Agum III
Encyclopedia
Agum IIIInscribed mA-gu-um in the Chronicle of Early Kings. was a Kassite
king of Babylon
ca. mid 15th century BC. Speculatively, he might figure around the 13th position in the dynastic sequence, however, this part of the Kingslist AKingslist A, tablet BM 33332 in the British Museum. has a lacuna
, shared with the Assyrian Synchronistic Kinglist.Kinglist A.117, Assur 14616c, in the İstanbul Arkeoloji Műzeleri.
Agum, son of Kaštiliyåš (usually called Agum III), appears to have been one of the successors to Burna-Buriyåš I
, because he is mentioned in the Chronicle of Early KingsChronicle of Early Kings (ABC 20) tablet BM 96152 in the British Museum, copy B, lines 16 through 18. after Ulam-Buriyåš
, who was a son of a Burna-Buriyåš. Although this source does not give him a royal title, it is inconsistent in this regard and does say he called up his own army, ummānšu idkēma.
, ca. 1465 BC, which is described in the Chronicle of Early Kings. His invasion followed that of his uncle, Ulam-Buriyåš, described in the preceding lines of the chronicle, who had previously made himself “master of the land”, i.e. Sealand. Whether the campaign was against a competing Kassite kingdom, a restive province or a resurgent Sealand dynasty is not disclosed. He reputedly conquered the city of Dur-Enlil which is otherwise unknown and destroyed its temple of Egalgašešna, leaving him in control of all of southern Mesopotamia
.
The excavation conducted by Béatrice André-Salvini (1995) in Bahrain, ancient Dilmun
, yielded around 50 tablets some of which dated to Agum III, whose 3rd and 4th years are attested in the dates of texts found in the area of Qal’at al-Bahrain, when Kassite rule may have extended to the island. It has been suggested that following on from his successes conquering the Sealand, he crossed over to Bahrain, constructed a new palace and installed a local bureaucracy and by his 3rd and 4th years administrative documents began being dated to his reign. A problem arises with this theory due to the date formula.For example, month of Ajaru, 19th day, 4th year of Agum, in tablet QA94-49, a record of delivery of condiments, sesame and black cumin. The later kings Kadašman-Ḫarbe I
and Kurigalzu I
each have texts dated using the archaic “year name” styleTablet tNi 3199: “The year Kadašman-Ḫarbe, the king, dug the canal of Diniktum; Tablet D85: “19th day of Šabatu, the year Kurigalzu built the Ekurigibara.” and it is not until their successors, Kadašman-Enlil I
and Burna-Buriaš II that regnal years count from the accession of a king.
Kassites
The Kassites were an ancient Near Eastern people who gained control of Babylonia after the fall of the Old Babylonian Empire after ca. 1531 BC to ca. 1155 BC...
king of Babylon
Babylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
ca. mid 15th century BC. Speculatively, he might figure around the 13th position in the dynastic sequence, however, this part of the Kingslist AKingslist A, tablet BM 33332 in the British Museum. has a lacuna
Lacuna (manuscripts)
A lacunaPlural lacunae. From Latin lacūna , diminutive form of lacus . is a gap in a manuscript, inscription, text, painting, or a musical work...
, shared with the Assyrian Synchronistic Kinglist.Kinglist A.117, Assur 14616c, in the İstanbul Arkeoloji Műzeleri.
Agum, son of Kaštiliyåš (usually called Agum III), appears to have been one of the successors to Burna-Buriyåš I
Burnaburiash I
Burna-Buriyåš I, meaning servant of the Lord of the lands, was the first Kassite who really ruled over Babylonia, possibly the first to occupy the city of Babylon proper around 1510 BC, culminating a century of creeping encroachment by the Kassite tribes. He was the tenth king of the Babylonian...
, because he is mentioned in the Chronicle of Early KingsChronicle of Early Kings (ABC 20) tablet BM 96152 in the British Museum, copy B, lines 16 through 18. after Ulam-Buriyåš
Ulamburiash
Ulam Buriaš was a Kassite king of Sealand, which he conquered during the second half of 16th century BC and may have also become king of Babylon, possibly preceding or succeeding his brother, Kaštiliašu III....
, who was a son of a Burna-Buriyåš. Although this source does not give him a royal title, it is inconsistent in this regard and does say he called up his own army, ummānšu idkēma.
Campaigns Against the Sealand and in Dilmun
Little is known about the king, with the only Babylonian reference to him from an expedition he led against "the Sealand", a region synonymous with SumerSumer
Sumer was a civilization and historical region in southern Mesopotamia, modern Iraq during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age....
, ca. 1465 BC, which is described in the Chronicle of Early Kings. His invasion followed that of his uncle, Ulam-Buriyåš, described in the preceding lines of the chronicle, who had previously made himself “master of the land”, i.e. Sealand. Whether the campaign was against a competing Kassite kingdom, a restive province or a resurgent Sealand dynasty is not disclosed. He reputedly conquered the city of Dur-Enlil which is otherwise unknown and destroyed its temple of Egalgašešna, leaving him in control of all of southern Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
.
The excavation conducted by Béatrice André-Salvini (1995) in Bahrain, ancient Dilmun
Dilmun
Dilmun or Telmun is a land mentioned by Mesopotamian civilizations as a trade partner, a source of the metal copper, and an entrepôt of the Mesopotamia-to-Indus Valley Civilization trade route...
, yielded around 50 tablets some of which dated to Agum III, whose 3rd and 4th years are attested in the dates of texts found in the area of Qal’at al-Bahrain, when Kassite rule may have extended to the island. It has been suggested that following on from his successes conquering the Sealand, he crossed over to Bahrain, constructed a new palace and installed a local bureaucracy and by his 3rd and 4th years administrative documents began being dated to his reign. A problem arises with this theory due to the date formula.For example, month of Ajaru, 19th day, 4th year of Agum, in tablet QA94-49, a record of delivery of condiments, sesame and black cumin. The later kings Kadašman-Ḫarbe I
Kadashman-harbe I
Kadašman-Ḫarbe I was the sixteenth Kassite King of Babylon, and the kingdom contemporarily known as Kar-Duniaš, during the early fourteenth century, BCE.-His provenance:...
and Kurigalzu I
Kurigalzu I
Kurigalzu I , the seventeenth king of the Kassite dynasty that ruled over Babylon, was responsible for one of the most extensive and widespread building programs for which evidence has survived in Babylonia. The autobiography of Kurigalzu is one of the inscriptions which record that he was the son...
each have texts dated using the archaic “year name” styleTablet tNi 3199: “The year Kadašman-Ḫarbe, the king, dug the canal of Diniktum; Tablet D85: “19th day of Šabatu, the year Kurigalzu built the Ekurigibara.” and it is not until their successors, Kadašman-Enlil I
Kadashman-Enlil I
Kadašman-Enlil ITypically rendered mka-dáš-man-dEN.LÍL in contemporary inscriptions. was a Kassite King of Babylon from ca. 1374 BC to 1360 BC , perhaps the 18th of the dynasty. He is known to have been a contemporary of Amenhotep III of Egypt, with whom he corresponded...
and Burna-Buriaš II that regnal years count from the accession of a king.