Apiak
Apiak/Api'ak (a-pi-akki or a-pi5-akki), sited between Kish and Marad to the south. It was active from the late 3rd millennium Akkadian Empire period, through the Ur III period, and Isin-Larsa period before disappearing from history. It is known to have lain, as did Kiritab to the north, on the Abgal Canal which branched off from the Euphrates river south of Kish.Boer, Rients de., "Marad in the Early Old Babylonian Period: Its Kings, Chronology, and Isin's Influence", Journal of Cuneiform Studies 65.1, pp. 73-90, 2013 After passing Apiak the Abgal Canal continued south to Marad. This territory was controlled for a time by the Manana Dynasty with two year names of ruler Halium mentioning the Abgal. A year name of Marad ruler
Sumu-ditan also mentions the Abgal.Cole, Steven W., and Hermann Gasche, "Second-and first-millennium BC rivers in northern Babylonia", Changing Watercourses in Babylonia, University of Ghent, pp. 1-64, 1998 The "Canal of Me-en-ili" is known
to have bordered the Apiak province on the east in Ur III times.
A location at the modern town of Fallujah has been suggested.Frayne, Douglas R., "The Zagros campaigns of the Ur III kings", Journal of the Canadian Society for Mesopotamian Studies 3, pp 33-56, 2008 It was speculated at one point, based on a thousand year later Neo-Babylonian text, that the city of Apak was the same city as Apiak and that it was in the vicinity of Babylon (being donated to support the god Bel there).[http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/saao/knpp/downloads/cole_machinist_saa13intro.pdf]Parpola, Simo, and Julian Reade. Letters from priests to the kings Esarhaddon and Assurbanipal. Eds. Steven William Cole, and Peter Machinist. Vol. 13. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press, 1998 Apak was also mentioned in an annal of Neo-Assyrian ruler Sennacherib.Frahm, Eckart, "New sources for sennacherib's' first campaign'", Isimu: Revista sobre Oriente Próximo y Egipto en la antigüedad 6, pp. 129-164, 2003
A god, Ḫuškia (name suggested to mean "Furious one of the netherworld"), associated with Nergal is said to have had a temple at Apiak.Frayne, Douglas R. and Stuckey, Johanna H., "Ḫ", A Handbook of Gods and Goddesses of the Ancient Near East: Three Thousand Deities of Anatolia, Syria, Israel, Sumer, Babylonia, Assyria, and Elam, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 126-136, 2021 A Rubātum is known to have been a nadītu of Nergal at Apiak in the Old Babylonian period.Spada, Gabriella, "Review of Walter Ray Bodine: How Mesopotamian Scribes Learned to Write Legal Documents. A Study of the Sumerian Model Contracts in the Babylonian Collection at Yale University", Lewiston/Lampeter: The Edwin Mellen Press, 2015
History
During the Akkadian Empire period a large coalition of city-states led by Iphur-Kis of Kish (Sumer) and Amar-Girid of Uruk, joined by Enlil-nizu of Nippur, and including the city-states of "Kutha, TiWA, Sippar, Kazallu, Kiritab, [Api]ak and GN" as well as "Amorite [hi]ghlanders" revolted against the fourth Akkadian Empire ruler Naram-Sin of Akkad (c. 2255–2218 BC). The rebellion was joined by the city of Borsippa, among others. The revolt was crushed with the defeated including "Pu-palîm captain of Apiak" and "Dada governor of Apiak".Steve Tinney, "A New Look at Naram-Sin and the 'Great Rebellion'", Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 47, pp. 1-14, 1995Douglas Frayne, "Akkad", Sargonic and Gutian Periods (2234-2113 BC), Toronto: University of Toronto Press, pp. 5-218, 1993
File:Alabaster vase of Dudu of Akkad Louvre Museum AO 31549.jpg
An inscription of Dudu of Akkad (c. 2189-2168 BC) reads:
{{quote|
{{cuneiform|𒁺𒁺 𒁕𒈝 𒈗 𒀀𒂵𒉈𒆠 𒀀𒈾 𒀭𒊊𒀕𒃲 𒀀𒉈𒀝𒆠 𒀀𒈬𒊒}}
du-du da-num lugal a-ga-de3{ki} a-na {d}ne3-iri11-gal a-pi5-ak{ki} a mu-ru
"Dudu, the Great king of Akkad, for Nergal of Apiak has dedicated this"[https://cdli.ucla.edu/search/archival_view.php?ObjectID=P216431 CDLI-Archival View]Douglas R. Frayne, "Akkad", The Sargonic and Gutian Periods (2334-2113), pp. 5-218, University of Toronto Press, 1993, {{ISBN|0-8020-0593-4}}}}
The text Cadaster of Ur-Nammu (c. 2112-2094 BC), first Ur III Empire ruler, known from two Old Babylonian period copies, defines four neighboring Ur III provinces (out of 19 total), Kiritab, Apiak, [Uru]m, and Marada. Apiak was bordered by Kiritab in the north.
{{blockquote|text="From the "Tower of the god Numusda" to the "Shrine of the god Numusda"; from the "Shrine of the god Numusda" to the "Tower of the Mountain"; from the "Tower of the Mountain" to the Ser-ussa canal; from the Ser-ussa canal to Ibillum village; from Ibillum village to the Abgal canal; after (you) cross over the Abgal canal; from the source of (canal you) go 560 US ( = c. 2,016,000 m); (it is) this side of the boundary: its northern side. From this side of the boundary to Me-en-ili: its eastern side. From Me-en-ili to the bank of the Abgal canal (at) the source of the Ilum-bani canal; after (you) cross over the Abgal canal; from (Text: to) the source of the Ida'um canal to the IM.NI-a canal: its southern side. From the IM.NI-a canal to NAGAR.BI; from NAGAR.BI to the "Swamp City"; from "Swamp City" to the "Mountain"; from the "Mountain" to the back side of the "Mountain"; to the "Tower of the god Numusda":
}}
In the Casdaster the maintenance of the province boundary is the responsibility of Meslamta'ea of Apiak.[https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/152507/1/Flueckiger_Hawker_1999_Urnamma_of_Ur_in_Sumerian_Literary_Tradition.pdf]Flückiger-Hawker, Esther, "Urnamma of Ur in Sumerian literary tradition", Vol. 166. Saint-Paul, 1999Kraus, F., "Provinzen des neusumerischen Reiches von Ur", ZA NF 51, pp. 45-75, 1955Postgate, John Nicholas, "Cities and States: Recognition and Rivalry", City of Culture 2600 BC: Early Mesopotamian History and Archaeology at Abu Salabikh, Archaeopress, pp. 183–92, 2024
The Ur III provinces, from north to south were Sippar, Tiwe, Urum, Puö, Gudua, Babylon, Kis, Kazallu, Apiak, Marad, Nippur, Uru-sagrig, Isin, Adab, Suruppak, Umma, Girsu, Uruk, and Ur.Sharlach, Tonia, "Provincial Taxation and the Ur III State" CM 26. Leiden: Brill, 2004 Two governors of Apiak under Ur III are known, Šu-Tirum (šu-ti-ru-um) and Šarrum-bani (šar-ru-um-ba-ni) during the later half of the reign of Amar-Sin.Sharlach, T. M., "Lives of the Wives: Nin-kalla and Shulgi-simti", An Ox of One's Own: Royal Wives and Religion at the Court of the Third Dynasty of Ur, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, pp. 101-138, 2017Sharlach, Tonia, "Princely Employments in the Reign of Shulgi", Journal of Ancient Near Eastern History, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 1-68, 2022Douglas Frayne, "Amar-Suena E3/2.1.3", Ur III Period (2112-2004 BC), Toronto: University of Toronto Press, pp. 235-284, 1997 Another has been suggested, Babati, based on a text "... Babati, the scribe, auditor ... and governor of Awal and Apiak; canal inspector who has irrigated the land; ... temple administrator of Bēlat-Terraban and Bēlat-Śuḫnir, ...".Owen, David I., "Random Notes on a Recent Ur III Volume", Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 108, no. 1, pp. 111–22, 1988 Šarrum-bani is assumed to be the one of that name to have also been a general (šagina), married a princess, and be part of the military Correspondence of the Kings of Ur.Michalowski, Piotr, "Love or Death? Observations on the Role of the Gala in Ur III Ceremonial Life", Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 58, pp. 49–61, 2006Michalowski, Piotr, "History as Charter Some Observations on the Sumerian King List", Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 103, no. 1, 1983, pp. 237–48, 1983Michalowski, Piotr, "The Royal Letters in Their Historical Setting 2: Great Walls, Amorites, and Military History: The Puzur-Šulgi and Šarrum-bani Correspondence (Letters 13–14 and 19–20)", The Correspondence of the Kings of Ur: An Epistolary History of an Ancient Mesopotamian Kingdom, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 122-169, 2011
Apiak was controlled by the founding Isin ruler Išbi-Erra (c. 2017-1986 BC).De Graef, Katrien, "Bad Moon Rising: The Changing Fortunes of Early Second-Millennium BCE Ur", Ur in the Twenty-First Century CE: Proceedings of the 62nd Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale at Philadelphia, July 11–15, 2016, edited by Grant Frame, Joshua Jeffers and Holly Pittman, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 49-88, 2021 There is a palace inscription and a copy of a dedication to Nergal of Apiak on a votive lion sculpture of Damiq-ilishu (c. 1816–1794 BC), final ruler of the First Dynasty of Isin "To Nergal of Apiak, important lord, lion possessing strength, his god, for the life of Damiq-ilišu, ...".Frayne, Douglas ,"Isin", Old Babylonian Period (2003-1595 B.C.): Early Periods, Volume 4, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, pp. 102-106, 1990 A year name of Larsa ruler Sin-Iqisham (c. 1836-1835 BC) records "Year (Sin-iqiszam) made (statues) of / for Numushda, Namrat and Lugal-apiak and brought them into the city of Kazallu".Richardson, Seth, "Early Mesopotamia: the presumptive state", in Past & Present, no. 215, pp. 3–49, 2012
See also
References
{{Reflist}}