Iamani ( ''ia-ma-ni'', "

Ionia Ionia ( ) was an ancient region encompassing the central part of the western coast of Anatolia. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements. Never a unified state, it was named after the Ionians who ...

n") or Iadna ( ''ia-ad-na'', " Cypriot") was a

Philistine Philistines (; Septuagint, LXX: ; ) were ancient people who lived on the south coast of Canaan during the Iron Age in a confederation of city-states generally referred to as Philistia. There is compelling evidence to suggest that the Philist ...

king of

Ashdod Ashdod (, ; , , or ; Philistine language, Philistine: , romanized: *''ʾašdūd'') is the List of Israeli cities, sixth-largest city in Israel. Located in the country's Southern District (Israel), Southern District, it lies on the Mediterranean ...

during the reign of Neo-Assyrian emperor

Sargon II Sargon II (, meaning "the faithful king" or "the legitimate king") was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 722 BC to his death in battle in 705. Probably the son of Tiglath-Pileser III (745–727), Sargon is generally believed to have be ...

. His names, meaning "Ionian" and "Cypriot", seemingly indicate he was of Greek extraction, and therefore a foreigner amongst the Philistines, although the names themselves are Semitic. According to Sargon II's annals, the emperor had deposed Azuri, the previous king of Ashdod, for plotting to skirt the paying of tribute to Assyria, and replaced him with his brother, Ahi-Miti. However, shortly afterwards, the

Hittites The Hittites () were an Anatolian peoples, Anatolian Proto-Indo-Europeans, Indo-European people who formed one of the first major civilizations of the Bronze Age in West Asia. Possibly originating from beyond the Black Sea, they settled in mo ...

apparently invaded Ashdod and placed Iamani, a member of the lower class, on the throne. Much like Azuri, Iamani did not respect Neo-Assyrian suzerainty, and so in c. 712 BCE Sargon marched with his personal retinue to the Levant. When Iamani became aware of the emperor's advance, he fled to

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, leaving behind his family. Upon his arrival, Sargon captured Ashdod and

Ashdod-Yam Ashdod-Yam or Azotus Paralios (lit. Ashdod/Azotus-on-the-sea") is an archaeological site on the Mediterranean coast of Israel. It is located in the southern part of the modern city of Ashdod, and about 5 kilometres northwest of the ancient sit ...

, as well as Gath; which Ashdod apparently controlled during Iamani's reign. Incidentally, this is the last time Gath appears in historical records, which may indicate Sargon II's forces destroyed the city rather than simply capturing it. In any event, Sargon's successful invasion marked the end of an independent Philistia, which would now persist under direct Assyrian rule until the empire's collapse. After Ashdod's capture,

Shebitku Shebitku or Shabataka (, , or ) also known as Shebitqo, was the second pharaoh of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt who ruled from 714 BC – 705 BC, according to the most recent academic research. He was a son of Piye, the founder of this dy ...

, the king of Egypt, apparently found Iamani in the midst of a people whom the Assyrians had never heard of, or rather, " hoe ancestors rom thedistant

ast AST, Ast, or ast may refer to: Science and technology * Attention schema theory, of consciousness or subjective awareness Computing * Abstract syntax tree, a finite, labeled, directed tree used in computer science * Anamorphic stretch transform, ...

until now had nev r snt their mounted messenger(s) to the kings, (Sargon II's) ancestors, in order to inquire about their well-being", and captured Iamani and sent him to Assyria for fear that the empire would inflict a similar fate upon Egypt. At this point, Iamani disappears from the annals, and his fate is never mentioned. That said, despite his sedition, Sargon probably allowed him to return to the throne.

References

Philistine kings 8th-century BC monarchs Ashdod {{royal-stub