Isin

The first dynasty of Isin

When the empire of Ur III crumbles at the end of, the governor of Isin, Ishbi-Wandered, betrays the king Ibbi-Sîn of Ur, and makes himself independent. He succeeds in drawing aside the army élam ite which destroys Ur in 2004, and manages to take again this city later, which enabled him to be asserted like the heir to the preceding dynasty, while preserving Isin like capital. Its successor Shu-ilishu reconciles himself with the Élam, and manages to recover the statue of the large god Nanna of Ur, catch at the time of the war which had ended in the plundering of this city. The reign of its successor Iddin-Dagan is known very little, unlike the following, that of Ishme-Dagan, which marks the apogee of Isin. It is after its death that chosent them start to spoil itself, with the emergence of the dynasty of Larsa, of which the king Gungunnum to succeed in taking Ur, Uruk and Kisurra (that is to say south of Sumer) with its rival Lipit-Ishtar of Isin (known by a code of laws that it made formulate). Ur-Ninurta of Isin dies killed during a conflict against Larsa, but its successor Bur-Sîn righting temporarily the situation by beating its rival larséen, Sumu-El, which however ends up gaining several victories enabling him to withdraw Kish from the domination of Isin, then finally Nippur, the Holy City of Sumer, which was a catastrophe from the symbolic system point of view for Isin. The continuation of the history of Isin at this period is that of its accelerated decline.

The beginning of the period paléo-Babylonian, known as aprfois “period of Isin-Larsa”, was the period more fleurissente of the history of Isin. Its scribes took again the continuity of the tradition of Ur III, as attest it the royal inscriptions, literary anthems, texts, relative texts with the Mariage crowned found in this city, and especially in Nippur during the period when it was subjected to Isin. Besides the sovereigns of the city keep titulature of “kings d' Ur” until Ishme-Dagan.

If the temple of Gula did not deliver any level for this period, one on the other hand released part of a district of dwelling.

Economic texts going back from the reigns to Ishbi-Wandered and of Shu-ilishu were also found in this city, mainly at the time of clandestine excavations. They concern of the artisanal activities undertaken within the framework of a great organization, undoubtedly the palate. One sees there workers of various specialities (carpenters, basket makers, megissiers, etc), gathered in teams from 9 to 18, directed by a chief. This organization is close to that of the system set up by the administration of Ur III.

End of the kingdom of Isin I

The king of Babylon Sîn-Muballit (1813-1793) in the fourteenth year of his reign, attacks the town of Larsa, then, three years later, Isin when Damiq-Ilihu reigned (1817-1794), but it leaves the king on his throne like vassal. At died of Sîn-Muballit in -1793, king de Larsa, Rim-Sin Ier (1823-1763), puts the hand on Isin and appendix this kingdom at his.

Rim-Sin Ier keeps the control of Isin only a few years, it is beaten into -1787 by the new king of Babylon, Hammurabi (1793-1750) which takes the city and Rim-Sin leaves to take refuge in Larsa that it will also lose vis-a-vis Hammurabi into -1763. Under the reign of the son and successor of Hammurabi, Samsu-iluna, the old country of Sumer, with Isin and Uruk at the head revolts against the Babylonian domination. This rebellion is carried out by a character who proclaims king de Larsa under the name of Rim-Sin II (1741-1736) but it is quickly overcome. After this episode, the cities of the extreme South Mésopotamien are given up, their inhabitants migrating more to North. It was the case of Isin, of which part of the population was found apparently with Sippar, where the worship of Gula was transported.

Médio-Babylonian time

Isin is re-occupied about the middle of the 2nd millenium. It is of this period which the first known levels date from the principal monument of the city, the temple of its guardian goddess, Gula. It was restored by the kings Kassites Kadashman-Enlil and Kurigalzu II. In the North-East of the temple, one found 33 tombs of dogs, the animal-symbol of Gula, accompanied by a movable rich person. After the defeat of the dynasty kassite of Babylon vis-a-vis Élamites in 1155, the torch of Babylonian resistance was taken again by kings who are originating in Isin, since the dynasty that they found door the name of second dynasty of Isin. But when the king Ninurta-nadin-shumi takes again Babylon, it settles there, forsaking Isin. The most famous king of this dynasty is Nabuchodonosor Ier, which even demolishes Élamites in their country, before initiating a series of conflicts against Assyrie, which will succeed finally the catch of Babylon by when the king Assyrie N Teglath-Phalasar I {{er}}. After the reign of Adad-apla-idinna, which restores the temple of Gula, the kings d' Isin II undergo the attacks of the tribes araméennes and sutéennes which plunders their kingdom. This dynasty dies out in these disorders after the death of Nabu-shum-libur in 1027.

First millenium

The town of Isin is still inhabited in first half of thousand-year-old Ier, although not occupying any notable political position, apart from that of provincial center in the kingdoms which dominate successively the area at this period: Babylonian, Assyrie N, again Babylonian, then Achéménide. It is of this last period which date the most recent levels explored with Isin, the residential district of the paléo-Babylonian time being indeed re-occupied {{XIe}} at fifth century BC the city must thus be abandoned in the current of the period achéménide or later under the Séleucides.

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