Genesis Vol 3.pdf - College Press

12:l-20 GENESIS
ruler. This Empire came to be known as the Akkadian
Empire and survived for about two centuries (c. 2350-
21 50 B.C.) , Later, when Babylon rose to pre-eminence in
the area, the name Akkad came to be used to designate the
whole of northern Babylonia. Prior to the Early Dynastic
Period initiated by Sargon’s conquests, Lower Mesopotamia
had been only a cluster of city-states constantly at war
among themselves-Ur, Eridu, Babylon (Babel) , Larsa,
Erech, Kish, Lagash, Nippur, etc. (cf. again Gen. 10: 10).
Later, toward the end of the third millenium, the
Amurr ( ccwesterners’’) -the Biblical Amorites, Gen. 15 : 16,
48:22; Deut. 20:17, etc.-a new wave of Semites began
pouring into Mesopotamia from the West. Included in this
folk movement, apparently of several closely related ethnic
groups, must have been the early Arameans. It seems
evident that these western Semites also occupied Palestine
about the beginning of the second millenium. Some of
these peoples who occupied the Palestinian area took over
northern Canaan (note, archaeological discoveries at Ugarit)
and, Syria as far, as its southern coast. These people entrenched
themselves at Mari on the Euphrates in Upper
Mesopotamia (see archaeological discoveries there also) .
The zenith of Amorite political power was reached in the
First Dynasty of Babylon in the days of the great king
and. lawgiver, Hammprabi (c. 1728-1686 B.C.). (It is
intriguing to note ’that various records at Mari and elsewhere
in Mesopotamia, mention another troublesome group,
the “Apiru.” or “Habiru”-a name that is thought by many
scholars to be equiyaleot to the name “Hebrews.”)
,
Following the ,strong Semitic Dynasty of Agade (23 SO-
21 50 B.C.) the Second .Dynasty Ur (of which little seems
to be knowp) j, and a, subseqpent cultural eclipse under the
Gutians (21SOr2070J, the ‘Third Dynasty of Ur~. (2070-
1960) was ushered in; in which a succession of strong
rulers .led in a Sumerian renaissance. The population of
Ur is estiqated to have been more than half a million souls
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