Rîm-Anum Explained

Rîm-Anum
King of Uruk
Reign:	18th century BC
Predecessor:	Irdanene
Successor:	Nabi-ilishu
Royal House:	6th Dynasty of Uruk

Rîm-Anum "ri-im-^da-nu-um" (Also RimAnum) was a ruler of Uruk for about four years (18 months has also been suggested) and most notably was part of the widespread revolt, led by Rim-sin II of Larsa and including 26 cities, among them Uruk, Ur, Isin and Kisurra as well as three "Elamite" governors (Tanene, Werriri, Kalumatum), against the First Dynasty of Babylon, at that time ruled by Samsu-iluna (c. 1749–1712 BC), son of Hammurabi. Texts of Samsu-iluna indicate Rîm-Anum was captured but are uncertain about whether he was put to death or spared.^[1] The beginning of the reign of Rîm-Anum is generally taken as being the 8th regnal year of Samsu-iluna (c. 1742 BC), in the eighth month.^[2] Within a few years Uruk was back under the control of Babylon.^[3] While it is traditionally assumed that Rîm-Anum ruled from Uruk, at least part of thetime, it has also been proposed that he ruled from Malgium.^[4]

Many tablets of Rîm-Anum were found at the temple of Sîn-kāšid during excavations at Uruk and are now held in the Iraq Museum in Baghdad and in Heidelberg.^[5] A number of Rîm-Anum texts, illegally excavated, came, via the antiquities market, from the "house of the prisoners of war" (bīt asīrī) at Uruk, many of which are held at the British Museum.^{[6] [7] [8] [9]} Prisoners came from a number of cities including Eshnunna, Akkad, Malgium, Nērebtum, and Mutiabal. Many were dispersed to gods (the priests and temples thereof) such as An-Inanna, Kanisura, Rammānum, Šamaš, Lugal’irra and Meslamtaea. Others were put to work in a flour milling operation.^{[10] [11] [12]}

The seals of some of Rîm-Anum's servants have been found on tablets. One, found on a number of texts, "Nabi-ilīšu, archivist, son of Lakita-remeni, servant of Rîm-Anum." includes the name of Nabi-ilīšu, the same as that proposed as the successor of Rîm-Anum.^[13]

Four year names of Rîm-Anum are known, their order, and whether one is a duplicate, is uncertain:^[14]

• Year Rîm-Anum (became) king
• Year in which Rîm-Anum the king defeated the land of Emutbal, the troops of Esznunna, Isin and Kazallu who marched together against him to make booty ... which was not counted since ancient times ... and defeated them
• Year Rîm-Anum the king, the eternal name of his lordship
• Year (Rîm-Anum the king) put in order his dispersed people

Another version of the 2nd year name has become available:

See also

• List of Mesopotamian dynasties
• Chronology of the ancient Near East

Further reading

• Charpin, Dominique, "A Propos Du Bît Asîrî Sous Rîm-Anum", Revue d’Assyriologie et d’archéologie Orientale, vol. 74, no. 1, pp. 75–76, 1980
• Pomponio, Francesco, "Rīm-Anum di Uruk", in Mél. Loretz, AOAT (Alter Orient und Altes Testament. Veröffentlichungen zur Kultur und Geschichte des Alten Orients und des Alten Testaments) 250, Münster, pp. 635–649, 1998
• Rositani, Annunziata. "A proposito delle formule di datazione di Rim - Anum", Miscellanea di studi storici, vol. XII, no. 012, pp. 143–155, 2003 ISSN 0581-1643
• Annunziata Rositani, "I prigionieri di guerra come forza lavoro asservita a Uruk durante il regno di Rīm-Anum", in Studi Epigrafici e Linguistici del Vicino Oriente antico (SEL), vol. 34-36, pp. 287–305, 2017-2019 ISSN 2239-5393
• Annunziata Rositani, "The e₂.mušen.ḫi.a in the Rīm-Anum Texts: a New Document", N.A.B.U. (Nouvelles Assyriologiques Brèves et Utilitaries), vol. 2021/1, no. 12, pp. 22–27, 2021 ISSN 0989-5671
• Rositani, Annunziata, "King Rīm-Anum of Uruk: A Reconstruction of an Old Babylonian Rebel Kingdom", DOCUMENTA ASIANA 14, pp. 109-123, 2024
• V. Scheil, "Le Nouveaux Roi Rīmānum", RT 20, pp. 64–65, 1898
• Seri, A., "The House of Prisoners: Slavery and State in Uruk during the Revolt against Samsu-iluna", (SANER 2), Leiden, 2012

External links

• Rîm-Anum tablet at the British Museum
• Rîm-Anum tablets at CDLI

Notes and References

1. https://www.cairn-int.info/load_pdf.php?ID_ARTICLE=E_ASSY_114_0015&download=1
2. deJong Ellis, Maria, "The chronological placement of King Rim-Anum", Revue d'Assyriologie et d'archéologie orientale 80.1, pp. 65-72, 1986
3. https://www.cairn.info/load_pdf.php?ID_ARTICLE=ASSY_108_0121&download=1&from-feuilleteur=1
4. https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/oip43.pdf
5. https://www.vicino-oriente-journal.it/index.php/vicino-oriente/article/download/332/406
6. Leemans, Wilhelmus F., "The Asīru", Revue d’Assyriologie et d’Archéologie Orientale 55, pp. 57-76, 1961
7. Rositani, Annunziata, "Rīm-Anum Texts in the British Museum", in NISABA. Studi Assiriologici Messinesi (Di.Sc.A.M.), Vol. 4, 2003
8. Rositani, Annunziata, "Some Rim-Anum Texts from the bit asiri kept at the British Museum", Rivista degli studi orientali : LXXXII, 1/4, pp. 97-121, 2009
9. Rositani, Annunziata, "More Rīm-Anum’s texts from the bīt asīrī", Semitica 56, pp. 35-64, 2014
10. Jursa, M., "A ‘Prisoner Text’ from Birmingham", in G. Chambon, M. Guichard, & A-I. Langlois (Eds.), De l’argile au numérique. Mélanges assyriologiques en l’honneur de Dominique Charpin, Peeters Publishers. Publications de l'Institut du Proche-Orient Ancien du Collège de France, pp. 507-512, 2019
11. Rositani, Annunziata, "War Prisoners as Gifts of the King Rīm-Anum for Goddesses and Gods: Two New Texts", ᵈ.Nisaba za₃-mi₂. Ancient Near Eastern Studies in Honor of Francesco Pomponio, hrsg. v. Palmiro Notizia, Annunziata Rositani, Lorenzo Verderame (dubsar 19)., pp. 249-276, 2021
12. Seri, Andrea, "The House of Prisoners: Slavery and State in Uruk during the Revolt against Samsu-iluna", Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2013
13. Frayne, Douglas, "Uruk", Old Babylonian Period (2003-1595 B.C.): Early Periods, Volume 4, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, pp. 439-483, 1990
14. https://cdli-gh.github.io/year-names/HTML/T28K11.htm Year Names of Rim-Anum - CDLI