The list of kings of Ebla includes the known monarchs of Ebla who ruled three consecutive kingdoms. For the first kingdom's monarchs, tablets listing offerings to kings mention ten names, [1] and another list mentions 33 kings. [note 1] [3] [2] No kings are known from the second kingdom and all dates are estimates according to the Middle chronology. [4] [5]
Ruler | Reigned | Comments | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
The first kingdom | ||||
Sakume | c. 3100 BC. [6] | The first king ruled approximately 660 years before the destruction of the first kingdom; the year 2400 was used by Robert R Stieglitz as the date of the destruction resulting in the year c. 3100 BC for the beginning of Sakume's reign. [7] | ||
Su (.) (...) | Name damaged. [3] | |||
Ladau | ||||
Abugar | ||||
Namnelanu | ||||
Dumudar | ||||
Ibla | ||||
Kulbanu | ||||
Assanu | ||||
Samiu | ||||
Zialu | ||||
Enmanu | c. 2740 BC [4] | |||
Namanu | c. 2720 BC. [4] | |||
Da (.) (.) | c. 2700 BC. [4] | Name damaged. [3] | ||
Sagisu | c. 2680 BC. [4] | |||
Dane'um | c. 2660 BC. [4] | |||
Ibbini-Lim | c. 2640 BC. [4] | |||
Ishrut-Damu | c. 2620 BC. [4] | |||
Isidu | c. 2600 BC. [4] | |||
Isrut-Halam | c. 2580 BC. [4] | |||
Iksud | c. 2560 BC. [4] | |||
Talda-Lim | c. 2540 BC. [4] | |||
Abur-Lim | c. 2520 BC. [4] | |||
Agur-Lim | c. 2500 BC. [4] | |||
Ib-Damu I | c. 2480 BC. [4] | A seal bearing his name was found in Kültepe. [8] | ||
Baga-Damu | c. 2460 BC. [4] | |||
Enar-Damu | c. 2440 BC. [4] | Amongst the most referenced deified kings in the offering lists. [6] | ||
Eshar-Malik | c. 2420 BC. [4] | |||
Kun-Damu | c. 2400 BC. [4] | |||
Adub-Damu | c. 2380 BC. [4] | Short reign. [9] | ||
Igrish-Halam | c. 2360 BC. [4] | Ruled 12 years. [10] | ||
Irkab-Damu | c. 2340 BC. [4] | Ruled 11 or 12 years. [11] Died same year as Enna-Dagan of Mari [12] | ||
Isar-Damu | c. 2320 BC. [4] | Ruled about 35 years. [11] Son of Irkab-Damu. His Queen was Tabur-Damu. [13] | ||
Ir'ak-Damu | A prince, might have ascended the throne for a short period. [3] Pottery seals of the Egyptian pharaoh Pepi I have been found in the destruction layer of the city. | |||
The second dynasty - Ebla arose again for a time during the Ur III period (c. 2100 BC) though no ruler names are yet known. It may have been a vassal of Ur for a time. | ||||
The third kingdom | ||||
Igrish-Heba | c. 2000 BC. [14] | |||
Ibbit-Lim | c. 2000 BC. [15] | |||
Ib-Damu II | c. 2000 BC. [14] | |||
Immeya | c. 1750 BC. [16] | His grave is identified with the so-called "Tomb of the Lord of the Goats". [17] | ||
Hammu(....) | A successor of Immeya, not necessarily the direct one, the name was damaged but probably Hammurabi. [18] | |||
Sir-Damu | c. 1600 BC. [19] | |||
Indilimma | c. 1600 BC. [20] | |||
Memal...arri? (Maratewari) | c. 1600 BC. [14] |
Yamhad was an ancient Semitic-speaking kingdom centered on Ḥalab (Aleppo) in Syria. The kingdom emerged at the end of the 19th century BC and was ruled by the Yamhad dynasty, who counted on both military and diplomacy to expand their realm. From the beginning of its establishment, the kingdom withstood the aggressions of its neighbors Mari, Qatna and the Old Assyrian Empire, and was turned into the most powerful Syrian kingdom of its era through the actions of its king Yarim-Lim I. By the middle of the 18th century BC, most of Syria minus the south came under the authority of Yamhad, either as a direct possession or through vassalage, and for nearly a century and a half, Yamhad dominated northern, northwestern and eastern Syria, and had influence over small kingdoms in Mesopotamia at the borders of Elam. The kingdom was eventually destroyed by the Hittites, then annexed by Mitanni in the 16th century BC.
Ebla was one of the earliest kingdoms in Syria. Its remains constitute a tell located about 55 km (34 mi) southwest of Aleppo near the village of Mardikh. Ebla was an important center throughout the 3rd millennium BC and in the first half of the 2nd millennium BC. Its discovery proved the Levant was a center of ancient, centralized civilization equal to Egypt and Mesopotamia and ruled out the view that the latter two were the only important centers in the Near East during the Early Bronze Age. The first Eblaite kingdom has been described as the first recorded world power.
Ibbit-Lim was the earliest known ruler of the Third kingdom of Ebla, in modern Syria, reigning most likely shortly before 1950 BCE.
Mari was an ancient Semitic city-state in modern-day Syria. Its remains form a tell 11 kilometers north-west of Abu Kamal on the Euphrates River western bank, some 120 kilometers southeast of Deir ez-Zor. It flourished as a trade center and hegemonic state between 2900 BC and 1759 BC. The city was built in the middle of the Euphrates trade routes between Sumer in the south and the Eblaite kingdom and the Levant in the west.
Irkab-Damu, was the king (Malikum) of the first Eblaite kingdom, whose era saw Ebla's turning into the dominant power in the Levant.
Tell Brak was an ancient city in Syria; its remains constitute a tell located in the Upper Khabur region, near the modern village of Tell Brak, 50 kilometers north-east of Al-Hasaka city, Al-Hasakah Governorate. The city's original name is unknown. During the second half of the third millennium BC, the city was known as Nagar and later on, Nawar.
Šumugan, Šamagan, Šumuqan or Šakkan (𒀭𒄊) was a god worshiped in Mesopotamia and ancient Syria. He was associated with animals.
Armi, was an important Bronze Age city-kingdom during the late third millennium BC located in northern Syria, or in southern Anatolia, Turkey, at the region of Cilicia.
The Ebla–biblical controversy refers to the disagreements between scholars regarding a possible connection between the Syrian city of Ebla and the Bible. At the beginning of the Ebla's tablets deciphering process in the 1970s, Giovanni Pettinato made claims about a connection. However, much of the initial media excitement about a supposed Eblaite connection with the Bible, based on preliminary guesses and speculations by Pettinato and others, is now widely described as "exceptional and unsubstantiated claims" and "great amounts of disinformation that leaked to the public". In Ebla studies, the focus has shifted away from comparisons with the Bible, and Ebla is now studied above all as a civilization in its own right. The tide turned after a bitter personal and scholarly conflict between the scientists involved, and an alleged interference by the Syrian authorities on political grounds.
Indilimma, previously read Indilimgur, was likely the last king of Ebla, in modern Syria, reigning around 1600 BCE.
Vizier, is the title used by modern scholars to indicate the head of the administration in the first Eblaite kingdom. The title holder held the highest position after the king and controlled the army. During the reign of king Isar-Damu, the office of vizier became hereditary.
Iblul-Il, was the most energetic king (Lugal) of the second Mariote kingdom, noted for his extensive campaigns in the middle Euphrates valley against the Eblaites, and in the upper Tigris region against various opponents, which asserted the Mariote supremacy in the Syrian north.
Ansud, was an early king (Lugal) of the second Mariote kingdom who reigned c. 2423-2416 BC. Ansud is known for warring against the Eblaites from a letter written by the later Mariote king Enna-Dagan.
Ishtup-Ishar (Ištup-Išar) was a king (Lugal) of the second Mariote kingdom who reigned c. 2400 BC. The king's name was traditionally read as Išhtup-šar, with šar being a common divine element in personal names attested in the region. However, the king's name is read as Ishtup-Ishar by Alfonso Archi, Ishar being an important justice deity worshiped in Mari and Ebla.
Isar-Damu, was the king (Malikum) of the first Eblaite kingdom. Isar-Damu fought a long war with Mari which ended in Eblaite victory; he was probably the last king of the first kingdom.
Igrish-Halam or Igriš-Halab, was a king of the ancient city state of Ebla. His name means "(The god of) Halab has driven away ", hence, the name might be a commemoration of an Eblaite victory that led to the incorporation of lands beyond the city of Halab. His reign was characterized by an Eblaite weakness, and tribute paying to the kingdom of Mari, with whom Ebla fought a long war. His battle with Iblul-Il of Mari at Sahiri was instrumental in this tribute payment.
Adamma was a goddess from the pantheon of Ebla, later incorporated into Hurrian religion.
Saggar was a god worshiped in ancient Syria, especially in the proximity of Ebla and Emar, later incorporated into the Hurrian and Hittite pantheons. His name was also the ancient name of the Sinjar Mountains. It is assumed that he was at least in part a lunar deity.