Old Babylonian Period (1894-1595)

Shamash giving the Code to Hammurapi

The records from this period are excellent up to Hammurapi's reign, but very sketchy after it. The period is sometimes called the Old Babylonian Empire.

Babylon:
The Sumerian name for this small village was Kadingirra. In Semitic Akkadian it was called Bab-ilim. It seems that the name came not from Kadingirra, but from another name for the town-Babil, the meaning of which is unknown. Later the plural name Bab-Ilani, "the Gate of the Gods" was used. It remained an unimportant town through-out the third millennium. In fact, the earliest mention of it is from the reign of Shar-Kali-Sharri of Agade. It may not have been ruled as an independent city-state until the Amorites captured it. Under their rule Akkadian was made the official language and Sumerian texts continue to be copied, but now Semitic names and ideas are often inserted. New epics were also composed. Their tutelary deity Marduk was originally a minor solar deity. Marduk was able to gain the overlordship for a number of reasons. First, since the Semitic "conquest" of Sumer and the loss of prestige of Nippur and Enlil, it was actually feasible. Second, the Babylonians had Anu and Enlil bestow this honor onto Marduk so as to make it legitimate in the eyes of the people. Enlil may have lost his royal prerogative, but he was still revered. Third, it was done because Babylon was the capital and it made sense for the political capital to also be the religious capital. This was probably accomplished under the later Kassites, although it is possible that it did happen earlier.

1st Dynasty
Sumu-Abum (1894-1881)-An Amorite Sheikh who seized the town and declared its independence. He began his reign with the construction of a great city wall, which was still unfinished upon his death.
Sumu-La-El (1881-1845)-The oldest mention of Marduk in a royal inscription is from the 21styear of his reign. He sacked Kish.
Sabium (1845-1831)-He defeated and killed Silli-Adad of Larsa in battle.
Apil-Sin (1831-1813)

Sin-Muballit (1813-1792)-Rim-Sin of Larsa defeated him in battle. He was the last king of the dynasty to have an Akkadian name.

Hammurapi (Hammurabi) (1792-1750)-His name is sometimes spelled Hammurabi. Upon ascension he controlled only a small area-Babylon, Sippar and the region around them. He spent most of the first 29 years of his reign establishing internal stability and prosperity. In 1787 he did invade the south and capture Isin, although he failed to take Uruk. He formed a coalition with Larsa and Mari from c.1779-1764 to wage war against Ashur, Elam and the mountain peoples. In the mid-1770's he, along with troops from Mari and Elam, sacked Eshnunna. In 1764 he crushed an invading army comprised of Elamites, Assyrians, Gutians and Eshnunnians. The next year he attacked Larsa after being encouraged by an oracle to do so. He captured Larsa and swept through all of Sumer. He defeated another coalition of Elam, Eshnunna, Assyria and Gutium, captured Eshnunna and reached the Assyrian frontier. At this time he turned on his good friend Zimri-Lim and made Mari a vassal. Two years later Mari revolted and he returned and utterly destroyed the city. Between C.1760-1755 he waged war against Assyria and made them a vassal. The city state of Yamhad and its allies repulsed any and all Babylonian advances into Syria. He took the title "King of Sumer and Akkad, King of the four Quarters of the World". He promulgated his famous law code later in his reign.
Samsu-Iluna (1750-1712)-Son of Hammurapi. He took control before the death of his father, who was ill. An outburst of revolts followed the death of Hammurapi, which led to the disintegration of the empire. Although he fought vigorously, he lost all but Babylonia proper. Revolution was popular because of the ancient tradition of local independence, the heavy-handed policies of Babylon, and the economic drain to the capital. He fought an adventurer who called himself Rim-Sin II of Larsa for five years. Most of the fighting took place on the Elam/Sumer border before he was captured and executed. Eshnunna sided with him and it's ruler Anni was also captured and strangled in Babylon. During the war, he pulled down the walls of Ur, set fire to the temples and partially destroyed the city. He did the same to Uruk. Elam then invaded and sacked them, taking away a statue of Inanna from Uruk. A few years later (c.1732) Iluma-Ilu, pretending to be a descendent of Damiq-Ilishu, the last King of Isin, raised the flag of independence over Sumer. He ultimately gained the freedom of Sumer south of Nippur and founded the Dynasty of the Sealand (the Babylonian name for the southern Sumer region). At about the same time Assyria rebelled and gained their independence. In c.1715 he crushed an invading Kassite army.
To make up for the lost revenue from the lost provinces, merchants became bankers and loaned to the small shopkeepers and farmers. They in turn could not repay the loans, so they overworked their lands in order to try. In the process they ignored the rule of fallow and the land became increasingly salinized. Thus by c.1600, Babylon went from political dissent to economic disruption to ecological disaster.
Abi-Eshuh (1712-1684)-Son of Samsu-Iluna. He defeated a Kassite attack, but allowed the peaceful settling of Kassites in Babylonia as agricultural workers. He damned the Tigris in an unsuccessful attempt to capture Iluma-Ilu, who had fled to the swamps.
Ammi-Ditana (1684-1647)-He was able to regain Uruk, Isin and Larsa in the south, which Babylon held until the fall of the Dynasty.
Ammi-Saduqa (1647-1626)-He was famous for his "Edict of Justice" which instituted reforms, including suspending some taxes for a few years and the abolition of imprisonment for debt. He tried to halt the economic slide but was unable to.
Samsu-Ditana (1626-1595)-There are no documents from his reign except for a list of year names. He was overthrown when the Hittites under Mursilis I sacked Babylon.

Larsa (1741-1736)
2nd Dynasty
Rim-Sin II (1741-1736)-An adventurer who called himself Rim-Sin II. He wagged a rebellion against Babylon, mostly along the Elam/Sumer border before the Babylonians captured and executed him.

Dynasty of the Sealand (also called 2nd Babylonian Dynasty) (c.1732-1460)
Sealand:
The literal translation of the Akkadian name for the marshy region at the head of the Gulf and the Babylonian name of the province. In their very few inscriptions, the rulers called themselves "Kings of the Sealand". There is almost nothing known about this Dynasty. We have a Kings List, but no dates and even some of the lengths of the reigns are open to question. The dates below are a guess.
Iluma-Ilum (Iliman) (c.1732-1700)-His name is sometimes translated as Iliman. He claimed (falsely) to be a descendant of Damiq-Ilishu, the last King of Isin. He was able to liberate all of Sumer up to Nippur. He later had to seek refuge in the swamps to avoid capture by Abi-Eshuh of Babylon, but he continued to rule Sumer.
Itti-Ili-Nibi (c.1700-1683)
Damiq-Ilushu (c.1683-1657)-He lost Uruk, Isin and Larsa to Babylon.
Ishkibal (c.1657-1642)
Shushshi (c.1642-1618)
Gulkishar (c.1618-1592)-He re-conquered the south from Babylon upon its fall to the Hittites. Some scholars believe that he may have temporarily seized the Babylonian throne after the Hittites withdrew. However, there is no proof one way or the other on this.
Gishen (c.1592-1580)-The name of this king is questionable, for the tablet is damaged.
Peshgaldaramash (c.1580-1530)
Adarakalamma (c.1530-1502)