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'''Rapiqum''' (also Rapiku and Rapiqu), ra-bi-qa-wi<sup>KI</sup>, was a city of the ancient [[Near East]]. The city was located in the [[north]] of Mesopotamia, probably on the eastern [[Bank (geography)|bank]] of the [[Euphrates]] River, in modern [[Iraq]]. It is firmly attested from early in the 2nd Millennium BC until early in the 1st Millennium BC.
==History==
A single damaged tablet from year six of Ur III empire ruler [[Shulgi]] mentions Rapiqum but since the city is otherwise completely unattested before the Old Babylonian period researchers consider it a possible anachronism.
{{blockquote|text="The teeming peoples, numerous as blades of grass, from the mighty waters of the Tigris and Euphrates, ...of the Tigris, that my lord has entrusted to me, ... citizens? of the land of Gutium, ... Mari? and Rapiqum, who have...are before me. Whatever you, my king, order me to do, I will do,"<ref>[https://findit.library.yale.edu/images_layout/view?parentoid=15763246&increment=6] J. J. A. van Dijk, "Textes divers du Musee de Baghdad III", Sumer 15, pp. 5-14, 1959</ref><ref>Michalowski, Piotr, "Aradmu to Šulgi 6 (ArŠ6, 3.1.4, RCU 5)", The Correspondence of the Kings of Ur: An Epistolary History of an Ancient Mesopotamian Kingdom, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 341-343, 2011</ref>
}}
Rapiqum often interacted with the regional power [[Eshnunna]]. Ruler <sup>[[dingir|D]]</sup>Ipiq-Adad II has a year name "Year Ipiq-Adad seized Rapiqum, the dwelling place of Nin-azu". A year name of later ruler [[Dadusha]] of Eshnunna reads "Year in which the daughter of the king was married in Rapiqum". In the ninth year of the rule of his son [[Ibal-pi-el II]] a year name reads "Year Rapiqum was destroyed".<ref>[https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/oip43.pdf] Henri Frankfort, Seton Lloyd, and Thorkild Jacobsen with a chapter by Günter Martiny, "The Gimilsin Temple and the Palace of the Rulers at Tell Asmar", Oriental Institute Publication 43, 1940</ref> That defeat was part of a war between forces led by [[Ishme-Dagan I]] of [[Isin]], which included Eshnunna, and the empire of [[Mari, Syria|Mari]] under [[Zimri-Lim]].<ref>Beitzel, Barry J., "Išme-Dagan’s Military Actions in the Jezirah: A Geographical Study", Iraq, vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 29–42, 1984</ref>
The city is mentioned in several transaction records of the time and<ref>P. Meer, "A propos de l'expédition - de Dadusa a Qabra", Review of Assyriology and Eastern Archeology, 47, no. 1, p. 16-22, 1953</ref> the records of king [[Sin-Iddinam]] of [[Larsa]],.<ref name="Leemans" >W. F. Leemans, "Foreign trade in the old Babylonian period as revealed by texts from Southern Mesopotamia",Brill Archive, 1960</ref> Larsa ruler Rim-Sin year name fourteen is "Year the armies of Uruk, Isin, Babylon, Sutum, Rapiqum, and of Irdanene the king of Uruk were smitten with weapons".<ref>Van De Mieroop, Marc, "The Reign of Rim-Sin", Revue d’Assyriologie et d’archéologie Orientale, vol. 87, no. 1, pp. 47–69, 1993</ref> Rapiqum is mentioned in one tablet found at [[Chagar Bazar]].<ref>Gadd, C. J., "Tablets from Chagar Bazar and Tall Brak, 1937-38", Iraq, vol. 7, pp. 22–66, 1940</ref>
After defeating [[Eshnunna]] Rapiqum was taken by [[Hammurapi]] in his 10th or 11th year of rule (around 1782 BC) with his 11th year name being "Year (Hammu-rabi) seized the city wall / city, the land and the territory of Rapiqum and Szalibi".<ref name="Leemans" /><ref>William J. Hamblin, Warfare in the Ancient Near East to 1600 BC: Holy Warriors at the Dawn of History (Routledge, 27 Sep. 2006), [https://books.google.com/books?id=biyDDd0uKGMC&dq=Rapiqum&pg=PT177 pg. xx].</ref> As Babylon was still fairly weak at that point the actual story is more complex. Rapiqum was actually captured by [[Shamshi-Adad I]] of [[Ekallatum]], ruler of the Kingdom of Upper Mesopotamia and given to Hammurabi to rule. This is shown in a letter from the ambassador of Zimri-Lim to Babylon:
{{blockquote|text="... I said, “Ḫit, Ḫarbe, and Yabliya.” “You must not mention Ḫit!” he said. “ The situation is similar to what had happened when Samsi-Addu forced Rapiqum out of the king of Ešnunna’s control and gave it to me. Since then my garrison stayed there and must remain there even now. As Samsi-Addu’s garrison stayed there ever since then, Zimri-Lim’s garrison can stay also. Just as my garrison and his have stayed jointly there, these garrisons (of ours) should be merged as one. A peace accord between us must last forever."<ref name="Sasson" >Sasson, Jack M., "Kingship", From the Mari Archives: An Anthology of Old Babylonian Letters, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 21-118, 2015</ref>
}}
Rapiqum, being in a key border location between competing powers, is mentioned a number of times in the cuneiform letters found there from its early 2nd Millennium BC period.<ref>Heimpel, Wolfgang. Letters to the king of Mari: a new translation, with historical introduction, notes, and commentary. Eisenbrauns, 2003 {{ISBN|978-1-57506-080-4}}</ref> Another letter, sent the ruler of Mari, with a possible location hint, would be:
{{blockquote|text="All of the nomads gathered, saying this, “Write to our lord so as to allow us to make a raid on the sheep of Išme-Dagan in Rapiqum and Yabliya. We want then to turn back toward the Bank of the Euphrates (i.e., Mari), (at which point) we will give many sheep to our lord. In this way, our lord would not keep on requesting sheep from us.” This is what all the nomads said as in one voice. ..."<ref name="Sasson" />
}}
In Hammurabi's 42 year of reign he reports "Year in which Hammu-rabi the king lifted up like a mountain the top of the great city wall on the banks of the Tigris, called it Kar-Szamasz, and built the city wall of Rapiqum on the banks of the Euphrates".
In an inscription of the Middle Assyrian period ruler [[Tukulti-Ninurta I]] (c. 1200 BC) he claimed to have conquered "Mari (written Ma-a-ri), Hana and Rapiqu".<ref>Albright, W. F., "A Babylonian Geographical Treatise on Sargon of Akkad’s Empire", Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 45, pp. 193–245, 1925</ref>
Middle Assyrian ruler [[Tiglath-Pileser I]] (c. 1100 BC) wrote, on the Arameans, "I defeated them from the foot of Mt. Lebanon, Tadmar of Amurru, Anat of Suhi and as far as Rapiqu of Babylonia".<ref>Russell, H. F., "The Historical Geography of the Euphrates and Habur According to the Middle- and Neo-Assyrian Sources", Iraq, vol. 47, pp. 57–74, 1985</ref>
Much later the Neo-Assyrian ruler [[Assur-nasir-pal II]] (883 to 859 BC) claimed he had made all the land "as far as Rapiku" submit at his feet, being unclear whether Rapiqum itself submitted.<ref>Wiseman, D. J., "A New Stela of Aššur-Naṣir-Pal II", Iraq, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 24–44, 1952</ref>
Briefly, from around  770 BC until sometime in the reign of [[Tiglath-Pileser III]] the [[Suhum]] region shook of control of the Neo-Assyrian empire and became an independent state with its own governors. It claimed to control territory including Rapiqu. Tiglath-Pileser III reports "At  the  beginning  of  my  reign,  in  my  first  palû,  in  the  fifth  month  after  I  sat  in  greatness  on  the  throne  of  kingship,  Ašsur,  my  lord,  encouraged  me  and  [I  marched]  against  the  Ḫamarānu,  Luḫuʾatu,  Ḫaṭallu,  Rubbû,  Rapiqu, ...".<ref>Dubovský, Peter, "Theocracy as Gods’ Governing the Events of History: An Investigation in the Suḫian Inscriptions of the Early 8th c. BCE", Theokratie: Exegetische und wirkungsgeschichtliche Ansätze, edited by Peter Juhás, Róbert Lapko and Reinhard Müller, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, pp. 1-32, 2022</ref><ref>Lawson Younger, K., "Another Look at the Nomadic Tribal Arameans in the Inscriptions of Ninurta-kudurrī-uṣur of Suḫu", Marbeh Ḥokmah: Studies in the Bible and the Ancient Near East in Loving Memory of Victor Avigdor Hurowitz, edited by Shamir Yonah, Edward L. Greenstein, Mayer I. Gruber, Peter Machinist and Shalom M. Paul, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 605-632, 2015</ref>
==Location ==
[[file:Hammurabi's Babylonia PL.svg|thumb|right|Hammurabi's Babylonia.]]
A literary tablet from the Kassite period (and a later Assyrian version) records a man taking a dream journey. His path follows the Euphrates road from [[Sippar]] to Ki-i-la to Ha-bar-ar (Ha-am-ba-ri in the Assyrian version) to Ra-pi-qum to Id-da-an to Mari, then [[Emar]].<ref>Oppenheim, A. Leo., "The Interpretation of Dreams in the Ancient Near East. With a Translation of an Assyrian Dream-Book", Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 179–373, 1956</ref><ref>Goetze, Albrecht, "The Syrian Town of Emar", Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 147, pp. 22–27, 1957</ref>
Text from Mari indicate that the road from Rapiqum to [[Eshnunna]] crosses the Tigris river at Ma-ki-sum. This is thought to be the same city as mentioned in the 32nd year name of Hamurapi "Year Hammu-rabi the king, the hero who gains victory for Marduk, defeated with his mighty weapons the entire army and soldiers of Esznunna, Subartu and Gutium and conquered the land of Mankisum and the land on the banks of the Tigris up to the border of the Subartu mountains" and the Dadusha of Eshnunna year name "Year in which Dadusza seized Mankisum".<ref>Goetze, Albrecht, "An Old Babylonian Itinerary", Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 51–72, 1953</ref>
The region in the north between Mari and Eshnunna was called [[Suhum]]. When Eshnunna controlled that region its governor resided at Rapiqum. That governor was also an intendant at the newly build city of [[Haradum]] in the Suhum.<ref>Kepinski, Christine, "Organization of Harrâdum, Suhum, 18th–17th Centuries b.c., Iraqi Middle Euphrates", Organization, Representation, and Symbols of Power in the Ancient Near East: Proceedings of the 54th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale at Würzburg 20–25 Jul, edited by Gernot Wilhelm, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 143-154, 2012</ref>
The modern cities of [[Ramadi]], [[Fallujah]], and [[Hit, Iraq|Hit]] have been suggested as the location for Rapiqu, mainly due to being on the Euphrates and in the right general location. There is as yet no archaeological or epigraphic support for this. In the case of Hit, since Rapiqu was associated with the ancient Mesopotamian "river ordeal" (River god of Rāpiqum) and Hit has also been linked to that.<ref>Heimpel, Wolfgang, "The river ordeal in hit", Revue d’Assyriologie et d’archéologie Orientale, vol. 90, no. 1, pp. 7–18, 1996</ref><ref>Wasserman, Nathan, "The Modal Particle -man and the Irrealis Constructions ibašši, lū, and ašar", Most Probably, University Park, USA: Penn State University Press, pp. 115-137, 2012</ref>
Hit would seem to be ruled out by an itinerary of [[Tukulti-Ninurta II]] (890–884 BC) who said, of his travels;
{{blockquote|text="Moving on from Dur-balati I pitched camp (and) spent the night in  the   city Rahimmu which is before the city Rapiqu — Rapiqu lies on the other bank of the Euphrates.  Moving on from Rahimmu I pitched camp (and) spent the night in the area of Kabsitu which is upon the Euphrates. Moving on from the city  Kabsitu I pitched camp (and) spent the night in the city Daiasetu. Moving on from Daiasetu(60) I pitched camp (and) spent the night before the city Idu, at the bitumen spring, where the stele of the great gods is erected — Idu lies on the other bank of the Euphrates."<ref>Grayson, A. Kirk, "Tukultī-Ninurta II: A.0.100". Assyrian Rulers of the Early First Millennium BC I (1114-859 BC), Toronto: University of Toronto Press, pp. 163-188, 1996</ref>
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Its exact location was previously thought to be near [[Ramadi]] but recent excavations suggest [[Anbar (town)|Tell Anbar]], near [[Fallujah]].<ref>[https://shs.hal.science/halshs-02992246/file/Sippar_and_the_Frontier_between_Esnunna.pdf] Van Koppen, Frans, and Denis Lacambre, "Sippar and the Frontier between Ešnunna and Babylon. New Sources for the History of Ešnunna in the Old Babylonian Period", Jaarbericht van het Vooraziatisch-Egyptisch Genootschap Ex Oriente Lux, pp. 151-177, 2009</ref> Excavations in the area of [[Fallujah]] have revealed textual evidence of the city of Rapiqum. Currently thinking is that the most likely location is Tell Anbar (Tell Mirmiran), near Falluga.<ref>Lacambre, D., 1997, La bataille de Hirîtum, MARI 8: 431-454. —, 2006, La région du Suhûm à l’époque des archives de Mari (XIXe-XVIIIe siècles av. J.-C.), 129-156 in: Chr. Kepinski, O. Lecomte and A. Tenu (eds.), Studia Euphratica. Le moyen Euphrate iraquien révélé par les fouilles préventives de Haditha (Travaux de la Maison René-Ginouvès 3, Paris)</ref>
==See also==
*[[Cities of the ancient Near East]]
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==Further reading==
*Charpin, D., "Hagalum, šakkanakkum de Râpiqum, et ses serviteurs", In (eds ), Munuscula Mesopotamica, Festschrift für Johannes Renger Alter Orient und Altes Testament 267 Müns- ter, pp 95–108, 1999
*Joannes, F., "s. v. Rapiqu(m)", in Reallexikon der Assyriologie, 11, pp.&nbsp;243–246, 2007
*Lacambre, D., "La date de la prise de Rāpiqum par Ešnunna et du début de la guerre avec Zimri-Lim", N.A.B.U., 30, pp.&nbsp;24–25, 1993
*Rumaiydh, S. S., "Rapiqum. A Babylonian City of  the Second Millennium BC", BaM 35, pp.&nbsp;19–25, 2004
{{coord missing|Iraq}}
[[Category:States and territories established in the 3rd millennium BC]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in the 18th century BC]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 3rd millennium BC]]
[[Category:18th century BC]]
[[Category:Babylonia]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Iraq]]
[[Category:2nd-millennium BC establishments]]
[[Category:Ancient Assyrian cities]]