Assyrian and

Babylonian
Kingship
CHRIS KELLETT

Early kingship

Early Assyrian kingship:

DIIR

a-ir LUGAL i-ri-u-um PA a-ir

Aur is king, Irium is the official of

Aur

The king of Ki:

ZUEN-EME-eri-ba...
2.
LUGAL ki--ti
1. DI-DIIR

Sennacherib, king of Ki

Varied vocabulary, but also changing usage

Strong continuity from early ideas

Relations between kings, contemporary or historical, indicate the

importance of some universal institution

Later kings

Scholarly power in Assyria:

Creation of royal inscriptions

Oracular authority

Only source for external information

Role in unstable successions?

Sennacherib, Esarhaddon, and

Marduk-apla-iddina
A case study

Inscription of Marduk-apla-iddina:
[i]-nu- EN GAL- DIIRAMAR.UTU it-ti KUR URIKI kimil-tu is-bu-us-ma
9
[MU] xKAM-ma L.KUR lim-nu LSU.BAR- ina KUR URIKI
ep-pu-u be-lu-tu
10
[a]-di u4-me im-lu- ik--da a-dan-na
11
[EN] GAL- DIIRAMAR.UTU a-na KUR URIKI ik-mi-lu
ir-u- sa-li-ma
12
[ip]-pa-lis-ma DIIRAMAR.UTU-IBILA-SUM-na LUGAL
K.DIIR.RAKI NUN pa-lih- ti-ri-i qa-ti-
13
IBILA GI.NA re-tu- eri-ba-DIIRAMAR.UTU LUGAL
K.DIIR.RAKI mu-kin SUU KUR
14
[i-na] SIPA-ut KUR u-me-rim u URIKI MU- ki-ni itta-bi LUGAL DIIRME DIIRASAR-ri
15
[iq]-bi i-na i-it pi[-i]- an-nu-um-ma lu- SIPA mupa-a-ir SGME
16
[ina] e-muq EN GAL-i DIIRAMAR.UTU UR.SA DIIR30
DIIR
PIRI-GL-lu
17
BAD5.BAD5 RIN-ni SU.BIR4KI DAAL-tim im-hama -ab-bir kak-ki--un
18
ku-du-ta--nu i-kun-ma ina qaq-qar KUR URIKI
-ap-ri-sa kib-si--un
8

At that time the great lord Marduk had turned to

wrath from the land of Akkad 9 and for ? years the
evil enemy, the Subaraean, had exercised lordship
in the land of Akkad, 10 until (?) the days were
fulfilled, the hour had come 11 (when) the great
(lord) Marduk had (re)gained contentment towards
the land of Akkad, which he had been wroth withal.
12
He looked upon Marduk-apla-iddina king of
Babylon, a prince who fears him, to whom his hand
pointed, 13 true eldest son of Eriba-Marduk, king of
Babylon, who established the lands foundation. 14
Asari, king of the gods, truly pronounced his name
(for) the shepherding of Sumer and Akkad 15 (and)
said with the utterance of his mouth, Lo, this is
the shepherd to gather the scattered (flock). 16
With the power of the great lord Marduk (and) the
heroes Sin (and) Pirigallu 17 he smote (to)
overthrow the wide-spread host of Subartu and
smashed their weapons, 18 he made expulsion of
them, and banished their tread from the soil of
Akkad.
8

Esarhaddons description of the

sack of Babylon:
a-ra-a-ti I7 .GL
39
a-gu- ez-zi e-du-
40
am-ru ILLU gap-u tam-il
41
a-bu-bu ib-bab-lam-ma IRI
42
u-bat-su AME u-bi-i-ma
43
-e-me kar-me DIIRME
44
a-ib lb-bi- i-u-ri
45
ip-par--ma e-lu-
46
qer-bi- a-ar -nam-ma
47
in-nar-qu-ma ina KI-tim
II.1
[la i-du-u]
I.38 I7

The river Aratu, (normally) a river of

abundance, turned into an angry wave,
a raging tide, a huge flood like the
deluge. It swept (its) waters
destrictively across the city (and) its
dwellings and turned them to ruins.
The gods dwelling in it flew up to the
heavens like birds; the people living in
it were hidden in another place and
took refuge in an [unknown] land.

Esarhaddons selection:
ia-a-ti
10
AN.R-EME-SUM-na
11
-u ep-e-e-ti i-na-ti
12
a-na[ ]-ri-i-na tur-ri
13
i-na UKKIN EME-e-a
14
GALME ke-ni tu-tan-ni-ma
9

You truly selected me Esarhaddon, in

the assembly of my older brothers to
put these matters right,

Lament for Sumer and Ur:

2

u4-de3 mar-ru10-gin7 ur-bi i3-gu7-e

The storms gather to strike like a

flood.

me ki-en-gi-ra u bal aka-de3

bala sa6-ga e2-ba gi4-gi4-de3

uru2 gul-gul-lu-de3 e2 gul-gul-lu-de3

To overturn the (divine) decrees of

Sumer,

To lock the favourable reign in its

abode,

To destroy the city, to destroy the

temple,

Lament for Sumer and Ur:

75

u4-ba diiren-lil2-le gu-ti-umki kur-ta im-taan-e3

75

du-bi a-ma-ru diiren-lil2-la2 gaba-gi4 muun-ne-du

76

76

Enlil then sent down Gutium from the

mountains.

Their advance was like the flood of

Enlil that cannot be withstood,

Lament for Sumer and Ur:

nin-zu-an-na ki-tu ki a2-a2-ni giri3

kur2 ba-ra-an-dab5
134 diir

Ninzuana took an unfamiliar path

away from her beloved dwelling,
134

Comparison:

Old tradition of divine agency in a narrative of abandonment and

reconciliation

Mortal enemies using the same tropes to justify their rule

Not only Assyria versus Babylonia, but also dynastic heir versus
rebel

Assyrian influence?