Ashur-nadin-apli
Encyclopedia
Ashur-nadin-apli was king of Assyria
(1207 BC – 1204 BC or 1196 BC – 1194 BC short chronology). The alternate dating is due to uncertainty over the length of reign of a later monarch, Ninurta-apal-Ekur
, where conflicting king lists differ by ten years. His name meant “Ashur
has given an heir” in the Akkadian language
. He was a son of Tukulti-Ninurta I
.
occurred during two campaigns during his thirteenth and fifteenth years, if the placing of the eponyms
, the Assyrian dating system, of Etel-pi-Aššur and Aššur-bel-ilani are correct. The latter part of his reign was characterized by reversal as the over-extended Assyrian military struggled to hold on to the earlier prizes and this may well have been the reason for his toppling.
Copies of the Assyrian King List record that “Ashur-nadin or nasir-apli, his son, seized the throne (for himself and) ruled for three or four years.” Brinkman relates that “it is uncertain whether one or two princes lie behind the conflicting scribal traditions,” but Grayson is more emphatic, “there seem to have been at least two sons.” The names differ by just one cuneiform
character. The Babylonian Chronicle P recalls “Aššur-nasir-apli, his son (mar-šu) and the officers of Assyria rebelled, removed him from his throne, shut him up in a room and killed him.”
It was Ashur-nadin-apli who succeeded to the throne, as testified by the scanty inscriptions left behind, which include bricks from Assur, “(Property of) the palace of Ashur-nadin-apli…” and a lengthy text on a stone tablet commemorating rerouting the Tigris to the north of the city by “divine means” to recover agricultural fields and the erection of a shrine, This breaks with Assyrian tradition, extending the list of royal epithets to include “faithful shepherd, to whom by the command of the gods Ashur, Enlil
and Shamash
the just sceptre was given and whose important name was called for the return (or care) of the land, the king under the protective hand of the god An
and select of the god Enlil…” by which we may infer he was seeking divine support for his tenuous throne.
Just one eponym has been positively identified for his rule, that of Erīb-Sîn, which dates the stone tablet. A tablet also dated to this year was found at Tell Taban, site of the vassal state of Tâbatu near modern Al-Hasakah
during salvage excavation under the direction of Hirotoshi Numoto in advance of the building of a dam in northeastern Syria. The king of Tâbatu was an Assyrian official named Adad-bēl-gabbe whose rule spanned that of four Assyrian monarchs seemingly unaffected by the turmoil at the heart of the empire. His own eponym year may be attested in a letter from Tell ‘Amuda, possibly ancient Kulišinaš, but this may be Aššur-nadin-apli mar šarre, an earlier eponym year during Tukulti-Ninurta’s reign.
He was succeeded by Ashur-nirari III
, who was either his son or his nephew, again depending on the existence of Ashur-nasir-apli.
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...
(1207 BC – 1204 BC or 1196 BC – 1194 BC short chronology). The alternate dating is due to uncertainty over the length of reign of a later monarch, Ninurta-apal-Ekur
Ninurta-apal-Ekur
Ninurta-apal-Ekur, meaning “Ninurta is the heir of the Ekur,” was a King of Assyria in the early 12th Century BC who usurped the throne and styled himself king of the universe and priest of the gods Enlil and Ninurta...
, where conflicting king lists differ by ten years. His name meant “Ashur
Ashur (god)
Ashur is the head of the Assyrian pantheon....
has given an heir” in the Akkadian language
Akkadian language
Akkadian is an extinct Semitic language that was spoken in ancient Mesopotamia. The earliest attested Semitic language, it used the cuneiform writing system derived ultimately from ancient Sumerian, an unrelated language isolate...
. He was a son of Tukulti-Ninurta I
Tukulti-Ninurta I
Tukulti-Ninurta I was a king of Assyria.He succeeded Shalmaneser I, his father, as king and won a major victory against the Hittites at the Battle of Nihriya in the first half of his reign...
.
Biography
The events surrounding the overthrow of Tukulti-Ninurta remain somewhat shrouded in mystery. His military conquests seem to have taken place during the first half of his reign with modern scholarship suggesting that his climactic victory against Kaštiliašu IV and the city of BabylonBabylon
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...
occurred during two campaigns during his thirteenth and fifteenth years, if the placing of the eponyms
Limmu
Limmu was an Assyrian eponym. At the beginning of the reign of an Assyrian king, the limmu, an appointed royal official, would preside over the New Year festival at the capital. Each year a new limmu would be chosen. Although picked by lot, there was most likely a limited group, such as the men of...
, the Assyrian dating system, of Etel-pi-Aššur and Aššur-bel-ilani are correct. The latter part of his reign was characterized by reversal as the over-extended Assyrian military struggled to hold on to the earlier prizes and this may well have been the reason for his toppling.
Copies of the Assyrian King List record that “Ashur-nadin or nasir-apli, his son, seized the throne (for himself and) ruled for three or four years.” Brinkman relates that “it is uncertain whether one or two princes lie behind the conflicting scribal traditions,” but Grayson is more emphatic, “there seem to have been at least two sons.” The names differ by just one cuneiform
Cuneiform
Cuneiform can refer to:*Cuneiform script, an ancient writing system originating in Mesopotamia in the 4th millennium BC*Cuneiform , three bones in the human foot*Cuneiform Records, a music record label...
character. The Babylonian Chronicle P recalls “Aššur-nasir-apli, his son (mar-šu) and the officers of Assyria rebelled, removed him from his throne, shut him up in a room and killed him.”
It was Ashur-nadin-apli who succeeded to the throne, as testified by the scanty inscriptions left behind, which include bricks from Assur, “(Property of) the palace of Ashur-nadin-apli…” and a lengthy text on a stone tablet commemorating rerouting the Tigris to the north of the city by “divine means” to recover agricultural fields and the erection of a shrine, This breaks with Assyrian tradition, extending the list of royal epithets to include “faithful shepherd, to whom by the command of the gods Ashur, Enlil
Enlil
Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the most prominent poets of the Victorian era. Her poetry was widely popular in both England and the United States during her lifetime. A collection of her last poems was published by her husband, Robert Browning, shortly after her death.-Early life:Members...
and Shamash
Shamash
Shamash was a native Mesopotamian deity and the sun god in the Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian pantheons. Shamash was the god of justice in Babylonia and Assyria, corresponding to Sumerian Utu...
the just sceptre was given and whose important name was called for the return (or care) of the land, the king under the protective hand of the god An
Anu
In Sumerian mythology, Anu was a sky-god, the god of heaven, lord of constellations, king of gods, Consort of Antu, spirits and demons, and dwelt in the highest heavenly regions. It was believed that he had the power to judge those who had committed crimes, and that he had created the stars as...
and select of the god Enlil…” by which we may infer he was seeking divine support for his tenuous throne.
Just one eponym has been positively identified for his rule, that of Erīb-Sîn, which dates the stone tablet. A tablet also dated to this year was found at Tell Taban, site of the vassal state of Tâbatu near modern Al-Hasakah
Al-Hasakah
Al-Hasakah...
during salvage excavation under the direction of Hirotoshi Numoto in advance of the building of a dam in northeastern Syria. The king of Tâbatu was an Assyrian official named Adad-bēl-gabbe whose rule spanned that of four Assyrian monarchs seemingly unaffected by the turmoil at the heart of the empire. His own eponym year may be attested in a letter from Tell ‘Amuda, possibly ancient Kulišinaš, but this may be Aššur-nadin-apli mar šarre, an earlier eponym year during Tukulti-Ninurta’s reign.
He was succeeded by Ashur-nirari III
Ashur-nirari III
Ashur-nirari III was king of Assyria . He was the grandson of Tukulti-Ninurta I and may have succeeded his uncle Ashur-nadin-apli on the throne. Ashur-nirari's father Ashur-nasir-pal participated in a conspiracy against Tukulti-Ninurta I which led to his murder...
, who was either his son or his nephew, again depending on the existence of Ashur-nasir-apli.