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57-625: Balih of Kish was the fourteenth Sumerian king in the First Dynasty of Kish, according to the Sumerian king list . His father was Etana , whom he succeeded as ruler. The kings on the early part of the SKL are usually not considered historical, except when they are mentioned in Early Dynastic documents. Balih is not one of them. This Ancient Near East biographical article

114-501: A Japanese team from the Kokushikan University led by Hideo Fuji and Ken Matsumoto excavated at Tell Uhaimir in 1989–89, 2000, and 2001. The final season lasted only one week. Work was focused mainly on Tell A with some time spent at the plano-convex building. In February 2022 Iraqi archaeaologists conducted Ground Penetrating Radar and Electrical Resistivity scans of a test 30 meter by 30 meter section at Kish. In

171-519: A cemetery and an Early Dynastic III palace, was discovered during 1922–1925 excavations conducted by Ernest Mackay, under the Field Museum and Oxford University. Although it was earlier a part of the Ingharra mounds lying about 70 meters to the north, it is now separated by an alluvial valley. The seals and other artifacts found in the graves, dating back to a later age than the palace, show that

228-686: A crew of 20 men for a number of months. Austen Henry Layard and also Julius Oppert dug some trenches there in the early 1852 though the finds were lost in the Qurnah Disaster . None of this early work was published. The name of the site as Kish was determined by George Smith in 1872 based on an inscribed brick of Adad-apla-iddina which had been discovered 60 years before. A French archaeological team under Henri de Genouillac excavated at Tell Uhaimir for three months in January 1912, finding some 1,400 Old Babylonian tablets which were distributed to

285-460: A king punishing a prisoner. In the 1923–1933 Expedition, Tell H became the focus of its final three seasons (1930–1933). For personal reasons of the excavators, the Kish material in this section remained selective, mainly yielding Sasanian pottery, coins, incantation bowls and so on. The dating of this section crossed a range of periods, with layer upon layer built on the site. Evidence shows that in

342-583: A sizeable town with a large mud-brick fortress. During the Sasanian period, the site of the old city was completely abandoned in favor of a string of connected settlements spread out along both sides of the Shatt en-Nil canal. This last incarnation of Kish prospered under Sasanian and then Islamic rule, before being finally abandoned during the later years of the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258). Kish

399-598: A strong political and symbolic significance. Its influence reached as far west as the city of Ebla near the Mediterranean Sea , as shown by the Ebla tablets . According to the Ebla tablets , Kish was defeated in the time of Ebla ruler Ishar-Damu, probably by Uruk. Shortly afterward Kish joined Ebla in defeating Mari , followed by the marriage of the Eblan princess Keshdut to a king of Kish. Just as with Nippur to

456-469: A transfer station between Ctesiphon and Hira, Bahram V built palaces for summer entertainment, which explains why one of the buildings has a huge water tank in the middle, probably functioning to cool down the court in summers. Around Bahram V's palaces, a group of Sasanian people also took residence and developed a system of settlement and commercial activities. The Sumerian King List (SKL) lists only 39 rulers among four dynasties of Kish. A fifth dynasty

513-589: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Kish (Sumer) Kish was occupied from the Ubaid period (c.5300–4300 BC), gaining prominence as one of the pre-eminent powers in the region during the Early Dynastic Period when it reached its maximum extent of 230 hectares. The Sumerian King List (SKL) states that Kish was the first city to have kings following the deluge. The 1st dynasty of Kish begins with Ĝushur . Ĝushur's successor

570-479: Is called Kullassina-bel , but this is actually a sentence in Akkadian meaning "All of them were lord". Thus, some scholars have suggested that this may have been intended to signify the absence of a central authority in Kish for a time. The names of the next nine kings of Kish preceding Etana are Nanĝišlišma, En-tarah-ana, Babum, Puannum, Kalibum, Kalumum, Zuqaqip, Aba, Mašda, and Arwium. Archaeological finds from

627-415: Is known and it was an Amorite dynasty unnamed on the SKL . The following list should not be considered complete: "After the flood had swept over, and the kingship had descended from heaven , the kingship was in Kish." "1,560 are the years of the dynasty of En-me-nuna." "1,525 are the years of the dynasty of En-me-barage-si. 23 kings; they ruled for 24,510 years, 3 months, and 3½ days. Then Kish

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684-547: Is located 12 km (7.5 mi) east of the ancient city of Babylon and 80 km (50 mi) south of modern Baghdad . The Kish archaeological site is an oval area roughly 8 by 3 km (5 by 2 mi), transected into east and west sections by the dry former bed of the Euphrates River , encompassing around 40 mounds scattered over an area of about 24 square kilometers, the largest being Uhaimir and Ingharra. After irregularly excavated tablets began appearing at

741-507: Is named "Lugal-mātim" ( 𒀭𒈗𒈤𒁴 , "Lord of the Land"), and is considered identical with the local deity Dagan , or Enlil . It is unclear how this bead came to be in Mari, but this points to some kind of relation between Ur and Mari at that time. The bead was discovered in a jar containing other objects from Ur or Kish, the so-called "Treasure of Ur". The jar was recognized as an offering for

798-446: Is the stucco decoration in the first two buildings, while the 1923–1933 team also figured out the floor plan and architectural structure of others. It was partly through these stucco decorations that researchers identified the royal resident to be Bahram V (420–438 AD)—Sasanian kings had their distinctive crowns separately, and the unique crown pattern on stucco served as evidence to support this argument. In Kish, which once functioned as

855-588: The First Dynasty of Ur (c. 26th century BC ) on the Sumerian king list . He is listed to have ruled for 80 years, having overthrown Lugal-kitun of Uruk : " Then Unug (Uruk) was defeated and the kingship was taken to Urim (Ur) ". In one of his seals, found in the Royal Cemetery at Ur , he is also described as king of Kish . Mesannepada was a son of Meskalamdug . A lapis-lazuli bead with

912-629: The Istanbul Archaeology Museum and the Louvre . He also excavated at a Neo-Babylonian monumental building on Tell Ingharra. At Tell Bander he uncovered Parthian materials. Later, a joint Field Museum and University of Oxford team under Stephen Langdon excavated from 1923 to 1933, with the recovered materials split between Chicago and the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford. Seventeen different mounds were excavated but

969-1724: The Royal Cemetery at Ur . It has been suggested that tomb PG 1232, or PG 1237, nicknamed "the Great Death-Pit," might belong to him. ( Shamshi-Adad dynasty 1808–1736 BCE) (Amorites) Shamshi-Adad I Ishme-Dagan I Mut-Ashkur Rimush Asinum Ashur-dugul Ashur-apla-idi Nasir-Sin Sin-namir Ipqi-Ishtar Adad-salulu Adasi (Non-dynastic usurpers 1735–1701 BCE) Puzur-Sin Ashur-dugul Ashur-apla-idi Nasir-Sin Sin-namir Ipqi-Ishtar Adad-salulu Adasi ( Adaside dynasty 1700–722 BCE) Bel-bani Libaya Sharma-Adad I Iptar-Sin Bazaya Lullaya Shu-Ninua Sharma-Adad II Erishum III Shamshi-Adad II Ishme-Dagan II Shamshi-Adad III Ashur-nirari I Puzur-Ashur III Enlil-nasir I Nur-ili Ashur-shaduni Ashur-rabi I Ashur-nadin-ahhe I Enlil-Nasir II Ashur-nirari II Ashur-bel-nisheshu Ashur-rim-nisheshu Ashur-nadin-ahhe II Second Intermediate Period Sixteenth Dynasty Abydos Dynasty Seventeenth Dynasty (1500–1100 BCE) Kidinuid dynasty Igehalkid dynasty Untash-Napirisha Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt Smendes Amenemnisu Psusennes I Amenemope Osorkon

1026-573: The Uruk period indicate that the site was part of the Uruk Expansion and hence originally Sumerian language speaking. Ignace Gelb identified Kish as the center of the earliest East Semitic culture which he calls the Kish civilization , however the concept has been challenged by more recent scholarship. Of the twenty-first king of Kish on the list, Enmebaragesi , who is said to have captured

1083-725: The Chicago expedition to Kish in 1923–1933, several other sections are included: This site consists of three subtells (T, X, and Z). Tell Z was the location of one of the main ziggurats and where temples had been built and rebuilt from the Old Babylonian to the Neo-Babylonian periods. At Tell X a 1st Millennium BC fort was uncovered and at Tell T some Old Babylonian structures were found. Between Uhaimir and Ingharra are three smaller tells and further east Tell W where Neo-Assyrian tablets as well as an entire Neo-Babylonian archive

1140-706: The Early Dynastic III Period, there once even existed a twin city. Therefore, the city occupies a relatively unsettled presence in chronology. But from the excavation, eight buildings were identified as from the Sasanian period, thus making this place primarily identified as the Sasanian Settlement. Researchers suspect that some of the buildings might function together as a complex serving different purposes, including royal residence, storage, and administration. The most prominent finding

1197-583: The PCB suffered significant destruction twice during the late ED III period. After its destruction, the PCB was abandoned. Located above later floors of the PCB were scattered burials during the Akkadian period. The Plano-convex building was a fortified construction built extensively with plano-convex bricks . It displayed the socio-economic dynamics at Kish during the ED III period. No characteristic linking

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1254-582: The Tummal flourish and brought Ninlil into the Tummal." Mesannepada is associated with an expansion of Ur, at least diplomatically. A lapis-lazuli bead in the name of Mesannepada was found in Mari , and formed part of the "Treasure of Ur", made for the dedication of a temple in Mari. Seals from the royal cemetery at Ur have also been found bearing the names of Mesannepada and his predecessors Meskalamdug and Akalamdug , along with Queen Puabi . A seal impression in

1311-618: The accomplishments of several kings. Such tablets are usually copies of older tablets, now lost: " En-me-barage-si , the king, built the Iri-nanam in Enlil 's temple. Aga , son of En-me-barage-si, made the Tummal flourish and brought Ninlil into the Tummal. Then the Tummal fell into ruins for the first time. Meš-Ane-pada built the Bur-šušua in Enlil's temple. Meskiagnun , son of Meš-Ane-pada, made

1368-409: The annex, which was added later to the south of the building, had comparatively thinner walls. A 2.30 m wide passage was constructed within the outer wall of the original building to prevent invaders from entering the structure. The archaeological findings within the palace lack pottery items, the most remarkable among them was a fragment of slate and limestone inlay work, which represents the scene of

1425-414: The beginning of the twentieth century, François Thureau-Dangin identified the site as being Kish. Those tablets ended up in a variety of museums. Because of its close proximity to Babylon (of which early explorers believed it was part) the site was visited by a number of explorers and travelers in the 19th century, some involving excavation, most notably by the foreman of Hormuzd Rassam who dug there with

1482-471: The building to a religious construct. Instead, the Plano-convex building is recognized as a public building associated with the economical production of beer, textile and oil. The PCB might have also housed the administrative center powered by the elites. First recognized by Margueron, scholars have divided the building into four main sectors based on the architectural layout: Mound A, which includes

1539-525: The capital from Babylon to Dur-Kurigalzu and Kish was diminished. There is some evidence of Kassite activity in Kish. Afterward Kish appears to have significantly declined in importance, as it is only mentioned in a few documents from the later second millennium BC. During the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian periods, Kish is mentioned more frequently in texts. However, by this time, Kish proper (Tell al-Uhaymir) had been almost completely abandoned, and

1596-651: The city wall. By this time, the eastern settlement at Hursagkalama had become viewed as a distinct city, and it was probably not included in the walled area. At some period or periods within the Old Babylonian period, Kish was under the control of a series of rulers generally called the Manana Dynasty . Most of what is known comes from two illicitly excavated archive thought to be from the town of Damrum, near Kish. These rulers include Iawian, Halium, Abdi-Erah, Manana, and four others. Several year names of Iawium are known including "Year Sumu-ditana died". Samsu-Ditana

1653-500: The common appellation "King of Kish". This includes Mesilim , who built temples in Adab and Lagash , where he seems to have exercised some control. Two other examples were the sleeve of an Early Dynatic II bronze sword found at Girsu which read "Lugal-namni[r]-sum (is) king of Kis" and a statue fragment found at Nippur which read "Enna-il, king of Kis". After its early supremacy, Kish declined economically and militarily, but retained

1710-493: The contemporary excavation here, and the building remained partially uncovered. Revealed by its stratigraphy and pottery assemblage was the existence of three distinct architectural phases. The earliest archaeological occupation dates back to the ED II period. Above it, rested the massive ED III construction – the PCB. Multiple rooms in the PCB exhibited layers of ashes and charcoals with arrowheads and copper blades, attested that

1767-554: The foundation of a temple in Mari. Similar dedication beads have also been found from later rulers, such as Shulgi who engraved two carnelian beads with dedication to his gods c.  2100 BC . Several dedication tablets by " A'annepada , son of Mesannepada" for the god Ninhursag are also known, which all have similar content: nin-hur-sag / a-an-ne2-pa3-da / lugal uri5{ki} / dumu mes-an-ne2-pa3-da / lugal uri5{ki} / nin-hur-sag-ra / e2 mu-na-du3 "For Nin-hursag: A'annepada, king of Ur, son of Mesannepada, king of Ur, built

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1824-533: The founder of the Akkadian Empire , came from the area near Kish, called Azupiranu according to a much later Neo-Assyrian text purporting to be an autobiography of Sargon. By the early part of the First Dynasty of Babylon Kish was under the control of Babylon with the tenth year name of ruler Sumu-abum (c. 1897–1883 BC) being "Year in which (Sumu-abum) made for Kish its city wall (reaching) heaven" (repeated in following year). Not long afterward, Kish

1881-511: The heros (Zababa), was built". At this point Kish came under the control of the city-state of Eshnunna under rulers Ipiq-Adad II and Naram-Sin . By the time of Babylon ruler Sin-Muballit (c. 1813–1792 BC), father of Hammurabi , Kish was firmly under the control of Babylon and would stay that way until the waning days of the First Dynasty of Babylon . The rulers of Babylon at its peak of power, Hammurabi and Samsu-iluna , are known to have done extensive construction at Kish, including rebuilding

1938-501: The larger ziggurat while there had been only one report on the smaller one by Mackay. Based on the findings from the larger ziggurat, it is suggested that the structures were built at the end of the Early Dynastic IIIa period to commemorate the city. The fascination of the ziggurats was interesting to the excavators as it was the only Early Dynastic structure that was not destroyed or obscured by later reconstructions, which

1995-407: The main focus of the excavations was at Tell Ingharra and Tell Uhaimir. The actual excavations at Tell Uhaimir were led initially by E. MacKay and later by L. C. Watelin. Work on the faunal and flora remains was conducted by Henry Field . Even by the standards of the day, the documentation of this excavation (findspots provenance etc.), were sorely lacking. This was compounded by the death of

2052-525: The name of "Mesannepada, king of Kish" was found in the Royal Cemetery at Ur . Mesannepada, and his son and successor Meskiagnun , who reigned 36 years, are both named on the Tummal Inscription as upkeepers of the main temple in Nippur along with Gilgamesh of Uruk and his son Ur-Nungal , verifying their status as overlords of Sumer. Judging from the inscriptions, Mesannepada then assumed

2109-507: The name of King Meskalamdug was found in Mari , in the so-called "Treasure of Ur", and reads: 𒀭𒈗𒌦 / 𒈩𒀭𒉌𒅆𒊒𒁕 / 𒈗𒋀𒀊𒆠 / 𒌉𒈩𒌦𒄭 / 𒈗𒆧𒆠 / 𒀀 𒈬𒈾𒊒 lugal-kalam / mes-an-ne2-pa3-da / lugal uri5 / dumu mes-ug-du10 / lugal kish / a munaru "To god Lugalkalam ("the Lord of the Land", identified with Dagan or Enlil ), Mesannepada, king of Ur , son of Meskalamdug , king of Kish , has consecrated this bead"" Initially, it

2166-456: The principals within a few years and the beginning of World War II. In recent decades there has been a major effort to recreate the data from all the old field notes and finds. A bone awl from Phase 2 in the YWN area, the transition between Early Dynastic and Akkadian periods, was accelerator radiocarbon dated to 2471–2299 BC (3905 ± 27 C14 years BP). A surface survey of Kish and the area around it

2223-411: The reign of Akshak was abolished and the kingship was taken to Kish." "8 kings; they ruled for 485 years. Then the reign of Kish was abolished and the kingship was returned a third time to Uruk ." Mesannepada Mesannepada ( Sumerian : 𒈩𒀭𒉌𒅆𒊒𒁕 , Mesannipàdda [MES-AN-NE 2 -PAD 3 -DA]), Mesh-Ane-pada or Mes-Anne-pada ("Youngling chosen by An") was the first king listed for

2280-449: The roughly 130 meter square Neo-Babylonian temple, built on an Early Dynastic plano-copnvex platform, was one of the two buildings that was properly described in a published report. The twin ziggurats were built of small plano-convex bricks in a herringbone fashion on the summit of Tell Ingharra. The larger one is located on the south-west side of the temple and the smaller one on the south-east side. The excavation report mainly focused on

2337-536: The settlement which texts from this period call "Kish" was probably Hursagkalama (Tell Ingharra). After the Achaemenid period, Kish completely disappears from the historical record; however, archaeological evidence indicates that the town remained in existence for a long time thereafter. Although the site at Tell al-Uhaymir was mostly abandoned, Tell Ingharra was revived during the Parthian period, growing into

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2394-548: The site was used as a cemetery from the end of the Early Dynastic period until the early Akkadian Empire period. The palace, which was unearthed beneath the mound, had fallen into decay and was used as a burial ground during Early Dynastic III. It comprises three sections – the original building, the eastern wing and stairway, and the annex. The original building, which was composed of unbaked plano-convex bricks (23 × 15 × 3.5–6 cm), had extremely thick walls, while

2451-416: The south, control of Kish was a prime element in legitimizing dominance over the north of Mesopotamia. Because of the city's symbolic value, strong rulers later claimed the traditional title " King of Kish ", even if they were from Akkad , Ur , Assyria , Isin , Larsa or Babylon . One of the earliest to adopt this title upon subjecting Kish to his empire was King Mesannepada of Ur. Sargon of Akkad ,

2508-520: The temple for Ninhursag." Mesannepada appears in the Sumerian King List , as the first ruler of the First Dynasty of Ur , and is credited with a reign of 80 years. His successors are also named: "... Uruk with weapons was struck down, the kingship to Ur was carried off. In Ur Mesannepada was king, 80 years he ruled; Meskiagnun , son of Mesannepada, was king, 36 years he ruled; Elulu , 25 years he ruled; Balulu, 36 years he ruled; 4 kings,

2565-524: The temple. An Early Dynastic I/IIIa cemetery extended to the south towards Mound A with a number of high status graves containing multiple burials and carts drawn by equids or bovids and are considered as predecessors to the royal burials at Ur. This area, north of tell W, was unearthed during the second excavation season (1923–1924) led by Mackay, which uncovered the 'Plano-convex building' (PCB). But outstanding discoveries in Palace A rapidly overshadowed

2622-454: The time of Mes-Anne-pada. In the 1950s, Edmund I. Gordon conjectured that Mesannepada, and an archaeologically attested early "king of Kish", Mesilim , were one and the same, as their names were interchanged in certain proverbs in later Babylonian tablets; however this has not proved conclusive. More recent scholars tend to regard them as distinct, usually placing Mesilim in Kish before Mesannepada. Mesannapeda's tomb may have been located in

2679-419: The title "King of Kish ", to indicate his hegemony. Another son of Mesannepada, named Aannepadda , (Aja-ane-pada or A-Anne-pada, "father chosen by An"), whose years of reigned are unknown, is known for having the temple of Ninhursag constructed (at modern Ubaid ) near el-Obed , though he is not named on the kinglist. A small ziggurat beneath the structure built at Ur by Ur-Nammu may date back to

2736-527: The weapons of Elam , is the first name confirmed by archaeological finds from his reign. He is also known through other literary references, in which he and his son Aga of Kish are portrayed as contemporary rivals of Dumuzid, the Fisherman , and Gilgamesh , early rulers of Uruk . Some early kings of Kish are known through archaeology, but are not named on the SKL . It can be difficult to determine if these are actually rulers of Kish or had merely adopted

2793-488: The years: 171(?) they ruled. Ur with weapons was struck down; the kingship to Awan was carried off. It is considered unlikely for a king to inherit a throne in his childhood and reign thereafter for 80 years. The length of the son's reign was probably added to that of the father. Mesannepada and his other son are also mentioned in an Old Babylonian tablet (1900-1600 BC), the Tummal Inscription , relating

2850-670: Was a revival mostly centered around Uhaimir. The later half of the 2nd millennium BC showed light occupation, all on Mound W. In the Neo-Babylonian period the rivercourse shifted from north to west, with Uhaimir having a large temple with associated fort, a major temple on Ingharra, and a major town on Mound W. The Achaemenid/Seleucid settlement was limited to the western end of Uhaimir. The Parthian and Sassanian periods showed light occupation, except for Tell Bandar. As part of this survey soundings were made at Umm-el-Jir (the site named Umm el-Jerab that Oriental Institute had found Old Akkadian tablets in 1932) 27 kilometers from Kish. More recently,

2907-553: Was conducted in 1966–1967. It showed that there were villages at Uhaimir and Ingharra in the Ubaid and Protoliterate periods. These expanded into two cites in ED I and reached a peak in Ed III with Ingharra becoming the larger city at that time. The site was lightly occupied in the Akkadian period with modest towns on Ingharra and Mound W. During Ur III, Isin-Larsa, and Old Babylonian times there

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2964-469: Was conquered by Sumuel of Larsa as reflected in his eleventh year name "Year the army of Kisz was smitten by weapons", repeated in the following three year names. In the 13th year of Sumu-la-El he reports destroying Kish (repeated in following four years) and then destroying the city wall of Kish in his 19th year and in his 30th year "Year the temple of Zababa, the Emeteursag / the house, ornament of

3021-408: Was defeated and the kingship was taken to Eanna ( Uruk )." "Then Awan was defeated and the kingship was taken to Kish." "8 kings; they ruled for 3,195 years. Then Kish was defeated and the kingship was taken to Hamazi ." "Then Mari was defeated and the kingship was taken to Kish." "1 king; she ruled for 100 years. Then Kish was defeated and the kingship was taken to Akshak ." "Then

3078-458: Was found consisting of about 1000 tablets. Located in the eastern side of the ancient Kish, Tell Ingharra was extensively explored during the Chicago excavation and provided the best known archaeological sequence in the 3rd millennium BC site. The site consists of several subtells (A, B, D, E, F, G, H, and Tell Bandar which is made up of Tells C and V). In particular, the 1923 excavation concentrated heavily on mound E with its twin ziggurats, while

3135-420: Was the last ruler of the First Dynasty of Babylon. One ruler, Ashduniarim is known from a long inscription on a clay foundation cone found at Kish. "Ašdũni-iarīm, the mighty man, beloved of Ištar, favored by Zababa, king of Kiš, when the world quarters four became hostile to me, for eight years battle I waged, and in the eighth year my opponent to clay indeed turned. ... " The succeeding Kassite dynasty moved

3192-416: Was thought that this bead (reference M. 4439) referred to a gift by Mesannepada to a king of Mari named Gansud or Ansud . This has now been corrected with the translation given above. The God "Lugal-kalam" ( 𒀭𒈗𒌦 , "Lord of the Land") to whom the dedication is made, is otherwise known in a dedication by a local ruler Šaba (Šalim) of Mari, also as Lugal-kalam, or in the dedication of Ishtup-Ilum where he

3249-400: Was why it provided valuable evidence of that time period. As for the temple complex, the findings of the temple had determined that the mound was part of the city of Hursagkalama. It was used as an active religious centre until after 482 BC. They also had identified the builder as Nabonidus or Nebuchadnezzar II based on the bricks with inscriptions and barrel cylinder fragments reported in

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