Gutian rule in Mesopotamia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gutian Dynasty of Sumer
c. 2141 BC–c. 2050 BC
Capital	Adab
Common languages	Gutian language and Sumerian language
Government	Monarchy
• fl. c. 2141—2138 BC	Erridu-pizir (first)
• fl. c. 2055—2050 BC	Tirigan (last)
Historical era	Bronze Age
• Established	c. 2141 BC
• Disestablished	c. 2050 BC
Preceded by Succeeded by Akkadian Empire Third Dynasty of Ur
Today part of	Iraq

The Gutian dynasty (Sumerian: 𒄖𒋾𒌝𒆠, gu-ti-um^KI) was a group of kings who came from the Gutian people. For a long time, people thought the Gutians were a sudden invading group. They were believed to have swept in and destroyed the Akkadian Empire and Sumerian rule in Mesopotamia.

However, we now know that the Gutians had been living in the area for at least 100 years before they took power. By the end of the Akkadian period, the Gutians had taken over the Sumerian city of Adab. They made Adab their capital city.

The Gutian Dynasty became powerful in Mesopotamia around the end of the 3rd millennium BC. This happened after the great Akkadian Empire became weaker and eventually fell. We are not exactly sure how long the Gutian kings ruled Mesopotamia. Some guess it was only a few years, while others think it was up to a century.

The end of the Gutian dynasty is marked by the rise of Utu-hengal, a ruler from the city of Uruk. He ruled around 2055–2048 BC. After Utu-hengal, Ur-Nammu from the city of Ur became ruler. Ur-Nammu founded the Third Dynasty of Ur, which was a very important time in Sumerian history.

We don't have many solid facts about the Gutian rulers or the Gutian people themselves. We don't even know exactly where their homeland was. We have a few writings from one ruler, Erridupizir. There's also an inscribed macehead (a type of weapon) from another ruler, La-erabum. Other Mesopotamian rulers sometimes mentioned the Gutians in their records. A long inscription from the Uruk ruler Utu-hengal also tells us about them.

The Sumerian King List is another source, but it has many different versions. Most of these versions were written long after the Gutian Dynasty ended. They often give different, sometimes confusing, stories. The earliest version of the Sumerian King List doesn't even mention the Gutians as a separate dynasty. Instead, it lists a Gutian ruler named Tirigan as a king of Adab. Even with these problems, the Sumerian King List is our only source for most of the Gutian kings.

Despite the lack of information, the Gutian rulers clearly had a big impact on Mesopotamia in the late 3rd millennium BC. Many stories and writings about them continued to be told for almost 2,000 years after their time.

La-erabum, "Great King of Gutiim"

This is a special macehead from Gutian king La-erabum, made around 2150 BC. It was found in Sippar, Iraq. The writing on it says "La-eraab, great King of Gutiim" (𒆷𒂍𒊏𒀊 𒁕𒈝 𒈗 𒄖𒋾𒅎 la-e-ra-ab da-num lugal gutiim). The name is a bit hard to read and was first thought to be "Lasiraab." It is now in the British Museum (BM 90852).

The Gutian Dynasty: A Brief History

An old drawing from the 1800s showing the Gutians attacking a Babylonian city. Akkadian soldiers are trying to defend their city.

For a while, people thought the Gutians were known as early as the 24th century BC. This idea came from a tablet that seemed to be from an early ruler of Adab named Lugal-Anne-Mundu. The writing on this tablet said that Gutium was an area that paid taxes to this ruler.

However, we now know that this tablet was a story written much later, during the Old Babylonian period. It was not a real record from Lugal-Anne-Mundu's time. The first true mentions of Gutium appeared early in the Sargonic period. This is when the Gutians are mentioned in the "year names" of Akkadian rulers. They also set up their capital in the important Sumerian city of Adab.

The full story of the Gutian dynasty is still not completely known. We do know that their rule happened between two very large empires of the late 3rd millennium BC. These were the powerful Akkadian Empire and the later Ur III Empire.

Near the end of the last strong Akkadian ruler, Shar-Kali-Sharri (around 2153–2129 BC), the Akkadian Empire started to fall apart. Several weak rulers followed, leading to a difficult time in Mesopotamia. Old city-states like Lagash and Uruk began to regain their independence. The Gutians, who were new to the area and based in Adab, also claimed their right to rule. This period of conflict ended with the rise of the Ur III Empire under Ur-Nammu (around 2048–2030 BC).

We are quite sure about how the Gutian dynasty ended. A long inscription from the Uruk ruler Utu-hengal (around 2055–2048 BC) describes it. Utu-hengal, who might have been the brother of Ur-Nammu, tells how he defeated the Gutians and their king, Tirigan. This event brought rule back to Sumer.

For what happened before this, our main sources are the many different versions of the Sumerian King List (SKL). We also have various stories and writings created in the centuries and thousands of years that followed. These sources are not always perfectly accurate, but they can give us clues about what happened during the Gutian period.

Ancient Records Mentioning the Gutians

Historians learn about the Gutians from different ancient writings. These writings include year names of kings and special tablets.

Mentions by Akkadian Kings

Before the Gutian Dynasty took over Mesopotamia, the Akkadian Empire controlled the region. Two "year names" from the Akkadian ruler Shar-kali-sharri (the last strong Akkadian king) show that he had contact with Gutium.

• One year was named "In the year in which Szarkaliszarri laid the foundations of the temples... and when he defeated Szarlak, king of Gutium." This means he fought a Gutian king.
• Another year was named "Year in which the yoke was imposed on Gutium." This suggests the Gutians were forced to obey him.

Mentions by Sumerian Kings

• Ur-Nammu's Year Name: One year name of the Ur ruler Ur-Nammu mentions Gutium. It says, "Year Gutium was destroyed." This likely refers to the end of Gutian rule.
• Tablet of Lugalannatum: This tablet describes the building of a temple in the city of Umma. It briefly mentions a Gutian ruler named Si'um.
• Tablet of Nammahni: The ruler of Umma, Nammahni, also mentioned a Gutian ruler named Iarlagan while talking about building a temple.
• Tablet of Išarum: This tablet from Umma, written when the Akkadian Empire was weakening, mentions a Gutian governor.
• Tablet of Utu-hengal:
  

  This is a victory stone (stele) of Utu-Hengal. It tells the story of his win over the Gutians. It is kept at the Louvre Museum.

A very important inscription from the Uruk ruler Utu-hengal tells about his victory. It describes how he defeated the Gutians and their king, Tirigan. This victory brought Sumerian rule back. The inscription calls the Gutians "the fanged serpent of the mountain" and says they caused trouble in Sumer. Utu-hengal prayed to the gods and gathered his army. He captured Tirigan and his family, ending Gutian rule.

Stories and Legends About the Gutians

Over time, many stories and legends were created about the Gutians. These stories often mixed facts with fiction.

The Curse of Akkad

This is a famous Sumerian story that explains why the Akkadian Empire fell. It says the gods cursed the empire. The story describes the Gutians as a wild and strange people:

• "Enlil brought out of the mountains those who do not resemble other people, who are not reckoned as part of the Land, the Gutians, an unbridled people, with human intelligence but canine instincts and monkeys' features."

The story says the Gutians caused chaos, stopping travel and making it hard for people to farm.

Tablet of Islikun-Dagan

This tablet, likely from Uruk after the Akkadian Empire fell, shows how people were dealing with the Gutians. It talks about cultivating land and managing cattle, suggesting the Gutians had not been doing this.

Gutian Religion

We don't know much about the gods the Gutian rulers worshipped. However, we know they did follow gods, both their own and those of Mesopotamia. This is clear from writings by their first known ruler, Erridu-pizir.

For example, one inscription says:

• "They embraced the feet of the god of Gutium and Erridu-pizir..."

Another inscription from Erridu-pizir mentions Mesopotamian gods like Ishtar (also called Astar) and Ilaba. He also dedicated a statue of himself to the god Enlil in Nippur.

A macehead from a later Gutian ruler, La-erabum, also mentions gods. It says:

• "...may the god of Gutium, Astar, and Sin tear out his foundations and destroy his progeny."

This shows they believed in their own Gutian god, as well as Mesopotamian gods like Ishtar and Sin (the moon god). One possible Gutian god that has been suggested is Abublab, who might have been similar to the Mesopotamian god Ninurta.

Gutian Kings: Who Ruled?

"In the army of Gutium, at first no king was famous; they were their own kings and ruled thus for 3 years." - SKL

Most of what we know about the names and rule times of Gutian kings comes from the Sumerian King List (SKL). There are many different copies of this list, and they often disagree. The earliest copy is from the Ur III period, which was well after some of these events.

Unlike some stories that say the Akkadian Empire fell directly to the Gutians, the SKL says that rule passed from Akkad to Uruk, and then Uruk fell to the Gutians. We also don't know if all the dynasties listed in the SKL ruled one after another, or if some ruled at the same time.

Gutian Kings Not on the Sumerian King List

Some kings are known from other writings but are not listed in the main Sumerian King List.

Gutian Kings on the Sumerian King List

The order and dates for these kings can be different in various versions of the Sumerian King List. Many of the Gutian kings listed ruled for short, similar periods.

Ruler	Length of reign	Approximate dates (short chronology)	Notes
Imta	3 years	fl. c. 2138—2135 BC
Inkishush	6 years	fl. c. 2135—2129 BC
Sarlagab	6 years	fl. c. 2129—2123 BC	Might be the same person as the Gutian king Sharlag, who was captured by the Akkadian king Shar-kali-sharri.
Shulme	6 years	fl. c. 2123—2117 BC
Elulmesh	6 years	fl. c. 2117—2111 BC
Inimabakesh	5 years	fl. c. 2111—2106 BC
Igeshaush	6 years	fl. c. 2106—2100 BC
Yarlagab	5 years	fl. c. 2100—2095 BC
Ibate	3 years	fl. c. 2095—2092 BC
Yarla or Yarlangab	3 years	fl. c. 2092—2089 BC
Kurum	3 years	fl. c. 2089—2086 BC
Apilkin	3 years	fl. c. 2086—2083 BC
La-erabum or Lasirab		2 years	fl. c. 2083—2081 BC	Known from an alabaster mace head (a type of weapon) found at Sippar.
Irarum	2 years	fl. c. 2081—2079 BC
Ibranum	1 year	fl. c. 2079—2078 BC
Hablum	2 years	fl. c. 2078—2076 BC
Puzur-Suen		7 years	fl. c. 2076—2069 BC	He was the son of Hablum (according to the SKL).
Yarlaganda	7 years	fl. c. 2069—2062 BC	Known from an inscription by Nammahni of Umma.
Si'um or Si'u		7 years	fl. c. 2062—2055 BC	Known from a special inscription by Lugalannatum at Umma.
Tirigan		40 days	fl. c. 2055—2055 BC	He was defeated by the Uruk king Utu-hengal. This victory is recorded on a special stone (stele) in Uruk.

See also

• History of Sumer
• List of Mesopotamian dynasties

Images for kids

• 

  Tablet of Lugalanatum

• 

  "Gutium" written in cuneiform. The name 𒄖𒋾𒌝𒆠, gu-ti-um^KI appears in the last column. This tablet is at the Louvre Museum.