Guti

▪ people

      mountain people of ancient Mesopotamia who lived primarily around Hamadan in the central Zagros Range. The Guti were a strong political force throughout the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC, especially about 2230, when they swept down into Babylonia (southern Mesopotamia), overthrowing the Akkadian (Akkad) empire (ruled at that time either by Naram-Sin or by his son Shar-kali-sharri), and traditionally took over control of most of the region. The Gutian rulers, in power about one century (until c. 2130), do not appear to have held all of Babylonia during this whole period; there is evidence of independent rulers in various parts of Babylonia, such as Gudea at Lagash. Very little is known about the Gutian domination, and the period appears to have been one of general political turmoil and cultural stagnation.

      The dynasty of Guti traditionally ended about 2130 when Utu-khegal of Uruk defeated Tirigan, the last king of the Gutian dynasty. Although the Guti, from their home in the Zagros, continued to menace the subsequent dynasties and kingdoms, they were never again able to take control of southern Mesopotamia.

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