Iblul-Il

Iblul-Il
Iblul-Il
King of Mari
Tenure	c. 2380 BC.Middle chronology
Predecessor	Išhtup-Išar
Successor	Nizi
King of Mari
Wife	Paba

Iblul-Il(reigned c. 2380 BC),^[2]was the most energetic king (Lugal) of the secondMariote kingdom,noted for his extensive campaigns in the middleEuphratesvalley against theEblaites,and in the upperTigrisregion against various opponents, which asserted the Mariote supremacy in theSyriannorth.

Reign[edit]

Sources[edit]

Iblul-Il is attested in Mari, where statues bearing his name were excavated in 1952 from the city's temples.^[3]However, the deeds of the king are recorded in a letter sent to Ebla byEnna-Dagan,a successor of Iblul-Il.^[4]

Campaigns[edit]

Iblul-Il campaigned extensively against Ebla and its vassals and allies.^[4]The offensive was probably due to Ebla's increasing militaristic character, and was meant to block the trade route betweenKish,Nagarand Ebla.^[5]Iblul-Il was a contemporary of Ebla's kingIgrish-Halam,^[5]and is mentioned in the letter of Enna-Dagan campaigning in the middle Euphrates defeating the city ofGalalaneni,^[6]and engaging in a victorious battle withAbarsalin the region ofZahiran,^{[note 1]}^[8]which he destroyed.^[6]Next, Iblul-Il campaigned in the region ofBurmanof the land ofSugurum,where he defeated the cities ofShadab,AddaliniandArisum.^[6]The campaigns continued as the king sacked the cities ofSharanandDammium,^[6] and advanced onNeraadandHasuwan,receiving the tribute from Ebla at the city ofMane,^[9]and from the fortressKhazuwan,then continued his march and conqueredEmar.^[6]

In the Tigris valley, Iblul-Il defeated the cities ofNahal,NubatandSha-dafrom the region ofGasur,at a battle in the land ofGanane.^{[note 2]}^[10]Iblul-Il is finally mentioned in the letter conquering the Eblaite cities ofBarama,Aburu,TibalatandBelan.^{[note 3]}^[6]The Mariote king successfully achieved his goals and weakened Ebla, exacting a great amount of tribute in the form of gold and silver.^[5]

Succession[edit]

Iblul-Il was succeeded byNizi.^[13]The letter of Enna-Dagan is extremely difficult to read,^[14]and early decipherment presented the author as a general of Ebla who defeated and deposed Iblul-Il.^[15]However, newer readings confirmed Enna-Dagan as a king from Mari,^[6]and further decipherment of thearchives of Eblashowed Enna-Dagan receiving gifts from Ebla as a prince of Mari during the reigns of his Mariote predecessors.^[16]^[17]

Regnal titles
King Iblul-Il ofMari
Preceded by Išhtup-Išar	King of Mari 2380 BC	Succeeded by Nizi

Notes[edit]

^Abarsal is probably located along the Euphrates river east of Ebla.^[7]
^According toMichael Astour,those three cities belonged to the region named Gasur-Nuzi in the northern Tigris area.^[10]However, other scholars such asMarco Bonechiplace Gasur in the middleEuphrates valleyto the northwest of Mari.^[11]
^Belan is located 26 km west ofRaqqa.^[12]

Citations[edit]

^Pelio Fronzaroli (2003).Semitic and Assyriological Studies: Presented to Pelio Fronzaroli by Pupils and Colleagues(in Italian). p. 556.ISBN 9783447047494.
^William J. Hamblin (2006).Warfare in the Ancient Near East to 1600 BC.p. 242.ISBN 9781134520626.
^Chaim Bermant; Michael Weitzman (1979).Ebla: a revelation in archeology.Times Books. p.173.ISBN 9780812907650.
^^a ^bI. Tzvi Abusch; Carol Noyes; William W. Hallo; Irene Winter (2001).Proceedings of the XLV Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale: Historiography in the Cuneiform World, Part 1.p. 1.ISBN 9781883053673.
^^a ^b ^cNadali, Davide (2007)."Monuments of War, War of Monuments: Some Considerations on Commemorating War in the Third Millennium BC".Orientalia.Davide Nadali: 350.Retrieved24 April2015.
^^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^gMario Liverani (2013).The Ancient Near East: History, Society and Economy.p. 119.ISBN 9781134750849.
^Archi, Alfonso (2011). "Alfonso Archi and Maria Giovanna Biga, In Search of Armi".Journal of Cuneiform Studies.63.The American Schools of Oriental Research: 5–34.doi:10.5615/jcunestud.63.0005.JSTOR 10.5615/jcunestud.63.0005.S2CID 163552750.
^Edgar Peltenberg (2007).Euphrates River Valley Settlement: The Carchemish Sector in the Third Millennium BC.p. 118.ISBN 9781782975113.
^Joan Aruz,Ronald Wallenfels (2003).Art of the First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C.p. 462.
^^a ^bMartha A. Morrison; David I. Owen (1987).General Studies and Excavations at Nuzi 9/1.p. 13.ISBN 9780931464089.
^Lluís Feliu (2003).The God Dagan in Bronze Age Syria.p. 23.ISBN 978-9004131583.
^P.M. Michèle Daviau; Michael Weigl; John W. Wevers (2001).The World of the Aramaeans: Studies in Honour of Paul-Eugène Dion, Volume 1.p. 233.ISBN 9780567200495.
^Douglas Frayne (2008).Pre-Sargonic Period: Early Periods, Volume 1 (2700-2350 BC).p. 815.ISBN 9781442690479.
^Martha A. Morrison; David I. Owen (1987).General Studies and Excavations at Nuzi 9/1.p. 12.ISBN 9780931464089.
^Victor Harold Matthews,Don C. Benjamin (2006).Old Testament Parallels: Laws and Stories from the Ancient Near East.p. 261.ISBN 9780809144358.
^Douglas Frayne (2008).Pre-Sargonic Period: Early Periods, Volume 1 (2700-2350 BC).p. 778.ISBN 9781442690479.
^Douglas Frayne (2008).Pre-Sargonic Period: Early Periods, Volume 1 (2700-2350 BC).p. 817.ISBN 9781442690479.