Early Kassite rulers
Encyclopedia
The early Kassite rulers are the sequence of eight, or possibly nine, names which appear on the Babylonian and Assyrian King Lists purporting to represent the first or ancestral monarchs of the dynasty that was to become the Kassite
or 3rd Dynasty of Babylon
which governed for 576 years, 9 months, 36 kings, according to the King List A.King List A, BM 33332. In all probability the dynasty ruled Babylon for around 350 years.
n Synchronistic King List,Synchronistic King List A.117, Assur 14616c. which gives their names indistinctly, and are compared below, after Brinkman.
The tenth position of the Synchronistic King List is occupied by Burna-Buriyåš I
.
’s ninth year (1741 BC). It is called “the year of the Kassite army,””Year in which Samsu-iluna the king (defeated) the totality of the strength of the army / the troops of the Kassites.” in which it seems that he was not wholy successful at repelling the raiders, a sign of weakness which triggered widespread revolts in cities all over Mesopotamia and a decisive response from Samsu-iluna. During the fourth year-name“Year Abi-eszuh the king by the exalted command of An, Enlil and the great power of Marduk (subdued) the armies and troops of the Kassites,” (BM 16998). of Abi-Ešuh
(1707 BC), the Amorite
king of Babylon, records that he “subdued the Kassites.” Around the same time a king of the middle Euphrates kingdom called Ḫana, whose capital was Mari, bore the name Kaštiliašu, but apart from this name there is no evidence the region was occupied by Kassites during this time and he was succeeded by Šunuhru-Ammu, an Amorite name.
A first millennium school text purporting to be a copy of one of his inscriptions credits Gandaš with the conquest of Bà-bà-lam.BM 77438. Agum I may be the subject of a 7th Century historical inscription which also mentions Damiq-ilῑšu, the last king of the 1st Dynasty of Isin
.K. 3992 line 10. The Agum-Kakrime InscriptionAgum-Kakrime Inscription K. 4149+. names Agum ra-bi-i,rabû = “the great.” Kaštiliašu, Abi-Rattaš, Ur-šigurumaš as his ancestors, each son of the preceding except Ur-šigurumaš who is described as descendant of Abi-Rattaš. The traces in the ninth position do not allow for the name Agum, so Kakrime has been suggested as an alternative.
sack of the city under Mursili I
. Boese proposed the two kings be identified with those in positions seven and eight, and that a slightly different reading of Ḫurbazum for Ḫurduzum be adopted.
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...
or 3rd Dynasty 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...
which governed for 576 years, 9 months, 36 kings, according to the King List A.King List A, BM 33332. In all probability the dynasty ruled Babylon for around 350 years.
The King list tradition
The era of the early Kassite rulers is characterized by a dearth of surviving historical records. The principal sources of evidence for the existence of these monarchs are the Babylonian King List A, which shows just the first six, and the AssyriaAssyria
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...
n Synchronistic King List,Synchronistic King List A.117, Assur 14616c. which gives their names indistinctly, and are compared below, after Brinkman.
| Position | King List A | Sync. King List | Proposed King | Reign |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | mGan-dáš | m[Ga (?)-x-x] | Gandaš | 26 years |
| 2 | mA-gu-um IGI A-šú | mA-[gu-um] IGI [(x)]-šu | Agum Maḫrûmaḫrû = “the first.” | 22 years |
| 3 | m[Kaš-til]-iá-ši | mKaš-til-[x]-šu | Kaštiliašu I | 22 years |
| 4 | m[x]-ši A-šú | mA-bi-[Ra]-taš | Abi-RattašThe reading of the King List A as Ušši or Uššiašu (Landsberger) have been suggested. | unknown |
| 5 | m[A-bi]-Rat-taš | mKaš-til-[a]-šu | Kaštiliašu I (again) or II | unknown |
| 6 | m[UR-zi]-U(= guru12)-maš | UR-zi-g[u-r]u-[ma]-áš | Ur-zigurumašSometimes read as Tazzigurumaš. | unknown |
| 7 | [mḪar]-ba-[(x)-x] | Ḫarba-Šipak/Šihu, Ḫurbazum | unknown | |
| 8 | m[x-ib-x]-[(x)]-[x-x] | Tiptakzi, Šipta’ulzi | unknown | |
| 9 | m[x-x-(x)] | Kakrime = Agum II Agum II Agum IIInscribed A-gu-um-ka-ak-ri-me in his eponymous inscription, elsewhere unattested. was possibly a Kassite ruler who may have become the 8th or more likely the 9th king of the third Babylonian dynasty sometime after Babylonia was defeated and sacked by the Hittite king Mursilis I in 1531 BC ,... |
unknown |
The tenth position of the Synchronistic King List is occupied by 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...
.
History
Possibly the earliest military action involving the Kassites is preserved in the date formulaerin Ka-aš-šu-ú in the date formula. for Samsu-ilunaSamsu-Iluna
Samsu-iluna was the seventh king of the founding Amorite dynasty of Babylon, ruling from 1750 BC to 1712 BC middle chronology. He was the son and successor of Hammurabi by an unknown mother...
’s ninth year (1741 BC). It is called “the year of the Kassite army,””Year in which Samsu-iluna the king (defeated) the totality of the strength of the army / the troops of the Kassites.” in which it seems that he was not wholy successful at repelling the raiders, a sign of weakness which triggered widespread revolts in cities all over Mesopotamia and a decisive response from Samsu-iluna. During the fourth year-name“Year Abi-eszuh the king by the exalted command of An, Enlil and the great power of Marduk (subdued) the armies and troops of the Kassites,” (BM 16998). of Abi-Ešuh
Abi-Eshuh
Abi-Eshuh was an Amorite king of Babylon who reigned from 1711-1684 BC. He was preceded by Samsu-iluna....
(1707 BC), the Amorite
Amorite
Amorite refers to an ancient Semitic people who occupied large parts of Mesopotamia from the 21st Century BC...
king of Babylon, records that he “subdued the Kassites.” Around the same time a king of the middle Euphrates kingdom called Ḫana, whose capital was Mari, bore the name Kaštiliašu, but apart from this name there is no evidence the region was occupied by Kassites during this time and he was succeeded by Šunuhru-Ammu, an Amorite name.
A first millennium school text purporting to be a copy of one of his inscriptions credits Gandaš with the conquest of Bà-bà-lam.BM 77438. Agum I may be the subject of a 7th Century historical inscription which also mentions Damiq-ilῑšu, the last king of the 1st Dynasty of Isin
Isin
Isin was an ancient city-state of lower Mesopotamia about 20 miles south of Nippur at the site of modern Ishan al-Bahriyat in Iraq's Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate.-History:...
.K. 3992 line 10. The Agum-Kakrime InscriptionAgum-Kakrime Inscription K. 4149+. names Agum ra-bi-i,rabû = “the great.” Kaštiliašu, Abi-Rattaš, Ur-šigurumaš as his ancestors, each son of the preceding except Ur-šigurumaš who is described as descendant of Abi-Rattaš. The traces in the ninth position do not allow for the name Agum, so Kakrime has been suggested as an alternative.
The Tell Muḥammed texts
Excavations in the southeastern suburb of Baghdad known as Tell Muḥammed yielded two archives of the first Sealand Dynastic period. Those from level 3, excavated in the 1990’s, were dated with year names, for example: “Year water carried King Ḫurduzum up to the city.” Those from level 2, excavated in the 1970’s, possessed a slightly different date formula, for example: “Year 38 Babylon was resettled.MU.38.KAM.MA ša KA2.DINGIR.RAki uš.bu. Year King Šipta'ulzi,” and are mostly silver and cereal loans. The layers are thought to be around a generation apart. The resettlement of Babylon has been linked to the aftermath of the HittiteHittites
The Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
sack of the city under Mursili I
Mursili I
Mursili I was a king of the Hittites ca. 1556–1526 BC , and was likely a grandson of his predecessor, Hattusili I. His sister was Harapšili.- Biography :...
. Boese proposed the two kings be identified with those in positions seven and eight, and that a slightly different reading of Ḫurbazum for Ḫurduzum be adopted.