Ashurnasirpal I (Aššur-nāṣir-apli I, inscribed
m''aš-šur-''
PAB-A, meaning "the god
Assur
Aššur (; AN.ŠAR2KI, Assyrian cuneiform: ''Aš-šurKI'', "City of God Aššur"; ''Āšūr''; ''Aθur'', ''Āšūr''; ', ), also known as Ashur and Qal'at Sherqat, was the capital of the Old Assyrian city-state (2025–1364 BC), the Midd ...
is the protector of the heir") was the king of
Assyria
Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , ''māt Aššur'') was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization that existed as a city-state from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC and eventually expanded into an empire from the 14th century BC t ...
, 1049–1031 BC, and the 92nd to appear on the ''Assyrian Kinglist''. He was the son and successor of
Shamshi-Adad IV Shamshi-Adad IV, inscribed md''šam-ši-''dIM, was the king of Assyria, 1054/3–1050 BC, the 91st to be listed on the ''Assyrian Kinglist''.''Khorsabad Kinglist'', tablet IM 60017 (excavation nos.: DS 828, DS 32-54), iv 1–4.''SDAS Kinglist'', tab ...
, and he ruled for 19 years
[''Khorsabad Kinglist'', tablet IM 60017 (excavation nos.: DS 828, DS 32-54), iv 5.] during a troubled period of Assyrian history, marked by famine and war with nomads from the deserts to the west. He is best known for his penitential prayer to
Ištar
Inanna is the ancient Mesopotamian goddess of war, love, and fertility. She is also associated with political power, divine law, sensuality, and procreation. Originally worshipped in Sumer, she was known by the Akkadians, Babylonians, and As ...
of
Nineveh
Nineveh ( ; , ''URUNI.NU.A, Ninua''; , ''Nīnəwē''; , ''Nīnawā''; , ''Nīnwē''), was an ancient Assyrian city of Upper Mesopotamia, located in the modern-day city of Mosul (itself built out of the Assyrian town of Mepsila) in northern ...
.
Reign
According to a royal hymn composed in his honor, he was born "in the mountains that nobody knows", suggesting he may have been born in exile, or perhaps a literary device, as it continues: "I was without understanding and I prayed not of your majesty". It relates that, when Ishtar appointed him to the kingship, he had restored her overthrown cult. Known from a single copy from the
library of Ashurbanipal
The Royal Library of Ashurbanipal, named after Ashurbanipal, the last great king of the Assyrian Empire, is a collection of more than 30,000 clay tablets and fragments containing texts of all kinds from the 7th century BCE, including texts in ...
, it includes a plea to the goddess to restore him to health from the sickness that afflicted him, citing his temple-restoration, and devotions, to persuade her. It addresses Ištar of Nineveh, and Ištar of
Arbil, as though they were separate deities. A second, fragmentary literary prayer thanks her for her favor.
The ''Synchronistic Kinglist''
[''Synchronistic Kinglist'', Ass 14616c (KAV 216), iii 4.] gives his
Babylon
Babylon ( ) was an ancient city located on the lower Euphrates river in southern Mesopotamia, within modern-day Hillah, Iraq, about south of modern-day Baghdad. Babylon functioned as the main cultural and political centre of the Akkadian-s ...
ian counterpart as
Kashshu-nadin-ahi (c. 1006–1004 BC), but probably only for stylistic purposes as there seems to have been no recorded contact between the kingdoms during this period.
Ashur
A single short
brick-inscription comes from his palace in
Assur
Aššur (; AN.ŠAR2KI, Assyrian cuneiform: ''Aš-šurKI'', "City of God Aššur"; ''Āšūr''; ''Aθur'', ''Āšūr''; ', ), also known as Ashur and Qal'at Sherqat, was the capital of the Old Assyrian city-state (2025–1364 BC), the Midd ...
,
[RIMA 2 A.0.92.1:1.] which was located between the south-west front of the
ziggurat
A ziggurat (; Cuneiform: 𒅆𒂍𒉪, Akkadian: ', D-stem of ' 'to protrude, to build high', cognate with other Semitic languages like Hebrew ''zaqar'' (זָקַר) 'protrude'), ( Persian: Chogha Zanbilچغازنجبیل) is a type of massive ...
and the
Anu-
Adad temple. The "White Obelisk"
[''White Obelisk'', BM 118807.] is sometimes attributed to him by historians, but more usually to his later namesake,
Ashurnasirpal II
Ashur-nasir-pal II (transliteration: ''Aššur-nāṣir-apli'', meaning " Ashur is guardian of the heir") was the third king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 883 to 859 BC. Ashurnasirpal II succeeded his father, Tukulti-Ninurta II. His son and s ...
, because its internal content (hunting, military campaigns, etc.) better matches what is known about his reign.
Succession
He was succeeded by his son,
Shalmaneser II, who mentions him in one of his own inscriptions
[RIMA 2 A.0.93.1:4.] and later by another son, the long-reigning
Aššur-rabi II.
See also
*
White Obelisk of Ashurnasirpal I
Inscriptions
References
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashurnasirpal 01
11th-century BC Assyrian kings