Kudur-Enlil
Encyclopedia
Kudur-Enlil was the twenty sixth king of the Kassite
dynasty of Babylon
.
and was possibly the first Kassite king to have a wholly Babylonian name, or one containing an Elamite
derived word, from kudurru, which might be middle Assyrian. Although the Babylonian King List A records him as son of Kadašman-Enlil, it is a late source and no contemporary inscriptions exist which support this contention. It has been suggested that he may in fact have been the brother of Kadašman-Enlil, as his predecessor ascended the throne as a child and ruled perhaps nine years.
A daughter of Babylon was married into the Hittite royal family, possibly to Tudhaliya IV
, a younger son of Ḫattušili III
who went on to succeed him. This would have been a daughter or sister of Kudur-Enlil and the news elicited contempt from Ramesses II
, king of Egypt, who apparently no longer regarded Babylon significant. Puduhepa
, the Hittite queen, replied in a letter, ‘If you say ‘‘the king of Babylon is not a Great King’’, then you do not know the status of Babylon’.
experienced explosive growth under Kudur-Enlil and his successor, with the city expanding almost to its Ur III
extent. Kudur-Enlil extensively refurbished the Enlil
Temple in Nippur, with its baked-brick bench or socle
lining the base of all except the northeast outer walls, and whose later period of construction is witnessed by his stamped brick
inscriptions which describe him as a benefactor of the temple. A brick of Kudur-Enlil bearing a twelve-line Sumerian inscription which was found inside the temple states that he built the supporting wall with bitumen and baked bricks. It was customary for the king to travel to Nippur at the 'beginning of the year' or rêš šattim for the Akitu
spring festival and there is an example of a record of arad mar sarri, or return of the crown prince, in the third year of Kudur-Enlil.
His name appears on various votive and civic monument inscriptions, as well as on numerous economic texts, such as a legal text about the escape and capture of a slave and a note of payment for mat-makers. The extent to which the number of texts extant reflects the degree of economic activity is disputed, possibly more due to fortuitous discovery of archives, however, more than 200 have been recovered, dated for a reign of only nine years.
revealed in level II inscriptions of the time of Kudur-Enlil and the later king Kaštiliašu IV, showing that this city continued to be occupied by Kassite kings long after its foundation by Kurigalzu I
.
A Kudurru
stone, found at Larsa, recorded a land grant and tax exemptions.
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...
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...
.
Biography
He succeeded Kadašman-Enlil IIKadashman-Enlil II
Kadašman-Enlil II was the twenty fifth king of the Kassite dynasty of Babylon.He succeeded Kadašman-Turgu as a child and political power was exercised at first by an influential vizier, Itti-Marduk-balatu, “whom the gods have caused to live far too long and in whose mouth unfavourable words never...
and was possibly the first Kassite king to have a wholly Babylonian name, or one containing an Elamite
Elam
Elam was an ancient civilization located in what is now southwest Iran. Elam was centered in the far west and the southwest of modern-day Iran, stretching from the lowlands of Khuzestan and Ilam Province, as well as a small part of southern Iraq...
derived word, from kudurru, which might be middle Assyrian. Although the Babylonian King List A records him as son of Kadašman-Enlil, it is a late source and no contemporary inscriptions exist which support this contention. It has been suggested that he may in fact have been the brother of Kadašman-Enlil, as his predecessor ascended the throne as a child and ruled perhaps nine years.
A daughter of Babylon was married into the Hittite royal family, possibly to Tudhaliya IV
Tudhaliya IV
Tudhaliya IV was a king of the Hittite Empire , and the younger son of Hattusili III. He reigned ca. 1237 BCE–1209 BCE. His mother was called Puduhepa...
, a younger son of Ḫattušili III
Hattusili III
Hattusili III was a king of the Hittite empire ca. 1267–1237 BC . He was the fourth and last son of Mursili II...
who went on to succeed him. This would have been a daughter or sister of Kudur-Enlil and the news elicited contempt from Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...
, king of Egypt, who apparently no longer regarded Babylon significant. Puduhepa
Puduhepa
Puduhepa was a Hittite tawanannas was married to King Hattusili III. She has been referred to as "one of the most influential women known from the Ancient Near East."...
, the Hittite queen, replied in a letter, ‘If you say ‘‘the king of Babylon is not a Great King’’, then you do not know the status of Babylon’.
Nippur renaissance
NippurNippur
Nippur was one of the most ancient of all the Sumerian cities. It was the special seat of the worship of the Sumerian god Enlil, the "Lord Wind," ruler of the cosmos subject to An alone...
experienced explosive growth under Kudur-Enlil and his successor, with the city expanding almost to its Ur III
Third Dynasty of Ur
The Third Dynasty of Ur, also known as the Neo-Sumerian Empire or the Ur III Empire refers simultaneously to a 21st to 20th century BC Sumerian ruling dynasty based in the city of Ur and a short-lived territorial-political state that some historians regard as a nascent empire...
extent. Kudur-Enlil extensively refurbished the 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...
Temple in Nippur, with its baked-brick bench or socle
Socle (architecture)
In architecture, a socle is a short plinth used to support a pedestal, sculpture or column. In the field of archaeology, this term is used to refer to a wall base, frequently of stone, that supports the upper part of the wall, which is made of a different material, frequently mud brick...
lining the base of all except the northeast outer walls, and whose later period of construction is witnessed by his stamped brick
Mudbrick stamp
The mudbrick stamp, or brick seal of Mesopotamia are impression or stamp seals made upon bricks or mudbrick. The inscribed seal is in mirror reverse on the 'mold', mostly with cuneiform inscriptions, and the foundation mudbricks are often part of the memorializing of temples, or other structures,...
inscriptions which describe him as a benefactor of the temple. A brick of Kudur-Enlil bearing a twelve-line Sumerian inscription which was found inside the temple states that he built the supporting wall with bitumen and baked bricks. It was customary for the king to travel to Nippur at the 'beginning of the year' or rêš šattim for the Akitu
Akitu
Akitu was a spring festival in ancient Mesopotamia....
spring festival and there is an example of a record of arad mar sarri, or return of the crown prince, in the third year of Kudur-Enlil.
His name appears on various votive and civic monument inscriptions, as well as on numerous economic texts, such as a legal text about the escape and capture of a slave and a note of payment for mat-makers. The extent to which the number of texts extant reflects the degree of economic activity is disputed, possibly more due to fortuitous discovery of archives, however, more than 200 have been recovered, dated for a reign of only nine years.
Other Babylonian centers
Excavations at `Aqar-Qūf, ancient Dur-KurigalzuDur-Kurigalzu
Dur-Kurigalzu was a city in southern Mesopotamia near the confluence of the Tigris and Diyala rivers about 30 km west of the center of Baghdad. It was founded by a Kassite king of Babylon, Kurigalzu I, some time in the 14th century BC, and was abandoned after the fall of the Kassite dynasty...
revealed in level II inscriptions of the time of Kudur-Enlil and the later king Kaštiliašu IV, showing that this city continued to be occupied by Kassite kings long after its foundation by Kurigalzu I
Kurigalzu I
Kurigalzu I , the seventeenth king of the Kassite dynasty that ruled over Babylon, was responsible for one of the most extensive and widespread building programs for which evidence has survived in Babylonia. The autobiography of Kurigalzu is one of the inscriptions which record that he was the son...
.
A Kudurru
Kudurru
Kudurru was a type of stone document used as boundary stones and as records of land grants to vassals by the Kassites in ancient Babylonia between the 16th and 12th centuries BCE. The word is Akkadian for "frontier" or "boundary"...
stone, found at Larsa, recorded a land grant and tax exemptions.