Ashur-etil-ilani
Encyclopedia
Ashur-etil-ilani was a king
of Assyria
(ca. 631 BC - ca. 627 BC). He succeeded his father Ashurbanipal
.
, Medes
and Persians, taking advantage of Assyria's weakness due to internal strife, crossed the borders of the Assyrian Empire destroying Ashkelon
and raiding as far as Egypt. Calah (Nimrud) was burned, but the strong walls of Nineveh
protected the remnants of the Assyrian army that had taken refuge behind them. When the raiders had passed on to other regions, a new palace was erected among the ruins of the neighbouring city. But its architectural poverty and small size show that the resources of Assyria were at a low ebb.
, Ashur-etil-ilani reigned for three years, but there is a contract from Nippur dated to his fourth year. It thus seems that he succeeded Ashurbanipal in 627 BC and ruled until 623 BC. This raises some problems over the dating of events from the Assyrian-Babylonian war.
Ashur-etil-ilani must therefore have succeeded to the Assyrian throne before 627 BC. It has been suggested that his reign actually overlapped with Ashurbanipal's. However, it is more likely that Ashurbanipal died before 627 BC because there is no evidence of a co-regency. Therefore, it has been suggested that Ashurbanipal died in 631 BC and that Ashur-etil-ilani was the Assyrian king until 627 BC. There are still issues over some dates which conflict with this conclusion, but these dates seem to best support the available evidence.
He was succeeded by Sin-shumu-lishir
who deposed him.
Kings of Assyria
The list of Assyrian kings is compiled from the Assyrian King List, an ancient kingdom in northern Mesopotamia with information added from recent archaeological findings. The Assyrian King List includes regnal lengths that appear to have been based on now lost limmu lists...
of Assyria
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
(ca. 631 BC - ca. 627 BC). He succeeded his father Ashurbanipal
Ashurbanipal
Ashurbanipal |Ashur]] is creator of an heir"; 685 BC – c. 627 BC), also spelled Assurbanipal or Ashshurbanipal, was an Assyrian king, the son of Esarhaddon and the last great king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire...
.
Problems with source material
The reconstruction of the events occurring during Ashur-etil-ilani's rule has proven to be very difficult. One noteworthy problem is the complete absence of sources from central Assyria covering this time, and the lack of official recordings of events (e.g. royal inscriptions). The most important source for this period is the "Nabopolassar Chronicle", which, however, is quite fragmentary for this period.Reign
The death of Ashurbanipal between 631 and 627 BC opened the way for a serious struggle for the control of Assyria between several pretenders which was to lead to the downfall of the Neo Assyrian Empire. The contest may have actually begun a few years earlier during Ashurbanipal's lifetime. The development of the events, and even the number of parties involved is not known with certainty. It does seem certain that upon Ashurbanipal's death, allied hordes of Scythians, CimmeriansCimmerians
The Cimmerians or Kimmerians were ancient equestrian nomads of Indo-European origin.According to the Greek historian Herodotus, of the 5th century BC, the Cimmerians inhabited the region north of the Caucasus and the Black Sea during the 8th and 7th centuries BC, in what is now Ukraine and Russia...
, Medes
Medes
The MedesThe Medes...
and Persians, taking advantage of Assyria's weakness due to internal strife, crossed the borders of the Assyrian Empire destroying Ashkelon
Ashkelon
Ashkelon is a coastal city in the South District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Neolithic Age...
and raiding as far as Egypt. Calah (Nimrud) was burned, but the strong walls of Nineveh
Nineveh
Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, and capital of the Neo Assyrian Empire. Its ruins are across the river from the modern-day major city of Mosul, in the Ninawa Governorate of Iraq....
protected the remnants of the Assyrian army that had taken refuge behind them. When the raiders had passed on to other regions, a new palace was erected among the ruins of the neighbouring city. But its architectural poverty and small size show that the resources of Assyria were at a low ebb.
Dating his reign
According to the Harran Inscription of NabonidusNabonidus
Nabonidus was the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, reigning from 556-539 BCE.-Historiography on Nabonidus:...
, Ashur-etil-ilani reigned for three years, but there is a contract from Nippur dated to his fourth year. It thus seems that he succeeded Ashurbanipal in 627 BC and ruled until 623 BC. This raises some problems over the dating of events from the Assyrian-Babylonian war.
Ashur-etil-ilani must therefore have succeeded to the Assyrian throne before 627 BC. It has been suggested that his reign actually overlapped with Ashurbanipal's. However, it is more likely that Ashurbanipal died before 627 BC because there is no evidence of a co-regency. Therefore, it has been suggested that Ashurbanipal died in 631 BC and that Ashur-etil-ilani was the Assyrian king until 627 BC. There are still issues over some dates which conflict with this conclusion, but these dates seem to best support the available evidence.
He was succeeded by Sin-shumu-lishir
Sin-shumu-lishir
Sin-shumu-lishir , was a usurper king of a part of the Assyrian empire during 626 BC. Little is known about this king due to the lack of sources covering this time.-Reign :...
who deposed him.