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Kings of Assyria

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This page lists the Kings of Assyria from earliest times. Synchronisms with absolute dates known from Babylonian chronology and the limmu lists, which give the names of eponymous officials for each year, provide good absolute dates for the years between 911 BC and 649 BC.

The dates for the kings given below as reigning between 1420 BC and 1179 BC are particularly problematic, as the dating differs depending on which of the Assyrian King Lists is given precedence. The dating below for the kings of this period is based on Assyrian King Lists B and C, which give only three years to Ninurta-apal-Ekur, and the same to Ashur-nadin-apli. A traditional list based more on Assyrian King List A would give 14 years to Ninurta-apal-Ekur and 4 years to Ashur-nadin-apli. This version is followed by many sources, which thus give Ashur-uballit I as succeeding in 1366 BC and Shalmaneser I in 1275 BC.

Although the dates between 1179 BC and 912 BC are not as secure as the dates from 911 BC onwards, they are generally agreed upon by most Assyriologists. The dating for the end of the Assyrian period is unresolved, due to the lack of limmu lists after 649 BC. Some sources give Ashurbanipal only 38 years, having him die in 631 BC. Ashur-etil-ilani then reigns from 631 to 627, and Sin-shar-ishkun reigns thereafter down to 612 BC, when he is known to have died in the sack of Nineveh.

The Assyrian king list

The Assyrian king list is not merely a list of kings of Assyria, but is a very specific ancient list of supposed Assyrian kings recorded in several ancient locations, and related to the Sumerian king list.

The earliest extant copies date to the early first millennium BC.

Some of the first twelve names listed, known as the "kings who lived in tents", bear strong resemblances to names in Hammurabi's genealogy, although the ordering is different. For this reason, some scholars regard them as suspect in terms of historical accuracy.

Some scholars believe the list itself was compiled expressly to link the Old Assyrian ruler Shamshi-Adad I to the native rulers of the land of Ashur/Assur. Shamshi-Adad I was an Amorite who had conquered Ashur/Assur, and therefore may have wanted to legitimize his rule to the land's natural inhabitants.

Early period

The dates for the early Assyrian period are unknown. While the list is in the right order, the specific years reigned by the kings are not certain. Listed in reverse order by the Assyrian King List, starting from top left and ending at bottom right.

The Kings who lived in tents

Kings who were forefathers

Kings whose eponyms are destroyed

Old Assyrian period

Old Assyrian Period
King name Conventional dates Short chronology Ancestry
Erishum I 1906 – 1867 BC son of Ilushuma
Ikunum 1867 – 1860 BC son of Ilushuma
Sargon I 1860 – 1850 BC
Puzur-Ashur II 1850 – 1830 BC son of Sargon I
Naram-Suen 1830 – 1815 BC
Erishum II 1815 – 1809 BC
Shamshi-Adad I 1809 – 1781 BC son of local Kingdom King, Ila-kabkabu
overthrew Erishum II
Ishme-Dagan I 1780 – 1741 BC son of Shamshi-Adad I
Mut-Ashkur 1730 – 1720 BC son of Ishme-Dagan I
Rimush 1720 – 1710 BC
Asinum 1710 – 1706 BC
Anarchy: Seven Usurpers
  • Assur-dugul
  • Assur-apla-idi
  • Nasir-Sin
  • Sin-namir
  • Ibqi-Ishtar
  • Adad-salulu
  • Adasi

 1706 – 1700 BC
Belu-bani 1700 – 1691 BC
Libaia 1690 – 1674 BC
Sharma-Adad I 1673 – 1662 BC
Iptar-Sin 1661 – 1650 BC
Bazaia 1649 – 1622 BC
Lullaia 1621 – 1618 BC
Shu-Ninua 1615 – 1602 BC
Sharma-Adad II 1601 – 1598 BC
Erishum III 1598 – 1586 BC 1580 – 1567 BC
Shamshi-Adad II 1567 – 1561 BC
Ishme-Dagan II 1561 – 1545 BC
Shamshi-Adad III 1545 – 1529 BC son of Ishme-Dagan II
Ashur-nirari I 1529 – 1503 BC son of Ishme-Dagan II
Puzur-Ashur III 1503 – 1479 BC son of Ashur-nirari I
Enlil-nasir I 1479 – 1466 BC
Nur-ili 1466 – 1454 BC son Enlil-nasir I
Ashur-shaduni 1454 BC son of Nur-ili
Ashur-rabi I 1453 – 1435 BC son of Enlil-nasir I
Ashur-nadin-ahhe I 1435 – 1420 BC son of Ashur-rabi I
Enlil-nasir II 1420 – 1414 BC son of Ashur-rabi I
Ashur-nirari II 1414 – 1407 BC son of Enlil-nasir II
Ashur-bel-nisheshu 1407 – 1398 BC son of Ashur-nirari II
Ashur-rim-nisheshu 1398 – 1390 BC son of Ashur-bel-nisheshu
Ashur-nadin-ahhe II 1390 – 1380 BC

Middle Assyrian period

Middle Assyrian Period
King name Conventional dates Low dates*
Eriba-Adad I 1380 - 1353 BC
Ashur-uballit I 1365 BC – 1330 BC 1353 BC – 1318 BC
Enlil-nirari 1329 BC – 1320 BC 1317 BC – 1308 BC
Arik-den-ili 1319 BC – 1308 BC 1307 BC – 1296 BC
Adad-nirari I 1307 BC – 1275 BC 1295 BC – 1264 BC
Shalmaneser I 1274 BC – 1245 BC 1263 BC – 1234 BC
Tukulti-Ninurta I 1244 BC – 1208 BC 1233 BC – 1197 BC
Ashur-nadin-apli 1207 BC – 1204 BC 1196 BC – 1194 BC
Ashur-nirari III 1203 BC – 1198 BC 1193 BC – 1188 BC
Enlil-kudurri-usur 1197 BC – 1193 BC 1187 BC – 1183 BC
Ninurta-apal-Ekur 1192 BC – 1180 BC 1182 BC – 1180 BC
* - Dates as appearing in A.Kuhrt, The Ancient Near East volume I, 2006, p. 351'''

Middle Assyrian Period
King name Conventional dates
Ashur-Dan I 1179 – 1133 BC
Ninurta-tukulti-Ashur 1133 BC
Mutakkil-nusku 1133 BC
Ashur-resh-ishi I 1133 – 1115 BC
Tiglath-Pileser I 1115 – 1076 BC
Asharid-apal-Ekur 1076 – 1074 BC
Ashur-bel-kala 1074 – 1056 BC
Eriba-Adad II 1056 – 1054 BC
Shamshi-Adad IV 1054 – 1050 BC
Ashur-nasir-pal I 1050 – 1031 BC
Shalmaneser II 1031 – 1019 BC
Ashur-nirari IV 1019 – 1013 BC
Ashur-rabi II 1013 – 972 BC
Ashur-resh-ishi II 972 – 967 BC
Tiglath-Pileser II 967 – 935 BC
Ashur-Dan II 935 – 912 BC

Neo-Assyrian period

Neo-Assyrian Period
King name Conventional dates
Adad-nirari II 912 – 891 BC
Tukulti-Ninurta II 891 – 884 BC
Ashur-nasir-pal II 884 – 859 BC
Shalmaneser III 859 – 824 BC
Shamshi-Adad V 822 – 811 BC
Shammu-ramat, regent, 811 – 808 BC
Adad-nirari III 811 – 783 BC
Shalmaneser IV 783 – 773 BC
Ashur-Dan III 773 – 755 BC
Ashur-nirari V 755 – 745 BC
Tiglath-Pileser III 745 – 727 BC
Shalmaneser V 727 – 709 BC
End of the document known as Assyrian King List; the following kings reigned after the list had been composed.
Sargon II 722 – 705 BC (Co-regency with Shalmaneser V from 722 – 709 BC)
Sennacherib 705 – 681 BC
Esarhaddon 681 – 669 BC
The dates of the last kings are not certain
Ashurbanipal 669 – between 631 and 627 BC
Ashur-etil-ilani ca. 631 – 627 BC
Sin-shumu-lishir 626 BC
Sin-shar-ishkun ca. 627 – 612 BC
In 612 BC, Nineveh, the Assyrian capital, fell to the Medes and Babylonians; supported by the Egyptians, an Assyrian general continued to rule for a few years from Harran.
Ashur-uballit II 612 BC – ca. 609 BC

See also

Notes

References

  • Ascalone, Enrico (2007). Mesopotamia: Assyrians, Sumerians, Babylonians (Dictionaries of Civilizations; 1). Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • Grayson, Albert Kirk (1975). Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles. Locust Valley, N.Y.:
  • Healy, Mark (1992). The Ancient Assyrians.
  • Leick, Gwendolyn (2003). Mesopotamia.
  • Lloyd, Seton (1984). The Archaeology of Mesopotamia: From the Old Stone Age to the Persian Conquest.
  • Nardon, Don (1998). Assyrian Empire.

External links



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