Skip to content
3000 BCE — 1500 BCE

Gutians & Hurrians

Zagros Mountains Zagros RangeSumerN. Mesopotamia

The Zagros Mountains gave rise to some of antiquity's most formidable peoples. The Hurrians, whose name may survive in the Kurdish district of Hawraman, established city-states and kingdoms across northern Mesopotamia from roughly 2500 BCE onward. The Gutians, a fierce mountain people from the central Zagros, overthrew the mighty Akkadian Empire around 2150 BCE and ruled Sumer for nearly a century -- the so-called "Gutian dynasty of Sumer." Their king Erridupizir claimed the title "King of the Four Quarters." The last Gutian king, Tirigan, was defeated by Utu-hengal of Uruk around 2050 BCE. Scholars including Mehrdad Izady consider these ancient Zagros peoples to be among the proto-Kurdish ancestors, forming what he calls "the Hurrian phase of Kurdish history." The Lullubi, another Zagros people depicted in the famous rock relief of Anubanini at Sar-e Pol-e Zahab, also belong to this era of highland civilizations.

Key Events

  • Hurrian city-states emerge across northern Mesopotamia (~2500 BCE)
  • Gutians overthrow the Akkadian Empire, ending Sargonic rule (~2150 BCE)
  • Gutian dynasty rules Sumer for nearly a century (~2150-2050 BCE)
  • Gutian king Erridupizir claims title "King of the Four Quarters"
  • Lullubi rock relief of King Anubanini carved at Sar-e Pol-e Zahab (~2300 BCE)
  • Last Gutian king Tirigan defeated by Utu-hengal of Uruk (~2050 BCE)
  • Hurrian states spread from eastern Anatolia to the Zagros foothills
  • Indo-European migrations begin influencing Zagros cultures (~2000 BCE onward)
  • Hurrian language and religious traditions influence later Kurdish culture
  • Third Dynasty of Ur rises after Gutian collapse, unifying Mesopotamia briefly (~2112-2004 BCE)

Key Figures

E

Erridupizir

Gutian king who claimed the title "King of the Four Quarters" after conquering Akkad. One of the few Gutian rulers known by name from cuneiform inscriptions.

T

Tirigan

The last Gutian king of Sumer, defeated by Utu-hengal of Uruk around 2050 BCE, ending roughly a century of Gutian rule over southern Mesopotamia.

A
Anubanini

King of the Lullubi, a Zagros mountain people, commemorated in a famous rock relief at Sar-e Pol-e Zahab (c. 2300 BCE) showing him trampling enemies -- one of the earliest royal monuments in the region.

Sources (7)