Zabaya, an Early King of the Larsa Dynasty

Abstract

Looking back at the period subsequent to the decline of the Ur III kings,' C. J. Gadd characterized it as one of the dimmest in Babylonian history.2 For the early of the dynasty we have the king lists.3 What is the currently known situation with regard to the first four Larsa kings listed there: Naplanum, Emisum, Samium, and Zabaya? D. O. Edzard as late as 19574 called them but passed over them, having nothing to say about them other than to discuss the linguistic affiliation of their names.5 However, W. W. Hallo in 1971 suggested that they never ruled, pointing out that the names at the beginning of the king lists must be interpreted differently from those starting with Gungunum. Of the first four rulers of the dynasty6 Hallo said: Its earliest members figure at the head of these lists not as ruling kings, but as ancestors, tracing their descent back to a certain Naplanum, well known as an Amorite from beyond Mari in the account texts of the time of Shu-Sin and Ibbi-Sin.' The origin of these four names appears to be mixed.s