Sūmû-abum (alsoSu-abu) was anAmorite, and the first King of theFirst Dynasty of Babylon (theAmorite Dynasty). He reigned c. 1897-1883 BC (MC). He freed a small area of land previously ruled by the fellow Amorite city state ofKazallu which included Babylon, then a minor administrative center in southernMesopotamia. Sūmû-abum (and the three Amorite kings succeeding him) makes no claim to beKing of Babylon, suggesting that the town was at this time still of little importance. He is known to have become king ofKisurra.[1][2] An alternative view is that the Sūmû-abum controlling Kisurrawas actually a ruler in the 6th Dynasty of Uruk, precedingSîn-kāšid.[3] He controlled the city ofDilbat 25 kilometers south of Babylon, recordingthe building of its city wall in his 9th year of rule.[4] In his 3rd year of rule he claimed to have conquered the city of Elip/Ilip, a majorcity of theManana Dynasty.[5] By year 10 of his reign, Sūmû-abum had gained control ofKish,12 kilometers east of Babylon, which had been controlled by the Manana dynastyfor some time. Itwas then briefly lost toLarsa but recovered by Sūmû-abum in his 13th reigning year. WhileKish was no longer a powerful city, it maintained its outsized symbolic importance.[6]
He should not be confused with Isi-sümü-abum of the same period who ruled a city as yet unknown.[7] On a tablet found atSippar, BM 80328,there is a list of rulers of Babylon with 19 unknown rulers before Sūmû-abum.[8]
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by New creation | King of Babylon 1897–1883 BC | Succeeded by |
