kingdom · Mesopotamia and Iran

Malgium

1900 BCE – 1764 BCE (approx.) · capital Malgium

A small Amorite-era kingdom on the Tigris, caught between Eshnunna, Elam and Babylon, that ended in Hammurabi's conquests.

Origins

Malgium lay on the Tigris south of the Diyala confluence, in the borderland between Babylonia and Elam; its exact site is unknown. It emerged as an independent kingdom in the 19th century BCE, after the end of the Neo-Sumerian Empire.

Rule and society

Its kings, such as Ipiq-Ishtar and Takil-ilissu, left Akkadian building inscriptions recording temples for Ea and Damkina. Malgium's position made it a pawn and occasional ally of greater powers: the Mari letters show its rulers negotiating with Eshnunna, Elam and Babylon and providing troops to coalitions. Hammurabi's tenth year name records the destruction of the army of Malgium, but the kingdom survived as a client.

Decline and legacy

In 1764 BCE Malgium joined Babylon's coalition against the Sukkalmah dynasty of Elam, but soon afterwards Hammurabi annexed it, and it disappears from the record as part of the Babylonian Empire.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (1)

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻