Nabû-šuma-ukin I, inscribed
md''Nābû-šuma-ú-kin'',
[''Synchronistic King List'' iii 16 and variant fragments KAV 10 ii 7, KAV 182 iii 10.] meaning “
Nabû
Nabu ( akk, cuneiform: 𒀭𒀝 Nabû syr, ܢܵܒܼܘܼ\ܢܒܼܘܿ\ܢܵܒܼܘܿ Nāvū or Nvō or Nāvō) is the ancient Mesopotamian patron god of literacy, the rational arts, scribes, and wisdom.
Etymology and meaning
The Akkadian "n ...
has established legitimate progeny,” was the 5th king listed in the sequence of the so-called dynasty of ''E'', possibly a mixed series of dynasties, that ruled over
Babylon
''Bābili(m)''
* sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠
* arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel''
* syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel''
* grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn''
* he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel''
* peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru''
* elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...
during the early
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly ...
. The exact duration of his reign is unknown but was probably at the beginning of the 9th century BC. His rule marks a temporary resurgence in the fortunes of Babylonia, which was to last on through his son and successor,
Nabû-apla-iddina’s reign and the two kings who followed in this four-generation dynasty.
Biography
The circumstances of his ascendancy and his relationship with his predecessor are not known. The beginning of his reign was marked by war with
Assyria
Assyria ( Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , romanized: ''māt Aššur''; syc, ܐܬܘܪ, ʾāthor) was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization which existed as a city-state at times controlling regional territories in the indigenous lands of the A ...
when
Adad-Nārāri II swept down on his second campaign and supposedly defeated him according to the Assyrian version, apparently sacking several cities and hauling their "vast booty" back home.
[''Synchronistic History'' iii 9-21 which confuses him with Nabû-šuma-iškun.] The outcome may not have been quite so one-sided as described as the Assyro-Babylonian border was pushed back north to the basin of the
Lesser Zab
The Little Zab or Lower Zab (, ''al-Zāb al-Asfal''; or '; , ''Zâb-e Kuchak''; , ''Zāba Taḥtāya'') is a river that originates in Iran and joins the Tigris just south of Al Zab in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. It is approximately long and dr ...
.
His relations for the remainder of Adad-Nārāri’s time and with the next Assyrian monarch,
Tukulti-Ninurta II Tukulti-Ninurta II was King of Assyria from 890 BC to 884 BC. He was the second king of the Neo Assyrian Empire.
History
His father was Adad-nirari II, the first king of the Neo-Assyrian period. Tukulti-Ninurta consolidated the gains made by his ...
,
[Chronicle 24, the ]Eclectic Chronicle
The Eclectic Chronicle, referred to in earlier literature as the ''New Babylonian Chronicle'', is an ancient Mesopotamian account of the highlights of Babylonian history during the post-Kassite era prior to the 689 BC fall of the city of Babylo ...
, r 3, 4 identifies him as his contemporary. in contrast were good, and he made an entente cordiale and exchanged daughters in marriage with one of them, the ''Synchronistic Chronicle'' being too fragmentary here to be sure which one, auguring in an extended period of peaceful relations.
Inscriptions
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nabu-shuma-ukin I
9th-century BC Babylonian kings
9th-century BC rulers