Ninurta-kudurrῑ-uṣur I, “Ninurta protect my offspring/border” (the ambiguity may be intentional),
[CAD K p. 497: ''Ninurta-NÍG.DU-ŠEŠ''.] 983–981 BC, was the second king of the Bῑt-Bazi or 6th Dynasty of
Babylon and he reigned for three years, according to the ''King List A'',
[''King List A'', BM 33332, iii 11.] while the ''
Dynastic Chronicle
The Dynastic Chronicle, ''"Chronicle 18"'' in Grayson's ''Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles'' or the ''"Babylonian Royal Chronicle"'' in Glassner’s ''Mesopotamian Chronicles'', is a fragmentary ancient Mesopotamian text extant in at least four k ...
''
[''Dynastic Chronicle''(ABC 18), v 10.] records that he ruled for just two years. This was during an era of economic and political retrenchment.
Biography
A fragment of the Assyrian ''Synchronistic King List''
[''Synchronistic King List'', KAV 182 iii 11 excavation reference Ass. 13956dh.] names
Ashur-nirari IV as his contemporary, rather than
Ashur-rabi II Aššur-rabi II, inscribed m''aš-šur-''GAL''-bi'', "(the god) Aššur is great," was king of Assyria 1012–972 BC. Despite his lengthy reign (41 years), one of the longest of the Assyrian monarchs, his tenure seems to have been an unhappy one ju ...
who better matches the chronology currently favored. Two
Luristan arrowheads are inscribed with his name, and were probably votive offerings for temples, but there is a remote possibility that these belong to his later name-sake, who ruled for less than a year.
The Bīt-Abi-Rattaš
kudurru[Kudurru BM 90835 BBSt No. IX top 1-25 in the British Museum.] from the reign of
Nabû-mukin-apli
Nabû-mukin-apli, typically inscribed dAG-DU-A, “ Nabû (is) establisher of a legitimate heir,” ruled 974–939 BC, founded Babylon’s 8th dynasty, the so-called ''Dynasty of E'', and ruled for thirty-six years.''Babylonian King List A'', ...
, 974–939 BC, begins with a recollection of an earlier legal document from Kār-Marduk, which may have been his capital, dated to his second year. It concerns a manslaughter settlement, where one Arad-Sibitti has killed the female slave
[''ḫarmītu'', a kind of slave, possibly linked to ''ḫarīmtu'', “prostitute” (CAD Ḫ pp. 101, 104).] of Buruša the bow-maker, ironically with an arrow. The king pronounced judgement and commanded Arad-Sibitta to give the plaintiff seven slaves in compensation and this was witnessed by seven high-ranking witnesses, of whom three were of
Kassite
The Kassites () were people of the ancient Near East, who controlled Babylonia after the fall of the Old Babylonian Empire c. 1531 BC and until c. 1155 BC (short chronology).
They gained control of Babylonia after the Hittite sack of Babylon ...
origin and one, Ammenna, the officer, a
Hurrian
The Hurrians (; cuneiform: ; transliteration: ''Ḫu-ur-ri''; also called Hari, Khurrites, Hourri, Churri, Hurri or Hurriter) were a people of the Bronze Age Near East. They spoke a Hurrian language and lived in Anatolia, Syria and Northern ...
.
He may be represented by the eleventh king in the ''Prophecy A''
[''Prophecy A'', reverse ii 2-9.] whose rule likewise endures for three years. This describes the apocalyptic events of the king’s reign with cities being destroyed, rebellion, hostility against Akkad, disconnection from the rites at the Ekur and Nippur, and fragmentary but ominous events involving the Amurru and weapons.
He was succeeded by his brother
Širikti-Šuqamuna.
Inscriptions
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ninurta-kudurri-usur I
10th-century BC Babylonian kings
10th-century BC rulers