Larsa (modern Tell as-Senkereh), a city located ca. 21 km east of Uruk, was an important southern Mesopotamian cult center of the sun-god (Utu/Šamaš). Its principal religious structure was called Ebabbar, just like the Šamaš temple in the northern Babylonian city Sippar. The Sumerian ceremonial names of some of Larsa’s other religious building are mentioned in two first-millennium-BC lists of ziggurats and some royal inscriptions, especially from the Isin-Larsa Period (ca. 2025–1763 BC) — when the city of Larsa temporarily became a dominant political power (ca. 1924–1763 BC) — and the Neo-Babylonian Period. The most important of these, at least in the sixth century BC, was the temple tower Edurana, which sometimes went by the name Eduranki. At the beginning of the second millennium BC (ca. 1924 BC), under a man called Gungunum (r. 1932–1906 BC), Larsa broke free of Isin’s dominance over it and established its own political dynasty. Although it grew more powerful than its former overlord, Larsa never accumulated a significant amount of territory. At its peak, under the authority of Rīm-Sîn I (r. 1822–1763 BC), it controlled only ten to fifteen other city-states. This city’s political dominance, as well as its dynastic line, was brought to an end by Hammu-rāpi of Babylon (r. 1792–1750 BC). After 1763 BC, Larsa was never again a major political player in Babylonia.
Creators: A. Hausleiter; M. Roaf; R. Wenke; St J. Simpson
Contributors:
Carolin Johansson;
Eric Kansa;
Francis Deblauwe;
Jeffrey Becker;
Jamie Novotny;
Rune Rattenborg;
Sean Gillies;
Tom Elliott; B. Siewert-Mayer; DARMC; H. Kopp; P. Flensted Jensen; R. Talbert; W. Röllig
Modifications: cleaned up and linked RLAss reference; cleaned up BAtlas reference; added Le Doaré 2023; modified OSM location of Sankara (Reimported full node geometry and updated provenance); created CIGS location of Tall al-Sankarah; modified name "as-Sankara" (Change name type and time period to modern); created name "Tall al-Sankarah"
Actors:
Carolin Johansson;
Jeffrey Becker;
Tom Elliott