Marduk-nadin-ahhe
Encyclopedia
Marduk-nādin-aḫḫē,mdmar-duk-nādin-áḫḫēmeš ca. 1099-1082 BC, was the 6th king of the 2nd Dynasty of Isin
and the 4th Dynasty of Babylon
.Babylonian King List C, line 6. He is best known for his restoration of the Eganunmaḫ in Ur
and the famines and droughts that accompanied his reign.
the 5th king, against whom he revolted and deposed. A reconstructed passage in the Walker ChronicleBM 27796 Babylonian Chronicle 25, reverse lines 19 to 26. describes how while Enlil-nādin-apli was away campaigning in Assyria
, supposedly marching to conquer the city of Assur
itself, Marduk-nādin-aḫḫē and the nobles rebelled. On his return “to his land and his city. They [kill]ed him with the s[word].”
His relationship with his Assyrian counterpart, Tukultī-apil-Ešarra
,Synchronistic king list, KAV 216, Ass 14616c, ii 17 and fragment KAV 12, VAT 11338, 5ff. was antagonistic and he launched a raid early in his reign into Assyria, capturing the cultic idols of Adad
and Šala
from Ekallāte, a town only around thirty miles from Assur
. For his part, Tukultī-apil-Ešarra led several retaliatory raids into the heartland of Babylonia, recalled with typical bombastic rhetoric:
The Synchronistic History recalls the battles were in the first instance “by the Lower Zab, opposite Ahizûhina, and in the second year he defeated Marduk-nadin-ahhe at Gurmarritu, which is upstream from Akkad.”Synchronistic History ii 14-24, preserved in three copies, K 4401a + Rm 854, K 4401b and Sm 2106. Although “Ugarsallu (immediately south of the Lesser Zab) he plundered as far as Lubda (located in the area of Arrapha
). He ruled every part of Suhu (in the middle Euphrates Valley) as far as Rapiqu (southern border of Assyria),” these places are on the periphery of Babylonia and the idols were not recovered until centuries later:
There are between five and seven kudurru
s, two building inscriptions, four Luristan daggers, oneME 123060. "belonging to Šamaš-killani, officer of the king," a Sumerian
inscription on a copper cylinder and one unpublished economic text attesting to this king. The kudurrus show normal real estate activity in northern Babylonia. OneBM 90938. grants independence from forced labor for the residents living near the mouth of the Ṣalmani Canal, dated to his first year. AnotherBM 90840. gives land to a certain Adad-zer-iqiša in grateful thanks for his efforts fighting the Assyrians and is dated to his 10th year. One of the witnesses is given as Abullu-tetaparâu, the son of the king of Babylon. AnotherBM 90841. is a deed recording Marduk-naṣir’s purchase of land from Amêl-Enlil, son of Khanbi, for a chariot, saddles, two asses, an ox, grain, oil, and certain garments. He restorated the Eganunmaḫ at Ur, without any apparent alteration to the plan of Kassite
king Kurigalzu’sKurigalzu I or II undetermined. original plan, and constructed a “kitchen complex” on the northwest side of the ziggurat
. Three inscribed door-sockets were found at the sanctuary.
He may be portrayed by the 3rd king in the Prophecy A, Obverse ii 2-8. whose reign is a successful and fertile 18 years, but whose rule comes to end in a revolt. According to a later commentator, a certain Ea-mušallim provided him with an astrological report concerning a solar eclipse in 1090.
Sadly, it was not to be, as he seems to have lost his throne following the disruptions caused by Arameans migrating into Mesopotamia under the pressure from famine, the Babylonians themselves apparently resorting to cannibalism.Assyrian chronicle fragment 4 8f.
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:...
and the 4th 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...
.Babylonian King List C, line 6. He is best known for his restoration of the Eganunmaḫ in Ur
Ur
Ur was an important city-state in ancient Sumer located at the site of modern Tell el-Muqayyar in Iraq's Dhi Qar Governorate...
and the famines and droughts that accompanied his reign.
Biography
He was related to all three of his immediate predecessors: his father was Ninurta-nādin-šumi, the 3rd king, his brother was Nabu-kudurri-uṣur, the 4th king, and his nephew was Enlil-nādin-apliEnlil-nadin-apli
Enlil-Nadin-Apli was the king of Babylon from 1103 to 1100 BC. He is sometimes also called Enlil-Nadin-Ahhe. He was the son of Nebuchadnezzar I....
the 5th king, against whom he revolted and deposed. A reconstructed passage in the Walker ChronicleBM 27796 Babylonian Chronicle 25, reverse lines 19 to 26. describes how while Enlil-nādin-apli was away campaigning in Assyria
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...
, supposedly marching to conquer the city of Assur
Assur
Assur , was one of the capitals of ancient Assyria. The remains of the city are situated on the western bank of river Tigris, north of the confluence with the tributary Little Zab river, in modern day Iraq, more precisely in the Al-Shirqat District .Assur is also...
itself, Marduk-nādin-aḫḫē and the nobles rebelled. On his return “to his land and his city. They [kill]ed him with the s[word].”
His relationship with his Assyrian counterpart, Tukultī-apil-Ešarra
Tiglath-Pileser I
Tiglath-Pileser I was a king of Assyria during the Middle Assyrian period . According to Georges Roux, Tiglath-Pileser was "one of the two or three great Assyrian monarchs since the days of Shamshi-Adad I"...
,Synchronistic king list, KAV 216, Ass 14616c, ii 17 and fragment KAV 12, VAT 11338, 5ff. was antagonistic and he launched a raid early in his reign into Assyria, capturing the cultic idols of Adad
Adad
Adad in Akkadian and Ishkur in Sumerian and Hadad in Aramaic are the names of the storm-god in the Babylonian-Assyrian pantheon. All three are usually written by the logogram dIM...
and Šala
Shala
Shala is a Babylonian and Akkadian war goddess and a goddess of grain, the consort of the storm-god Adad. She carries a double-headed mace-scimitar embellished with lion heads. In the MUL.APIN, she is identified with the Virgo constellation, which was also known as "The Furrow"...
from Ekallāte, a town only around thirty miles from Assur
Assur
Assur , was one of the capitals of ancient Assyria. The remains of the city are situated on the western bank of river Tigris, north of the confluence with the tributary Little Zab river, in modern day Iraq, more precisely in the Al-Shirqat District .Assur is also...
. For his part, Tukultī-apil-Ešarra led several retaliatory raids into the heartland of Babylonia, recalled with typical bombastic rhetoric:
The Synchronistic History recalls the battles were in the first instance “by the Lower Zab, opposite Ahizûhina, and in the second year he defeated Marduk-nadin-ahhe at Gurmarritu, which is upstream from Akkad.”Synchronistic History ii 14-24, preserved in three copies, K 4401a + Rm 854, K 4401b and Sm 2106. Although “Ugarsallu (immediately south of the Lesser Zab) he plundered as far as Lubda (located in the area of Arrapha
Arrapha
Arrapha was an ancient Assyrian city that existed in what is today the city of Kirkuk, Iraq. The city was founded around 2000 BC and derived its name from the old Assyrian word Arabkha which was later changed to Arrapha...
). He ruled every part of Suhu (in the middle Euphrates Valley) as far as Rapiqu (southern border of Assyria),” these places are on the periphery of Babylonia and the idols were not recovered until centuries later:
There are between five and seven 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"...
s, two building inscriptions, four Luristan daggers, oneME 123060. "belonging to Šamaš-killani, officer of the king," a Sumerian
Sumerian language
Sumerian is the language of ancient Sumer, which was spoken in southern Mesopotamia since at least the 4th millennium BC. During the 3rd millennium BC, there developed a very intimate cultural symbiosis between the Sumerians and the Akkadians, which included widespread bilingualism...
inscription on a copper cylinder and one unpublished economic text attesting to this king. The kudurrus show normal real estate activity in northern Babylonia. OneBM 90938. grants independence from forced labor for the residents living near the mouth of the Ṣalmani Canal, dated to his first year. AnotherBM 90840. gives land to a certain Adad-zer-iqiša in grateful thanks for his efforts fighting the Assyrians and is dated to his 10th year. One of the witnesses is given as Abullu-tetaparâu, the son of the king of Babylon. AnotherBM 90841. is a deed recording Marduk-naṣir’s purchase of land from Amêl-Enlil, son of Khanbi, for a chariot, saddles, two asses, an ox, grain, oil, and certain garments. He restorated the Eganunmaḫ at Ur, without any apparent alteration to the plan of Kassite
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...
king Kurigalzu’sKurigalzu I or II undetermined. original plan, and constructed a “kitchen complex” on the northwest side of the ziggurat
Ziggurat
Ziggurats were massive structures built in the ancient Mesopotamian valley and western Iranian plateau, having the form of a terraced step pyramid of successively receding stories or levels.Notable ziggurats include the Great Ziggurat of Ur near Nasiriyah, Iraq; the Ziggurat of Aqar Quf near...
. Three inscribed door-sockets were found at the sanctuary.
He may be portrayed by the 3rd king in the Prophecy A, Obverse ii 2-8. whose reign is a successful and fertile 18 years, but whose rule comes to end in a revolt. According to a later commentator, a certain Ea-mušallim provided him with an astrological report concerning a solar eclipse in 1090.
Sadly, it was not to be, as he seems to have lost his throne following the disruptions caused by Arameans migrating into Mesopotamia under the pressure from famine, the Babylonians themselves apparently resorting to cannibalism.Assyrian chronicle fragment 4 8f.
