SHAGARAKTI-SHURIASH
The
Nabonidus Cylinder which names Šagarakti-Šuriaš as
builder of the Eulmaš temple
Reign
: 1245 - 1233 BC
Preceded
by : Kudur-Enlil
I
Succeeded
by : Kashtiliash IV / Kaštiliašu IV
Regnal
titles of Shagarakti-Shuriash : King of Babylon
Shagarakti-Shuriash
/ Šagarakti-Šuriaš, written phonetically ša-ga-ra-ak-ti-šur-ia-aš
or dša-garak-ti-šu-ri-ia-aš in cuneiform or in a
variety of other forms, Šuriaš (a Kassite sun god corresponding
to Babylonian Šamaš) gives me life, (1245–1233 BC
short chronology) was the twenty seventh king of the Third or Kassite
dynasty of Babylon. The earliest extant economic text is dated to
the 5th day of Nisan in his accession year, corresponding to his
predecessor’s year 9, suggesting the succession occurred very
early in the year as this month was the first in the Babylonian
calendar. He ruled for thirteen years and was succeeded by his son,
Kaštiliašu IV.
Biography
:
The Babylonian King List A names Kudur-Enlil as his father but there
are no confirmatory contemporary inscriptions and the reigns are
too short around this period to allow for the genealogy alleged
by this king list. He is featured in a letter written in later times
between the Assyrian king Tukulti-Ninurta I and the Hittite king,
possibly Suppiluliuma II. Unfortunately the text is not well preserved,
but the phrase “non-son of Kudur-Enlil” is apparently
used to describe him, in a passage discussing the genealogy of the
Kassite monarchy.
Economic
turbulence :
More than three hundred economic texts have been found in several
caches from Ur, Dur-Kurigalzu, and overwhelmingly Nippur dated to
Šagarakti-Šuriaš’ reign. In addition, there
are 127 tablets recently published probably recovered from Dur-Enlile.
They are characterized by the extraordinary variety of spellings
used to name this king, who bears a defiantly Kassite title in contrast
with his predecessor. Brinkman identifies eighty four permutations,
but disputes the suggestion by others that Atanah-Šamaš
was a Babylonianized equivalent adopted to overcome the linguistic
problems of the natives. The texts record events such as the hire
of slaves, payments in butter to temple servants, and even an agreement
to assume a debt for which a priest had been imprisoned. Amil-Marduk
was the Šandabakku or governor of Nippur during his reign,
a position he had filled since the earlier reign of Kudur-Enlil.
Four tablets obtained on the antiquities market but believed to
be from Nippur concern the release of prisoners after a guarantee.
They date to the ascession year, year 1, and year 2 of Šagarakti-Šuriaš.
It
has been suggested that the preponderance of commercial texts detailing
debts, loans and slave transactions indicate that Babylonia faced
hard economic times during his reign, where people sold themselves
into slavery to repay their creditors. One of which seems to indicate
his involvement in the incarceration of an individual while another
is a declaration of zakût nippureti, "freeing of the
women of Nippur" as part of a general amnesty. Ini-Tešub,
the king of Kargamiš, wrote a letter to him complaining about
the activities of the Ahlamu and their effect on communications
and presumably trade.
The
Sippar-Annunitu Eulmaš of Ištar-Annunitu :
Šagarakti-Šuriaš built the shrine, or Eulmaš,
of the warrior goddess Ištar-Annunitu, in the city of Sippar-Annunitu.
Nabonidus (556-539 BC), the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire,
recorded on one of his four foundation cylinders, pictured, that
I excavated,
surveyed, and inspected the old foundations of Eulmaš, (Anunitu’s)
temple which is in Sippar-Anunitu, which for eight hundred years,
since the time of Šagarakti-Šuriaš, king of Babylon,
son of Kudur-Enlil, and on the foundation deposit of Šagarakti-Šuriaš,
son of Kudur Enlil, I cleared its foundations and laid its brickwork.
-
Inscription of Nabonidus, cylinder BM 91124, in the British Museum.
They were actually separated by slightly less than six hundred and
eighty years. This is the only other inscription describing Šagarakti-Šuriaš
as son of Kudur-Enlil. Another of his cylinders quotes his statue
inscription, buried in a trench at the site of the temple:
Šhagarakti-šuriaš,
a faithful shepherd, a revered prince, favorite of Šamaš
and Anunit - am I. When Šamaš and Anunit, for lordship
of the Land mentioned a name, they filled my hands with the leading
string of all peoples. At that time Ebarra the temple of Šamaš
of Sippar, my lord, and Eulmaš temple of Anunit of Sippar-Anunit,
my lady, whose walls since the time of Zabum because of old age
had sagged - their walls I demolished. Of their ruined foundations
- I took away their earth. Their shrine(s) I preserved. Their plans
I retained perfect. I filled in their foundations with earth; the
supporting wall(s) I restored. Their walls in their places I embellished.
Their appearance I rendered more excellent than before. Forever,
O Šamaš and Anunit, because of my precious deeds may your
hearts be glad. May they lengthen my days. May they renew (my) life.
Days of joy, month(s) of happiness, years of prosperity may they
grant (me) as a gift. A judgment of precision and justice may I
speak, and may they cause peace to be always.
-
Inscription of Nabonidus, cylinder BM 104738, column III, lines
44 to 62.
The Seal legend :
Cuneiform
inscriptions found on the lapis lazuli cylinder seal of Shagarakti-Shuriash
were recorded on this clay tablet from Nineveh, Iraq. Circa 689
BC. Currently housed in the British Museum in London
A clay tablet from the time of Sennacherib (705–681 BC) quotes
a legendary inscription from a lapis lazuli seal. Originally the
seal was in the possession of Shagarakti-Shuriash, but was carried
off to Nineveh by Tukulti-Ninurta I (1243–1207 BC) as war
booty when he sacked Babylon during Kaštiliašu’s
reign, and he had his own inscription engraved on it without erasing
the original. Sometime afterwards the seal again found its way back
to Babylon, in circumstances unknown, where it was re-plundered,
some six hundred years later by Sennacherib.
A
brick discovered in situ in Nippur has an inscription along its
edge which shows that Šagarakti-Šuriaš commissioned
work here on the Ekur of Enlil as well.
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Shagarakti-Shuriash