Ishbi-Erra

Ishbi-Erra
King of Sumer
Reign	fl. c. 1953 BC — c. 1921 BC
Predecessor	Ibbi-Sin
Successor	Šu-ilišu
Akkadian	Išbi-erra
House	First Dynasty of Isin

Ishbi-Erra (Akkadian: Išbi-erra, name was written phonetically in cuneiform: ^ddiš-bi-èr-ra, in contemporary inscriptions; fl. c. 1953 BC — c. 1921 BC by the short chronology of the ancient near east) was the founder of the First Dynasty of Isin. Išbi-erra of the First Dynasty of Isin was preceded by Ibbi-Sin of the Third Dynasty of Ur in ancient Lower Mesopotamia, and then succeeded by Šu-ilišu. According to the Weld-Blundell Prism, Išbi-erra reigned for 33 years and this is corroborated by the number of his extant year-names. While in many ways this dynasty emulated that of the preceding one, its language was Akkadian as the Sumerian language had become moribund in the latter stages of the Third Dynasty of Ur.

At the outset of his career, Išbi-erra was an official working for Ibbi-Sin, the last king of the Third Dynasty of Ur. Išbi-erra was described as a man of Mari, either his origin or the city for which he was assigned. His progress was witnessed in correspondence with the king and between Ibbi-Sin and the governor of Kazallu (Puzur-Numushda, latterly renamed Puzur-Šulgi.) These are literary letters, copied in antiquity as scribal exercises and whose authenticity is unknown. Charged with acquiring grain in Isin and Kazallu, Išbi-erra complained that he could not ship the 72,000 GUR he had bought for 20 talents of silver—apparently an exorbitant price—and now kept secure in Isin to other conurbations due to the incursions of the Amorites (“Martu”) and requested Ibbi-Sin supply 600 boats to transport it while also requesting governorship of Isin and Nippur. Although Ibbi-Sin baulked at promoting him, Išbi-erra had apparently succeeded in wrestling control over Isin by Ibbi-Sin’s 8th year, when he began assigning his own regnal year-names, and thereafter an uneasy chill descended on their relationship.

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