Gutian period
| Gutian Dynasty of Sumer | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
| Capital | Akkad | |||||||||
| Languages | Gutian language | |||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | |||||||||
| énsí | ||||||||||
| • | c. 2135 BC (short) | Inkishush (first) | ||||||||
| • | c. 2050 BC (short) | Tirigan (last) | ||||||||
| Historical era | Bronze Age | |||||||||
| • | Established | c. 2154 BC | ||||||||
| • | Disestablished | c. 2112 BC (middle) | ||||||||
|
||||||||||
| Today part of |
 Iraq
|
|||||||||
The Gutian dynasty came to power in Mesopotamia in the late 3rd millennium BC, displacing the "Sargonic" dynasty of the Akkadian Empire. It ruled for roughly one century (copies of the Sumerian King List vary between 25 and 4 years). The end of the Gutian period is marked by accession of Ur-Nammu, founder of the "Neo-Sumerian" Third Dynasty of Ur, dated 2112 BC in the Middle Chronology and 2048 BC in the Short Chronology.
The Gutian people (Guti) were native to Gutium, presumably in the central Zagros Mountains, though almost nothing is known about their origin.
The Gutians practiced hit-and-run tactics, and would be long gone by the time regular troops could arrive to deal with the situation. Their raids crippled the economy of Sumer. Travel became unsafe, as did work in the fields, resulting in famine.
The Sumerian king list indicates that king Ur-Utu of Uruk was defeated by the barbarian Guti, perhaps around 2150 BC. The Guti swept down, defeated the demoralized Akkadian army, took Akkad, and destroyed it around 2115 BC. However, they did not supplant all of Akkad, as several independent city states remained alongside them, including Lagash, where a local dynasty still thrived and left numerous textual and archaeological remains.
Ultimately Akkad was so thoroughly destroyed that its site is still not known. The Guti proved to be poor rulers. Under their crude rule, prosperity declined. They were too unaccustomed to the complexities of civilization to organize matters properly, particularly in connection with the canal network. This was allowed to sink into disrepair, with famine and death resulting. Thus, a short "dark age" swept over Mesopotamia.
Akkad bore the brunt of this as the center of the Empire, so that it was in Akkad that the Guti established their own center in place of the destroyed Akkad. Some of the Sumerian cities in the south took advantage of the distance and purchased a certain amount of self-government by paying tribute to the new rulers.
...
Wikipedia