Baal-Eser II
Encyclopedia
Baal-Eser II also known as Balbazer II and Ba‘l-mazzer I, was a king
of Tyre, the son of Ithobaal I
.
The primary information related to Baal-Eser II comes from Josephus’s citation of the Phoenician author Menander of Ephesus
, in Against Apion i.18. Here it is said that “Ithobalus, the priest of Astarte . . .was succeeded by his son Badezorus [Baal-Eser], who lived forty-five years, and reigned six years; he was succeeded by Matgenus [Mattan I] his son.”
Baal-Eser reigned at the height of Tyrian influence in the affairs of the Levant
. During his reign, his sister
was queen of Israel and his niece
(or sister-in-law) reigned as queen for a period in Judah
, creating a zone of Tyrian influence unrivalled at any period in its history.
Tyre is not mentioned as an opponent of Shalmaneser III
at the Battle of Qarqar
in 853 BC, but twelve years later, in 841, Ithobaal’s son Baal-Eser II (Ba‘l-mazzer) gave tribute to the Assyrian monarch, in the latter’s 18th year of reign (841 BC). Jehu
of Israel paid tribute at the same time, as shown on the Black Obelisk
. The mention of Baal-Eser’s tribute to Shalmaneser has played an important role in revising upwards by 11 years the reigns of Baal-Eser’s successors, Mattan I and Pygmalion, from previously accepted dates for these kings. Consequently, the dates given here are according to the work of F. M. Cross
and other scholars who take 825 BC as the date of Dido’s flight from her brother Pygmalion of Tyre
, after which she founded the city of Carthage
in 814 BC. See the chronological justification for these dates in the Pygmalion
article. For those who date the seventh year of Pygmalion to 814 BC, thereby placing the founding of Carthage in the same year that Dido left Tyre, the dates of Baal-Eser’s successors will be 11 years later. The dates used for Baal-Eser in the present article also accept the six years of reign given in the best texts of Menander/Josephus. It is only in some extracts of Eusebius’s Chronography that a reign of 18 years is given.
King
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of Tyre, the son of Ithobaal I
Ithobaal I
Ithobaal I was a king of Tyre who founded a new dynasty. During his reign, Tyre expanded its power on the mainland, making all of Phoenicia its territory as far north as Beirut, including Sidon, and even a part of the island of Cyprus...
.
The primary information related to Baal-Eser II comes from Josephus’s citation of the Phoenician author Menander of Ephesus
Menander of Ephesus
Menander of Ephesus was the historian whose lost work on the history of Tyre was used by Josephus, who quotes Menander's list of kings of Tyre in his apologia for the Jews, Against Apion...
, in Against Apion i.18. Here it is said that “Ithobalus, the priest of Astarte . . .was succeeded by his son Badezorus [Baal-Eser], who lived forty-five years, and reigned six years; he was succeeded by Matgenus [Mattan I] his son.”
Baal-Eser reigned at the height of Tyrian influence in the affairs of the Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
. During his reign, his sister
Jezebel (Bible)
Jezebel was a princess, identified in the Hebrew Book of Kings as the daughter of Ethbaal, King of Tyre and the wife of Ahab, king of north Israel. According to genealogies given in Josephus and other classical sources, she was the great-aunt of Dido, Queen of Carthage.The Hebrew text portrays...
was queen of Israel and his niece
Athaliah
Athaliah was the queen of Judah during the reign of King Jehoram, and later became sole ruler of Judah for six years. William F. Albright has dated her reign to 842–837 BC, while Edwin R. Thiele's dates, as taken from the third edition of his magnum opus, were 842/841 to 836/835 BC...
(or sister-in-law) reigned as queen for a period in Judah
Kingdom of Judah
The Kingdom of Judah was a Jewish state established in the Southern Levant during the Iron Age. It is often referred to as the "Southern Kingdom" to distinguish it from the northern Kingdom of Israel....
, creating a zone of Tyrian influence unrivalled at any period in its history.
Tyre is not mentioned as an opponent of Shalmaneser III
Shalmaneser III
Shalmaneser III was king of Assyria , and son of the previous ruler, Ashurnasirpal II....
at the Battle of Qarqar
Battle of Qarqar
The Battle of Qarqar was fought in 853 BC when the army of Assyria led by king Shalmaneser III encountered an allied army of 12 kings at Qarqar led by Hadadezer of Damascus and King Ahab of Israel...
in 853 BC, but twelve years later, in 841, Ithobaal’s son Baal-Eser II (Ba‘l-mazzer) gave tribute to the Assyrian monarch, in the latter’s 18th year of reign (841 BC). Jehu
Jehu
Jehu was a king of Israel. He was the son of Jehoshaphat, and grandson of Nimshi.William F. Albright has dated his reign to 842-815 BC, while E. R. Thiele offers the dates 841-814 BC...
of Israel paid tribute at the same time, as shown on the Black Obelisk
Black Obelisk
The "Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III" is a black limestone Neo-Assyrian bas-relief sculpture from Nimrud , in northern Iraq, commemorating the deeds of King Shalmaneser III . It is the most complete Assyrian obelisk yet discovered, and is historically significant because it displays the earliest...
. The mention of Baal-Eser’s tribute to Shalmaneser has played an important role in revising upwards by 11 years the reigns of Baal-Eser’s successors, Mattan I and Pygmalion, from previously accepted dates for these kings. Consequently, the dates given here are according to the work of F. M. Cross
Frank Moore Cross
Frank Moore Cross, Jr. is Hancock Professor of Hebrew and Other Oriental Languages Emeritus at Harvard University, notable for his work in the interpretation of the Dead Sea Scrolls, his 1973 magnum opus Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic, and his work in Northwest Semitic epigraphy...
and other scholars who take 825 BC as the date of Dido’s flight from her brother Pygmalion of Tyre
Pygmalion of Tyre
Pygmalion was king of Tyre from 831 to 785 BC and a son of King Mattan I .During Pygmalion's reign, Tyre seems to have shifted the heart of its trading empire from the Middle East to the Mediterranean, as can be judged from the building of new colonies including Kition on Cyprus, Sardinia , and,...
, after which she founded the city of Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
in 814 BC. See the chronological justification for these dates in the Pygmalion
Pygmalion of Tyre
Pygmalion was king of Tyre from 831 to 785 BC and a son of King Mattan I .During Pygmalion's reign, Tyre seems to have shifted the heart of its trading empire from the Middle East to the Mediterranean, as can be judged from the building of new colonies including Kition on Cyprus, Sardinia , and,...
article. For those who date the seventh year of Pygmalion to 814 BC, thereby placing the founding of Carthage in the same year that Dido left Tyre, the dates of Baal-Eser’s successors will be 11 years later. The dates used for Baal-Eser in the present article also accept the six years of reign given in the best texts of Menander/Josephus. It is only in some extracts of Eusebius’s Chronography that a reign of 18 years is given.