Short chronology timeline

The short chronology is one chronology of the Near Eastern Bronze and Early Iron Age, which fixes the reign of Hammurabi to 1728 BC – 1686 BC and the sack of Babylon to 1531 BC.

The absolute 2nd millennium BC dates resulting from this decision currently have a majority (though not unanimous) support in academia, although the middle chronology (reign of Hammurabi 1792 BC – 1750 BC) is commonly encountered in older literature.

Early Bronze Age

Estimation of absolute dates becomes possible in the 2nd half of the 3rd millennium BC. For the first half of the 3rd millennium, only very rough chronological matching of archaeological dates with written records is possible.

Kings of Ebla

The city-states of Ebla and Mari contested for power at this time. Eventually, under Irkab-Damu, Ebla defeats Mari for control of the region just in time to face the rise of Uruk and Akkad. After years of back and forth, Ebla is destroyed by the Akkadian Empire. Pottery seals of the Egyptian pharaoh Pepi I have been found in the wreckage of the city. [A Victory over Mari and the Fall of Ebla, Alfonso Archi, Maria Giovanna Biga, Journal of Cuneiform Studies, Vol. 55, 2003, pp. 1-44]

;Gutian Kings

First appearing in the area during the reign of Sargon of Akkad, the Guti became a regional power after the decline of the Akkadian Empire following Shar-kali-sharri. The dynasty ends with the defeat of the last king, Tirigan, by Uruk.Only a handful of the Guti kings are attested to by inscriptions, aside from the Sumerian king list. [Reallexikon der Assyriologie by Erich Ebling, Bruno Meissner, 1993, Walter de Gruyter, ISBN 311003705X]

;Third Dynasty of Ur (Sumerian Renaissance)

In an apparently peaceful transition, Ur came to power after the end of the reign of Utu-hengal of Uruk, with the first king, Ur-Namma, solidifying his power with the defeat of Lagash. By the dynasty's end with the destruction of Ur by Elamites and Shimashki, the dynasty included little more than the area around Ur. [The Ancient Near East: C.3000-330 B.C. By Amélie Kuhrt, Routledge, 1995, ISBN 0415167620] [Ur III Period (2112-2004 BC) by Douglas Frayne, University of Toronto Press, 1997, ISBN 0802041981] [ [http://cdli.ucla.edu/staff/dahl/dissertation.pdf The ruling family of Ur III Umma. A Prosopographical Analysis of an Elite Family in Southern Iraq 4000 Years ago] , J.L. Dahl, UCLA dissertation, 2003]

;First Babylonian Dynasty (Dynasty I)

Following the fall of the Ur III Dynasty, the resultant power vacuum was contested by Isin and Larsa, with Babylon and Assyria later joining the fray. In the second half of the reign of Hammurabi, Babylon became the preeminent power, a position it largely maintained until the sack by Mursili I in 1531 BC. Note that there are no contemporary accounts of the sack of Babylon. It is inferred from much later documents. [ [http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/abc20/kings.html Chronicle of early kings] at Livius.org] [ [http://www.hittites.info/translations.aspx?text=translations/historical%2fTelipinuProclamation.html The Proclamation of Telipinu] ]

;Mitanni

Perhaps because the capital of Mitanni, Washukanni, has not yet been found, there are no available king lists, year lists, or royal inscriptions. Fortunately, a fair amount of diplomatic, Hittite, and Assyrian sources exist to firm up the chronology. Having become powerful under Shaushtatar, Mitanni eventually falls into the traditional trap of dynasties, the contest for succession. Tushratta and Artatama II both claim the kingship and the Hittites and Assyrians take advantage of the situation. After that, Mitanni was no longer a factor in the region. [ [http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/pdf/6b%20Pharaoh%20and%20his%20Brothers.pdf Pharaoh and his Brothers] , S Jakob] [Letters of the Great Kings of the Ancient Near East, Trevor Bryce, Routledge, 2003, ISBN 041525857X]

;Kings of Ugarit

A client state of Mitanni and later the Hittites, Ugarit was nonetheless a significant player in the region. While regnal lengths and an absolute chronology for Ugarit are not yet available, the known order of kings and some firm synchronisms make it reasonably placeable in time. The fall of Ugarit has been narrowed down to the range from the reign of Pharaoh Merneptah to the 8th year of Pharaoh Rameses III of Egypt. This is roughly the same time that Hattusa is destroyed. [Handbook of Ugaritic Studies, edited by Wilfred G. E. Watson and Nicolas Wyatt, Brill, 1999, ISBN 9004109889] [The City of Ugarit at Tell Ras Shamra, Marguerite Yon, Eisenbrauns, 2006, ISBN 1575060299]

;BabylonDynasties IV to X of Babylon (post-Kassite):

;Classical Antiquity

For times after Assurbanipal (died 627 BC), see:
*Median Empire (728 – 549 BC), see List of Kings of the Medes
*Neo-Babylonian Empire (626 – 539 BC)
*Achaemenid Empire (550 – 330 BC)

The Hellenistic period begins with the conquests of Alexander the Great in 330 BC.

Notes

ee also

*Timeline of the Middle East
*Chronology of the ancient Near East

References

*"Chronology at the Crossroads: The Late Bronze Age in Western Asia", Bernard Newgrosh, Troubador Publishing, 2007, ISBN 1906221626
*"The Kingdom of the Hittites". (New Edition), Trevor Bryce, Oxford University Press, 2005, ISBN 0199281327
*"A History of the Ancient Near East ca. 3000 – 323 BC", Marc Van De Mieroop, Wiley-Blackwell, 2006, ISBN 1405149116
*"Mesopotamia: The Invention of the City", Gwendolyn Leick, Penguin, 2003, ISBN 0140265740
*H.Gasche, J.A.Armstrong, S.W.Cole and V.G.Gurzadyan, "Dating the Fall of Babylon" (1998).

External links

* [http://cdli.ucla.edu/ Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative]
* [http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/chronicles/chron00.html Chronicles at Livius.org]
* [http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/ Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature]