RELG 433 - Biblical Archaeology
Middle Bronze II in Mesopotamia
ca. 2,000 - 1,550 BC
All dates are approximate
In Mesopotamia
- 2,060 - 1,750 BC
- Third Dynasty of Ur (Ur III), the last flowering of the Sumerian culture, disintegrated as vassal city-states broke free of control by Ur.
Elam, Asshur (Assyria), Mari all gained independence and started to fight amongst themselves.
"Amurru" (Amorite) West Semitic peoples moving in from the north added to the confusion, eventually over-running the land and establishing dynasties in control of most city-states (except Asshur). The Amorites adopted Sumerian culture, religion, and cuneiform writing, but used it to write their own language, Akkadian.
Akkadian became the lingua franca of the Middle East.
The Hurrians expanded their territory, to cover more of northern Mesopotamia.
Assyrians were a Hurrian/NW Semitic/Akkadian mix. They developed trade routes and outposts to the north - into the region where the Hittites were moving into what is now central Turkey, probably from the north, and establishing their kingdom. Thousands of tablets have been found at Kanish (Kültepe) - the "Cappadocian texts", in old Assyrian, which give a picture of the trading enterprises in that area.
Mari became a powerful trade center. - ca. 1,830 BC
- Sumu-abum founded the first (Amorite) dynasty of Babylon
- ca. 1,700 BC
- Kudur-mabak of Elam conquered Larsa and made his son Warad-sin king of Larsa
- 1,770 - 1,758 BC
- Warad-sin king of Larsa
- 1,758 - 1,698 BC
- Rim-sin (brother of Warad-sin) king of Larsa, led a military campaign to take all of southern Mesopotamia except Babylon.
- 1,748 - 1,729 BC(?)
- Sin-muballlit king of Babylon
- 1,728 - 1,686 BC or 1,792 - 1,750 BC
- Hammurabi (son of Sin-muballit) king of Babylon - great military and diplomatic successes, defeated Rim-sin of Larsa and took him prisoner. Conquered Assyria, then fought Zimri-lin of Mari.
- 1,697 BC or 1,756 BC
- Hammurabi captured Mari. Soon afterwards he utterly destroyed Mari.
Law Codes
- ca. 2,060 BC
- Code of Ur-nammu (who founded Ur III) - earliest known so far
- ca. 1,865 BC
- Code of Lipit-Ishtar of Isin, written in Sumerian
- ca. 1,800 BC
- Code from the Kingdom of Eshnunna, written in Akkadian
- ca. 1,700 BC or ca. 1,759 BC
- Code of Hammurabi of Babylon
Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved
