐’‚ต๐’‰Œ ๐’ˆ—๐’Œท
Impression of a cylinder seal of the time of Akkadian King Sharkalisharri, with central inscription:

๐’€ญ๐’Šฌ๐’‚ต๐’‰Œ ๐’ˆ—๐’Œท ๐’•๐’ˆ ๐’ˆ— ๐’€€๐’‚ต๐’‰ˆ๐’†  ๐’…๐’‰Œ๐’ˆ— ๐’พ๐’Šฌ ๐’€ต๐’‹ข
DShar-kali-sharri da-num lugal a-ga-deki ibe-ลกarrum dub-sar arad2-su
"Divine Sharkalisharri, the mighty king of Agade, Ibni-Sharrum, the Scribe his servant".[1]

The long-horned buffalo is thought to have come from the Indus Valley, and testifies to exchanges with Meluhha, the Indus Valley civilization. Circa 2217-2193 BC. Louvre Museum.[2][3][4]
King of the Akkadian Empire
Reignc. 2217  BC โ€“ 2193  BC
PredecessorNaram-Sin
SuccessorIgigi
SpouseTutasharlibish[5]
DynastyDynasty of Akkad
FatherNaram-Sin of Akkad
Akkadian language cuneiform for Sharkalisharri. The star symbol "๐’€ญ", the "Dingir", is a silent honorific for "Divine".
Shar-Kali-Sharri fought to defend the borders of the Akkadian Empire, until it finally collapsed.

Rule

Succeeding his father Naram-Sin in c. 2217 BC, he came to the throne in an age of increasing challenges. The raids of the Gutian that began in his father's reign were becoming more and more frequent, and he was faced with a number of rebellions from vassal kings against the high taxes they were forced to pay to fund the defence against the Gutian threat. As a result, the new Akkadian emperor stripped Sumerian city-states of their local rule completely by destroying what remained of their governmental buildings. Moreover, he finished the establishment of direct Akkadian rule, a process initiated by his predecessor. [8][9] Contemporary year-names for Shar-kali-sharri of Akkad indicate that in one unknown year of his reign, he captured Sharlag, king of Gutium, while in another year, "the yoke was imposed on Gutium". [10]

Year names of Shar-Kali-Sharri

Lists of year names can be found for many rulers from the time of the Akkadian Empire, including Shar-Kali-Sharri.[11] They shed light on the length of his reign and the main events:

  1. Year in which became king of Agade
  2. Year in which Shar-Kali-Sharri having campaigned against Sumer, in the mountains...
  3. Year following the year Shar-Kali-Sharri having campaigned against Sumer, in the mountains โ€ฆ
  4. Year in which Shar-Kali-Sharri appointed Puzur-Eshtar the shagina (general),[12] to build the temple of Enlil
  5. Year following the year Shar-Kali-Sharri appointed Puzur-Eshtar, the shagina, to build the temple of Enlil
  6. In the year in which Shar-Kali-Sharri laid the foundations of the temple of Enlil in Nippur
  7. Year the foundations of the temple of Enlil (in Nippur) were laid
  8. Year following the year in which the foundations of the temple of Enlil in Nippur were laid
  9. Year the king Shar-Kali-Sharri brought to the temple of Enlil โ€ฆ
  10. In the year in which Shar-Kali-Sharri a vase of libation in gold (for the temple of Enlil and) cut down cedar timber for the temple of Enlil
  11. In the year in which Shar-Kali-Sharri laid the foundations of the temples of the goddess Annunitum and of the god Aba in Babylon and took prisoner Sharlag(ab) the king of Gutium
  12. In the year in which Shar-Kali-Sharri was victorious against Amurru
  13. In the year in which Shar-Kali-Sharri was victorious over Amurru in the Djebel Biszri
  14. In the year in which Shar-Kali-Sharri was victorious against Amurru
  15. In the year in which Shar-Kali-Sharri brought the battle against Elam and Zahara in front of Akshak and โ€ฆ and was victorious
  16. In the year in which Shar-Kali-Sharri was victorious against Elam and Zahara
  17. Year in which the yoke was imposed on Gutium
  18. In the year in which Shar-Kali-Sharri โ€ฆ
  19. In the year in which Shar-Kali-Sharri โ€ฆ Agade
  20. In the year in which Enlil โ€ฆ โ€ฆ Shar-Kali-Sharri
  21. In the year in which Enlil โ€ฆ Shar-Kali-Sharri โ€ฆ
  22. Year Shar-Kali-Sharri the king of Agade...
  23. In the year in which Shar-Kali-Sharri ...
โ€”โ€ŠRegnal year names of Shar-Kali-Sharri[13]

Submission of Sumerian kings
Seal impression of Lugal-ushumgal as servant of Shar-Kali-Sharri: "Sharkalisharri, the mighty king of Agade, Lugalushumgal, ensi of Lagash, is thy servant."[14]

The submission of Sumerian rulers to Shar-Kali-Sharri, is recorded in the seal inscriptions of Sumerian rulers such as Lugal-ushumgal, governor (ensi) of Lagash ("Shirpula"), c.โ€‰2230-2210 BC. Several inscriptions of Lugal-ushumgal are known, particularly seal impressions, which refer to him as governor of Lagash and at the time a vassal (๐’€ต, arad, "servant" or "slave") of Naram-Sin, as well as his successor Shar-kali-sharri.[15][14][16][17][18][19] One of these seals proclaims:

๐’Šฌ๐’‚ต๐’‰Œ ๐’ˆ—๐’Œท ๐’•๐’ˆ ๐’ˆ— ๐’€€๐’‚ต๐’‰ˆ๐’†  ๐’ˆ—๐’ƒฒ๐’” ๐’‘๐’‹ผ๐’‹› ๐’‰ข๐’“๐’†ท๐’†  ๐’€ต๐’‹ข
Shar-kali-sharri da-num lugal a-ga-deki lugal-uลกumgal ensi lagashki arad2-su

"Shar-kali-sharri, the mighty king of Agade, Lugalushumgal, ensi of Lagash, is thy servant."

โ€”โ€ŠSeal of Lugalushumgal as vassal of Shar-Kali-Sharri.[14][20]

Loss of Lagash
Ceremonial macehead in the name of Shar-Kali-Sharri (Akkadian: ๐’Šฌ๐’‚ต๐’‰Œ ๐’ˆ—๐’Œท), in a dedication to the temple of Shamash at Sippar: "Macehead dedicated to Shamash, the Sun-God, by Shar-Gani-sharri, king of Agade". Anciently attributed to Sargon of Akkad.[21]

Although Lugal-ushumgal, Governor of Lagash, proclaimed himself as a vassal of Shar-Kali-Sharri, his successor Puzer-Mama took control of Lagash during Shar-kali-sharri's reign, when troubles with the Guti left the Sargonic king with only "a small rump state whose center lay at the confluence of the Diyala and Tigris river."[22] Puzer-Mama started the 2nd Dynasty of Lagash.

Out of the 24 years of his reign, names survive for some 18 of them, and indicate successful campaigns against the Gutians, Amorites, and Elamites, as well as temple construction in Nippur and Babylon.[23] Shar-Kali-Sharri reported defeating the Elamites at Akshak.[24][25]

Fall into anarchy

Sumer also suffered from a terrible drought during Shar-Kali-Sharri's reign in about c. 2200 BC, leading to the complete abandonment of some cities. This is complementary to Egyptian records, which suggest there was a drought around the same time during the reign of king Pepi II.[26] After Shar-Kali-Sharri's death in c. 2193 BC, Sumer fell into anarchy, with no king able to achieve dominance for long.[26] The king list states:

"Then who was king? Who was not the king? Igigi, Imi, Nanum, Ilulu: four of them ruled for only 3 years."

Legacy

The next recorded king of Akkad to rule for any reasonable amount of time was Dudu, who is said by the king list to have reigned for 21 years. However, by this time the Akkadian empire was no more, and Dudu most likely controlled no more than Akkad itself, meaning Shar-Kali-Sharri was the last Akkadian king to actually have an empire under his control.

In the 1870s, Assyriologists thought Shar-Kali-Sharri was identical with the Sargon of Agade of Assyrian legend, but this identification was recognized as mistaken in the 1910s.[27]

Inscriptions
  • Tablet in Akkadian language recording domestic animals, Bismaya, reign of Shar-kali-sharri, c. 2100 BC, clay - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago
    Tablet in Akkadian language recording domestic animals, Bismaya, reign of Shar-kali-sharri, c. 2100 BC, clay - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago
  • Seal of Shar-Kali-Sharri (previously attributed to Sargon), with seated deity.
    Seal of Shar-Kali-Sharri (previously attributed to Sargon), with seated deity.
  • Seal of Shar-Kali-Sharri (previously attributed to Sargon), with Gilgamesh fighting a lion.
    Seal of Shar-Kali-Sharri (previously attributed to Sargon), with Gilgamesh fighting a lion.
  • Cuneiform tablet from Nippur, in the name of Shar-Kali-Sharri (4th column), 2300 - 2100 BC.
    Cuneiform tablet from Nippur, in the name of Shar-Kali-Sharri (4th column), 2300 - 2100 BC.
  • Shar-Kali-Sharri seal
    Shar-Kali-Sharri seal
  • Bowl with inscription "To Shar-kali-sharri, king of Agade, Shaki-beli his servant.", Penn Museum.
    Bowl with inscription "To Shar-kali-sharri, king of Agade, Shaki-beli his servant.", Penn Museum.[28]
  • Brick Stamp of Shar-Kali-Sharri (mirrored for readability). National Museum of Iraq.
    Brick Stamp of Shar-Kali-Sharri (mirrored for readability). National Museum of Iraq.

See also

References
  1. Full transcription "CDLI-Archival View". cdli.ucla.edu.
  2. "Cylinder Seal of Ibni-Sharrum". Louvre Museum.
  3. "Site officiel du musรฉe du Louvre". cartelfr.louvre.fr.
  4. Brown, Brian A.; Feldman, Marian H. (2013). Critical Approaches to Ancient Near Eastern Art. Walter de Gruyter. p. 187. ISBN 9781614510352.
  5. Elisabeth Meier Tetlow (2004). Women, Crime, and Punishment in Ancient Law and Society: The ancient Near East. Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-8264-1628-5. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  6. written ลกar-ka3-li2-ลกar-ri2 ๐’Šฌ๐’‚ต๐’‰Œ๐’Šฌ๐’Œท in later manuscripts of the Sumerian King List, but ลกar-ka3-li2 LUGAL-ri2 ๐’Šฌ๐’‚ต๐’‰Œ ๐’ˆ—๐’Œท in royal inscriptions even though the LUGAL ("king") sign did not have the phonetic value of ลกar in Sumerian (Laurence Austine Waddell, The Makers of Civilization 1968, p. 529)
  7. Thureau-Dangin, F., "Encore la Dynastie d'Agadรฉ", Revue d'Assyriologie 9, pp. 81โ€“83, 1912
  8. M. Molina, "The palace of Adab during the Sargonic period", D. Wicke (ed.), Der Palast im antiken und islamischen Orient, Colloquien der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft 9, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, pp. 151-20, 2019
  9. John Haywood (2015-06-04). Chronicles of the Ancient World. Quercus Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84866-896-6.
  10. Year-names for Sharkalisharri
  11. "Year Names". cdli.ox.ac.uk.
  12. Hamblin, William J. (2006). Warfare in the Ancient Near East to 1600 BC: Holy Warriors at the Dawn of History. Routledge. p. 109. ISBN 978-1-134-52062-6.
  13. "Year Names of Sharkalisharri [CDLI Wiki]". cdli.ox.ac.uk.
  14. Radau, Hugo (2005). Early Babylonian History: Down to the End of the Fourth Dynasty of Ur. Wipf and Stock Publishers. pp. 6โ€“7. ISBN 978-1-59752-381-3.
  15. "Sumerian Dictionary". oracc.iaas.upenn.edu.
  16. "CDLI-Archival View RT 165". cdli.ucla.edu.
  17. Woolley, Leonard (1938). The Summerians. p. 83.
  18. The Art Of Ancient Mesopotamia ( Art Ebook). p. 53.
  19. Seal image M4 in: The Art Of Ancient Mesopotamia ( Art Ebook). p. 53.
  20. "CDLI-Archival View RTC 162". cdli.ucla.edu.
  21. "Stone mace head". Google Arts & Culture.
  22. Frayne, Douglas R. (1993). Sargonic and Gutian Periods p. 186, Toronto, Buffalo, London. University of Toronto Press Incorporated
  23. Year-names of Sharkalisharri
  24. Carter, Elizabeth; Stolper, Matthew W. (1984). Elam: Surveys of Political History and Archaeology. University of California Press. p. 15. ISBN 9780520099500.
  25. Potts, D. T. (2015). The Archaeology of Elam: Formation and Transformation of an Ancient Iranian State. Cambridge University Press. p. 188. ISBN 9781316586310.
  26. John Haywood (2015-06-04). Chronicles of the Ancient World. Quercus Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84866-896-6.
  27. "But it is now evident that Sharganisharri was 'not confused with Shargani or Sargon' in the 'tradition' (p. 133), but only by the moderns who insisted on connecting the Sharganisharri of contemporary documents with the Sargon of the Legend" D. D. Luckenbill, Review of: The Civilization of Babylonia and Assyria by Morris Jastrow, Jr., The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures Vol. 33, No. 3 (Apr., 1917), pp. 252-254.
  28. "CDLI-Archival View". cdli.ucla.edu.

Further reading
  • Kraus, N. L., "When the King Came Down to Sumer: The Royal Sojourn of Sar-Kali-Sarre and the Court of Akkad", Iraq. Journal of the British Institute for the Study of Iraq, vol. 81, pp. 207โ€“220. 2019
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