Burnaburiash I
Encyclopedia
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 King List.
of Assyria, then a small vassal to the Mitanni
, delineating the border between their kingdoms. The Synchronistic King List names one Burna-Buriyåš as the tenth Kassite ruler and a contemporary of Išme-Dagan II, who is separated from Puzur-Aššur III by 42 regnal years. This might suggest that there were two early Burna-Buriyaš, one contemporary with Puzur-Aššur III and one roughly contemporary with Išme-Dagan II, if this late Assyrian
tablet were to be considered a reliable source in this respect. It does, however, take some significant liberties with chronology in other places.
Burna-Buriyåš may have been succeeded by his son Kaštiliašu III, but the evidence supporting this son’s kingship is rather circumstantial. He may be the person indicated on line 12 of the Synchronistic King List who is preceded by a lacuna
and superseded by a poorly preserved name which is unlikely to be Ulam-Buriaš.
He was also father of Ulam-Buriyåš
, as commemorated on an onyx
weight, in the shape of a frog, with a cuneiform inscription, “1 shekel, Ulam Buriaš, son of Burna Buriaš, which was found in a large burial, during excavations of the site of the ancient city of Metsamor
. It was this son who apparently led a successful invasion of the Sealand, a region of Southern Mesopotamia synonymous with Sumer
, and made himself “master of the land”. Also, a serpentine
or diorite
mace head or possibly door knob found in Babylon, is engraved with a votive inscription of Ulaburariaš, son of Burna-Buriaš, “King of Sealand”.
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...
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 King List.
Biography
At about 1500 BC, Burna-Buriyåš concluded a treaty with Puzur-Aššur IIIPuzur-Ashur III
Puzur-Ashur III was the king of Assyria from 1503 BC to 1479 BC. According to the Assyrian King List, he was the son and successor of Ashur-nirari I and ruled for 24 years. He is also the first Assyrian king to appear in the synchronistic history, where he is described as a contemporary of...
of Assyria, then a small vassal to the Mitanni
Mitanni
Mitanni or Hanigalbat was a loosely organized Hurrian-speaking state in northern Syria and south-east Anatolia from ca. 1500 BC–1300 BC...
, delineating the border between their kingdoms. The Synchronistic King List names one Burna-Buriyåš as the tenth Kassite ruler and a contemporary of Išme-Dagan II, who is separated from Puzur-Aššur III by 42 regnal years. This might suggest that there were two early Burna-Buriyaš, one contemporary with Puzur-Aššur III and one roughly contemporary with Išme-Dagan II, if this late Assyrian
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...
tablet were to be considered a reliable source in this respect. It does, however, take some significant liberties with chronology in other places.
Burna-Buriyåš may have been succeeded by his son Kaštiliašu III, but the evidence supporting this son’s kingship is rather circumstantial. He may be the person indicated on line 12 of the Synchronistic King List who is preceded by a lacuna
Lacuna
Lacuna may refer to:* Lacuna , a missing section of text* Lacuna , an extended silence in a piece of music* Lacuna , a lexical gap in a language* Lacuna , the lack of a law or legal source addressing a situation...
and superseded by a poorly preserved name which is unlikely to be Ulam-Buriaš.
He was also father of 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....
, as commemorated on an onyx
Onyx
Onyx is a banded variety of chalcedony. The colors of its bands range from white to almost every color . Commonly, specimens of onyx contain bands of black and/or white.-Etymology:...
weight, in the shape of a frog, with a cuneiform inscription, “1 shekel, Ulam Buriaš, son of Burna Buriaš, which was found in a large burial, during excavations of the site of the ancient city of Metsamor
Metsamor
Metsamor is a city in the Armavir Province of Armenia. Armenia's Nuclear Power Plant called Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant is located in this city. Metsamor was built in 1979 to house workers from the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant. The power plant was closed in 1989 after an earthquake prompted...
. It was this son who apparently led a successful invasion of the Sealand, a region of Southern Mesopotamia synonymous with Sumer
Sumer
Sumer was a civilization and historical region in southern Mesopotamia, modern Iraq during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age....
, and made himself “master of the land”. Also, a serpentine
Serpentinite
Serpentinite is a rock composed of one or more serpentine group minerals. Minerals in this group are formed by serpentinization, a hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle...
or diorite
Diorite
Diorite is a grey to dark grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar , biotite, hornblende, and/or pyroxene. It may contain small amounts of quartz, microcline and olivine. Zircon, apatite, sphene, magnetite, ilmenite and sulfides occur as accessory...
mace head or possibly door knob found in Babylon, is engraved with a votive inscription of Ulaburariaš, son of Burna-Buriaš, “King of Sealand”.