For me the top three are: 1. Sargon: because his shadow still falls upon us 4 millena later. 2. Ashurbanipal: because he was a king who could read, loved culture and still managed to be as brutal an Assyrian as any. 3. Ur-Namu: because he revatilized the Sumerian culture that was already a couple of millenia old and almost moribund and was able to take it to it’s greatest heights. I prefer these three because each represents the most prominent cultures of a fantastic and my favourite ancient historical region.
"He could read, BUT he was as brutal as everyone else around him. That's why he's the second most important ruler" Yeah, right dude... What a brainfart that is 🤣😭😭😭
Thanks, I thought you'd be interested in this video! I think after the top three, it's definitely hard to differentiate between who was greater or lesser. Plus, we actually know relatively little because so much was lost. Thanks for watching and stay tuned for more!
Haha thanks! I love the feeling of finally pressing the release button for new videos... it's a bit of excitement and relief. Thanks so much for watching and let me know if there are others you'd put on the list!
Hello CY, thanks for yet another fabulous vide - BRAVO! Yet I do not require your complete list of Mesopotamian kings "of Summer and Akkad" to select my FIVE favorites (not listed in any specific order - except the last one - since all of them were "great" in every possible measure - always excluding the disagreeable "brutality" factor): - Sargon of Akkad - Gudea of Lagash - Hammurabi, the most famous ruler of Babylon - Tiglath-pilaser III, who introduced the first "standing army", of Assyria, and - Ashurbanipal (the greatest of all), the last king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Cheers!
I will proclaim to the world the deeds of Gilgamesh , this was the man to whom all things were known, this was the king who knew the countries of the world , he was wise , he saw mysteries and knew secret things
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it and were familiar with many of them! Speaking of seeing them all together, I'm working on a large video that ties the history of the entire region together, from Sumer to Cyrus, so you'll be seeing many of these rulers again. Thanks for watching, really appreciate it!
Good as always. Would have swapped Hamurabi for Sargon because of how popular his law code seemed to me while growing up. You could also do something similar for Ancient Egypt, they have a lot of rulers and a huge amount of time to choose from.
my top three ones: 1. Sargon (for creating the first "real" empire, and who can forget his "origins" story, hehe ), Hammurabi (not for the famous laws, which only happened towards the end of his reign/life, but the way he outmanoeuvred -diplomatically and militarily - much more powerful enemies at the time and creating the old Babylonian empire), 3. Ashurbanipal (of course, for his library)
Not a single mention of Urukagina of Lagash also known as the first Moses. His laws giving rights to widows, orphans and the poor people in general are still today the foundations of most laws that protect the poor. His laws are the oldest written laws we have in history.
You are welcome, glad you enjoyed it! Great kings of Elam would be an interesting one but I'm not sure I could come up with that large a list due to lack of information. But there are many three I could think of... will also one day do such a list for Persian kings, Achaemenid to Sasanid. Thanks for watching, stay tuned for more!
Great channel and excellent work bringing ancient worlds to us !!! It does boggle my tiny, humble brain that conquering is considered an achievement . It usually includes plunder, destruction, torture, death, enslaving people and basically a terrible amount of human suffering. We (in)humans have strange values.
To me, it's Ashurbanipal, hands down, no contest. Preserving human knowledge for millenia to come just seems to me like one of the most glorious achievement a person can aspire to.
Hello my friends since I am Iraqi and I know my Sumerian Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrian ancestors I will say who are the greatest kings of ancient Iraq in sequence. First the most powerful king in the history of Mesopotamia is the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II followed by the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal followed by the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III followed by the Akkadian king Naram-Sin Haula The four are the most powerful kings of Mesopotamia 🇮🇶🔥👌
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! I think after the top three, it's difficult because there are so many great candidates... definitely more than 10-30. This was fun list to create and hopefully will do more of them in the future. Thanks for watching!
Awesome list. I would personally put Ashurbanipal at no.1 just because without his library and thirst for records and literature, our knowledge of the history of the region would be dwarfed a 1000 times.
I was tripping like where is Sargon the great lol awesome video I would agree with you about Sargon someone from humble all be it bloody beginnings gives normal men something to look up to it's no wonder we still consider him great thanks again for the all the great work you do Cy
Excellent list, and a formidable list indeed! I may have added or subtracted a few kings here and there, but this list is obviously well thought through. And of course, having Sargon at the head of the list makes me smile
Thanks! Yeah, I think other than the top 3 or so, it's hard to say who was the greatest since so much has been lost and we don't always know the exact context of the inscriptions or texts discovered. Perhaps they were just propaganda and few if any of the deeds these rulers described actually happened. It was a fun project nevertheless. Thanks for watching and glad that you found this type of video interesting!
@@HistorywithCy Exactly. I'm always reasonably dubious about the writings of these kings, and writings attributed to or about them. Texts alone cannot confirm what happened. But perhaps as the archaeology improves, more and more things can be confirmed or refuted. Still, the video was a lot of fun and I think you covered a lot of these kings fairly in terms of what is currently known. Well done as always Cy
I thought the builder and founder of Assyrian Empire Shamsi Adar should have been on the list and the earlier Assyrian KIng Ashurnasirpal II, withou him there’s no neo Assyrian empire.
I watched an interesting documentary on Sennacherib, and the idea that the hanging gardens of Babylon were actually at Nineveh and attributed to Sennacherib. Curious if you have heard of this theory, and what you think of it.
Hi, thanks for watching! Yes, archaeologically, there seems to be more evidence that something like the Hanging Gardens was in Nineveh since there are documents referring to a large garden that Sennacherib built; the same has not been found in Babylon, at least to my knowledge, though the city was no doubt also replete with gardens. To answer your question, I don't really know, but I could see something similar in both cities. Nebuchadnezzar II most likely modelled his new Babylon after Nineveh, which up until its destruction was arguably the greatest and most beautiful city in the world. If it had something like the Hanging Gardens that later writers describe, he probably would have imitated it. Perhaps the garden itself wasn't considered anything that special in Mesopotamia since they were commonplace, but to the Greeks, who didn't have the same traditions of maintaining gardens that Babylonians and especially Persians had (cultivating gardens was an important and symbolic activity of kings), even a slightly terraced garden must have been an amazing sight. Just my thoughts on a Tuesday morning... Thanks for watching, really appreciate it and stay tuned for more!
Urukagina of Lagash should get some consideration. We don't have text of his law code but can read it's preamble. In it Urukagina states that he wished to establish justice in the land and to protect the lives and rights of the poor, widows and orphans.
Yes, there are so many who could have been included... I should have expanded the list to 20 or more, but time prevented this. I'll put together some other lists and videos with him, perhaps one on legal traditions of ancient Mesopotamia. Thanks for watching, really appreciate it and more on the way, stay tuned!
@@HistorywithCy : Yeah, when you have 2 to 3 millennia of all-stars to choose from, it must be hard to narrow the field. Love your content. All the best, Peace!
Utu-hengal could have also been included in the list. Even though he didn't rule over vast swathes of land, he was the one who overthrew the Gutian yoke after 200 years, and through his actions the Third Dynasty of Ur was founded.
Yes, it was a tough one between him and Shulgi, but since the Neo-Sumerian influence through art and literature, not just militarily, was at its peak during his reign put him slightly ahead. In all honestly, it's hard to really see who was or was not greater than another ruler after the top 3 or so, at least in my opinion. Thanks for watching, really appreciate it and more on the way!
I agree,Utu-Hengal was the real founder of Ur III dynasty . Ur-Nanmu married his daughter (Shulgi's mother) and only come to power after his death under "mysterious circunstances ". But as he died too early I think he is more like a hero akin to Ashur Ubalit I of Assyria (who expelled the Mittani).
In one of Agatha Christie's stories, the vicar's cat is named Tiglath-Pileser. This reflects Christie's interest in ancient history and it's a fitting name for a cat as they consider themselves rulers of the four corners of the earth. Thank you, Cy, for your wonderful videos. I limit myself to one a day so I can review and absorb them better.
Thank you for another great video, Cy! It may be the case that we don't even know about the best ruler. Someone down to earth, improving the society and economy with small, careful steps, not focused on conquests nor on glorifying himself might not leave too many records.
Good content as always. I have a question for Cy or his audience. Can anyone tell me the name of the long curled hairstyle worn by many of these kings?
I’m curious about that too. How the heck did they get such curls in their beards? Also to get such a full length in one’s beard. Such a beautiful look they created. I love seeing the old stelas and reliefs.
@@sallithorpe1031 I've read that they used fire-heated iron bars to curl their hair and beards that way. It seems to have been used as as a status symbol to distinguish the ruling class from their subjects. Many spiritual entities were also depicted in this manner. What strikes me, is the longevity of this practice which was adopted by multiple cultures over several millennia. I've heard that the hairstyle may have indicated a deep devotion to God, but I have not been able to confirm that, nor locate the term used to identify this feature. Hopefully, someone with more information will be able to add to this.
@@ABC-po6be that makes good sense. Maybe that explains why the Jews also wouldn’t cut their forelock’s and beards and they would twist the long forelocks into curls. Anything for God, gotta look stunning 😻🙏🏼
Great choices! I think Naram-Sin would be higher if he had left behind a more lasting legacy like the other two, but definitely one of the most powerful rulers of all time. Thanks for watching, really appreciate it and more on the way, stay tuned!
For me the list is the following: 3: Ashurbanipal. 2: Nebuchadnezzar II. 1: Sargon. I also think that Eannatum should be on the list, considering he conquered all of Sumer before Lugalzaguesi did.
I think I def would have added ole Gilgy as he was def noteworthy as a ruler. He was a true legend. If I could go back in time just to meet him and Enkidu I would. What a story, eh?
For me its: 1 Sargon 2 Ashurbanipal 3 Hammurabi 4 Ur Nammu 5 Shulgi 6 Tiglath-Pileser III 7 Naram-Sin 8 Cyrus (Gotta be on here for me) 9 Esarhaddon 10 Nebuchadnezzar II
Great list! Yeah Cyrus was not included only because he is technically from Iran to the east, else he'd definitely be one of the top contenders! Thanks for watching, really appreciate it and more on the way, stay tuned!
Such a deep work... I don't understand why it is Not in Chronogical Order. It would have provided a better historical line and integration of knowledge...
Hi, thanks for watching! If I remember correctly they were voted on by the viewers as to who they thought were the greatest overall and put in that order.
This video makes me so happy! My top three would be Sargon of Akkad, Hammurabi (although not in his own lifetime), and Tiglath-Pilesar III. But Ashur-Dan II definitely needs a spot in the top ten. Not a king we have a lot of records of, but he laid the groundwork for the Neo-Assyrian Empire in both ideology and infrastructure. Kinda surprised so many people rank Ashurbanipal so highly. His early reign was prosperous but his mismanagement of the empire and poor selection of an heir were key factors in Assyria’s collapse.
I definitely would have Included Cyrus even with the requirements because uhhh, If Assyria counts to me, I dont see why Persia would be distinguished as Seperate from Mesopotamia when it was arguably as close to Babylon as Assyria. But thats just my Personal take on it
He will be on another list my friend, you can count on that! Assyria counted for this list because it's still northern Mesopotamia and all of the kings, at least those listed here, were born in either Ashur, Kalhu or Nineveh along the Tigris river. Though Cyrus ruled over it, the Persian heartland was still a few hundred kilometers away, and as far as we know, Cyrus was born in Anshan, once a great Elamite city, so for those main reasons, he didn't qualify for this list. But on future lists... Thanks for watching and lots more on the way!
Assyria is in mesopotamia lol Babylon was mostly a city but after awhile Babylon became a kingdom and was basically southern while Assyria was northern mesopotamia
As iraqi all of the kings you mentioned are respected and liked But among iraqi historians Those three are the most significant 1 sargon of akkad First empire and the father of the idea of united mesopotamia Builder of new cities and has significant achievements from agriculture to infrastructure of the time humb towards the gods and his grandson narm sin also increases his famous 2 hamurabi Mightiest of his dynasty and the one who made babylon the greatest of his time he is one of the first to establish one of the first and most efficient laws of his times and even few of them are still being used And also his ability to unified mesopotamia is very remarkable considering how strong his foes were at the time 3 King nebuchadnezzar II Mightiest of the neo babylonian empire the last empire ruled by native mesopotamian at the time He was very successful military leader who was able to made babylon take all the former assyrian territory of mesopotamia and even more defeat Egypt and ending it influences over the levant region His religious mention in abrahamic faith increased his fame including his hanging gardens and babylon itself which flourished and prosperous under him The fact he outshine his father and all the others who came after prove he was the most significant and last true significant native king of mesopotamia He was surly one of the greatest Kings and ruler history has ever seen
Tiglat-Pileser III deserved a higher rank on that list for his influence on the neo-Assyrian empire that was the first true iron age empire, otherwise spot-on!
He does. Tiglat-Pileser III really revolutionized military systems. Before him, soldiers were purely seasonal, only being usable during summer times. When he got into power, he reformed the military to be loyal provincials, which were forever loyal to the king and could be commanded at any time the king wanted. This placed Assyria above their competitors tenfold.
Thanks! All of the music for this video comes from the site Epidemic Sound. Let me know if there are any specific tracks you liked and I'll send you their names. Thanks for watching (and listening), more on the way, stay tuned!
I agree, Sargon the great should hold the top spot, he built the foundations all of the others stood upon (unless Gilgamesh really was a historical person). I do hope we find his capital some day, just imagine what could be there just waiting for the archaeologists. :)
Agreed! I also believe that there was probably a real person named Gilgamesh after whom all of the stories are based, but, like Homer's Illiad, tales of his adventures were passed down orally from generation to generation until they were finally written down much later. Thanks for watching, really appreciate it and more on the way!
Hi. I use the names that most people, especially an English-speaking audience, would be familiar with. The are much easier for the viewers to remember than Sîn-ahhi-eriba (Sennacherib) or Ashur-bani-apli (Ashurbanipal). Thanks for watching, really appreciate it!
What a great topic! Obviously it's a matter of opinion and my choices are biased by the time I'm alive (in a Western 'democracy' that straddles the 20th & 21st centuries). I'll begin by quoting Yoda who said, "Wars not make one great." To me there's little distinction between the butchers were born into a hereditary title and ones who slaughtered their way to power. Killing other men, woman and children and subjugating others to your whims seems more a sign of criminality than greatness. While all of these ancient rulers seem tyrannical to a modern eye, I'd choose Hammurabi & Ashurbanipal. Before Hammurabi, so far as we know at least, rules were applied arbitrarily or made up on the spot, with different rules for the wealthy and the poor. Perhaps standardized written codes of law would have inevitably developed over time, but he does seem to have been the first to really codify laws in an attempt to provide something resembling equal justice. I admire Ashurbanipal for the way he pursued knowledge and created great libraries to preserve it. We today do how a huge debt to Ashurbanipal as most of what we know of the culture and daily life from his time is based on his records.
Haha you know what, I was going to play that clip from Empire Strikes Back where Luke says, "I'm looking for a great warrior" and Yoda responds with the line you quoted right before Gudea, but didn't because I had to finish this before leaving for a trip. But one day, I'll do a video on history and Star Wars, or how Star Wars is the classic tale of the hero's journey, something like that. Anyway, thanks for watching and more on the way!
🤣 haha the Sumerians were actually great brewers and consumers of beer so I'm sure someone was the ancient equivalent of Budweiser. I'm considering doing a short video on beer in the ancient world since it was a staple in the diet of so many peoples. Anyway, thanks for watching and more on the way, stay tuned!
I watched this video a year after it's release, before watching, the three greatest kings should be Sargon of Akkad, Tiglafpileser III and Ashurbanipal.
Sumer, Akkad, Gutium, Babylon and Assyria. Which one of these have the most recognisable name? Babylon. Who is the most recognisable king of Babylon? Hammurabi. So Hammurabi is number one. But he's an Amorite from Syria.
@King Dahaka Which was given by Greeks. It was called Aram and before that it was Ebla(second oldest civilization after Sumer). Assyrians only controlled it approximately 100 years only. Unless you think Syria has only a 100 year old history.
@King Dahaka Allow me to correct you. Eblaite language has more common with Levantine languages than they do with Mesopotamian. And it's called Syria because people that rule ot today are Arabs who called it Syria which was incorrectly called by the Greek speaking Macedonians when they took Aram. And the reason why they called it Syria instead of Aram is because they couldn't differentiate the Levant from the rest of the Assyrian empire, so the whole thing became "Syria".
Surely you have to identify the king who proclaimed himself as god as both of them had a debate. So far, the only 1 i can think of from the list is Naram Sin. I did not seem to find other akkadian or assyrian kings who divinify themselves.
Ahasuersu is the Hebrew version of the names Artaxerxes / Xerxes, which was the name of multiple ruling class people in the Archamenid empire. The Xerxes you mentioned from the Bible was most likely Xerxes I, the fourth king of the Archamenid empire, who's domain actually spanned the area you wrote about.
Hahaha that's funny, I didn't think about that. Gilgamesh was also in that new Marvel movie, Eternals I think it was. I haven't seen it but I saw that their character of Gilgamesh looks nothing like the historical one. Oh well, that's Hollywood. Thanks for watching, really appreciate and longs more stories of kings on the way, stay tuned!
ur disappointing me :( u actually think gilgamesh didnt really exist? xd so excluding him, clearly the top3 is hammurabi the judge, sargon the creator and ashurbanipal the librarian xd
Yeah he was not included because there is no real archaeological evidence of his existence, only his stories in myths and the mention of his name on the Sumerian King List. But he'd be a good character to examine further. Thanks for watching and more on the way, stay tuned!
@@HistorywithCy 'only' what more proof u need than literally... stories of his life and his exact dates of reign. i mean the fact alone that he fought gods and nearly became immortal should put him on a level with hercules, theseus and arthur... or u gonna try to deny their existence as well? :(
I think Tighlat Pilasser I would have have defeated the Sea people if remained for few more years. We know Egypt was able to stop them. And when you loook at the situation of the world at that time, there was no one more powerful than the kings of Mesopotamia.
Shulgi should have been higher on the list, prolly 3rd. Gudea is good and all but not a great king just because of his piety. Sargon II and Nebuchadnezzar I and Asshurnasirpral should have been on the list instead.
and not have Naram-Sin on this list. all he did was crush revolts. he could have been more diplomatic and laid the foundation for a lasting empire that his grandfather Sargon of Akkad built.
1:15 MISTAKE!!! Cyrus the Great king of Iran was from Elam, not from Persia. And he was of mixed nationality, half-Median(Kurdish) and half-Persian, but since both of them are Iranian nationalities you can safely call the king of Iran a native Iranian.
Hi, thanks for watching, really appreciate it. Yes and no; Cyrus was king of Anshan, and yes, Anshan was historcally part of Elam yes, but by then it was under Persian domination, the result being renamed after the Parsa, and by the Greeks later as Persis. While the Persians adopted many Elamite customs, they did not speak Elamite nor did they have Elamite names. Cyrus' name, "Koroush" is of Indo-European origin, as is Cambujiya, the name of Cambyses, his father and son. The province of Elam was later reduced to the area around Susa. Thanks for your comment and for watching, more on the way, stay tuned!
@@HistorywithCy clarification to avoid misunderstandings: He was born in land called Elam, but a mouse born in a stable doesn't become a horse. But he was raised in Iranian family of persian Father and Kurdish (Median) mother, thus his parents make him Iranian by blood. Only in the freshly colonized Western hemisphere a man born in a certain land is called by the name of the land instead by the name of his nation/tribe. I wait for next videos, I watch and appreciate your work for over a year... or three.
