nomadic confederation · Mesopotamia and Iran

Gutian rule

2154 BCE – 2119 BCE (approx.)

The period when the Gutians, a mountain people of the Zagros, dominated parts of Mesopotamia after the fall of Akkad, later remembered as an age of chaos.

Origins

The Gutians came from the central Zagros and raided the plains as the Akkadian Empire weakened. After the death of Shar-kali-sharri around 2154 BCE they took control of much of Akkad and northern Sumer, and the Sumerian King List gives about 21 Gutian kings reigning for around a century, though many reigns were short.

Rule and society

Gutian rule was loose and patchy. Some kings, such as Erridupizir, left Akkadian inscriptions at Nippur imitating Akkadian royal style, but southern cities like Lagash under Gudea and Ur and Uruk carried on largely independently. Their language is almost unknown. Later Mesopotamian texts, such as the Curse of Agade, portrayed the Gutians as barbarians sent by the gods to punish Akkad.

Decline and legacy

Around 2119 BCE Utu-hengal of Uruk defeated the last Gutian king, Tirigan, and expelled the Gutians. Ur-Nammu soon founded the Neo-Sumerian Empire. 'Gutian' became a general term for eastern highlanders in later Mesopotamian writing.

Lineage

Akkadian Empire 2334 BCE – 2154 BCEGutian ruleUruk 3500 BCE – 1802 BCENeo-Sumerian Empire 2112 BCE – 2004 BCE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Gutian rule. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/gutian-rule
MLA
“Gutian rule.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/gutian-rule. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Gutian rule.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/gutian-rule.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Gutian rule’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/gutian-rule (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻