| Sumu-abum | |
|---|---|
| 1stKing of Babylon | |
| Reign | c. 1894 – c. 1881 BC |
| Predecessor | Monarchy established |
| Successor | Sumu-la-El |
| Died | c. 1881 BC |
Sūmû-abum (alsoSu-abu orSūmabum; diedc. 1881 BC) was anAmorite, and the first King of theFirst Dynasty of Babylon (theAmorite Dynasty). He reigned c. 1894–1881 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. Sumu-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 Sumu-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, Sumu-abum had gained control ofKish,12 kilometers east of Babylon, which had been controlled by the Manana dynasty for some time. It was then briefly lost toLarsa but recovered by Sūmû-abum in his 13th reigning year. While Kish 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 Monarchy established | King of Babylon c. 1894 – c. 1881 BC | Succeeded by |
