# List of kings of Mari

The city of Mari in modern Syria was ruled by several dynasties in the Bronze Age. The history of the city is divided into three kingdoms.

## First kingdom

The Sumerian King List (SKL) records a dynasty of six kings from Mari enjoying hegemony between the dynasty of Adab and the dynasty of Kish. The names of the Mariote kings were damaged on the early copies of the list, and those kings were correlated with historical kings that belonged to the second kingdom. However, an undamaged copy of the list that date to the Old Babylonian period was discovered in Shubat-Enlil, and the names bears no resemblance to any of the historically attested monarchs of the second kingdom, indicating that the compilers of the list had an older and probably a legendary dynasty in mind, that predate the second kingdom.
| # | Ruler | Epithet | Succession | Approx. date of reign | Notes |
| Early Dynastic IIIa period (c. 2600 – c. 2500 BC) |||||||
| First Mariote kingdom (c. 2900 – c. 2500 BC) |||||||
| "Then Adab was defeated and the kingship was taken to Mari."— SKL |||||||
| 1st | Anbu 𒀭𒁍 | | | Uncertain, fl. c. 2550 BC (30 or 90 years) | This name is also read as Ilshu Said on the SKL to have held the title of, "King" of not just Mari; but, to have held the "Kingship" over all of Sumer Known from the SKL; very little otherwise |
| 2nd | Anba 𒀭𒁀 | | Son of Anbu | Uncertain, (7 or 17 years) | Historicity uncertain Known from the SKL; very little otherwise Said on the SKL to have held the title of, "King" of not just Mari; but, to have held the "Kingship" over all of Sumer |
| 3rd | Bazi 𒁀𒍣 | "the leatherworker" | | Uncertain, (30 years) | Historicity uncertain Known from the SKL; very little otherwise Said on the SKL to have held the title of, "King" of not just Mari; but, to have held the "Kingship" over all of Sumer |
| 4th | Zizi 𒍣𒍣 | "the fuller" | | Uncertain, (20 years) | Historicity uncertain Known from the SKL; very little otherwise Said on the SKL to have held the title of, "King" of not just Mari; but, to have held the "Kingship" over all of Sumer |
| 5th | Limer 𒇷𒅎𒅕 | "the 'gudug' priest" | | Uncertain, (30 years) | Historicity uncertain Known from the SKL; very little otherwise Said on the SKL to have held the title of, "King" of not just Mari; but, to have held the "Kingship" over all of Sumer |
| 6th | Sharrum-iter 𒈗𒄿𒌁 | | | Uncertain, (7 or 9 years) | Historicity uncertain It has been suggested that only Sharrum-iter held the hegemony after Lugal-Anne-Mundu Said on the SKL to have held the title of, "King" of not just Mari; but, to have held the "Kingship" over all of Sumer |
| "6 kings; they ruled for 184 years. Then Mari was defeated and the kingship was taken to Kish."— SKL |||||||

## Second kingdom

The chronological order of the kings from the second kingdom era is highly uncertain; nevertheless, it is assumed that the letter of Enna-Dagan lists them in a chronological order. Many of the kings were attested through their own votive objects discovered in the city, and the dates are highly speculative.
| Depiction | Ruler | Approx. date of reign | Notes |
| Early Dynastic IIIb period (c. 2500 – c. 2350 BC) ||||
| Second Mariote kingdom (c. 2500 – c. 2266 BC) ||||
| | Ikun-Mari 𒄣𒄿𒈠𒌷𒆠 | Uncertain | Held the title of, "King" temp. of Ush This name is inscribed on a jar in Mari |
| | Ikun-Shamagan 𒄿𒆪𒀭𒊭𒈠𒃶 | Uncertain, fl. c. 2500 BC | Held the title of, "King" temp. of Ur-Lumma His name was inscribed on a votive statue offered by his official "Shibum" |
| | Išhtup-Išar 𒅖𒁾𒄿𒊬 | Uncertain, fl. c. 2423 BC | Held the title of, "King" temp. of Il He was attested in Enna-Dagan's letter as conquering Emar and other Eblaite vassals |
| | Ansud | Uncertain, fl. c. 2416 BC | His name is inscribed on a jar (as Hanusum) sent to Mari by Mesannepada of Ur The name was read by Pettinato as Anubu |
| | Saʿumu | Uncertain, fl. c. 2400 BC | temp. of Kun-Damu He was attested in Enna-Dagan's letter as conquering many lands |
| | Iblul-Il 𒅁𒈜𒅋 | Uncertain, reigned c. 2380 BC (≥40 years) | Held the title of, "King" temp. of Igrish-Halam He forced Ebla to pay tribute |
| | Nizi | Uncertain, r. c. 2360 BC (3 years) | Held the title of, "King" temp. of Enentarzi |
| | Enna-Dagan | Uncertain, (3 years) | Held the title of, "King" temp. of Irkab-Damu He wrote a letter to Irkab-Damu of Ebla to assert Mari's authority |
| Proto-Imperial period (c. 2350 – c. 2266 BC) ||||
| | Hidar | Uncertain | Held the title of, "King" temp. of Enshakushanna He is attested in the archives of Ebla, which was destroyed during his reign |
| | Ishqi-Mari 𒅖𒄄𒈠𒌷 | Uncertain, r. c. 2350 BC | temp. of Ur-Zababa His name was previously read as Lamgi-Mari Hypothetically the last king before the conquests of the Akkadian Empire |
| | Ikun-Shamash 𒄿𒆪𒀭𒌓 | Uncertain | Held the title of, "King" May have ruled before the reign of Ur-Nanshe temp. of Lugal-zage-si (?) |
| | Ikun-Ishar 𒄿𒆪𒊬 | Uncertain, r. c. 2320 BC (8 years) | Held the title of, "King" temp. of Meskigal He forced Ebla to pay tribute |

## Third kingdom

The third kingdom was ruled by two dynasties: the Shakkanakkus and the Lim. For the Shakkanakkus, the lists are incomplete and after Hanun-Dagan who ruled at the end of the Ur era c. 2008 BC (c. 1920 BC Short chronology), they become full of lacunae. Roughly 13 more Shakkanakkus succeeded Hanun-Dagan but only few are known, with the last known one reigning not too long before the reign of Yaggid-Lim who founded the Lim dynasty in c. 1830 BC, which was interrupted by Assyrian occupation in 1796–1776 BC.
| Depiction or inscription | Ruler | Succession | Approx. date of reign | Notes |
| Akkadian period (c. 2266 – c. 2154 BC) |||||
| Third Mariote kingdom (c. 2266 – c. 1761 BC) |||||
| Shakkanakku dynasty (c. 2266 – c. 1830 BC) |||||
| | Ididish | | r. c. 2266 – c. 2206 BC (60 years) | Held the title of, "Military Governor" |
| | Shu-Dagan | Son of Ididish | r. c. 2206 – c. 2200 BC | Held the title of, "Military Governor" |
| | Ishma-Dagan 𒅖𒈣𒀭𒁕𒃶 | | r. c. 2199 – c. 2154 BC (45 years) | Held the title of, "Military Governor" |
| | Nûr-Mêr 𒉌𒉿𒅈𒈨𒅕 | Son of Ishma-Dagan | r. c. 2153 – c. 2148 BC (5 years) | Held the title of, "Military Governor" |
| Gutian period (c. 2154 – c. 2119 BC) |||||
| | Ishtup-Ilum 𒅖𒁾𒀭 | Son of Ishma-Dagan | r. c. 2147 – c. 2136 BC (11 years) | Held the title of, "Military Governor" |
| | Ishgum-Addu 𒅖𒄣𒀭𒅎 | | r. c. 2135 – c. 2127 BC (8 years) | Held the title of, "Military Governor" |
| Ur III period (c. 2119 – c. 2004 BC) |||||
| | Apîl-kîn 𒀀𒉈𒄀 | Son of Ishgum-Addu | r. c. 2126 – c. 2091 BC (35 years) | Was designated with the royal title Lugal in a votive inscription set by his daughter |
| | Iddi-ilum 𒄿𒋾𒀭 | | r. c. 2090 – c. 2085 BC (5 years) | His name is also read as Iddi-Ilum; his name was inscribed on his votive statue |
| | Ili-Ishar 𒀭𒄿𒊬 | | r. c. 2084 – c. 2072 BC (12 years) | His name is inscribed on a brick |
| | Tura-Dagan 𒌅𒊏𒀭𒁕𒃶 | Son of Apîl-kîn | r. c. 2071 – c. 2051 BC (20 years) | |
| | Puzur-Ishtar 𒆃𒊭𒁹𒁯 | Son of Tura-Dagan | r. c. 2050 – c. 2025 BC (25 years) | Used the royal title |
| | Hitlal-Erra | Son of Puzur-Ishtar | r. c. 2024 – c. 2017 BC (7 years) | Used the royal title |
| | Hanun-Dagan | Son of Puzur-Ishtar | r. c. 2016 – c. 2008 BC (8 years) | Used the royal title |
| Isin-Larsa period (c. 2004 – c. 1796 BC) |||||
| | Isi-Dagan | | r. c. 2000 BC | This name is inscribed on a seal |
| | Ennin-Dagan | Son of Isi-Dagan | | |
| | Itur-(...) | | | This name is damaged, a gap separate him from Ennin-Dagan |
| | Amer-Nunu | | | This name is inscribed on a seal |
| | Tir-Dagan | Son of Itur-(...) | | |
| | Dagan-(...) | | | This name is damaged and is the last attested Shakkanakku |
| Lim dynasty (c. 1830 – c. 1796 BC) |||||
| | Yaggid-Lim | | r. c. 1830 – c. 1820 BC | He may have ruled in Suprum rather than in Mari |
| | Yahdun-Lim | Son of Yaggid-Lim | r. c. 1820 – c. 1798 BC | |
| | Sumu-Yamam | | r. c. 1798 – c. 1796 BC | |
| Old Assyrian period (c. 1796 – c. 1761 BC) |||||
| Dynasty of Shamshi-Adad (c. 1796 – c. 1776 BC) |||||
| | Yasmah-Adad | Son of Shamshi-Adad I | r. c. 1796 – c. 1776 BC | |
| | Ishar-Lim | | r. c. 1776 BC | He was an Assyrian official who usurped the throne for a few months between Yasmah-Adad's escape and Zimri-Lim's arrival |
| Lim restoration (c. 1776 – c. 1761 BC) |||||
| | Zimri-Lim 𒍣𒅎𒊑𒇷𒅎 | | r. c. 1776 – c. 1761 BC | |

## Gallery

* Statue of Iku-Shamagan, c. 2453 BC. Temple of Ninni-Zaza, Mari. National Museum of Damascus.
* Ishtup-Ilum, Shakkanakku of Mari (c.2150 BC)
* Puzur Ishtar, Shakkanakku of Mari. (c. 2050 BC)